179. The Golden Road: Rise of the Indosphere

Who does the Koh-I-Noor diamond truly belong to? Why is it considered cursed? And should it be returned? The Koh-I-Noor diamond has been in the headlines this week with Mayor Zohran Mamdani stating that he would tell King Charles III to return it to India. As William and Anita wr ...  Show more

Who were the cowboys and Indigenous people who made up the “Legions of Hell” and why did Bolívar fear them so deeply? How did Napoleon’s invasion of Spain speed up the collapse of its empire? What was Simón Bolívar’s secret revolutionary mission in London? Get the entire Simón Bo ...  Show more

Embark on an epic journey with Tristan Hughes and acclaimed author William Dalrymple as they unravel the enigma of the Kushan Empire, the ancient superpower of Central Asia. Together they tell the riveting stories behind the Empire's rise in Bactria (modern-day Afghanistan), t ...

Ancient India was the single greatest trading partner of the Roman Empire. For centuries, Indian sailors navigated the Indian Ocean and Red Sea to bring goods, ideas and religious beliefs to the Greco-Roman ports based on the Egyptian coast. ...

Iconic monumental stone heads, the intriguing Lord of Las Limas, the enigmatic 'were-jaguar' figures, so much survives from the ancient Olmec civilisation.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Jillian Mollenhauer to unravel the Olmec's sophisticated artistry, the symbolic significance ...  Show more

They were ancient masters of cavalry, creators of dazzling treasures, and the ancestors of the legendary Spartacus, but who exactly were the Thracians?

Join Tristan Hughes and Dr. Zosia Archibald in today's episode of The Ancients as they uncover the fascinating worl ...