The 19 Best Ancient History Podcasts (2026)

Tristan Hughes has a gift for letting experts talk without getting in the way, which sounds simple but is surprisingly rare in history podcasts. The Ancients brings on archaeologists, historians, and specialists for one-on-one interviews that cover everything from Neolithic Britain to the final days of Rome. With nearly 700 episodes and new ones dropping every Sunday and Thursday, the back catalog alone could keep you busy for months. Each conversation tends to run about 50 minutes to an hour, which feels like just the right length to actually learn something without zoning out. Tristan clearly does his homework before each interview -- his questions are specific enough to push guests past their usual talking points, and he has this warm, unhurried style that makes dense topics feel approachable. The show is part of the History Hit network, so production quality is solid throughout. Topics range widely across ancient cultures, so you might get an episode about Roman gladiators followed by one on ancient Mesopotamian trade routes. Some listeners have noted the audio levels can be a bit quiet, so you may need to crank the volume. There is a paid tier for ad-free listening and bonus episodes, but the free version covers the vast majority of content. If you want an ancient history podcast that prioritizes expert voices over a single narrator's perspective, this is one of the best options out there. The sheer variety of topics means there is almost certainly something here that matches your particular interest in antiquity.

Mike Duncan's The History of Rome is the podcast that basically invented the format of chronological narrative history shows. Starting in 2007 and wrapping up in 2012, the completed series spans 193 episodes that trace Rome from Aeneas's mythical arrival in Italy all the way through the exile of Romulus Augustulus. Each episode runs about 15 minutes, which makes it incredibly bingeable -- you can knock out three or four episodes on a commute without even trying. Duncan's narration style is dry, witty, and refreshingly unpretentious. He does not try to be dramatic or performative; instead, he just tells the story clearly and lets the inherently wild events of Roman history provide the entertainment. And Roman history delivers plenty. The show gets noticeably better as it goes on -- the early episodes have rougher audio quality, but by the time you hit the late Republic, Duncan has hit his stride completely. This is a completed series, so there is a real beginning, middle, and end, which feels satisfying in a way that ongoing shows cannot replicate. Duncan went on to create the equally acclaimed Revolutions podcast, but The History of Rome remains the gold standard for this kind of storytelling. It has a 4.8 star rating from nearly 12,000 reviews, and it continues to attract new listeners more than a decade after its final episode aired. If you want to understand Rome from founding to fall, this is the definitive audio companion.

Ryan Stitt calls himself a philhellene, and after listening to even a handful of episodes, you will believe him. The History of Ancient Greece covers over two millennia of Greek civilization, from the Bronze Age through the Roman conquest, with the kind of thoroughness that puts most university survey courses to shame. Episodes tend to run long -- often 90 minutes to two and a half hours -- which gives Stitt room to really dig into topics rather than skimming the surface. He draws heavily on ancient sources and archaeological evidence, weaving in the cultural context that makes Greek history feel alive rather than like a list of dates and battles. The show goes well beyond military and political history to cover daily life, art, architecture, philosophy, and science. Stitt also takes care to place Greece within its broader Mediterranean context, which helps you understand how Greek civilization interacted with and was shaped by its neighbors. Special episodes occasionally bring in guest scholars to discuss topics like the intersection of classics and modern politics. With 131 episodes released on a bimonthly schedule, the series has built up a substantial body of work. The narration is scholarly but never stuffy -- Stitt clearly cares about accuracy but also about keeping things engaging. If you loved Mike Duncan's approach with The History of Rome and want the Greek equivalent, this is exactly what you are looking for.

Patrick Wyman has a PhD in history and it shows -- but in the best possible way. The Fall of Rome Podcast takes one of the most debated periods in Western history and approaches it with tools most history podcasters never touch: genetics, climate science, forensic analysis, and economic network modeling. The result is a show that feels genuinely modern in its scholarship while remaining completely accessible to anyone without a history degree. Wyman has a talent for translating complex academic arguments into plain, conversational English. Each episode runs about 40 to 55 minutes and the series is structured as a chronological journey through the Western Roman Empire's collapse, with regional deep dives into places like Britain, Gaul, and North Africa. At only 35 episodes, this is a tightly focused series rather than an open-ended project, and that discipline works in its favor. Nothing feels like filler. The 4.8 star rating from over 2,000 reviews reflects how well the show lands with listeners, many of whom describe it as feeling like a college-level course without the tuition bill. Wyman went on to create Tides of History, which covers a much broader historical sweep, but this original series remains his tightest and most focused work. If you have ever wondered what actually happened when Rome fell -- not the simplified version but the messy, complicated, region-by-region reality -- this is the podcast that answers that question with real rigor.

