The Ancients17 Heinä 2025

The First Sharks

Long before the first dinosaurs, the first trees or even the formation of the rings of Saturn, our planet's oceans were ruled by prehistoric sharks.

Across two special episodes of The Ancients this week, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor John Long to journey back 300 million years and dive into the deep history of sharks – from their humble origins to their golden age as apex predators. In today's episode John takes us on a whirlwind tour from the first sharks to a beast who had "Jaws and teeth that were giant wheels of death" - the Helicopron. Join us to unpack just how sharks evolved into one of the most successful lineages in Earth’s history - it’s an adventure through 400 million years of evolution, extinction, and dominance in the prehistoric seas.

Welcome to our week of Sharks!

MORE

Tyrannosaurus Rex

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3uxH3HHjSuEk0mHmjFU9k7

The First Dogs

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fpF68aiJUIbMv6AzXxfC6

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.

LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/

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.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(620)

Paestum: Ancient Greeks in Italy

The story of ancient Italy is so much more than just Rome. In this special episode, we're shining a light on the extraordinary site of Paestum in southern Italy, home to some of the greatest ancient G...

18 Joulu 202555min

Stegosaurus: Titan of the Jurassic

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, Tris...

14 Joulu 202545min

Rise of King Herod

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 mor...

11 Joulu 202548min

The Ten Commandments

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,...

7 Joulu 202556min

Origins of Chocolate

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, dr...

4 Joulu 202544min

The Khmer Empire: Angkor Wat

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 Empi...

30 Marras 202537min

The World's Oldest Letters

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 c...

27 Marras 202555min

Emperor Tiberius: Monster or Misunderstood?

*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. B...

23 Marras 202553min