In History Hit’s gripping 2-part documentary series Cross and Sword, historian Matt Lewis investigates this forgotten era popularly known as the ‘Dark Ages’. Journeying across ancient landscapes, sacred ruins, and high-tech archaeological labs, Matt explores the violent turning points where the fate of Britain hung in the balance.

Sign up to watch

The Powerhouse of the North: Ad Gefrin

The story of England’s fragile origins begins in its rugged north. In the early 7th century, a fierce and ambitious warlord named Æthelfrith united the northern realms of Bernicia and Deira, to establish the formidable Kingdom of Northumbria.

At the foot of Yeavering Bell in Northumberland lay Ad Gefrin, the summer palace of Northumbria’s early kings. Archaeology has revealed an expansive complex of wooden halls and a unique timber theatre used for storytelling, royal assemblies, and public law-giving.

The site of Ad Gefrin

Image Credit: History Hit

Speaking with Anglo-Saxon expert Dr. Chris Ferguson, Matt Lewis uncovers how Northumbria’s rulers used sites like Ad Gefrin to project power, tapping into prehistoric monuments to claim an ancient right to rule:

“You go in that great hall to see the royal court assembled, to see that power,” explains Dr. Ferguson. “It’s as much about people agreeing to your rule as it is about sword and battle.”

Artist’s impression of how Ad Gefrin would have looked at its height

Image Credit: History Hit

Gold, glass, and female power in the Mead Hall

Stepping inside a magnificent, full-scale recreation of King Edwin’s hall at the Ad Gefrin Centre in Wooler, Matt explores a thriving, highly sophisticated world that shatters the traditional “Dark Ages” stereotypes.

Far from primitive outposts, 7th-century Northumbrian courts were hubs of international influence, filled with imported luxury goods, sacred feasting rituals, and complex political dynamics. 

Re-enactor Charlotte Fielding and project director Dr. Chris Ferguson showcase breathtaking high-status artefacts – from rare recycled Roman glassware to the famous Loftus Princess grave goods – revealing the surprising authority held by elite royal women in these grand spaces and the vital role they played in maintaining political stability.

Matt Lewis and Dr. Chris Ferguson in the full-scale recreation of King Edwin’s hall at the Ad Gefrin Centre in Wooler

Image Credit: History Hit

Conversion and collision

Under Æthelfrith’s successor, King Edwin, Northumbria reached the height of its early power. Dubbed Bretwalda (“ruler of all Britain”) by the Venerable Bede, Edwin forged a critical alliance by marrying Æthelburg, a Christian princess from Kent.

In 627 AD, persuaded by his wife and the missionary Paulinus, Edwin made the momentous decision that would reshape the island’s future: converting to Christianity and baptising his court in local rivers. 

Bede famously recorded a poetic speech by one of Edwin’s advisors that convinced Edwin’s nobles to abandon their old gods, comparing human existence to a sparrow flying briefly through a warm, lit hall in winter.

“The present life of man seems like the swift flight of a sparrow through the room… It vanishes into the dark winter from which it had emerged. If therefore this new doctrine contains something more certain, it seems justly to deserve to be followed.”

Yet Edwin’s rapid rise sparked a brutal backlash. Cadwallon, the Christian King of Gwynedd (North Wales), viewed the Anglo-Saxons as hostile usurpers. Forging an unlikely alliance with Penda, the ruthless pagan king of Mercia, Cadwallon marched north to destroy Edwin’s kingdom.

The cataclysm at Hatfield

On 12 October 633 AD, the two armies met in a devastating clash known as the Battle of Hatfield. King Edwin was killed, his army slaughtered, and Northumbria plunged into chaos.

While historians have long debated where this decisive battle actually took place, Matt visits St. Mary’s Church in Cuckney, Nottinghamshire, to investigate a thrilling archaeological mystery. Could a forgotten mass grave beneath the church floor – containing dozens of skeletons bearing signs of weapon trauma – mark the true, bloody site of Edwin’s last stand?

Floor of St Mary’s Church in Cuckney, Nottinghamshire – could a forgotten mass grave lie beneath?

Image Credit: History Hit

A realm in ruins

In the tragic aftermath of Hatfield, Northumbria was left broken, its fledgling Christian faith on the brink of complete collapse. Yet as the memory of the fallen king gave rise to legends of sainthood in the depths of Sherwood Forest, a new threat – and a new hope – was gathering on the horizon.

From exile in Western Scotland, a returning prince named Oswald was preparing to make his bid for the crown. How would he fight back against Cadwallon and Penda? And could Christianity survive the onslaught?

Watch Episode One of Cross and Sword: 1 – Clash of Kings now on History Hit

Sign up to watch

Today, Holyroodhouse serves as the British monarch’s official residence in Scotland – a bustling venue for state ceremonies, garden parties, and diplomatic audiences. Yet beneath its pristine state apartments lies a darker, far more volatile past.

In Scotland’s Royal Palace: Holyroodhouse, historian Professor Suzannah Lipscomb takes viewers behind the scenes to explore a landmark celebrating over a century since King George V first opened its state apartments to the public. From the dark murder sites of the 16th century to the opulent reception rooms of the 20th, Suzannah unlocks the hidden treasures and turbulent memories embedded within this legendary palace.

Sign up to watch

The Tower of Terrors: Mary, Queen of Scots

The story of Holyroodhouse as a royal epic truly begins in 1528 with the construction of its formidable Northwest Tower by King James V. Yet it was his daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots – who cemented the tower’s place in history.

Returning from France in 1561 as a 19-year-old widow shrouded in white mourning silk, Mary took up residence in Holyroodhouse to rule a fiercely divided, newly Protestant kingdom. Her private chambers quickly became the epicentre of high-stakes court drama and tragic bloodshed.

On the evening of 9 March 1566, one of the most brutal assassinations in royal history took place. As a heavily pregnant Mary dined with her closest confidants, her jealous husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, burst through a hidden spiral staircase accompanied by armed conspirators. They seized David Rizzio – Mary’s private secretary and close friend – and dragged him screaming through her bedchamber into the outer room, where he was stabbed 56 times.

