The ancient world was full of wonders.
Engineering marvels like the Great Wall of China and Stonehenge. Remarkable peoples like the Aztecs, the Romans and the Mongols. Infamous leaders such as Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Herod the Great. Inventors, explorers, builders, pioneers and philosophers who shaped the world we live in today.
Welcome to Ancient Civilisations - the podcast that takes you back in time to discover the ancient world, one story at a time.
A Noiser production, narrated by Paul McGann and John Hopkins.
As featured on Short History Of... and Real Dictators.
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No part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.
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Julius Caesar Part 3: Murder in the Senate
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Caesar departs Egypt with his lover, Cleopatra, secure on the throne. After crushing Pompey’s allies, he returns to Rome. His rule proves popular with the masses. But senators grow concerned by his…
Julius Caesar Part 2: Rendezvous With Cleopatra
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Caesar’s campaign in Gaul begins. An invasion on an epic scale, it will also include two missions to the rain-lashed island of Britain. Back home, however, the collapse of the Triumvirate pushes Rome…
Julius Caesar Part 1: The Roman Dictator
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The Silk Roads
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The Stone Age
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Shroud of Turin
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The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. Its most famous feature is the blurry imprint of a man’s face, which resembles the pictures of…
The First Emperor of China
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In the third century BC, China was a land fractured by war - a patchwork of rival kingdoms struggling for dominance. Out of this chaos rose a single, extraordinary figure who would reshape the course…
Introducing: Real Vikings - Episode 1
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The Egyptian Sphinx
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Measuring 240 feet long from paw to tail, and around the height of a six-story building, the Great Sphinx is one of Egypt’s most spectacular, and mysterious, monuments. Believed to have been built…
Chichen Itza
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Nestled in the heart of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the ancient city of Chichén Itza stands as a majestic testament to the architectural ingenuity and cultural richness of the ancient Maya…
The Trojan War
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The Trojan War was a time of heroes. From the swift-footed Achilles, and the hot-headed Prince Paris, to the beautiful Queen Helen, and the all-powerful gods, Zeus, Athena, and Aphrodite. In these…
Constantinople
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From humble beginnings as a modest Greek colony, through its later grandeur as part of the Roman and Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople has witnessed centuries of transformation. A melting…
The Ancient Olympics
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For nearly 12 centuries, the Ancient Greeks honoured their gods with one of the most famous sporting contests in the world: The Olympic Games. Athletes represented their city states to compete for…
Polynesian Exploration
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Modern genetics tells us that the residents of the far-flung Polynesian islands are one of the most closely related people in the world. But, thanks to the exploration of their ancestors, they’re…
The River Nile
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Petra
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Boudica
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Angkor
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Easter Island
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Cleopatra
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The last of the Ptolemaic Pharoahs, the enduring legend of Cleopatra has captivated imaginations for centuries. Though some write her off as a manipulative femme fatale, her competence as a ruler…
Stonehenge
Dec 12, 2025
Older than the pyramids and just as cryptic, the prehistoric British site of Stonehenge has dominated its landscape for thousands of years. But what is Stonehenge? A celestial clock? An ancient…
The Spartans
Nov 28, 2025
In 480BC, the Spartans secured their place in history when 300 of their soldiers fought to the death against the mighty Persian army at Thermopylae. Their reputation for brutal decisiveness and…
Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail
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Covering thousands of miles in the Andes, the Inca Trail was the backbone of the ancient empire, connecting the millions of people who lived under its rule. The jewel in its crown, Machu Picchu, was…
The Knights Templar
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The Pyramids
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The Samurai
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After a bloody battle on September 22nd, 1877, Saigo Takamori and his loyal warriors pause on a hillside overlooking Kagoshima. They’ll never surrender, but they’re wounded, exhausted, and massively…
Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption
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The Gladiators
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The Ottoman Empire
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