Who was Mary Magdalene? Jesus' confidant, a devout follower, or a sex worker? In this Easter special, Tristan is joined by Professors Helen Bond and Joan Taylor, authors of 'Women Remembered' to explore Mary Magdalene and her role in the bible. Through looking at both ancient and contemporary source material, depictions in art across the centuries, and exploring religious themes they hope to offer a new narrative on the vital roles women played in the Bible. Their book 'Women Remembered' is out ...
Apr 17, 2022•39 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast When someone says the Terracotta Army, you’d be forgiven for instantly thinking of rows upon rows of life size warriors, arranged in three pits as part of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s huge mausoleum complex. But what’s arguably an even more fascinating aspect of these Warriors are the wide range of bronze weapons that they are buried with. From swords to spears to hooks to crossbow triggers, hundreds of these weapons survive in extraordinary condition. What can we learn from these weapons about t...
Apr 14, 2022•43 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast Gaius Marius (157 BC – 86 BC) was one of the first warlords of the late Roman Republic, a general and statesman who held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his life. In this episode Tristan is joined by Dr Federico Santangelo, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Newcastle, to find out more about the man whose career changed the course of Rome's future. Federico's book Marius is available here . For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients newslett...
Apr 10, 2022•45 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast Roman connections with Britain stretch back to (at least) the mid 1st century BC. But what has archaeology revealed about the Late Iron Age British societies they interacted with? Do we have any concrete evidence for the druids? Was human sacrifice a thing? Sit back and enjoy in this very special Ancients episode, as experts provide a detailed run down of life and death in Late Iron Age Britain. The episode covers several topics: urbanisation, ritual and religion, trade, slavery and warfare. Fea...
Apr 07, 2022•43 min•Ep 192•Transcript available on Metacast In Ancient Greece, the symposium was no ordinary after-dinner drinking party, but one in which the Hellenic men of society got together to wine, recline and philosophise. They took various forms depending on the whim of the leader of the symposium - the symposiarch - but were exclusively male affairs (aside from the occasional courtesan or two). In this episode Tristan is joined by Michael Scott, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick, to find out more about the s...
Apr 03, 2022•42 min•Ep 191•Transcript available on Metacast Man's best friend has been at our side for thousands of years. Ancient Greece was no exception, and although some of the types of dog that were popular back then might seem unfamiliar to us today, tales of their loyalty, dependability and downright cuteness certainly are not. From dog names, to their function in Greek religion, to their usefulness–including their possible deployment on the battlefield–what do we know about dogs in Ancient Greece? In this episode Tristan is joined by Dr Owen Rees...
Mar 31, 2022•54 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast The legacies of the Ides of March stretch from that very afternoon on March 14th 44BC to the modern day. From Roman times to the Medieval period, from Dante to Shakespeare, and from Brutus to the other infamous assassin he inspired in John Wilkes Booth, the echoes of Julius Caesar's assassination have continued to reverberate through time over the last two thousand years. In this episode, the last of our special four-part miniseries on the Ides of March, Tristan sits down with Professor Maria Wy...
Mar 27, 2022•55 min•Ep 189•Transcript available on Metacast Dinosaurs! Spectacular resilient beings who were able to adapt and survive the most terrifying of events. Evolving from a group of mostly humble-sized creatures, into the most enormous beasts that ever existed on land. But how did the first true dinosaurs emerge? In this episode, Tristan is joined by Professor Stephen L. Brusatte. Stephen is a Palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist who specialises in the anatomy and evolution of dinosaurs. He takes us through not just the evolution of dinosa...
Mar 24, 2022•45 min•Ep 188•Transcript available on Metacast What happened after the Ides of March? How did the Romans go from co-ordinated assassinations to the Pax Romana? From Tyranny to prosperity? In this third episode of our Ides of March series, Tristan is joined by Dr Hannah Cornwell to discuss the turbulent relations that erupted between Marc Antony and Octavian (Young Caesar), following Julius Caesar's assassination. Secluded meetings, arranged marriages, reconciliations, dissensions, and a love affair for the ages - what really happened between...
Mar 20, 2022•50 min•Ep 187•Transcript available on Metacast Man, myth or legend... who was the real Saint Patrick? Did he really banish all the snakes from Ireland? Where does the shamrock tradition come from? And was he even Irish? In this episode, Tristan is joined by Professor Lisa Bitel of USC Dornsife to find out more about the true identity of the mysterious figure who became Patron Saint of Ireland and gave his hallowed name to St Paddy's Day. Order Tristan's book, Alexander's Successors at War , today 📖 ➡️ https://ed.gr/dylvo For more Anc...