Dominic Perry has been telling the story of ancient Egypt since 2013, and with nearly 500 episodes, he has built something truly monumental. The History of Egypt Podcast traces pharaonic civilization from its creation myths through Cleopatra's final days, drawing on ancient texts, archaeological discoveries, and contemporary scholarship. What sets this show apart is Perry's ability to read hieroglyphics, which means he can engage directly with primary sources rather than relying solely on translations. That kind of firsthand access to the material shows up in the quality of his storytelling. Episodes typically run 30 to 50 minutes, with authentic Egyptian music scoring that adds atmosphere without being distracting. The scope goes far beyond kings and battles -- you will hear about daily life along the Nile, diplomatic correspondence between ancient empires, royal tomb construction, and even paleontology when it intersects with Egyptian history. Perry occasionally brings on guest experts, including Egyptologist Peter Brand as a recurring contributor. The show is part of the Airwave Media network and offers a paid ad-free tier, though the free version has the full catalog. With a 4.8 star rating from over 1,800 reviews, this has earned its reputation as the definitive English-language podcast on ancient Egypt. The weekly release schedule means the series keeps growing, and Perry shows no signs of running out of material -- which, given that Egyptian civilization lasted over 3,000 years, makes sense.

Paul Cooper has created something closer to a documentary film than a traditional podcast. Each episode of Fall of Civilizations examines the collapse of a single civilization, and these are not quick overviews -- episodes routinely run three to five hours, with production values that rival anything from the BBC. Cooper uses multiple voice actors to perform readings from primary sources in their original languages, including Arabic, Old Persian, reconstructed Egyptian, and Mongolian. The ambient sound design and period-appropriate music create an immersive experience that is genuinely unlike anything else in the podcast space. With only 22 episodes and a 4.9 star rating from over 5,000 reviews, every installment clearly represents months of research and production work. The civilizations covered range from the Aztecs and Inca to the Byzantine Empire, the Khmer, and ancient Sumerians. Cooper finds the human stories within each collapse -- what it actually felt like to watch your world end -- and that emotional grounding keeps the show from feeling like an abstract academic exercise. New episodes come out infrequently, but each one becomes an event. Cooper maintains detailed source documentation on his Patreon, so you can follow up on anything that catches your attention. The trade-off for this level of quality is patience: you might wait months between episodes. But when a new one drops, clear your schedule. This is the kind of show that makes you sit in your car after arriving somewhere because you cannot bring yourself to press pause.

Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy describe their show as what happens when Hardcore History meets My Favorite Murder, and that comparison is pretty accurate. Ancient History Fangirl takes genuinely interesting historical topics -- misbehaving emperors, poison assassins, mythological mayhem -- and discusses them with the energy of two friends at a bar who happen to know an unusual amount about the ancient world. Both hosts have backgrounds in English and creative writing, which shows in how they structure their narratives. Episodes vary wildly in length, from quick 20-minute takes to deep three-hour explorations, so you can pick and choose based on your available time. The conversational duo format means there is real back-and-forth discussion rather than scripted monologues, and the show leans into personality in a way that more academic podcasts avoid. They cover a broad geographic range too -- not just Greece and Rome but also Mesoamerica, the Near East, and other ancient civilizations that often get overlooked. With 345 episodes since 2018, there is a massive back catalog to explore. The show is rated explicit for language, which tracks with the casual, unfiltered vibe. Currently on hiatus until April 2026, so now is actually a perfect time to catch up on what you have missed. If you want ancient history without the formality, served up with booze references and genuine laughter, this is your show.

After wrapping up The Fall of Rome, Patrick Wyman expanded his scope dramatically with Tides of History. This show covers, well, basically everything -- from ancient civilizations through the medieval period and into early modernity, spanning continents and millennia. Wyman mixes solo narrative episodes with expert interviews and listener Q&A sessions, which keeps the format feeling fresh even after 400+ episodes. Each episode runs 30 to 55 minutes, hitting that sweet spot where you learn something substantial without needing to block out half your day. Wyman's PhD background gives him the academic credibility to handle complex topics, but his real strength is making those topics feel urgent and relevant. He draws connections between historical patterns and modern life in ways that feel earned rather than forced. The show airs weekly on the Wondery network, with a paid tier available for ad-free listening. Some listeners find Wyman's delivery style high-energy, which is either a plus or a minus depending on your preference -- he is genuinely enthusiastic about this material in a way that comes through in his voice. With a 4.7 star rating from over 6,000 reviews, the audience clearly appreciates the approach. While this is technically a broader history podcast, the ancient history episodes are among the show's strongest, and Wyman's ability to connect ancient events to their long-term consequences makes those episodes particularly rewarding.

