A new year is a blank page in the history books, and we’re ready to fill it. We have a packed slate of original programming coming up in 2026. Here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect – we can’t wait to share it with you:

Meanwhile, why not snuggle up on the sofa, finish off that selection box, and binge-watch some of our carefully chosen documentaries to help ease you into the new year while learning something new:

Catch up on our full 2025 on History Hit collection now.

In History Hit’s new documentary, Divine Fury: Demeter and Persephone – How a Mother’s Love Made the Seasons, acclaimed classicist Natalie Haynes explores the enduring legacy of this ancient tale – one of the Greeks’ most powerful and enduring myths. It is a story of love, loss, rage, and transformation that brought the mortal world to the brink of ruin and, ultimately, gave the Greeks an explanation for the very rhythm of the seasons.

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The Abduction

Episode 1: ‘Abduction’ sees the start of the story – and a kidnapping. Hades, the dark Lord of the Underworld, emerged from the earth to snatch the young goddess Persephone while she was gathering flowers. It was an act of divine sanctioned theft; Persephone’s own father, Zeus, had secretly given Hades permission to take her as his bride.

However, Hades made a catastrophic error: he forgot about Persephone’s mother, Demeter. As the goddess of agriculture and the Earth’s fertility, Demeter was one of the most powerful Olympian deities. When her daughter vanished, her grief quickly curdled into a terrifying fury.

Natalie Haynes explains that for the ancient Greeks, this wasn’t just a bedtime story; it mirrored the traumatic reality of marriage customs, where young girls (often only 14 years old) were abruptly removed from their families to live as strangers in a new home. She talks to classicist Dr Daisy Dunn to explore what marriage meant for women in ancient Greece, and how the story of Persephone helped girls prepare for this transition. 

Dr Daisy Dunn shows Natalie Haynes some ancient artefacts depicting Persephone on the eve of her marriage

Image Credit: History Hit

Tracing the “Homeric Hymn”

To unravel the layers of this myth, Natalie turns to a miraculous survival of ancient literature: the Homeric Hymn to Demeter – investigating how this myth mirrored the lives of people in Ancient Greece. Lost for centuries, a manuscript of the poem was famously rediscovered in a Russian farmhouse in 1777. Though written down in the 7th or 6th centuries BC, the hymn preserves an even older oral tradition.

Natalie’s journey takes her from the British Museum to the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where she examines the dual nature of these goddesses. Demeter is depicted as a figure of maternal tenderness but also of world-ending power. Meanwhile, Persephone evolves from Kore (the innocent girl) to the “Red Queen,” the formidable and dreaded co-ruler of the Underworld.

History Hit crew filming in Athens

The desolation of the earth

As Demeter searched for her daughter, she refused to eat, wash, or return to Mount Olympus. She wandered the earth in the guise of an old woman, eventually finding rest at the Kallichoron well in Eleusis.

Natalie visits the ruins of the sanctuary at Eleusis, where myth and reality coincide. It was here that Demeter was welcomed into the home of King Celeus. However, because she was in mourning, she rejected the finest hospitality, only finding a brief moment of respite when a servant named Iambe coaxed a laugh from her with audacious jokes.

But Demeter’s sorrow could not be contained by mortal kindness. In her rage, she made the “all-nourishing land” barren. For a civilisation where 4 out of 5 people were farmers, this was a story that played into their deepest fears. Crops withered, sheep perished, and the human race faced extinction. Crucially for the gods, the smoke of animal sacrifices stopped rising to Olympus. It was this – the hunger of the gods – that finally forced Zeus to intervene.

History Hit filming on the River Acheron

The descent to the ‘River of Woe’

To understand Persephone’s imprisonment, Natalie travels to the rugged mountains of Epirus and the River Acheron, one of the mythical rivers of the Underworld, known to the ancients as the “River of Woe.” Legend says the ferryman Charon transported souls across these waters to Hades’ realm.

Natalie Haynes and some of the History Hit production crew on the River Acheron

Natalie explores the Necromanteion of Acheron, a site where the living once spoke to the dead. Accompanied by expert Dr Tobias Myers, she descends into underground chambers where ancient pilgrims may have used hallucinogens and blood sacrifices to communicate with the spirits below.