Mar 17, 2022•39 min•Ep 186•Transcript available on Metacast Marcus Junius Brutus is best known as one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar, but there's so much more to his complex story. In today's episode, we continue our mini-series, all about the events of March 15th 44BC. Tristan is joined by Dr. Steele Brand to talk through the rise and downfall of Caesar's most notorious assassin; Marcus Brutus. For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients newsletter here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of ...
Mar 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships - but is there more to her than a beautiful face? To mark Women's History Month, Tristan is joined by author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes to discuss Helen's place in mythology and history. Often viewed through the male gaze, Natalie helps set the record straight about who Helen really was. With discussions of her conception, abductions, and grief after the Trojan War - we learn about why she was so noteworthy in mythology. This episode con...
Mar 10, 2022•45 min•Ep 184•Transcript available on Metacast March 15th 44BC is perhaps the most notorious date in all of ancient history. On that fateful day, the Ides of March, 55-year-old Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of disaffected senators. In this episode – the first of our special Ides of March miniseries this month – Tristan (with a little help from Dr Emma Southon and Dr Steele Brand) untangles fact from fiction, truth from myth, to take you back to that very afternoon in the heart of Rome's doomed republic. For m...
Mar 06, 2022•52 min•Ep 183•Transcript available on Metacast It's not often we cover current affairs on The Ancients (the clue is in the name), but in light of Putin’s claims that Ukraine was “entirely created by Russia”, we wanted to highlight Ukraine’s extraordinary ancient history. From the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age. To provide an overview of the country’s ancient history, Grand Valley State University’s Dr Alexey Nikitin joins us on the podcast and explains why he believes that the origins of Ukraine can be traced back to the Bronze Age. For more A...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep 182•Transcript available on Metacast Famous throughout antiquity, yet retold only in fragments today - who is Sappho? Her poetry inspired generations, from Catullus to Byron, so how come we know so little about her life? This week Tristan is joined by Professor Margaret Reynolds from Queen Mary University in London to piece together what we know about Sappho. What can we learn from her fragmented history and how do her depictions in art further our understanding of who she was? For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancie...
Feb 27, 2022•32 min•Ep 181•Transcript available on Metacast Discovered by local farmers in 1974, the Terracotta Army is one of the most astounding archaeological finds on record. A piece of funerary art, dedicated to the First Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang, it contains over 8,000 figures of soldiers, chariots, and horses. This week Tristan is joined by Dr Xiuzhen Li, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at UCL, to discuss its origins, its possible Hellenistic influences, and what else we can learn from this incredible ancient wonder. If you'd like to learn m...
Feb 24, 2022•49 min•Ep 180•Transcript available on Metacast It's often thought that the ancient Greeks were devout in tradition, strict in their ways and beliefs. But how true is this? When it comes to creative thinking and innovation, the ancient Greeks excelled! In this episode, Tristan is joined by professor and historian Dr Armand D'Angour as they explore the impact of Ancient Greek innovation, delving into their perception of 'new'. From famous figures in the arts, philosophy, and the ideas of the model state, we look beyond the lens of tragedy. Wha...
Feb 20, 2022•45 min•Ep 179•Transcript available on Metacast Indigenous Australians have lived on the vast continent of Australia for thousands of years - but how have they survived isolation, extreme conditions, and caring for the land which serves them? This week Tristan is joined by Dave Johnston, Director of Aboriginal Archaeologists Australia Pty Ltd, an indigenous archaeological company based in Canberra. Together they discuss indigenous epistemologies, the concept of caring for country, and the importance of conserving heritage sites and what can b...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast St. Valentine of Rome, patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, among many other things. But who exactly is the real St Valentine, and how has the story been kept alive? In this episode, Tristan is joined by historian and licensed tour guide Agnes Crawford as we piece together the complicated background of Saint Valentine. From the potential origins of Valentine's day, its ancient association with love, and Agnes' work in Rome, we explore the mysteries of St Valentine's life. Order Tristan’s boo...
Feb 13, 2022•32 min•Ep 177•Transcript available on Metacast Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex was first constructed just three decades after the empire’s legions conquered Britain in the first century AD. Rediscovered in 1960, Fishbourne is the largest known Roman residence north of the Alps, and much of its sprawling ruins have still not been excavated fully. In this episode, Tristan chats to Dr Robert Symmons, Curator at Fishbourne Roman Palace and its museum, to find out more about what makes the gigantic villa–and the spectacular artefacts it le...
