Ancient Civilisations

Ancient Civilisations

The ancient world was full of wonders. Engineering marvels like the Great Wall of China and Stonehenge. Remarkable peoples like the Aztecs, the Romans and the Mongols. Infamous leaders such as Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Herod the Great. Inventors, explorers, builders, pioneers and philosophers who shaped the world we live in today. Welcome to Ancient Civilisations - the podcast that takes you back in time to discover the ancient world, one story at a time. A Noiser production, narrated by Paul McGann and John Hopkins. As featured on Short History Of... and Real Dictators. For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes across the Noiser podcast network, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started.

Episodes

The Maya

January 30, 2025 • 55 mins
In 1511, a Spanish lifeboat makes land on the Yucatán coast in modern-day Mexico. Thirteen days ago, the crew's caravel was wrecked on a reef. But their adventure is far from over. Now, they are about to become some of the first Europeans to make contact with the Maya. Custodians of an ancient civilisation, at one time tens of millions of Maya people inhabited a swathe of the Americas. But who were they and what did they do? Where ...
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The Roman Republic

February 6, 2025 • 58 mins
March 15th, 44BC. Despite ill omens, Julius Caesar approaches the Theatre of Pompey. But the men inside have sworn an oath. To save the Republic from the hands of this self-styled ‘perpetual dictator', Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start? How did it transform Rome from a small town into a superpower? And what made its government, so determinedly against autocracy, pass the tipping point into a dictatorship? A Noiser ...
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Tutankhamun

February 13, 2025 • 51 mins
In November 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, a young water boy called Hussein Abdul Rasoul makes a remarkable discovery. A set of stone steps lies concealed beneath the desert sand - a staircase leading to a long-lost tomb. The mummified pharaoh within will capture the imagination of generations to come, becoming the very embodiment of Ancient Egypt. What do we know of this boy king and his premature end? And why the extraordi...
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The Golden Age of Athens

February 20, 2025 • 55 mins
While the Roman Republic was still in its infancy, the Greek city-state of Athens rose from the ruins of war with the Persians to become the most beautiful and powerful in the region. During this Golden Age, many Athenian citizens enjoyed unprecedented freedoms in the world’s first democracy. Architects and engineers designed buildings of unparalleled sophistication, while writers, philosophers and scientists created works that sti...
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The Aztecs

February 27, 2025 • 55 mins
Since the arrival of the Aztecs in central Mexico from the early 1300s, history has been fascinated by them. They’re widely reputed to be a savage people who left behind obsidian knives, skull racks, and disturbing remnants of human sacrifice. But in reality, the Aztecs were far more multifaceted than that. So what else has history gotten wrong about the Aztecs? Why were they so feared and reviled? How did they become so powerful? ...
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The Rosetta Stone

March 6, 2025 • 57 mins
In 1799, French soldiers in Egypt unearthed what would become one of the world’s most famous artefacts. After a desperate race to decipher its symbols, the Rosetta Stone provided the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs, casting new light on the culture and history of this lost civilisation. But why was the Rosetta Stone made in the first place? How did it end up in the hands of the French occupiers, thousands of years after i...
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Genghis Khan and the Mongols, Part 1 of 2

March 13, 2025 • 53 mins
We're in the Mongol lands of Central Asia in the late 1100s. This is a place of nomadic warriors, a region divided between tribes. But one man will emerge to unite them. Armed with the greatest military mind of his age, he will lead the Mongol peoples far beyond their own borders. A terror to his enemies, he will build a reputation unmatched for cruelty and barbarism. So how does a boy from humble origins come to rule an empire twi...
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Genghis Khan and the Mongols, Part 2 of 2

March 20, 2025 • 51 mins
The leader brings reforms to his newly unified Mongol nation. The man formerly known as Temüjin will now conquer an empire bigger than any before in recorded history. But what are the innovations that underpin his supremacy? And how will history judge him - as a cruel tyrant, or a great leader? A Noiser production, written by Dan Smith. This is part 2 of 2. For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episo...
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The Great Wall of China

March 27, 2025 • 53 mins
The Great Wall of China is one of the architectural wonders of the world. Stretching for over 21,000km - as far as London to New York and back, twice - it follows what used to be the border between China and Mongolia. Built over a period of 2,000 years by millions of conscripted workers, it’s been the subject of myths and legends for centuries. But who really built the Great Wall, and how? Is it true that those who died at the Wall...
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Alexander the Great

