Ancient Civilisations
NOISER
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.
Noiser+ members get ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions.
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.
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.
Noiser+ members get ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
23 snips
May 7, 2026 • 53min
Julius Caesar Part 2: Rendezvous With Cleopatra
A sweeping account of Caesar’s Gallic campaigns and the logistics behind invasions into Britain. Political tensions in Rome and the collapse of the triumvirate spark civil war. Sieges, engineering feats and brutal tactics in Gaul are highlighted. The narrative follows battlefield reversals, pursuit of Pompey, and a dramatic rendezvous with an Egyptian queen in Alexandria.
32 snips
Apr 30, 2026 • 57min
Julius Caesar Part 1: The Roman Dictator
Neville Morley, classicist who explains Roman political culture, and Adrian Goldsworthy, historian of Rome, discuss Julius Caesar. They trace his rise from Sulla’s proscription to the First Triumvirate. Short scenes cover his military ambition, political maneuvers, image-making, and how Roman institutions feared concentrated power.
25 snips
Apr 23, 2026 • 1h 2min
The Anglo Saxons
James Clark, Professor of History at the University of Exeter, short-list expert on early medieval Britain. He traces continental origins and migrations into Britain. He explores settlement patterns and regional identities. He links climate shocks to the rise of warlords and shows how Christianity, monasteries and kings reshaped power. He follows Viking raids to Alfred’s revival and the path to a unified England.
22 snips
Apr 16, 2026 • 56min
The Silk Roads
Peter Frankopan, historian and Oxford professor and author of The Silk Roads, guides listeners through a sprawling network that linked Eurasia. He traces trade, caravan life, and risky long-distance journeys. He highlights how goods, religions, knowledge and empires transformed connections from nomadic routes to modern rail and Belt and Road echoes.
42 snips
Apr 9, 2026 • 56min
The Stone Age
Dr James Dilley, founder of AncientCraft and expert in prehistoric skills, explores Stone Age tools, art and lifeways. He traces early toolmaking, language transmission and human migrations. The conversation covers Ice Age landscapes, encounters with Neanderthals and Denisovans, Mesolithic camps, the origins of farming and the long shadow of the Agricultural Revolution.
17 snips
Apr 2, 2026 • 55min
Shroud of Turin
Nora Creech, Shroud educator and North American leader of Othonia, guides us through the Shroud of Turin’s puzzling past. She examines its medieval reappearances, the 1898 photographic revelation, forensic and scientific studies, and the heated 1988 radiocarbon dating debate. Short, mysterious, and full of historical twists.
28 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 58min
The First Emperor of China
John Man, historian and travel writer known for his work on China, brings sharp commentary on Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Army. He walks through the emperor's violent rise from Warring States chaos. Massive projects, standardizing a nation, an obsession with immortality, and the secrets of the tomb and its terracotta warriors are explored in vivid detail.
Mar 24, 2026 • 54min
Introducing: Real Vikings - Episode 1
This is a preview of a brand-new show from the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Silo), Real Vikings takes you on a deep dive into the Viking age.
You’ll board longboats bound for new lands, follow mighty warlords, meet master navigators, and uncover the real figures behind the legends of the sagas.
But we begin on a quiet beach in the south of England, where a cold-blooded murder on the shingle sends shockwaves reverberating throughout Europe…
For more episodes, search ‘Real Vikings’ in your podcast app and hit follow. You can listen to Episode 2 straight after this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
17 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 56min
The Egyptian Sphinx
Salima Ikram, Egyptology professor at the American University in Cairo, guides listeners through the Sphinx’s scale, symbolism, and debated origins. She explores its carving from living rock, changing roles as guardian and royal emblem, centuries of sand burial and restoration, and modern conservation challenges. Short, vivid, and full of mystery.
10 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 56min
Chichen Itza
Annabeth Headrick, Director of the School of Art and Art History at the University of Denver and specialist in ancient American cultures, guides the story. She explores Chichen Itza’s shifting cultural identity and multicultural power structures. She discusses cenotes, monumental architecture like El Castillo and the Caracol, market life, warfare and maritime raiding, and the mysteries behind its decline and restoration.