Feb 10, 2022•42 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast London is today one of the greatest cities in the world, and the story of its origins is fittingly spectacular. Founded by the Romans as Londinium in around 47-50 AD, the metropolis served as a major commercial hub and indeed military target until its abandonment in the 5th century. It wouldn’t be until the turn of the following millennium that London regained its eminence under the Anglo-Saxons. Thanks to centuries of astonishing discoveries and decades of key archaeological research, we actual...
Feb 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep 175•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine you are a traveller sailing to the major cities around the Mediterranean in 750 BC. You would notice a remarkable similarity in the dress, alphabet, consumer goods, and gods from Gibraltar to Tyre. This was not the Greek world—it was the Phoenician. Based in Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and other cities along the coast of present-day Lebanon, the Phoenicians spread out across the Mediterranean building posts, towns, and ports. To shine a light on the Phoenician World, with a particular focus on ...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep 174•Transcript available on Metacast It’s here! Today is the publication date of Tristan’s first book, Alexander’s Successors at War: The Perdiccas Years . Focussing in on 323 – 320 BC, the book tells the story of the tumultuous events that seized Alexander the Great’s empire immediately after this titanic figure breathed his last in June 323 BC. Today, we’re giving you a taster of what you can expect. Sit back and relax as Tristan reads out an abridged chapter from the book (including a swift introduction). He tells the stor...
Jan 30, 2022•1 hr•Ep 173•Transcript available on Metacast Tens of thousands of clay tablets containing texts written in the ancient Cuneiform script of the Assyrian Empire have been discovered, giving us invaluable insights into the inner workings of the Mesopotamian kingdom on the eve of its collapse in the 1st millennium BC. In this fascinating episode, Tristan chats with Professor Eleanor Robson of UCL to help shed light on the incredible history of scholarship in the ancient Near East. Order Tristan’s book today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perd...
Jan 27, 2022•45 min•Ep 172•Transcript available on Metacast In this second part of Tristan’s explainer, he takes us right into the heart of the battle dubbed the Persian Thermopylae. Listen as Alexander begins a full-blooded assault on the Persian Gates, and find out how this battle for the Persian heartlands ended. Preorder Tristan’s book today: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Perdiccas-Years-323320-BC-Hardback/p/20188 Jona Lendering article: https://www.livius.org/articles/battle/persian-gate-330-bce/ The narrow Yasuj pass . &n...
Jan 23, 2022•40 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast In January 330 BC, Alexander the Great faced one of his most difficult challenges to date. A small Persian force, entrenched in a formidable defensive position that blockaded Alexander’s route to the Persian heartlands. A narrow pass through the Zagros Mountains that has gone down in history as the Persian, or Susian, Gates. Although nowhere near the size or scale of Alexander’s previous pitched battles against the Persians at the Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela, this clash in the mountains deserv...
Jan 20, 2022•39 min•Ep 170•Transcript available on Metacast 16 January 27 BC is a date sometimes associated with the beginning of the Roman Empire. It was on that day that Octavian received the name Augustus, effectively becoming the first emperor of Rome. Augustus ordered the gates of Janus to be closed, marking an end to the period of Civil War that had characterised Rome for decades before. Entering into a new era of peace, how did Augustus monopolise peace as a concept, and allow Rome to hold onto this new era and way of life across it's Empire? This...
Jan 16, 2022•50 min•Ep 169•Transcript available on Metacast At its height, the Seleucid Empire stretched from Thrace (modern day Bulgaria) to the Indus River Valley. Emerging from the tumultuous ‘Successor Wars’ that followed Alexander the Great’s passing, for over a century it was a superpower of the eastern Mediterranean. This, however, ultimately led it into conflict with Rome at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The result was a devastating defeat for the Seleucid King Antiochus III ‘the Great’ at the Battle of Magnesia, fought around this time of...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast Spinning held an important place in ancient society, and no, we're not talking about ancient exercise classes. A task for women and slaves, it was used to create clothes, ships sails, and ropes, and its products were integral to all parts of society. An unchanging art for centuries and seen across the globe, spinning was an important practice in the ancient world. This week Tristan is joined by Carey Fleiner to discuss spinning's role in myths, the textiles it helped produce, and its importance ...
Jan 09, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast It’s a macabre topic to discuss, but also one that has fascinated people for generations. So what has archaeology revealed about cannibalism among prehistoric societies? And if cannibalism does seem to have been practised among certain groups, then why? Appalachian State University’s Dr Marc Kissel dialled in from North Carolina to talk us through several cases of potential cannibalism in prehistory, from Neanderthals to the Neolithic. Marc’s Twitter: @MarcKissel Order Tristan’s book today: ...
Jan 06, 2022•50 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast 