April 3, 2025 • 47 mins
Though he ruled for just 13 years, Alexander the Great is as famed for his hedonistic lifestyle as his military genius. But how did he become one of the best known military leaders in history? What inspired such loyalty among his troops? And what drove this young man in his endless quest to conquer the known world? A Noiser production, written by Linda Harrison. With thanks to author Philip Freeman, a professor of humanities at Pe...
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The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial

April 10, 2025 • 55 mins
The discovery at Sutton Hoo of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and his lavish treasure is one of the greatest archaeological finds on English soil. But who was the man considered worthy of such a splendid burial? Why was there no trace of human remains? What lies beneath the other mounds on the site? And why bury a body in a ship? A Noiser production, written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Gareth Williams, curator at t...
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Attila the Hun, Part 1 of 2

April 17, 2025 • 56 mins
We’re in south-eastern Europe in the 400s AD. The once mighty Roman Empire is riven in two. And on the Great Hungarian Plain a fearsome enemy is rising. The Huns’ king, Attila, will become a terrifying, iconic figure. A byword for plundering and pillaging. The archetypal warlord. But who was he really, according to those who observed him? What did Attila do that was so significant? And is his bloody reputation entirely deserved? A...
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Attila the Hun, Part 2 of 2

April 24, 2025 • 49 mins
We track Attila’s progress as he rampages through Gaul. A family bust-up sparks an extraordinary alliance, as Attila gets engaged to the Roman Emperor’s sister. With the Huns storming deep into Western Europe, their king is on a collision course with his old friend Aetius. Will the Romans’ fragile coalition hold? Or will the prophecy of the Sword of Mars be realised? A Noiser production, written by Mark Piesing. This is Part 2 of...
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The Terracotta Army

May 1, 2025 • 40 mins
After its initial discovery in 1974, the Terracotta Army became the unofficial eighth wonder of the world. Comprising an estimated 8,000 statue warriors buried as part of the First Emperor of China’s tomb complex, experts are still unearthing its secrets. But what was the purpose of so many clay soldiers? How were they made, and by whom? And what do we know about the Emperor considered so important that his death demanded a project...
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The Lighthouse of Alexandria

May 8, 2025 • 52 mins
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a testament to human ingenuity and architectural brilliance. Built in the third century BC on the small island of Pharos, it was the first lighthouse in recorded history and the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Standing over 100 metres high, it provided a vital beacon for sailors navigating the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean Sea. But who built the lighthouse? How did it c...
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The First Persian Empire

May 15, 2025 • 56 mins
For a little over 200 years, the First Persian Empire ruled over a vast expanse across three continents, making it arguably the world’s first great superpower. At its peak, it stretched from its base in Persia - roughly analogous to modern-day Iran, all the way to India in the East, incorporating swathes of Central Asia, Egypt, Libya and Iraq. It also conquered ancient powers such as Pharaonic Egypt, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. ...
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The Ottoman Empire

May 22, 2025 • 59 mins
For over six hundred years the Ottoman Empire ruled swathes of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Europe. As an Islamic superpower centred on what is now Turkey, theirs is a story of surprising alliances and enemies, trade, war and progress. But who were its leaders? How did it become so powerful? And after its eventual collapse, what legacy did it leave behind? A Noiser production, written by Danny Marshall. With thank...
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The Gladiators

May 29, 2025 • 46 mins
Take a trip back in time to Ancient Rome, to discover the bizarre and barbaric world of the gladiators. But who were these mysterious warriors? And how much truth lies behind the legends? Take your seat in the Roman Colosseum, the games are about to begin. A Noiser production, written by Addison Nugent. With thanks to Dr. Neville Morley, historian and author of The Roman Empire: Roots of Imperialism. For ad-free listening, ex...
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Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption

June 5, 2025 • 45 mins
"What happens when a volcano erupts just six miles from a bustling city? In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius is regarded as a source of bounty by those who live in its shadow. But one of history’s most infamous natural disasters soon unfolds. How did the lucky ones make their escape? And how did this Roman settlement become such an extraordinary archaeological site? This is a Short History of Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption. A Noiser p...
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