Scott Chesworth has been quietly building one of the most thorough ancient history podcasts since 2012, and The Ancient World rewards patient listeners. The show traces a chronological path from the very first human civilizations through the Hellenistic and Roman eras, with a level of detail that suggests serious research behind every episode. Each installment runs about 30 to 50 minutes, released on a monthly schedule that gives Chesworth time to get things right. The narration style is measured and careful -- this is not a show that rushes through material to hit a punchline. Instead, it builds understanding layer by layer, which is exactly what complex ancient history demands. Topics have included the Akkadian Empire, Mesopotamian city-states, Egyptian dynasties, and the political intricacies of the ancient Mediterranean. With 178 episodes, the catalog covers an impressive sweep of ancient civilizations. The show is part of the Airwave History network and offers a paid ad-free option, though the free version delivers the complete content. Listener reviews consistently praise the depth of research and the quality of the storytelling, though some note that the presentation can be dense at times. That density is actually a feature rather than a bug -- if you are the kind of person who wants to really understand ancient history rather than just get the highlights, The Ancient World takes the subject as seriously as you do. Scott also maintains a website at ancientworldpodcast.com with supplementary materials for each episode.

Liv Albert has turned Greek mythology into something genuinely fun, and that is harder than it sounds. Let's Talk About Myths, Baby takes the gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters of the ancient Mediterranean and presents them with a modern, irreverent sensibility that she describes as casual, contemporary, and more often than not sarcastic. The show has been running since 2017 and has racked up nearly 800 episodes, which speaks to both Albert's productivity and the seemingly bottomless well of classical mythology. The format splits between solo narrative episodes on Tuesdays and scholarly conversations with authors and experts on Fridays, plus occasional readings from ancient texts. Episode lengths range from 40 minutes to two hours depending on the format. Albert published a book -- Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook -- which gives you a sense of her scholarly bona fides alongside the casual delivery. The show frequently incorporates feminist perspectives on classical narratives, rereading familiar myths through a lens that highlights what traditional retellings tend to leave out or downplay. With a 4.6 star rating from nearly 5,000 reviews, the audience is large and loyal. There is a premium ad-free tier called The Oracle Edition for subscribers who want a cleaner listening experience. If the idea of someone explaining why Zeus was actually the worst, backed by real textual evidence, appeals to you, this is the show that does it best.

Ancient Civilisations takes a documentary approach to history, with Paul McGann and John Hopkins narrating stories about the ancient world's most remarkable achievements and figures. The show covers a genuinely global range of subjects -- the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, the Aztecs, the Romans, the Mongols, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar -- treating each topic with the production polish you would expect from a professional outfit like Noiser. Episodes run about 47 minutes to an hour, released weekly across two seasons totaling 46 episodes so far. The documentary style means you get a fully produced experience with narration, context, and structure rather than a casual conversation. This is history presented the way a well-made television documentary would handle it, just without the visuals. The show connects to Noiser's broader catalog, which includes related series like Short History Of and Real Dictators, so if you enjoy the style here you have a whole ecosystem to explore. A Noiser+ subscription gets you ad-free listening and early access, but the free version is perfectly complete. With a 4.8 star rating from 255 reviews, listener response has been strong for a relatively new show. The production values are consistently high, and the hosts bring an engaging energy to material that lesser shows might present as dry. If you prefer your ancient history polished and produced rather than conversational or academic, this is a strong pick.