Visitors to the palace can still view the very rooms where this harrowing attack occurred, standing on the floorboards where centuries of tourists have stared at the infamous “bloodstain” – a grisly reminder of a queen’s perilous reign (even if largely now acknowledged as Victorian dramatic licence).

Rizzio’s alleged murder scene, complete with ‘bloodstain’

Image Credit: Holyroodhouse / History Hit

Coded jewels and Catholic martyrs

Suzannah’s journey through the palace highlights how history is preserved not only in architecture, but in extraordinary personal artefacts.

Among the palace’s most compelling treasures is a rare, graphic 17th-century portrait depicting Mary’s ultimate fate at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587. The painting captures her holding a crucifix and rosary alongside a vivid inset of her execution, explicitly framing Mary as a Catholic martyr for generations to come.

Equally breathtaking is the Lennox Jewel, a heart-shaped gold locket encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and intricate enamel work. Commissioned for Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (mother of Lord Darnley), the jewel is packed with 28 secret symbols, allegorical figures, and coded inscriptions in Scots. Designed to be worn close to the chest, it secretly signalled the family’s desperate hope that Darnley’s son, the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England, would one day unite the crowns of both realms.

Propagandist painters and the ‘Stuart Nose’

When King Charles II set about remodelling Holyroodhouse in the 1670s into a harmonious, symmetrical Baroque palace, he commissioned Dutch artist Jacob de Wit to execute a monumental task: paint 110 portraits of Scottish monarchs for the palace’s Great Gallery – at a gruelling pace of roughly one portrait per week.

De Wit’s gallery stretches all the way back to Fergus, the mythical first king of Scotland, and includes a dark, brooding portrait of Shakespeare’s notorious Macbeth. To visually enforce the unbroken legitimacy of the Stuart bloodline, de Wit gave every single monarch – from legendary ancient kings to Mary, Queen of Scots – a striking, identical feature: the long, prominent “Stuart nose.”

Looking closely at Mary’s portrait in the gallery today, you can even spot a faint boot mark – a physical scar left by an English officer during an occupation of the palace centuries ago.

The Great Gallery at Holyroodhouse

Image Credit: Holyroodhouse / History Hit

Bonnie Prince Charlie’s six-week court

In 1745, the long-neglected palace roared back to life when Charles Edward Stuart – better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – marched into Edinburgh aged 24.

Determined to reclaim the throne for his father, the young prince established a glittering temporary court at Holyroodhouse for six weeks. To win the hearts of the Scottish public and prove his divine right to rule, Charlie hosted lavish candlelit balls in the Great Gallery, dined in public view, and performed the ancient royal ritual of “touching for the king’s evil” to heal the sick.

Though his Jacobite dream collapsed seven months later on the bloody field of Culloden, the prince’s brief, romantic reign at Holyroodhouse left a lasting mark on the palace’s identity.

Bonnie Prince Charlie by John Pettie

Image Credit: John Pettie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From the ‘King’s Jaunt’ to a modern living palace

Holyroodhouse’s story is one of constant reinvention:

• The 1822 revival: King George IV arrived for a flamboyant visit dubbed the “King’s Jaunt” – being the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in 171 years. Guided by historical novelist Sir Walter Scott, over 2,000 Scottish gentlemen and ladies flocked to the palace, with ladies instructed to wear headdresses featuring no fewer than nine court feathers and practice backing out of the royal presence without tripping over their trains.
• The 1920s transformation: King George V and Queen Mary modernised the palace with electricity and plumbing, turning it into a comfortable, functional modern residence. In 1925, they officially opened the 17th-century state apartments and throne room to the public, transforming Holyroodhouse into the first working royal palace where visitors could walk through the active quarters of the sovereign.

Step inside Scotland’s living history

As Robert Louis Stevenson famously wrote, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is “a house of many memories.” It stands as a magnificent, living timeline where political manoeuvring, tragic romance, and cultural transformation continue to unfold.

Join Professor Suzannah Lipscomb in Scotland’s Royal Palace: Holyroodhouse as she navigates the secret passages, grand galleries, and hidden chambers of this incredible national icon.

Watch Scotland’s Royal Palace: Holyroodhouse

Sign up to watch

The outcome changed the trajectory of British history forever. Yet nearly a millennium later, military historians are still unpicking how the Normans managed to shatter an apparently unbreakable Saxon line.

In History Hit’s compelling new documentary The Bayeux Tapestry: Portrait of a Battle, renowned military historian and arms expert Mike Loades dives headfirst into this historic detective story. Armed with experimental archaeology, a squad of veteran re-enactors, and a fresh eye for detail, Mike sets out to discover whether the world’s most famous embroidery is merely victory propaganda – or a remarkably accurate 11th-century action movie in thread.

Sign up to watch

A 70-metre action film on linen

“I’ve had this book with images from the Bayeux Tapestry for over 50 years,” Loades reflects. “It’s a compelling tale. It’s a great movie. If you think about it, it’s a strip of film – only on linen instead of celluloid.”

Commissioned by Duke William’s half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, and embroidered in Canterbury by English needlewomen, the 70-metre-long linen frieze is undeniably a victor’s narrative. Yet beneath the Norman bias lie granular, authentic details about 11th-century warfare.

To separate battlefield reality from artistic spin, Mike Loades partnered with the historical re-enactment society Regia Anglorum to test the physical mechanics of the weapons, armour, and formations depicted on the linen.

Cracking the shield wall

For centuries, the Saxon shield wall was the ultimate defensive formation – holding the line in the same spirit as the Greek phalanx or the British squares at Waterloo. Elite, fully armoured huscarls stood shoulder-to-shoulder, overlapping heavy wooden shields to create a wall that denied the enemy a single inch of breakthrough.

