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

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HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on the Parthenon Sculptures "The case is unique: the sculptures are bound up with Greek identity" . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod Mysteries 3 WL

History’s greatest mysteries Was the Trojan War fact or fiction? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

St Columba. This Irish patron saint's influence on the Christian church was, and still is, felt much further afield

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?

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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 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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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 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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?

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

Ghosts, necromancy & the underworld in ancient Mesopotamia . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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”

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HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on Afghanistan “A new world is emerging, reviving older connections” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on Tamil culture “Let’s cherish this shining light of the great Bronze Age civilisations” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Boats clash at sea in this illustration of the 480 BC battle of Salamis, fought between a Persian army led by King Xerxes I and the Greek army led by Themistocles

Salamis, 480 BC: a horror at sea for the Persian empire