The Amazons

The Amazons

Author: History Hit June 15, 2025 Duration: 1:10:11

What makes the Amazons one of the most captivating myths in ancient Greek culture?


Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. David Braund, Emeritus Professor at the University of Exeter, to explore and celebrate the legends of the Amazons in ancient Greek culture. From their portrayal through iconic myths involving Heracles, Achilles, and Theseus to modern misconceptions, Tristan and David reveal the Amazons' roles in epic tales like the Trojan War and their artistic representations on ancient Greek vases and temple reliefs.


These formidable warrior women were not only central figures in mythology but also revered city founders, astronomers and festival creators, far more than their popular depiction as alluring and dangerous figures.


MORE

Achilles

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uNHjwkzMHT5Ql2NHixZvl?si=7098cc9c847141e4

The Thracians

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uvIfj2fkYhoJZsn4y1SDX?si=1yLefV8PSSO2ZzZzY5T9yA

Ares: God of War

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mER4RZ11k56eqV1uoVvNs


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 


You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Hosted by Tristan Hughes, The Ancients digs into the distant past, one specific theme at a time. This isn't a sweeping lecture but a series of focused conversations. Each episode brings you directly into dialogue with leading historians and archaeologists, who share the latest research and perspectives on the ancient world. The scope is vast, moving from the mysteries of Neolithic Britain all the way through to the complex events surrounding the Fall of Rome. You might find yourself immersed in the details of a single archaeological discovery one week and exploring the broader political currents of an empire the next. Produced by History Hit, this podcast benefits from the same depth and quality that defines their other award-winning series. With new episodes arriving every Sunday and Thursday, there's always a fresh journey into antiquity waiting. For anyone with a curiosity about where we came from, this podcast serves as a reliable and engaging guide, making the remote past feel immediate and vividly real.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Ancients
Podcast Episodes
Adam and Eve [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:05
Adam and Eve: parents of humanity, or characters in a Near Eastern myth about wisdom, mortality, and the limits of being human?Tristan Hughes and Dr Dylan Johnson strip away the Sunday school varnish to re-examine the st…
The First Popes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:09
What do we know about the earliest Popes, and how did they shape the early Christian Church amidst persecution?Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Rosamond McKitterick to journey back to Imperial Rome to uncover the fa…
Xerxes the Great [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:39
He is one of the most famous rulers of the ancient world, remembered for leading a vast Persian invasion of Greece. Yet Xerxes the Great was far more than just a battlefield king.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan…
The Origins of Rome's Empire [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:34
396 BC. The city of Veii lies in ruins, destroyed by Rome in a brutal act of early imperial expansion. Yet just six years later, Rome itself would face devastation at the hands of invading Gauls, a shock that would shape…
The First Arabians [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:58
What can ancient DNA tell us about the first homo sapiens to arrive in Arabia over 50,000 years ago? Tristan Hughes is joined by Prof. Pierre Zalloua to delve into the groundbreaking advances in ancient DNA research that…
How to Survive on Hadrian’s Wall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:35
Step into the daily lives of those stationed along Hadrian's Wall, from Roman soldiers to civilians. Tristan Hughes and Dr. Francis Macintosh are your guides to explore the routines, duties, and unique cultural identitie…
Medea: Maligned Sorceress or Heartless Murderer? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:36
She helped Jason win the Golden Fleece, betrayed her own family, and became one of the most feared figures in Greek myth. Medea’s name has echoed through the ancient world for over two millennia, a byword for passion and…
Fall of Sparta [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:04
How did Sparta, the most feared military state in ancient Greece, fall from grace in a single generation?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Roel Konijnendijk and Dr Owen Rees to chronicle Spa…
Rise of Christianity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:02
How did a persecuted minority religion rise to be embraced and enforced by mighty Roman Emperors?Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Peter Heather to chart the dramatic rise of Christianity, exploring how Emperors such…
The First Life on Earth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:19
Today we’re going back to the beginning – no Romans, Celts, Egyptians or Macedonians in sight. Billions of years of prehistory as we look at the emergence of life on Earth. From the rise of the earliest microscopic membr…