Testing the formation at Wickhurst – a reconstructed fortified Saxon settlement in Kent – re-enactor Nigel Amos demonstrated the borsnout (boar’s snout), a wedge formation used by the Saxons to crack open rival infantry lines.

‘Borsnout’ formation of Saxon troops

Image Credit: History Hit

While devastating against infantry, Mike notes its fatal flaw: it was completely useless against cavalry.

“If I’m on a horse, I’m way out of the way. There is no way they can get me. It would be like swatting flies. …For all their ferocity, the shield wall is useless against cavalry that can come in, turn tail, and be out of the way.”

However, the tapestry shows that the Saxons were far from helpless prey. Housecarls frequently stepped out of line wielding the terrifying Dane axe – a two-handed weapon with a ferocious reach capable of taking out a warhorse’s leg or felling its rider in a single blow.

Mike Loades’ experiments with spear thrower Roland Williamson revealed another vital tactical metric. Uninhibited, a Saxon warrior could throw a javelin approximately 20 paces. But when forced to keep the shield wall locked tight under a hail of Norman arrows, that throwing distance plummeted to approximately just 12 paces.

This 8-pace difference was the critical window the Normans exploited.

The Norman secret weapon: burst-shooting and mobile cavalry

The tapestry depicts 190 horses, underscoring that warhorses defined William’s army. But Norman cavalry did not charge head-on into spears like late-medieval knights. Instead, they rode in obliquely – at 30 to 45-degree angles – using long kite shields to create a glancing surface against incoming Saxon javelins, sweeping past to hurl spears before wheeling away to reset.

To make these cavalry strikes effective, William relied heavily on combined forces – specifically an elite archery corps. Analysing the lower borders of the tapestry, Mike identified depictions of archers holding multiple arrows in their bow-hands while shooting on the move.

By pairing mobile archers with tactical cavalry, the Normans achieved a textbook tactical cycle:

1. The Suppression: Mobile archers advanced on foot, firing rapid bursts to force Saxon shields closed, cutting their javelin range nearly in half.
2. The Strike: The moment archers reached 20 paces, Norman cavalry sprinted through the line, hurling heavy barbed spears at point-blank range.
3. The Covering Fire: As cavalry wheeled away to reset, archers covered their retreat with fresh volleys.

Re-enactors from the historical re-enactment society Regia Anglorum showcasing the Norman cavalry and archers formation

Image Credit: History Hit

Mysteries stitched in thread

Beyond broad battlefield tactics, Portrait of a Battle investigates several enduring historical puzzles embedded in the linen:

• Trousered Hauberks: Both sides are depicted wearing unique, full-length mail trousers (hauberks). Master mailmaker Nick Checksfield notes this style appears nowhere else in medieval art or archaeology. Was it a short-lived 11th-century fashion, or a stylistic convention for suit-ventails?
• Wiggly Bows & Mercenary Forces: The tapestry depicts distinct “wiggly” archer bows. Mike argues these represent composite recurve bows brought by elite southern Italian mercenaries recruited from Norman territories in Apulia and Sicily.
• The Death of Harold: Was King Harold really killed by an arrow to the eye? Mike points out that the Latin text Haroldus rex interfectus est (“King Harold is killed”) aligns with the figure being cut down by a Norman knight, suggesting the famous “arrow in the eye” figure may be a 19th-century restoration mistake.

The Bayeux Tapestry showing King Harold’s death – but is it with the arrow under ‘Harold’, or after the words finish, with the figure slain by the sword?

Experience the detective story

From the double-barbed spearheads that slotted neatly into cavalry stirrups to live-fire weapon demonstrations, The Bayeux Tapestry: Portrait of a Battle brings 1066 to life with unmissable clarity.

Whether you are a lifelong medieval history enthusiast or simply love a great historical detective story, join Mike Loades as he steps inside the tapestry to unlock the true secrets of the Battle of Hastings.

Watch The Bayeux Tapestry: Portrait of a Battle now on History Hit.

Now, groundbreaking new evidence uncovered by metal detectorists and archaeologists is shattering the accepted history. In History Hit’s documentary 1066: The Lost Battlefield, Dan Snow follows a landmark investigation that pinpoints what’s now thought to be the real battlefield, roughly a mile south from its traditional location – unearthing weaponry and military gear that reconnect us with a pivotal moment in English history.

Unearthing the evidence

The search for the true site began when lead metal detectorists Simon Richardson and John Benfield, working alongside the Battle of Stamford Bridge Heritage Society, targeted an area near the village of Low Catton. Aerial surveys and crop marks revealed that during the 11th century, the main crossing point over the River Derwent was not the modern town site, but an older Roman bridge further south.

Stamford Bridge detectorists at work

Image Credit: History Hit

Armed with careful grid plans and working under strict archaeological licenses, the team began surveying the fields and the riverbed. What emerged was an extraordinary, concentrated concentration of 11th-century military artefacts. No civilian items were mixed in.

Metal detectorist Simon Richardson shows some of the finds to Dan

Image Credit: History Hit

Key discoveries uncovered:

• A Viking sword and armour: A heavy 11th-century iron sword pommel and shattered links from a riveted iron mail shirt (‘hauberk’)
• Buckled Weaponry: A sharp Viking battle-axe head with a unique wooden sheath peg-hole, alongside a S-bent Norwegian arrowhead that must have struck a hard target at high speed.
• River Artefacts: Massive hand-forged iron ship nails, bridge timbers, and a rare Khazar-style sword guard from Southeastern Europe – a tantalising link to Hardrada’s early career in the Byzantine Varangian Guard.

Some of the new discoveries

Image Credit: History Hit

The road to Stamford Bridge

To understand the importance of this discovery, Dan explores the events of the volatile summer of 1066. After the death of King Edward the Confessor in January, Harold Godwinson claimed the English throne. However, he faced immediate threats on two fronts: Duke William of Normandy in the south, and his own exiled brother Tostig, who allied with King Harald Hardrada of Norway, in the north.

