History Hit Podcasts

Sex Work in Ancient Rome

What did it look like inside a Roman brothel? Who was the sex worker involved in a murder plot to kill an Emperor? And why was the Pope getting...

What are the High Middle Ages?

Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis embark on a rollicking journey through the High Middle Ages, unearthing the epic power struggles between popes...

Julius Caesar

The Romans built an empire that reshaped the world through brutal wars, brilliant strategy, and even the power of the pen. From the blood-soaked...

Ronald Reagan: The Hollywood President

Think what you like about him, Ronald Reagan was a big hitter and his presidency changed America. This ex-Hollywood actor's eight years in office...

The Kingdom of Aksum

How is the unique narrative of the Ark of the Covenant deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture and tradition?

Embark on a journey to the Kingdom...

Inside the Paris Catacombs

Beneath the streets of the French capitol lurks a city of the dead: the Paris Catacombs.

Why they were piled up there is a dark and...

Fall of Thomas More

In the second of our special episodes exploring the rise and fall of Sir Thomas More, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul chart the...

Disasters in the Age of Discovery

The dawn of the age of European exploration in the 16th century was absurdly dangerous. Crews on the ships of Christopher Columbus, Vasco De Gama...

Could You Survive Medieval Childbirth?

Childbirth isn't for the faint-hearted at the best of times, let alone in the medieval period. 

What was a birthing room like at this...

The Crusader Emperor: Frederick Barbarossa

How did Frederick Barbarossa reshape medieval Europe into the romantic legends that endure today?

Dr. Eleanor Janega finds out with help...

Frenemies: Mexico & the USA, a History

With almost 2,000 miles of shared border, the United States and Mexico have a long history of cooperation and conflict. From territory and trade,...

Victorian England's Most Gruesome Murder

It was one of the most gruesome crimes of the Victorian era... and it ended up in David Attenborough's garden! Kate Webster, a servant, killed and...

Rise of Thomas More

Thomas More is one of the most famous and controversial figures in English history. Was he truly the saintly man of conscience, immortalised by A...

How Assassin's Creed Odyssey Recreated Ancient Greece

For the past few weeks, we have investigated the history behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. In this episode, Matt Lewis joins historian and video...

The Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire

Was this the world’s first empire? To uncover the story of ancient history's most formidable powers, Dan is joined by Yale University’s...

Pompeii: The Buried City

Buried in ash, frozen in time—Pompeii offers one of the most extraordinary windows into everyday life in ancient Rome.

In this episode of...

How to Survive the 14th Century

Matt Lewis dives into the dramatic and transformative 14th century with historian Helen Carr, from the drama of the Peasants' Revolt, where...

The Truth About The Minotaur

Deep in an Ancient Greek labyrinth lurks the half bull half man monster: the Minotaur.

What did this wild myth about a woman having a baby...

Why do India and Pakistan fight over Kashmir?

A dive into the history behind today's tensions. In this episode, Dan is joined by historian and journalist Andrew Whitehead to explain the...

Battle of Shiloh

The staggering casualties of the Battle of Shiloh shocked both the North and South, marking a turning point in public perception of the Civil...

John Dee's Angels

Was an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I communicating with angels? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw to explore the...