If your interest in the ancient world tilts heavily toward battles, tactics, and military organization, the Ancient Warfare Podcast is built specifically for you. Hosted by a rotating panel including Murray Dahm, Angus Wallace, Lindsay Powell, Marc DeSantis, and others, the show draws its content from Ancient Warfare Magazine and brings together people who really know their Roman legions from their Greek hoplites. The panel format creates genuine debate and discussion rather than a single perspective, which is refreshing when dealing with topics where scholarly opinion actually varies. Episodes come in two flavors: longer panel discussions running 45+ minutes that tackle big themes like battlefield revolutions or Roman military logistics, and shorter 10-minute segments answering specific listener questions. That variety means you can choose your depth depending on your mood. With 396 episodes released on a biweekly schedule, the archive is enormous. The show has been running since the early days of podcasting and has maintained a dedicated community, including an active Patreon. Production quality is solid if unspectacular -- this is about the content rather than the sound design. The 4.3 star rating from 526 reviews reflects a niche audience that values depth over broad appeal. Some listeners note that panel dynamics can occasionally feel uneven, but that is the nature of group discussion. For ancient military history specifically, you will not find a more focused or knowledgeable podcast.

Neil, who goes by Ancient Blogger online, runs Ancient History Hound with the kind of enthusiasm that makes you think he would be doing this even if nobody was listening. The show covers ancient Greece, Rome, and other civilizations with episodes that range from quick 25-minute overviews to hour-long deep conversations with guest experts. Neil explicitly designs the content to be accessible at all levels of understanding, so you do not need a classics degree to follow along. The format varies nicely -- solo narrative episodes, guest interviews, and themed miniseries like the Halloween-adjacent Night of the Livy Dead specials and a Roman festivals series keep things unpredictable. With 107 episodes released roughly twice a month, the catalog is manageable enough to work through without feeling overwhelming. One standout feature is that the show is completely ad-free, which is increasingly rare. Neil also maintains a website with transcriptions, show notes, and reading lists for each episode, plus a subreddit for community discussion. The 4.9 star rating is impressive even with a smaller review count of 81, suggesting that the people who find this show tend to love it. The production quality is clean and professional, and Neil's narration style is warm without being over-the-top. This is a genuine passion project that punches well above its weight, and it deserves a bigger audience than it currently has.

The Hellenistic period -- roughly 323 to 31 BCE, from Alexander the Great's death to Cleopatra's -- is one of the most fascinating and underserved eras in podcasting. Derek fills that gap with a show that covers the successor kingdoms, the Seleucids, the Ptolemies, and everything in between with real scholarly rigor. Episodes run 20 to 55 minutes and release monthly, which gives each one a polished, well-researched quality. The show is primarily solo narrative, though Derek occasionally brings on guests like historian William Dalrymple for interviews that add fresh perspectives. With 150 episodes, the catalog has grown into a substantial resource for anyone interested in this specific period. The delivery is straightforward rather than dramatic -- if you want theatrical narration, look elsewhere, but if you want someone who clearly knows the material and presents it with precision, this is your show. Long-time listeners have called it the gold standard for history podcasts, which is high praise given how crowded the field has become. Derek covers both the major political events and the cultural and economic dimensions of the Hellenistic world, including bonus episodes on related topics like film analyses of the 1963 Cleopatra movie. The show is free with additional support available through Patreon and Ko-Fi. At 4.7 stars from 472 ratings, it has built a loyal following among people who want their ancient history specific and well-sourced rather than broad and flashy.

Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins together on a classics podcast is the kind of pairing that makes you wonder why it took so long to happen. Beard is arguably the world's most famous living classicist, and Higgins is the Guardian's chief culture writer -- between them, they bring both deep academic knowledge and the ability to make that knowledge genuinely entertaining. Instant Classics explores ancient stories through a modern lens, promising no degree in Classics required, and that promise holds up. The conversational format means you get two sharp minds bouncing ideas off each other rather than a scripted lecture. Episodes run 40 to 56 minutes and come out weekly, covering topics from Helen of Troy to an ongoing episode-by-episode breakdown of Homer's Odyssey. With 41 episodes and a 4.9 star rating from 154 reviews, this is still a relatively young show but already one of the best-reviewed in the category. The chemistry between the hosts is genuine -- they clearly enjoy each other's company and are not afraid to disagree or go off on tangents. There is a premium Book Club tier for subscribers who want exclusive Odyssey content. The show is rated explicit, mostly for frank discussion rather than anything shocking. Some listeners have noted occasional audio quirks and conversational overlap, which comes with the territory of an unscripted two-person format. If you want ancient history from people who actually spend their professional lives studying it, delivered with wit and warmth, Instant Classics earns its name.

