The First Hawaiians

The First Hawaiians

Author: History Hit October 9, 2025 Duration: 51:57

Tristan Hughes goes on an exploration of Hawaii's earliest settlers, guided by the insights of Dr. Patrick Kirch, a leading expert on Hawaiian archeology. From the arrival of Polynesians around AD 1000, using sophisticated double-hull canoes, to their unique agricultural practices and the construction of monumental architecture, they delve into the impact of Polynesian settlers on Hawaii's pristine ecosystem, the use of petroglyphs, and the development of highly stratified societal structures shedding light on Hawaii's ancient past.


MORE

Polynesian Mythology

The First South Americans


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor and 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
Stegosaurus: Titan of the Jurassic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:37
Few dinosaurs are as instantly recognisable as the plated titan Stegosaurus - it's the Jurassic giant with a brain the size of a walnut and a tail that could kill.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined…
Rise of King Herod [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
He’s the villain of the Nativity. An alleged killer of innocents, remembered as one of history’s great monsters. But the truth about Herod the Great is far more dramatic, far more complex, and far more shocking.On today'…
The Ten Commandments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:45
Did Moses really receive the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, or is that just ancient legend? Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Dylan Johnson to unpack how the Book of Exodus disagrees with Deuteronomy, what “do not take G…
Origins of Chocolate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:45
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Cameron McNeil, Mesoamerican archaeologist, to explore cacao, in ancient Mesoamerican societies like the Maya, Aztecs, and Olmecs. They discuss how was used as food, drink, currency, and i…
The Khmer Empire: Angkor Wat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:12
How did Indian culture shape the wonders of Southeast Asia?Tristan Hughes is joined by William Dalrymple to explore the fascinating first millennium AD, from vibrant trade dynamics with the Roman Empire to the establishm…
The World's Oldest Letters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:10
What do the world’s first letters reveal about life in the Bronze Age?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Amanda Podany to uncover the remarkable written culture of ancient Mesopotamia, when clay tablets carried messages acro…
Emperor Tiberius: Monster or Misunderstood? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:10
*WARNING: This podcast contains adult themes and discussion of paedophilia*A brilliant general. A brooding autocrat. A recluse surrounded by scandal. Few Roman emperors divide opinion like Tiberius. But was he truly a mo…
Zoroastrianism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:26
A faith born in the distant prehistoric past, rooted in ancient Iranian texts over 4,000 years old, Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest living religions. and one that shaped empires.In this episode of The Ancient…
Decline & Fall of the Ancient World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:36
Tristan Hughes invites Matt Lewis, host The Ancients's sister podcast Gone Medieval, for a lively debate with about the blurred boundary between the ancient and medieval worlds. Can Tristan champion Roman Emperor Justini…
Roman Toilets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:46
They built roads, aqueducts, and bathhouses but what about toilets?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Hannah Platts, to uncover the surprisingly fascinating world of Roman toilets, faeces and sewers. From communal latrines a…