“For the Greeks,” Natalie notes, “myth was simply history that happened long ago.” The geography of the underworld wasn’t abstract; it was mapped onto real-world spots like these dark, vaulted ruins.

Production shot of Dr. Tobias Myers talking to Natalie Haynes about the Necromanteion of Acheron

Image Credit: History Hit

The great mystery remains

Persephone remained languishing in the dark, but the earth could not survive without Demeter’s favour. Is Persephone doomed to spend eternity in the shadows, or can a mother’s love force the gates of hell to open?

The dramatic conclusion of the myth – and the birth of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the most secret and sacred religious rites of the ancient world – awaits in the next chapter of our journey.

Episode 1: ‘Abduction’ is available now. Episode 2: ‘The Mystery’ will be released on 15 January 2026.

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There are far too many wonderful people we’ve worked with, places we’ve been and fascinating facts we’ve uncovered to mention, but here are some of our 2025 highlights:

Global exploration

In a landmark expedition, Dan Snow and team headed to war-torn Libya, becoming the first history documentary crew in 15 years to film at the breathtaking ruins of Cyrene. Once a jewel of the Greek and Roman worlds, this site offered us an unprecedented look at ancient Mediterranean civilisation.

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Closer to home, the team plunged into the depths of maritime history with the discovery of new remains from HMS Northumberland, a ship of the line lost in the Great Storm of 1703.

Meanwhile, our “land of fire and ice” takeover saw the production of three documentaries in Iceland, a YouTube video and a podcast episode, exploring everything from the first Viking arrivals to the staggering geological forces that shaped Norse mythology.

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Our journey through time didn’t stop there. We traversed the Great Wall of China to unpack the engineering of empires and returned to the birth of the United States with our American Revolutions series. We also leaned into the history of the people, exploring the fascinating and often visceral world of Body Modification through the ages, and re-examining the tragic, controversial reign of Edward II.

Catch up on a year of original history documentaries with Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb and more here in our 2025 on History Hit collection.

An award-winning team

None of this would be possible without the passion of our audience and the dedication of our crew. We were incredibly honoured to be named Best Factual Channel at the Broadcast Digital Awards this year. This recognition is a wonderful testament to our hardworking team – from the researchers and archaeologists to presenters like Dan Snow and Suzannah Lipscomb – who strive to make history accessible, accurate, and thrilling.

And of course a huge thank you to you, our subscribers, for being a part of our winning journey.

History Hit won Best Factual Channel at the prestigious Broadcast Digital Awards 2025

Image Credit: History Hit

Looking ahead: what’s next in 2026?

As we look toward 2026, we have a packed slate of original programming, including the highly anticipated Divine Fury: Demeter and Persephone and more deep-dives into the “hidden” histories of the world’s most famous cities. Here’s to a fantastic 2026 – and here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect, we can’t wait to share it with you:

Ready to dive back in? Catch up on our full 2025 on History Hit collection now.

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In an age of rapid industrialisation, these thinkers turned inward – engaging with the era’s most pressing questions around female independence, civil liberties, and harmony with nature. Dan discovers the special places where their famous words were penned, which collectively helped shape the American identity – themes of the past that still inspire today.

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Inside Orchard House: the heart of ‘Little Women’

Dan’s journey begins at Orchard House, the weathered brown home where Louisa May Alcott lived with her parents and sisters in 1858. Here, he sits at the simple semi-circular desk where Louisa May wrote her compelling, quintessential American coming-of-age story: ‘Little Women’.

While the March sisters of fiction are beloved worldwide, the reality of the Alcott family was even more compelling. Guided by Executive Director Jan Turnquist, Dan gets a personal insight into Orchard House where he explores rooms preserved in time and filled with original intimate artefacts that reveal insights into the family’s life. Some of these include a whimsical hidden inkwell within an owl’s head (reflecting Louisa’s personal tastes), and the poignant keyboard belonging to Lizzie Alcott (the sister immortalised as the gentle, tragic Beth). Even the walls tell a story, adorned with the original sketches and paintings of the youngest sister, May.

