logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
43m 13s

Jurassic America

History Hit
About this episode

Tristan Hughes explores Ancient America's true age; how 19th-century fossil discoveries across North America revealed a history far older than previously believed, challenging the notion that the Americas were a 'New World.'


Tristan is joined by Professor Caroline Winterer as they discuss walking on 4 billion-year-old rocks in Eastern Canada, uncovering the first trilobites and the sensational dinosaur discoveries like the T-Rex and Brontosaurus that mesmerised the public and scientific community alike.


More on:

Ice Age America:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4KZruCMwpO7TakuiMs7DMp?si=2b1fdca8b18c4ef4

The Ancient Amazon:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YxnzfGa4x4Z8l4JE6Uwmh?si=0ec9d00afb0b476e

Tyrannosaurus Rex:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3uxH3HHjSuEk0mHmjFU9k7?si=1f57b9a555ac4bff


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.


The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


All music from Epidemic Sounds


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


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Emperor Tiberius: Monster or Misunderstood?
<p>*WARNING: This podcast contains adult themes and discussion of paedophilia*</p><br><p>A brilliant general. A brooding autocrat. A recluse surrounded by scandal. Few Roman emperors divide opinion like Tiberius. But was he truly a monster, or the victim of centuries of salacious ... Show More
53m 10s
Nov 20
Zoroastrianism
<p>A faith born in the distant prehistoric past, rooted in ancient Iranian texts over 4,000 years old, Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest living religions. and one that shaped empires.</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>The Ancients</em>, Tristan Hughes is joined by Profes ... Show More
1 h
Nov 16
Decline & Fall of the Ancient World
<p>Tristan Hughes invites Matt Lewis, host <em>The Ancients's </em>sister podcast <em>Gone Medieval</em>, for a lively debate with about the blurred boundary between the ancient and medieval worlds. Can Tristan champion Roman Emperor Justinian as an Ancient? What about Charlemagn ... Show More
46m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
How Old is America?
<p>When fossils were discovered in the US during the 19th Century, it altered American understandings of science, religion, race and more. So what was the Hadrosaurus Foulkii, and why did it have such an enormous effect?</p><br><p>Caroline Winterer, William Robertson Coe Professo ... Show More
27m 55s
Feb 2025
When Europeans reached Australia
<p>Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves into the dramatic story of the first European encounters with the indigenous people of Australia. She's joined by Professor Alistair Paterson who sheds light on the reported events of February 1606 when the Dutch unexpectedly stumbled upon th ... Show More
46m 1s
Nov 8
The largest dinosaur and creating Miffy
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.Our guest is Darja Dankina, who's a palaeontologist from the Natures Research Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania. We start with the discovery of the largest dinosaur ever, uncovered by ... Show More
1 h
Sep 29
The Bone Wars
October 4, 1915. President Woodrow Wilson designates Dinosaur National Monument as a national historic site. That’s a big deal, right? There must’ve been a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony, maybe even a parade. But no. In 1915, nobody really cares about dinosaurs. But that is all ab ... Show More
35m 11s
Feb 2025
Jamestown: The Journey To America
<p>In May 1607, over 100 English settlers arrived at Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of North America. Traveling 50 miles inland along the James River, they established what would become the first permanent English settlement: Jamestown. But what motivated their journey? Why was ... Show More
30m 26s
Sep 26
King Arthur
How have tales of King Arthur evolved over centuries and why have they exerted such an enduring cultural appeal on countless generations?Matt Lewis delves into the legend of King Arthur, guided by Dr. Mary Bateman. Together they explore the evolution of Arthur's myth from ancient ... Show More
58m 44s
Feb 2025
Versailles: Science & Splendour
<p>The opulent halls of 17th and 18th-century Versailles were not just filled with dazzlingly dressed courtiers and royal intrigue. They also positively buzzed with scientific discovery and innovation, making the French royal court a crossroads of science and power.&nbsp;</p><br> ... Show More
33m 56s
Apr 2025
The Age of Aquaticus
<p>For years, scientists thought nothing could live above 73℃/163℉.  At that temperature, everything boiled to death. But scientists Tom Brock and Hudson Freeze weren’t convinced. What began as their simple quest to trawl for life in some of the hottest natural springs on Earth w ... Show More
43 m
Nov 6
The Moon (Archive Episode)
After 27 years, Melvyn Bragg has decided to step down from the In Our Time presenter’s chair. With over a thousand episodes to choose from, he has selected just six that capture the huge range and depth of the subjects he and his experts have tackled. In this first pick, we hear ... Show More
43m 30s