General ancient history

The Immortals shown holding long spears on a frieze from the palace of Darius the Great

General ancient history

The Persian Immortals: the feared elite guard of the Achaemenid empire

HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on the Parthenon Sculptures "The case is unique: the sculptures are bound up with Greek identity"

Pod Mysteries 3 WL

General ancient history

History’s greatest mysteries Was the Trojan War fact or fiction?

Columba depicted on a wall hanging in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. This Irish patron saint's influence on the Christian church was, and still is, felt much further afield. (Photo by Dreamstime)

Medieval miracle worker: how St Columba transformed Christianity in Britain

An 18th-century painting depicts Alexander the Great preparing to hack through the Gordian Knot with his sword

General ancient history

Q&A What was the Gordian Knot?

As we approach the 1900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian’s Wall, Rob Collins answers listener questions on the Roman fortification. (Image by Getty Images)

Hadrian’s Wall: everything you wanted to know

From the courtesans of Edo Japan to the mollyhouses of Regency London, Kate Lister discusses the long and varied history of sex work. (Image by Getty Images)

Sex work: a brief history

Black and white drawing showing King George V using a broom to sweep away several crowns adorned with the words 'Made in Germany'.

Fake history: 3 historical untruths that shaped the world

Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order

A modern fireworks display

General ancient history

Q&A How were fireworks made in ancient China?

From necromancy and the underworld to getting rid of troublesome spirits, Irving Finkel discusses ghost beliefs in ancient Mesopotamia. (Image by Getty Images)

General ancient history

Ghosts, necromancy & the underworld in ancient Mesopotamia

Irving Finkel is a British archaeologist and Assyriologist. He is currently the Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the Department of Middle East in the British Museum, where he specialises in cuneiform inscriptions on tablets of clay from ancient Mesopotamia. (Photograph by Sarah Lee-Eyevine)

General ancient history

Irving Finkel “Ghosts were taken for granted as part of everyday Mesopotamian life”

HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on Afghanistan “A new world is emerging, reviving older connections”

A young woman sat in front of a mirror applies lipstick, 1967

The price of beauty: the dangerous cosmetics used until the 20th century

A mermaid combing her hair

General Early Modern

Tails from the deep: separating the real folklore of mermaids from Disney stories