Far in the distance, three colossal shapes tower over the desert horizon…In this episode, we travel to the Nile Valley, and tell the story of one of the most iconic cultures ever produced by humankind – the civilizations of ancient Egypt. I w

17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians

Apr 11th, 2023 3h 38m

Buried beneath the city streets of the Tunisian capital of Tunis, an ancient city lies forgotten...In this episode, we look at one of the most dramatic stories to come down to us from the ancient world: the rise and fall of the empire of Cart

16. Bagan - City Of Temples

Oct 2nd, 2022 2h 7m

In the lowlands of Burma lie the remains of thousands of crumbling temples...In this episode, we tell one of the most colourful stories of civilizational survival: the story of the Bagan Empire of Myanmar. Find out how this kingdom rose up in

15. The Nabataeans - The Final Days Of Petra

Jun 15th, 2022 2h 1m

In the deserts of Jordan, a city lies hidden for centuries in a valley of rose-red stone...In this episode, we look at one of the most peculiar stories of civilizational survival to come down to us from the ancient world, the story of the Nab

14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India

Feb 18th, 2022 3h 13m

On the rocky banks of South India's Tungabhadra River, an enormous ruined city lies crumbling...In this episode, we look at the Vijayanagara Empire of Southern India, a civilization that has all but faded from memory in many parts of the worl

13. The Assyrians - Empire of Iron

Jun 14th, 2021 3h 4m

In the lowlands of Northern Iraq, a series of enormous cities lies crumbling in ruins...In this episode, find out about one of the most remarkable ancient civilizations: the society known today as the neo-Assyrian Empire. Discover how the Ass

12. The Inca - Cities in the Cloud

Jan 12th, 2021 3h 20m

High up on the craggy peaks of the Urubamba Canyon, a lost city lies wreathed in cloud...In this episode, we explore the mountains of the Andes, and tell the story of the Inca Empire. Find out how these mountain people built the largest empir

11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans

Jul 14th, 2020 3h 27m

On the outskirts of modern Istanbul, a line of ancient walls lies crumbling into the earth...In this episode, we look at one of history’s most incredible stories of survival - the thousand-year epic of the Byzantine Empire. Find out how this

10. China's Han Dynasty - The First Empire in Flames

Feb 24th, 2020 2h 53m

A city in ruins. A dynasty in tatters. An empire in ashes...This episode, we look at the remarkable story of the first empire of ancient China, the Han dynasty. With ancient Chinese poetry, songs and folk music, we look back at the first empi

9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds

2 Dec 16th, 2019 4h 14m

Beneath the busy streets of Mexico City, a buried god lies waiting to be discovered...This episode, we look back at the age of the Aztecs. Learn how this society grew from nothing to create one of the world's largest cities in the middle of a

8. The Sumerians - Fall of the First Cities

Oct 25th, 2019 2h 29m

In the dusts of Iraq, the ruins of the world's first civilization lie buried. This episode, we travel into the extremely distant past to look at the Sumerians. These ancient people invented writing and mathematics, and built some of the large

7. The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold

1 Aug 29th, 2019 2h 16m

Today, the Songhai Empire is all but forgotten by history. But this medieval kingdom was once the most powerful force in Africa.Find out how this civilization grew up on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, among some of the most extreme conditi

6. Easter Island - Where Giants Walked

Jun 29th, 2019 1h 43m

On one of the world’s most isolated islands, hundreds of vast stone statues lie mouldering in the grass. In this episode, we take a look at one of archaeology’s most enduring puzzles: the mystery of Easter Island. Find out how this unique com

5. The Khmer Empire - Fall of the God Kings

May 3rd, 2019 1h 38m

Deep in the Cambodian Jungle, a ruined city crumbles among the roots of banyan trees. In this episode, we look at the history of the Khmer Empire of medieval Cambodia, and the ancient mega-city of Angkor. I want to explore how this great civi

4. The Greenland Vikings - Land of the Midnight Sun

1 Mar 24th, 2019 1h 22m

One of the most unlikely tales of a society’s fall in is the incredible saga of the Vikings of Greenland. Find out the history of how these European settlers built a society on the farthest edge of their world, and survived for centuries amon

3. The Mayan Collapse - Ruins Among the Trees

1 Feb 7th, 2019 1h 9m

In the tropical forests of Central America, vast stone pyramids slowly crumble beneath the trees.In this episode, we look at one of history's great romantic mysteries: the fall of the Classic Maya Civilization. Find out how this great civiliz

2. The Bronze Age Collapse - Mediterranean Apocalypse

Jan 21st, 2019 1h 4m

Around the year 1100 BC, a wave of destruction washed over the Eastern Mediterranean. It wiped whole civilizations off the map, and left only ash and ruin in its wake. This catastrophe, known as “the Late Bronze Age Collapse”, has become one

1. Roman Britain - The Work of Giants Crumbled

1 Jan 19th, 2019 1h 3m

A vast ruined bath house, a fire-damaged poem and a world teetering on the brink of collapse. In this episode, we look at the history of the collapse of Roman Britain. Find out how a great civilization grew up almost overnight on the island o