Owl inkwell given to Louisa May Alcott

Image Credit: History Hit

Orchard House served as the model for the March family home in ‘Little Women’, a novel that famously champions a household fuelled by  love, creativity and tireless endeavour. At the centre of this world, Louisa placed a character mirroring herself: Jo March, the quintessential image of a strong-willed, independent, and creative young woman.

In the film, Jan explains to Dan how the real Alcotts were radical egalitarians. In an era defined by rigid social hierarchies, they held a steadfast belief in the absolute equality of all people, regardless of gender or race. This revolutionary spirit led Louisa’s father, Bronson, to found the Concord School of Philosophy, one of America’s first adult education programs, hosted right in the family living room.

Concord’s radical spirit

Concord’s reputation for independent thinking was forged long before the Alcotts arrived. In 1775, at the Old North Bridge, local militia faced British troops in the opening clash of the Revolutionary War – the “shot heard ’round the world.”

By the mid-19th century, that spirit had evolved into the Abolitionist Movement. The Alcotts didn’t just talk about freedom; they lived it. While residing at Hillside (now known as The Wayside), the family operated as a secret safehouse for the Underground Railroad, sheltering those escaping slavery on their perilous journey toward Canada.

Ellen Garrison: A civil rights pioneer

Concord was more than a literary hub; it was a sanctuary where previously enslaved people could find both community and a voice. Outside the historic Robbins House, Dan meets museum president Nikki Turpin to uncover the legacy of Ellen Garrison, an African American educator whose fight for equality predated the modern Civil Rights Movement by a century.

Growing up in the Concord School District, Ellen was a brilliant student, yet was not immune to the sting of prejudice. Aged 12, she was nearly forced out of a local town parade, only for a white friend to grab her hand so they could walk together in a defiant display of racial harmony, realised long before Martin Luther King Jr’s “dream” was ever spoken.

In 1866, Ellen took her activism to the national stage. Testing the new Civil Rights Act, she took a seat in a “whites-only” waiting area at a Baltimore train station. Decades before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, Ellen was forcibly removed for daring to claim her legal rights. Her story, preserved at the Robbins House, serves as a powerful reminder that Concord’s literary greatness was inextricably linked to its moral courage.

Dan meets with the Robbins House museum’s president Nikki Turpin outside Ellen Garrison’s house.

Living deliberately

No pilgrimage to Concord is complete without a visit to the tranquil shores of Walden Pond. In 1845, a 27-year-old Harvard graduate named Henry David Thoreau embarked on a radical experiment in self-reliance, moving into the woods to “live deliberately” and strip life down to its barest essentials.

Dan visits a precise replica of Thoreau’s 10-by-15-foot cabin. Contrary to the myth of the lonely hermit, Thoreau famously enjoyed “solitude but not isolation.” With the railroad only 300 yards away and a steady stream of visitors (including the Alcott family), Thoreau’s retreat was less about escaping society and more about finding a new way to inhabit it. Over the course of 2 years, 2 months, and 2 days, he observed the natural world with a unique blend of scientific precision and spiritual awe.

Walden Pond, Concord

Image Credit: History Hit

His masterpiece, ‘Walden, Or Life In The Woods’, wasn’t just a book about trees; it was a manifesto for the individual soul. Dan speaks with local expert Richard Smith to learn how Thoreau’s nature excursions with a young Louisa May Alcott provided her with the sense of escape and independence she so deeply craved. To truly step into Thoreau’s world, Dan even takes a bracing, chilly dip in Walden pond, experiencing firsthand the ‘refreshing’ morning ritual that Thoreau used to do.

A legacy for today

The authors of Concord were concerned with the questions that still haunt us: What does it mean to be genuinely free? How do we connect with a world that is moving too fast? Whether it is the domestic warmth of Little Women or the transcendental silence of Walden, these “small town” stories contain the biggest ideas in history.

Step back in time this season. Watch Big Stories from a Small Town: The Real Lives Behind Little Women and Walden on History Hit.

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In History Hit’s new two-part documentary, Icelandic Vikings, Dan Snow journeys across this mythical terrain to uncover the secrets of the first settlers. From visiting a replica turf home to the ingenious use of geothermal springs to bake ‘volcano bread’, in episode 1, Icelandic Vikings: Arrival, Dan uncovers how a band of defiant explorers tamed one of the most remote islands on Earth.

