More than 1,800 years after Spartacus fought for his freedom, another rebel leader spearheaded the most successful slave revolt in history: the Haitian Revolution. That leader was a man named Toussaint L’Ouverture.This week, we invited Mike Du

Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 5)

Jan 9th, 2020 1h 15m

After the disaster at Actium, Marc Antony's entire army--100,000 strong--surrendered to Octavian. Marc Antony and Cleopatra fled to Alexandria to negotiate the terms of their defeat.Those were dark, foreboding days. Friends and allies fled the

Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 4)

Dec 26th, 2019 58m 40s

As Marc Antony and Cleopatra lived and loved in Alexandria, Octavian whipped up a toxic garbage fire of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia in Rome--and then declared war. Not against Marc Antony, but against Cleopatra.Soon, the lovers would be f

Badass Women Make Ancient History (with Kate the Exploress)

Dec 19th, 2019 1h 8m

Why were Civil War-era female spies so successful in smuggling guns across enemy lines? What secret superpower gave Scythian women an edge in battle? In heavily patriarchal ancient Greece, what made athletic, confident Spartan women so exceptio

You Don't Know Yule

Dec 12th, 2019 1h 25m

What do you know about Yule? Maybe a lot. The holiday is widely celebrated in Scandinavian countries, and it's an important part of Wiccan and Pagan tradition. But for many of us, the version that's come down through history is strongly associa

Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 3)

Nov 28th, 2019 1h 28m

After four years of marriage with Octavia, Marc Antony followed Cleopatra to Alexandria—and settled into life there. He oversaw festivals and athletic contests, cheered Cleopatra on as she ruled Egypt, and showered her and their children with h

Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 2)

Nov 14th, 2019 1h 5m

When Cleopatra and Marc Antony met by the River Tarsus, Antony was smitten. And when Cleopatra went back to Alexandria, he forgot about invading Parthia and followed her home.The two then spent a magical few months in Alexandria, where they th

Vampires II: Disease and the Engines of Myth (With Tiny Vampires Podcast)

Oct 31st, 2019 1h 7m

Last time we covered vampires, we were struck by the haunting connection between vampire myths and real disease. Between that and the many vampire myths from around the world that we didn’t have time to cover, you might say we had unfinished bu

Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 1)

Oct 17th, 2019 1h 12m

Shakespeare wrote about them. Hollywood glamorized them. For thousands of years, they've come down to us as the ultimate star-crossed lovers: the Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra, and the Roman commander Marc Antony.In the wake of Caesar's death, Cle

Fulvia: Original Gangster of Ancient Rome

Oct 3rd, 2019 1h 38m

The romance between Mark Antony and Cleopatra has beguiled us for centuries. What most people don’t realize is that when Mark Antony met Cleopatra, he was already married—to someone just as epic. Her name was Fulvia.Cleopatra had glamour and d

Julius Caesar and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Aug 15th, 2019 2h

When Julius Caesar returned to Rome after his last military campaign, he had big plans. Plans like remaking Rome in the image of Alexandria—as a beacon of light and learning. Transforming the Roman calendar and enacting sweeping government refo

Julius Caesar and the 11-Day Parade

Aug 1st, 2019 1h 27m

After winning the Alexandrian War and restoring Cleopatra to her throne, Julius Caesar returned to Rome. And then—he kept busy. Settling an insurrection among his troops, getting himself declared dictator for another 10 years, cleaning up the r

Cleopatra and the Urban War

Jul 18th, 2019 52m 33s

When Cleopatra met Julius Caesar, sparks flew. The daring Egyptian queen beguiled the conquering Roman general—and then enlisted him to fight her battles.Outnumbered five to one in a city full of ancient wonders, Cleopatra and Caesar spent the

Cleopatra and the King of Rome

Jul 4th, 2019 1h 9m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! When Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt, he walked into a civil war between the country’s new co-rulers: Ptolemy XIII and his sister Cleopatra.The romance between Caesar and Cleopatra is

Julius Caesar and the Death of the Republic

Jun 20th, 2019 1h 6m

Within sixty days of crossing the Rubicon, Julius Caesar took control of the entire Italian peninsula—almost without bloodshed. But until he defeated Pompey, Caesar’s victories were temporary.Now Caesar would face Rome's greatest general and h

Julius Caesar and the Point of No Return

Jun 6th, 2019 1h 30m

Julius Caesar was in Gaul for eight years—and while he was gone, things in Rome didn’t just stop. His enemies were sharpening their knives, just salivating for him to come back so they could prosecute him. If they got their way, Caesar could lo

The Great Pyramid of Giza: Part 1

2 days ago 1h 31m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World has changed over the centuries. But there’s one item that’s almost always included—and when it’s not, the list-maker has to make it the

AHFG Book Club: Sexy Dragons and Dangerous Dukes with Elizabeth May

9 days ago 1h 19m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! It’s our inaugural episode of AHFG Book Club, and we are so thrilled to feature Sunday Times bestselling author Elizabeth May! Join us for a wild conversation where we talk about our

Orphia x Eurydicius and the Enduring Power of Women’s Voices (With Elyse John)

16 days ago 59m 56s

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is a tragic story of love and loss. In this gender-bent version, author and prize-winning poet Elyse John crafts the tale of the warrior-poet Orphia,

RE-RELEASE: The Sacred Band of Thebes: All in One Place

23 days ago 2h 43m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! We're re-releasing our epic story about the Sacred Band--all three episodes in one place!The time was the 300s BC. The place was Thebes. And in this place, in this time, there was an

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia: Sweaty, Oily, and Judging You

30 days ago 1h 39m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! The Statue of Zeus at Olympia is not well remembered today. But in its time, it seared itself into the minds and memories of all who saw it. An enormous, glowering, formidable statue

The Murderous Magic of Medea (With Rosie Hewlett)

Mar 28th, 2024 50m 39s

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Perhaps the most infamous bad girl of ancient Greek mythology, Medea is also so much more complex than her end game makes her appear. She’s also a betrayed wife, an isolated immigrant

History of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Mar 14th, 2024 1h 9m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Perhaps the first list of Seven Wonders was written by Herodotus sometime in the 400s BC. But the list didn’t really get popularized until the 200s. Why was that? What did this list m

RE-RELEASE: Could You Survive Pompeii? A Choose Your Own Adventure Episode

Mar 7th, 2024 1h 22m

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! You’ve been transported almost 2,000 years into the past, to the streets of Pompeii. It’s a brisk autumn morning, around, oh…10 AM…and all hell is about to break loose. What's your ne

RE-RELEASE: The Pompeii Refugee Crisis (With Elodie Harper)

Feb 29th, 2024 56m 14s

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! We’ve covered the deadly day in 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii in a suffocating layer of ash and pumice. But we haven’t covered the aftermath: where did the survivor