The First Sharks
The Ancients17 Jul 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.

Episoder(607)

The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis

The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis

In 486 BC, King Xerxes ascended the Persian throne, inheriting its vast and glittering world empire. But his ambition didn’t stop there - he sought revenge on Greece.In this episode of The Ancients, t...

27 Feb 20251h 18min

End of Ice Age Britain

End of Ice Age Britain

As Ice Age Britain thawed, temperatures surged, sea levels rose, and humans and animals faced a fight for survival. But this shift was anything but simple.In this final episode of our Ice Age miniseri...

23 Feb 202548min

The Persian Wars: Darius, Athens and the Battle of Marathon

The Persian Wars: Darius, Athens and the Battle of Marathon

490 BC. On the plains of Marathon, Athens faced down a mighty army of the Persian Empire - the superpower of the time It was an underdog clash that would echo throughout history. But how did it all be...

20 Feb 202558min

The Last Neanderthals

The Last Neanderthals

For hundreds of thousands of years Neanderthals have roamed the lands of what is today Europe and western Asia. But how did they survive, and what caused their decline?Tristan Hughes delves into the f...

16 Feb 202553min

The Scythians

The Scythians

Known as the barbarians of the north, the Scythians were expert horsemen that roamed the great steppe of Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago. But how much do we know about them?In today's episode of The...

13 Feb 202551min

Ice Age Australia

Ice Age Australia

Giant kangaroos. Killer wombats. Carnivorous lions. These beasts once roamed the barren landscape of Ice Age Australia - a vast supercontinent stretching from Papua New Guinea to Tasmania.Continuing o...

9 Feb 202559min

Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs

From twisted flax to one-legged ibises, Egyptian hieroglyphs offer a window into the heart of ancient Egypt. But how did this script really work?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes speaks ...

6 Feb 202552min

Woolly Mammoths

Woolly Mammoths

Towering over 11 feet tall and weighing 6 tonnes, the Woolly Mammoth ruled the Ice Age. But how did these mighty beasts thrive for over 100,000 years—and why did they disappear?In this episode of The ...

2 Feb 20251h 3min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-benadet
historier-som-endret-verden
aftenposten-historie
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
historiepodden
med-egne-oyne
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
sektledere
rss-historiske-romanser-svik-drap-og-kjarlighet
liberal-halvtime
rss-gamle-greier
taakeprat
vare-historier
rss-politisk-preik
virkelig-grusomt