Following their victory over Anglo-Saxon earls at Fulford on 20 September, Hardrada’s invading Norse forces marched to the River Derwent expecting a routine exchange of hostages.

Dan by River Derwent

Image Credit: History Hit

Expecting no resistance, many of the Norse warriors left their heavy mail armour at their ships 10 miles away in Riccall. Unbeknown to the Vikings, King Harold had force-marched his English army 180 miles north in just five days, catching the invaders completely off-guard.

Despite ferocious resistance – including the legendary Viking warrior who single-handedly held the narrow wooden bridge until an Englishman pierced him from beneath – the unarmoured Viking’s desperate shield wall eventually collapsed. Although Viking reinforcements had rushed overland from Riccall to join the fray, they arrived exhausted and too late. By evening, both Hardrada and Harold’s traitorous brother Tostig were dead.

Lead metal detectorists Simon Richardson and John Benfield, working alongside the Battle of Stamford Bridge Heritage Society, with Bill Locke and Dan Snow from History Hit

Image Credit: History Hit

1066: The Lost Battlefield feels like a live-action archaeological detective story, pairing state-of-the-art metal detecting and river dives with historical chronicles and expert re-enactments to rewrite the story of this momentous day. Yet King Harold’s triumph would be fleeting. Just three days later, William, Duke of Normandy, landed near Hastings, setting the stage for the ultimate battle for the English crown.

Experience the thrill of discovery up close and stream 1066: The Lost Battlefield exclusively on History Hit

Unearthed in the quiet village of Great Baddow near Chelmsford, Essex, The Great Baddow Hoard is the largest collection of Iron Age gold coins ever discovered in Britain. Placed deliberately into the ground during the Late Iron Age – around the very same time Julius Caesar was launching his first military expeditions to the island – this breathtaking treasure of 935 decorated staters is finally being revealed to the public in a landmark new exhibition at the Museum of Chelmsford.

In History Hit’s captivating new documentary, The Great Baddow Hoard: Decoding the Iron Age, presenter Tristan Hughes gains privileged, behind-the-scenes access to examine this fortune up close. Joining forces with museum curator Claire Willetts and leading experts from the British Museum and Archaeology South-East, Tristan investigates the extraordinary artistry of the coins and tackles the ultimate lingering question: why was a massive fortune in gold buried in the Essex countryside, and did the shadow of Rome spark its concealment?

Sign up to watch

Laying out a fortune

The documentary opens with a thrilling moment for any history enthusiast: laying out the hoard for the very first time before it goes on public display.

Working alongside curator Claire Willetts, Tristan helps unpack bag after bag of shimmering gold staters. Claire admits that the process feels like unpacking pure treasure. Each coin, roughly the size of a modern five-pence piece, consists of approximately 55 percent gold.

What immediately strikes the eye is that despite being struck over two millennia ago – dated roughly between 60 BC and 20 BC – the coins remain in pristine condition. Because every single coin was individually struck by hand, no two are identical. Some are thick, others thin, while some form perfect circles and others carry slight irregularities that reveal the human touch of the ancient metalworkers who crafted them.

Historically, the Great Baddow area was considered a quiet backwater compared to major nearby Iron Age strongholds like Colchester or Danbury. Previous digs in the region yielded relatively humble finds, such as pottery, loom weights, and spindle whorls. This makes the sudden discovery of nearly a thousand gold coins in Great Baddow entirely unexpected and suggests far more was happening in the local area than archaeologists previously realised.

Tristan Hughes and curator Claire Willetts discuss the Great Baddow Hoard

Image Credit: History Hit / Museum of Chelmsford

Ciphers, wolves, and winged horses

To understand what these coins reveal about the sophisticated society that minted them, Tristan meets Dr. Eleanor Ghey, Curator of Iron Age Coin Hoards at the British Museum.

As Iron Age Britons left no written records, these coins serve as vital, miniature works of art that offer a rare window into their technology, belief systems, and worldview. Dr. Ghey emphasises that these staters were not pocket change used for everyday market transactions like buying bread. Instead, they represented a high-level store of wealth used for major political transactions, tribal alliances, diplomatic gifts, or sacred offerings.

Using a microscope to examine the coins, Tristan and Dr. Ghey decode the intricate artwork stamped into the metal. On the front, known as the obverse side, an abstract cross-and-wreath pattern is visible. This design actually evolved from ancient Greek coins featuring the head of Apollo. Over centuries, European and British artists reinterpreted the classical motif into their own abstract, stylised aesthetic.

The reverse side overwhelmingly features horses running free to the right, with some displaying three tails, others sporting delicate dots for manes, and a few featuring subtle wings reminiscent of Pegasus.

Out of 935 coins, three stand completely apart. One features the striking, arch-backed silhouette of a ‘Norfolk Wolf’ with bared teeth, linked to East Anglia. Another is a thinner quarter-stater showing a horse pulling a chariot wheel. Most intriguing of all is a single imported Gallo-Belgic coin from Northeast France – the only coin in the hoard showing significant surface wear, proving it traveled miles across the Continent before being buried in Essex.

The coin depicting a ‘Norfolk wolf’ from The Great Baddow Hoard

Image Credit: History Hit / Museum of Chelmsford

Why was it buried?

The most tantalising element of the documentary centres on why this king’s ransom was placed into the earth. The timeline places the burial squarely in a period of intense political and social turmoil. Between 55 and 54 BC, Julius Caesar led two expeditions across the English Channel, pushing north of the Thames into Essex territory to extract tributes from local tribes before returning to Rome.

The film explores several compelling theories surrounding the burial. It may have been a massive collective payment or tribute gathered for Julius Caesar during his campaigns. Alternatively, as Roman forces advanced and tribal conflict flared, a local chieftain or community leader may have buried their wealth for safekeeping, intending – and failing – to return for it later.