The Ancient History Podcast serves as an audio companion to Ancient History Magazine, and that connection shapes the show in interesting ways. Host Owain Williams brings on researchers, scholars, and authors to discuss their latest work across an impressively wide range of ancient civilizations -- Greece and Rome get their due, but you will also hear about Mesopotamia, China, and everything in between. Episodes typically feature in-depth interviews running 50 to 60 minutes, giving guests enough space to actually explain their findings rather than reducing complex scholarship to soundbites. The interview format means every episode brings a different expert perspective, which keeps the show from getting locked into a single interpretive lens. Topics have included ancient Roman theatre archaeology, Greek cosmogony with Carolina Lopez-Ruiz, and the intersection of Jewish society and Roman governance. With 27 episodes released monthly, this is a smaller catalog than many podcasts on this list, but the quality of the conversations makes each one count. The show is connected to Karwansaray Publishers, which gives it access to a network of historians and archaeologists who might not appear on more mainstream podcasts. If you are the kind of listener who reads the bibliography at the end of a history book, this podcast speaks your language. The 4.3 rating from a small number of reviews reflects a show still building its audience rather than any quality issue -- the content itself is excellent.

New Books in Ancient History is part of the massive New Books Network, which runs over 150 channels and 28,000+ episodes across every academic field imaginable. This particular channel focuses on ancient history scholarship, and the format is simple but effective: an expert in the field interviews an author about their recently published book. Episodes run 45 to 80 minutes, and the interviewer-author dynamic means you get both a summary of the book's argument and a critical engagement with it. The roster of interviewers rotates, bringing in different scholarly perspectives rather than filtering everything through a single host. With 684 episodes, the catalog functions almost like an audio library of contemporary ancient history scholarship. Topics span Roman emperors, Buddhist history, late antiquity, early civilizations, and archaeology, so the range is genuinely broad. The trade-off for this academic depth is that the show is not designed for casual listening -- these are scholarly conversations that assume some baseline interest in the subject matter. The 3.9 star rating from 18 reviews is lower than many shows on this list, but that likely reflects the niche academic format rather than quality problems. The show also maintains a Substack newsletter and social media presence for keeping up with new episodes. If you want to stay current with what historians are actually publishing and arguing about right now, this is the most efficient way to do it in audio form.

Patrick Garvey takes an interview-based approach to ancient history and mythology, bringing on archaeologists, historians, and scholars to discuss the people and stories that shaped the ancient world. The show has been running since 2016 with 70 episodes that cover ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and civilizations that tend to get less attention in the podcasting world. Episodes run 30 to 55 minutes, which keeps conversations focused without cutting guests short. Garvey's strength is in selecting interesting guests and asking the right questions to draw out the best material from their research. Recent topics have ranged from King Arthur manuscripts and Plato's philosophy to Alexander the Great and Arthurian legends, showing a willingness to follow interesting threads wherever they lead. The show occasionally features author readings and book announcements, which adds variety to the standard interview format. With a 4.7 star rating from 55 reviews, the audience is small but appreciative. Some listeners have noted that Garvey's conversational style could be tighter at times, but the quality of the guests more than compensates. This is a free podcast with no subscription tier, which makes the entire catalog accessible without any barriers. If you enjoy hearing directly from the people who spend their careers studying the ancient world, Ancient Heroes provides consistently interesting conversations with scholars you might not encounter on bigger shows.

James Baldwin's The Human History Podcast: The Ancients takes an economics-and-politics-first approach to early civilizations, which gives it a distinct angle compared to most ancient history shows. Baldwin is upfront about not being a historian or archaeologist -- his background is in economics and political analysis -- and he brings that lens to topics like the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Mayans, and the Indus Valley civilizations. The result is a show that asks different questions than you might expect: not just what happened, but how ancient economies functioned and how political power structures emerged. Episodes vary significantly in length, from 20-minute bonus interludes covering archaeological news to the flagship Sumerians episode that runs nearly 90 minutes. The show launched in November 2019 with only 5 episodes before going on an extended hiatus, with the last episode airing in May 2020. That small catalog means you can listen to everything in an afternoon, but it also means the show never quite got the chance to find its full stride. Reviews are mixed on delivery -- listeners appreciate the content and the fresh analytical perspective but note issues with pacing and verbal fillers. The 4.2 star rating from 53 reviews reflects a show with strong ideas that needed more time to develop its presentation. If the concept of analyzing ancient civilizations through an economic lens appeals to you and you do not mind a limited catalog, the episodes that exist are worth your time.