In AD 165, the Roman empire was enjoying a period of seemingly unprecedented prosperity and stability. Then, the Antonine Plague arrived, bringing with it death, chaos, and fear. Speaking with James Osborne, Colin Elliott, author of Pox Romana, dissects the impact of this devastating plague on Roman society, and questions whether it was the cause of the empi ... Show More
Oct 30
D-Day’s secret hero: the true story behind Pressure (In paid partnership with StudioCanal)
What comes to mind when you think D-Day? Perhaps it’s the tactical brilliance of the commanders, or the brutal combat fought by the troops. But, what about meteorologist James Stagg? He’s the subject of the new Second World War thriller Pressure, and to find out more about his co ... Show More
43m 4s
Oct 28
Why we believe in the supernatural
Ghosts, witches, flying nuns, and spirits summoned from beyond the grave might seem to belong to a less rational age. But were our ancestors really so different from us in their beliefs? In this episode, historian Malcolm Gaskill joins Elinor Evans to discuss his new book, Worlds ... Show More
31m 45s
Aug 2022
217. Plague and the decline of the Roman Empire
Tom and Dominic are joined by friend of the show Kyle Harper to discuss how pandemics and disease played a far greater role in the decline of the Roman Empire than previously understood.
On the show Kyle, Dominic, and Tom discuss life expectancy, how the Roman Empire was ‘bad fo ... Show More
50m 51s
Sep 2025
541 AD: The Worst Year in History
Was this the worst year in human history? Bubonic plague sweeps across the Mediterranean. The sun vanishes behind volcanic ash. Crops fail, famine bites, and the Roman empire lurches towards collapse.In this episode of The Ancients, the third in our special Great Disasters series ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2022
156. When did the Roman Empire fall?
Tom and Dominic explore what Edward Gibbon called “the greatest, perhaps, and most awful scene in the history of mankind”: the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed show ... Show More
54m 11s
Aug 2024
The First Pandemic?
In the 160s CE, Rome was struck by a devastating disease which, a new book argues, may have been the world’s first pandemic. Galen began his career treating ’the protracted plague’ with viper flesh, opium and urine, but despite his extensive documentation, we still don’t know wha ... Show More
30m 18s
Aug 2020
The Fall of the Roman Empire
In 476, the last of the Roman emperors in the West was deposed; in 1776, historian Edward Gibbon wrote “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, and Rome’s fate became a major point of comparison for all empires. In Gibbon's view, instead of inquiring why the Rom ... Show More
39m 40s