The overwhelming uniformity of the coins, which were struck in a single sequence and buried together all at once, also leads Tristan and several experts to suspect a religious ceremony, acting as a grand votive offering to the gods during uncertain times. Finally, the presence of coins linked to Buckinghamshire and Norfolk suggests shifting territories, political deals, or emergency movements of people from neighbouring tribal regions into Essex.

Striking gold again

The documentary also takes viewers onto the field with Archaeology South-East (UCL). During follow-up geophysical surveys and test pit excavations at the Great Baddow site, senior archaeologist Rob Cullum made a thrilling live discovery, pulling two additional gold staters straight from the undisturbed soil and bringing the hoard’s official total to 935.

Cullum marvels that after working in archaeology for over a decade without finding gold, discovering over 900 coins in a single location is extraordinarily special.

Coin featuring a horse and possibly a chariot, from the Great Baddow Hoard

Image Credit: History Hit / Museum of Chelmsford

Whether buried as an offering to ancient gods, hidden from invading Roman legions, or compiled as a diplomatic bargain, the Great Baddow Hoard is fundamentally reshaping our understanding of Late Iron Age Britain. As Tristan concludes, wars are fought on the battlefield, but empires and societies are recorded in their art.

Stream The Great Baddow Hoard: Decoding the Iron Age exclusively on History Hit, and experience the drama, beauty, and mystery of this world-class treasure up close.

The exhibition, Timeless Treasure: The Great Baddow Hoard, is now open to the public at the Museum of Chelmsford.

Sign up to watch

Embark on an extraordinary maritime journey that blurs the lines between ancient legend and archaeological reality. Join historian Dan Snow in this special 2-part series as he retraces the route of the greatest adventure ever told, sailing the beautiful Ionian Sea in the wake of Odysseus’s immense journey home from the Trojan War.

More than a simple retelling, this gripping two-part series serves as an investigative deep dive into the bedrock of Ancient Greek culture. As Dan navigates from the ruins of Troy to the rugged, imposing walls of Mycenae – the “city rich in gold” – he uncovers the historical echoes behind Homer’s verses. This is not merely a travelogue; it is a meticulously researched exploration of the rituals, societal norms, and spiritual beliefs that defined the classical world.

Melikertis at dusk – the boat that stands in on camera for the ship of Odysseus.

Image Credit: History Hit

Throughout the voyage, Dan is joined by a chorus of world-leading classicists and archaeologists who bring antiquity to life. Experience the nuance of the epic with celebrated translator Emily Wilson; witness the power of ancient oratory as Steve Kershaw recites Homeric Greek in a modern town square; explore the sacred, complex duties of Xenia with Emily Hauser; decode the tense interplay of gods and mortals with Tulsi Parikh; and delve into the might of Mycenaean civilization with Tristan Hughes. 

As the narrative unfolds upon the water, the series captures the haunting beauty of the Ionian Sea, visiting locations that inspired myths of Cyclopean caves, siren songs, and enchanted isles. The journey culminates in Ithaca, where Dan probes the ancient ruins – rumoured to be the very palace where Odysseus orchestrated his final, bloody reclamation of his home.

Join us for a fascinating synthesis of history, mythology, and exploration. Discover the true story of the “complicated” and “much turned about” hero whose voyage shaped Western literature and continues to captivate the modern imagination.

___________

The Odyssey – Part 1: The Voyage from Troy

We travel from Troy to the Ionian Sea as Dan takes to the water to explore the tortuous beginnings of the journey home, from far off Illium, via Circe’s enchanted island to the Underworld itself…

The Odyssey – Part 2: Return from Ithaca

Dan sails all the way home to Ithaca! Along the way he encounters storms, whirlpools, sirens and the wrath of the gods…

____________

History Hit is full of Odyssey and Trojan War content.  You can watch our special bonus film where Dan discusses the Odyssey with celebrated classicist, Prof. Mary Beard. On Dan Snow’s History Hit podcast he goes deep into the story, and on the Ancients podcast Tristan Hughes speaks to key Greece experts about the history around the myths.

“Oarsmen to your benches!” Climb aboard with Odysseus and History Hit to enjoy a cornucopia of fascinating insights into this epic story.

If you are the production team at History Hit, the answer involves two charter yachts, a waterproof GoPro, some incredibly cooperative wild pigs, and a highly optimistic shooting schedule.

In this exclusive behind-the-lens diary filming The Odyssey: Exploring the Greatest Voyage Ever Told, Bill Locke – Executive Producer and Head of Programming at History Hit – takes us on board the monohull Melikertis as the crew sails the stunning Ionian Sea. From exploring the ancient, wind-swept ruins of Ithaca to lashing presenter Dan Snow to a mast (and gently teasing him for packing thermals meant for upstate New York), Bill reveals what it really takes to bring the world’s greatest adventure story to life.

Pack your gear, watch out for wild boars, and step aboard…

Saturday 18 April

The History Hit team arrives at the harbour in Lefkas bright and early, ready to meet Sunsail’s Claire and the local team. Our goal is to make a fascinating series exploring the fact and fiction of the Odyssey – but to make that a reality we need a top team to help us with the crucial sailing element of the story.

Everyone seems super relaxed as we meet our two skippers, Tom and Sitha, for our briefing.  Ahead lies an exciting and very packed itinerary as we try to cram Odysseus’s 10 year voyage into just 4 days sailing around the Ionian islands. We’re making a 90 minute Odyssey special for Channel 5 and also a two-part deep dive for our own History Hit channel – plus podcasts and a host of social media. 

There’s a lot to do as we’ll try to capture everything from a sorceress’s island to Calypso’s cave, and are hoping for a combination of calm conditions and occasional stronger winds to reflect the twists and turns of Homer’s Odyssey…

Dan admiring the Greek islands featured in The Odyssey

The team divides into two – Giles our assistant producer has the expansive luxury of the catamaran Second Wind, skippered by Sitha, whilst our presenter Dan Snow, director Mark Edger, me and skipper Tom are in the cosier setting of the mono hull Melikertis (Tom confirms that no-one knows what that name means). 

