In as early as 5000 BC the vast and spectacular city of Uruk - replete with towering walls, glistening temples and complex irrigation systems - lay sprawled across the face of Southern Mesopotamia. Not only is Uruk the oldest city in the world, but it is arguably one of the most consequential, having facilitated one of the great turning points of human civil ... Show More
Apr 22
663. Britain in the 70s: The Brexit That Never Was (Part 2)
In the Spring of 1975, why was the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, so embattled? Why was the left so divided during this period? And, was Britain’s relationship with Europe already fracturing…? Join Tom and Dominic, as they discuss the trials of Harold Wilson, as the melee of 1970 ... Show More
1h 17m
Apr 19
662. Britain in the 70s: The Rise of Thatcher (Part 1)
How did Margaret Thatcher rise to become leader of the Conservative Party in Britain? Why were British politics so tumultuous in the 1970s? And, who was Thatcher up against? Join Dominic and Tom as they launch into the dramas, calamities, and triumphs of Thatcher’s rise to power, ... Show More
1h 15m
Jan 2025
Ancient Mesopotamia: everything you wanted to know
Do you know your Sumerians from your Babylonians and your Akkadians? All these civilisations formed part of the story of ancient Mesopotamia, where city states were formed, writing flourished, the wheel was possibly invented, mathematics was practiced, and dogs were gods, pets an ... Show More
47m 6s
May 2021
Ancient Afghanistan: The Land of a Thousand Cities
<p>Situated north of the Hindu Kush and south of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, the history of the ancient region of Bactria is rich and diverse. From the Oxus Civilisation that flourished in the Bronze Age to the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, the Greco-Bactrians and the Kush ... Show More
51m 54s
Sep 2025
Fall of the Sumerians
Tristan Hughes continues our special series on Great Disasters, journeying back to ancient Mesopotamia with Dr Paul Collins to explore the fall of the Sumerians.4,000 years ago, the great cities of Sumer — Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Girsu — stood as glittering centres of power, crowned wi ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2024
Alexandria: the ancient world's greatest city
When Alexander the Great founded a settlement at the junction of three continents in 331 BC, he created a metropolitan powerhouse that would shape global history. In this Long Read, Islam Issa hails the genius of ancient Alexandria – a colourful, multicultural and thoroughly mode ... Show More
17m 47s