The plan is that Melikertis stands in on camera for the ship of Odysseus, and Second Wind is the stable filming platform when we shoot boat-to-boat and also provides extra space to spread out our equipment.  Claire has planned everything to perfection – the boat combination works very smoothly from the start.

Left: Director Mark Edger – dedication to the shot! Right: Dan and Mark Edger aboard Melikertis – the boat that stands in on camera for the ship of Odysseus.

The whole trip is a dream come true for Dan – he’s sailed all his life and has wanted to cover the Odyssey for years. However, he has un-characteristically overpacked, bringing lots of warm clothes as he has mistakenly been looking at the chilly forecast for the American town of Ithaca in upstate New York!

As we leave the marina it’s soon clear that Tom is the perfect skipper for this job – calm at all times and a great talker, full of local knowledge. Departing Lefkas canal he’s happy to let Dan take the wheel as we get set for the open sea. 

Dan giving Skipper Tom a hand

Image Credit: History Hit

As is so often the case with filming, we’re shooting events out of order – Claire’s wise advice was to head all the way south first, reaching Odysseus’s home island, Ithaca on day one, and then work our way back through all the coves, caves and beaches that help explore the story.

Dan with a copy of The Odyssey

Image Credit: History Hit

The wind starts getting up in the afternoon and we are soon getting up to around 9 knots as we cleave our way through the ‘wine dark seas’ – Tom explains about the catabatic effect of the mountains, causing stronger winds later in the afternoon. It’s just right for us as we need to show how exciting sailing can be and also get a small sense of the challenges that Odysseus faced.

Blown by a fair breeze we reach the lovely harbour of Kioni in north west Ithaca in good time – a well earned glass of ‘Odyssey – red ale’ awaits in a local bar, followed by a delicious harbour side meal.  This filming trip seems like a very good idea.

Left: Dan sailing. Right: Odyssey red ale

Image Credit: History Hit

Sunday 19 April

A day filming ashore on Ithaca.  We get a taxi up to the “Palace of Odysseus’ (also known as the School of Homer), a collection of fine buildings from the Late Bronze Age, the era of the Odyssey and Trojan War.

Whether this really was the palace of Odysseus is much debated – in fact the arguments have gone on forever about whether modern day Ithaca was actually Odysseus’s home island of the same name or whether it all happened on Cephalonia or somewhere else entirely – or no such palace ever existed! It’s all part of the delight of exploring the Odyssey, an ancient myth full of fantasy, half truths and a few tantalising facts – sorting the fiction from the reality is a big editorial challenge, but very enjoyable.

In the afternoon we venture into a fabulous cave, which is standing in for the home of the cyclops. Meanwhile Tom and Sitha sail both of the yachts around to Vathy where we meet up with them. Vathy is a larger place than Kioni, a good berth for us to continue our adventure – and full of good places to eat. We are early in the season here, so there are plenty of options and everyone seems very pleased to see some of the first arrivals of the summer.

Dan, ready to take on the cyclops

Image Credit: History Hit

Monday 20 April

A busy day ahead as we film various boating details.  Both yachts head south to a narrow channel between Ithaca and tiny island of Ligia.  Here we spend a long time showing how Odysseus would have moored from rocks on the shore – no smart harbours for our heroes 3,000 years ago!

Dan dives in to take a line ashore, somehow I volunteer to jump in with him and shoot the swimming sequence on a waterproof GoPro camera. It’s a really fun morning as we get out some of the toys too – edging along the rocky edge of Ligia in the blow up canoe, but being careful not to moor up there as there are reports of rats ashore and we don’t want any of them trying to stow away on our yachts.

The afternoon we sail north as we want to recreate Odysseus’s first arrival on Ithaca. We’ve identified a nice quiet cove near Kourvoulia. Dan rows ashore and sets a kedge anchor to hold us firm. Tom is an ace at mooring up nice and snugly so we get a good night’s sleep.

Tonight we cook on board the catamaran using supplies we picked up in Lefkas – my culinary skills don’t extend far beyond pasta with tomato sauce, but the hungry team seem happy enough after a long and very enjoyable day.

Dan rows ashore

Tuesday 21 April

Lots to do today. After an early start at our lovely isolated mooring, filming Homer’s ‘rosie fingered dawn’, we sail to Atokos, a small island that is famous for its beaches and population of wild pigs. Mark’s plan is that this will be the perfect way to illustrate the story of the sorceress Circe turning Odysseus’s crew into swine, but everyone has warned us that the pigs can be aggressive, so we approach with caution, mooring in the bay and rowing ashore. Tom and Sitha stay on board the yachts…

Of course, no pigs are anywhere to be seen. We wander about as the day starts to heat up, Mark and Dan start to plan a slightly disappointing sequence where Dan explains there are usually pigs here, but not today… But then, right on cue, two adults and a crowd of piglets come scampering down the beach and start cooling off in the surf. Dan launches into a perfect piece to camera and we have all the cameras running to capture the scene. Thankfully the pigs don’t gore us to death (I can’t guarantee this will be the case if you visit) and it makes for a great scene. The gods were smiling on us after all.

We sail in good winds to Sivota, at the southern tip of Lefkas. We’ve booked a lovely harbourside restaurant to shoot a delicious sequence where Dan describes how Odysseus’s crew angered the sun god by eating his cattle. It’s the perfect excuse to enjoy a fabulous beef stew as the sun goes down with our two boats moored alongside on the restaurant’s own pontoon.

Wednesday 22 April

A busy final day of sailing lies in store – lots of storylines to fit in before we finish. We sail straight to Meganisi where the huge Papanikolis cave is standing in as the home of Calypso. Tom reckons the weather is perfectly calm so we won’t be bashed by any big waves. It’s an amazing spot that should be on any itinerary if the weather is right. Then the cliffs of Meganisi provide the background for the story of the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis.  

One final story to fit in – the Sirens who lured sailors to their deaths. Tom puts cotton wool in his ears so he can’t hear their fatal call and lashes Dan to the mast.  

Dan lashed to the mast!

Image Credit: History Hit

A final bit of drone filming and then we sail north to Sunsail’s home base at Lefkas. It has been an amazing few days of sailing – fun, exhilarating and beautiful, often all at the same time. Great company, great sailing, great filming, all in the wake of the greatest voyage ever told!

Melikertis at dusk – the boat that stands in on camera for the ship of Odysseus.

Image Credit: History Hit

________

You can see this trip for yourselves on History Hit – our in depth two-part Odyssey series – The Odyssey: Exploring the Greatest Voyage Ever Told is available to subscribers all over the world from 17 July.  The shorter version was broadcast in the UK on Channel 5 on 16 July and is subsequently available on their catch up service – this version is also available on SBS in Australia.

Sign up to watch

This July, History Hit’s The Ancients podcast is launching a spectacular three-part special series dedicated entirely to The Odyssey.

Guiding us through these treacherous waters is our host Tristan Hughes, alongside acclaimed classicist and storyteller Emily Hauser. Together, their expert insight brings Odysseus’s epic journey to life – unpacking the myth, its hidden meanings, and its lasting cultural influence.

Whether you are a lifelong classics fan or looking for the ideal companion guide to give you richer context before watching the new cinematic adaptation, this series is essential listening.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Episode 1. Surviving Cyclops, Circe and Calypso (Out Now!)

We go right back to the beginning: to the poet himself, the world that produced this epic, and the opening stages of Odysseus’ long journey home.

We’ll meet the cunning king of Ithaca as both legend and literary creation, explore how Homer shapes him on the page, and follow the early twists of the narrative – from the ruins of Troy to the perilous seas and fateful encounters that set the tone for everything that follows.

Episode 2. Sea of Monsters & Slaughter of the Suitors (18th July)

The voyage continues as Tristan and Emily follow Odysseus through the terrifying Sea of Monsters. Can he navigate the supernatural dangers of the deep and reach home before his wife’s ruthless suitors take over his kingdom?

Episode 3. Hollywood’s Odyssey: The Historians’ Verdict (25th July)

In the final installment, Tristan and Emily review the highly anticipated new blockbuster movie. They’ll reveal what Hollywood got right, what they got wrong, and deliver the ultimate historians’ verdict on whether it does true justice to Homer’s epic masterpiece. 

Part 1 is officially live, so dive in and start listening today, or you can watch the podcast here

In History Hit’s powerful documentary, American Revolution: Declarations of War and Independence, Dan Snow meets specialist curator of the Revolution 250 exhibition Dr. Graham Moore to examine these historic original papers. Together, they strip away centuries of myth to reveal a complex, transatlantic story of shifting identities, political gambles, and hidden ciphers. 

Sign up to watch

Redrawing the imperial map

The story of the American Revolution does not begin with an innate desire for separation, but with a shared triumph. Following the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War in 1763, Great Britain found itself victorious but saddled with a massive mountain of war debt, along with a vastly expanded global empire, including newly acquired territories in Canada and Florida. Parliament’s solution was to bring the structurally disparate, self-governing 13 colonies under tight imperial control – and force them to pay for their own defence.

In the documentary, Dan and Graham examine a striking, original land agreement from upper New York between British colonists and representatives of the Mohawk Nation. Signed with clan pictograms of wolves and turtles, it illustrates Britain’s early attempts to enforce a hard colonial border along the Appalachian Mountains to protect indigenous alliances.

However, imperial management required direct revenue, leading to the fateful passage of the Stamp Act of 1765. By levying the first direct parliamentary tax on everyday items like legal documents and newspapers, Britain inadvertently alienated colonial lawyers and journalists. This sparked an ideological resistance under the battle cry of “taxation without representation,” setting the colonies on a path toward open defiance.

Dan Snow with Dr Graham Moore, Curator, Revolution 250, National Archives in Kew

Image Credit: History Hit

Mid-Atlantic crossroads: The lost chance for peace

By April 1775, political friction erupted into open warfare at Lexington and Concord. In the Archives’ conservation room, Dan analyses the original, meticulously penned British casualty return from that bloody encounter, signed by General Thomas Gage. 

Yet, the documents reveal that total war was not yet inevitable. In July 1775 – a full year before the push for independence – the Continental Congress drafted the “Olive Branch Petition.” Looking closely at the signatures of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock, Dan notes the remarkably deferential language. The colonists still saw themselves as faithful British subjects arguing for their constitutional rights, explicitly praying for King George III to enjoy a long, prosperous reign.

Tragically, this message of peace crossed paths mid-Atlantic with the British government’s hardline response. Unwilling to concede to armed rebellion, George III issued the “Proclamation of Rebellion”, declaring the colonies to be in open treason and authorising full military force to suppress them. The window for a political solution slammed shut.

200 copies that changed the world: 4 July 1776

By the summer of 1776, compromise had transformed into a demand for complete severance. The documentary features an unparalleled look at one of the few surviving original broadsides of the Declaration of Independence, run off the Philadelphia printing press of John Dunlap on the night of 4 July 1776. Designed to be distributed quickly and pinned up on public walls, only 26 of these original copies survive today – and the National Archives holds the largest single collection of them.

One of the few surviving original broadsides of the Declaration of Independence

While the document contains the immortal philosophy of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the bulk of the text is actually a highly specific legal indictment directly targeting George III. The copy Dan examines was intercepted and sent to London by Vice Admiral Richard Howe, who noted how the declaration immediately upended the geopolitical landscape – prompting General George Washington to refuse any British correspondence unless it formally recognised his independent military titles.

The logistical end of an empire

As the conflict wore on, the theatre of war expanded into a global struggle. The documentary masterfully illustrates the final military endgame in 1781 through a highly sensitive, coded letter written in a complex military cipher between British Commanders Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis. Using a cipher wheel to decode the text, the film reveals the exact, breathless moment the British realised Washington and a massive French army were closing in on Yorktown, trapping Cornwallis by land and sea.

Following Cornwallis’s inevitable surrender, the legal end of British rule was codified in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Dan examines the provisional draft of the treaty, bearing the signatures of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, where the British Crown finally recognised the United States as sovereign and independent states.

To conclude this fascinating exploration, the documentary unveils a jaw-dropping artefact recently restored by archive conservators: a gargantuan, meticulously detailed ledger documenting every single piece of army storage used by the British in New York during the final evacuation of 1783. Listing precise figures – from 7,000 hatchets to exactly 138,816 pins, alongside millions of pounds of beef and thousands of gallons of rum – this massive “18th-century spreadsheet” brings home the staggering financial and logistical cost that ultimately forced Britain to cut its losses and let go of the 13 colonies.

Dan Snow and Dr Graham Moore view the meticulously detailed ledger documenting every piece of army storage used by the British in New York during the final evacuation of 1783

By grounding the grand narrative of the war in the physical reality of the papers, ciphers, and ledgers that directed it, American Revolution: Declarations of War and Independence reminds us that while wars are fought on the battlefield, empires are won and lost on paper.

Watch American Revolution: Declarations of War and Independence on History Hit to see these fragile, world-changing documents up close and discover the hidden logistics behind the birth of the United States.

Sign up to watch

But as Dan Snow reveals in History Hit’s gripping documentary, Secrets of the Maya, the true story is far more sophisticated. Travelling through the rugged terrain of Belize – the absolute crossroads of the ancient Maya world – Dan joins pioneering archaeologists to strip away the overgrowth. What they uncover is not a short-lived empire like the later Aztecs or Incas, but an astonishingly urbanised, interconnected network of independent kingdoms that flourished for more than 3,000 years.

Sign up to watch

Terraforming the jungle: the sprawl of Caracol

Deep in the jungles of western Belize lies Caracol, a vast ancient metropolis that at its peak around 650 CE stretched across 200 square kilometres – vastly larger than modern-day Belize City.

Dan meets archaeologists Drs. Arlen and Diane Chase. When they first arrived in the 1980s, the site was invisible, buried beneath centuries of dense jungle growth. Early explorers had even mistaken its colossal central structures for natural hills.

Dan in the jungles of western Belize

Today, the excavated, uncovered downtown core is dominated by Caana (Maya for “Sky Place”), a breathtaking palace-temple complex that, at 141 feet tall, remains the tallest building in Belize.

What makes Caracol a true revelation is its progressive layout. Rather than an elite enclave isolated from the working class, it was a highly integrated “sprawl city” where different social classes lived side-by-side.

Dan on top of pyramid in Caana, Belize

Equally staggering is how the Maya sustained an urban population of over 100,000 people deep within a jungle isolated from major rivers. They were master environmental engineers who “terraformed” the landscape. By constructing thousands of agricultural terraces and practicing intensive “night soiling” – recycling waste into high-phosphorus fertiliser – they generated exceptionally fertile soils. At its height, Classic Period Central America was one of the most densely populated and urbanised landscapes in the ancient world.

Face-to-Face with a founding king

The documentary captures an unforgettable milestone in Mesoamerican archaeology: the discovery of a pristine, open-air royal tomb tucked beneath a residential terrace wall. Unveiled by Diane Chase after 40 years of digging, the chamber yielded an extraordinary treasure – a life-sized royal death mask meticulously crafted from jadeite and shell.

In Maya culture, jade was a sacred gemstone synonymous with water and the immortal soul. Because jade does not occur naturally in Belize, this find tracks extensive trade routes reaching deep into the Motagua River Valley of Guatemala, hundreds of miles away.

Crucially, this tomb aligns perfectly with Caracol’s complex hieroglyphic record. The elaborate logo-syllabic script – which experts only began decoding in the late 20th century – identifies the occupant as Tikab Chahk, the legendary founding king who established Caracol’s royal dynasty in 331 CE.

Dan by a monument to Tikab Chahk

Image Credit: History Hit

Into the womb of Earth

To explore the spiritual forces that bound this society together, Secrets of the Maya  plunges deep into the restricted underground limestone caverns of Belize. The Maya viewed this subterranean world as a sacred, liminal zone – the womb of Mother Earth and the gateway to the supernatural underworld.

Guided by local archaeologist Rafael Guerra, Dan enters a dramatic, subterranean world discovering ancient stone altars surrounded by millennia-old offerings. But when severe environmental crises and prolonged droughts pushed these communities to the absolute edge of survival, the rituals turned grim. The team confronts haunting evidence of the ultimate sacrifice: the remains of high-status individuals offered to the dark in a desperate bid to appease the rain gods.

Dan heads deep into restricted underground limestone caverns, Belize

The living legacy: adaptation and survival

The climax of the documentary tackles one of the grandest historical mysteries of all: what actually caused the great Maya collapse between 800 and 950 CE? To find the answer, Dan travels by water to the coastal ruins of Lamanai (“Submerged Crocodile”).

While inland super-cities like Caracol buckled under severe droughts, Lamanai’ unique access to a massive fresh-water lagoon allowed it to thrive for centuries longer, surviving right up to the arrival of European explorers, meeting them face-to-face.

When climate change destabilised the inland kingdoms, the populations didn’t mysteriously vanish; they adapted, overthrew the rulers who failed to conjure rain, and migrated to reshape their society.

Ultimately, Secrets of the Maya delivers an inspiring conclusion: the Maya are not a lost, dead civilisation. Today, their descendants make up over 10% of Belize’s population. Witnessing modern families grinding corn on four-generation metate stones, preparing elite cacao drinks, and playing Pokta-Puk – the oldest team sport in the world – proves that the real secret of the Maya is their magnificent, unbroken survival.

Dan with a Pokta Puk team

Image Credit: History Hit

Watch Secrets of the Maya now on History Hit to see these breathtaking discoveries unfold.

Sign up to watch