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When did the Vikings truly arrive?

The term ‘Viking’ stems from the Old Norse víkingr (Vigh-king) – meaning pirate, raider. They came from Scandinavia and quickly spread across the world. During the 9th and 10th centuries, an estimated 60,000 vikings made Iceland their home. 

For decades, historians relied on traditional sagas to date the settlement of Iceland to the late 9th century. However, at the Settlement Exhibition museum in Reykjavík, Dan Snow talks to guide Vala Gardarsdóttir and sees evidence that is rewriting history. By analysing tephra (layers of volcanic ash from known eruptions that act as a ‘geological clock’) archaeologists have identified Norse structures dating back as far as 800 or 830 AD.

This discovery, including a boundary wall unearthed during the construction of an underground parking lot in 2001, suggests that permanent Norse settlements were established nearly 70 years earlier than previously thought, revealing that the roots of Icelandic culture run far deeper than the sagas suggest.

Dan Snow visits the Settlement Exhibition museum in Reykjavík where he talks to guide Vala Gardarsdóttir

Image Credit: History Hit

Life inside a turf house

In the documentary, Dan travels to the Dalasýsla region to explore a meticulously reconstructed Viking home, where he meets Bjarnheidur Jóhannsdóttir to uncover the realities of Norse domestic life in this landscape.

These weren’t drafty wooden huts; they were sophisticated turf houses. With walls over a metre thick, constructed from tightly packed roots and turf, these homes were marvels of thermal insulation. Inside, around 15 people lived together in a single longhouse, centred around a communal hearth that served as a primary sources of heat, light, and social connection.

Bjarnheidur explains how while the ‘Master of the House’ was often absent for months on raiding or trading expeditions, the women ruled the domestic sphere. The ‘lady of the house’ held the keys to the locked pantry – the most vital room in the home, where winter provisions were guarded to ensure the family’s survival in winter.

Before the Vikings, 40% of Iceland was covered in birch forests. Within a century, the voracious need for fuel and grazing land decimated these woodlands, forcing the settlers to adapt by using turf as their primary building material.

Dan Snow and Bjarnheidur Jóhannsdóttir in a replica Viking turf house, in the Dalasýsla region of Iceland.

Image Credit: History Hit

Mastering the North Atlantic

The Vikings were, first and foremost, the greatest mariners of their age. Viking ships were clinker-built, featuring overlapping hull planks that made them light, flexible, yet incredibly strong. Vikings relied on ingenious natural markers for navigation, including solar navigation and by observing the flight of birds, specifically ravens; if the bird flew high and returned to the ship, land was far away. If it disappeared toward the horizon, the crew knew they were nearing an island and followed its lead.

To understand how they navigated the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic, Dan takes to the sea off the coast of Reykjavík for some fishing.

Dan has some success at fishing in the North Atlantic!

Image Credit: History Hit

The Book of Settlements

For Icelanders, history is far more than a chronology of dates – it is a living record of ancestral rights. Dan visits the Árni Magnússon Institute to see a copy of one of the most sacred documents in Icelandic culture: the Landnámabók, or ‘Book of Settlements’.

This extraordinary document serves as a bridge between the medieval and modern worlds. It places Iceland within the wider context of early European history, referencing the Venerable Bede (the ‘father of English history’) and noting with seafaring precision that Iceland lay exactly six days’ sailing north of Britain.

More than just a chronicle, this was a massive folklore project designed to codify the nation’s origin story. It meticulously records the names of the original pioneers and the precise boundaries of their claims. As expert Gísli Sigurðsson explains, the text is so geographically accurate that it still defines the borders of many modern-day farms. It is truly a ‘map of a nation’s soul’, securing the land through the epic stories of those who first stepped onto its black sand beaches.

Dan speaks to Gísli Sigurðsson at the Árni Magnússon Institute to see the Landnámabók – the ‘Book of Settlements’ – with production crew.

Image Credit: History Hit

A taste of the settlement age

Life in the North Atlantic wasn’t just about survival; it was also about flavour. In the wild Westfjords, Dan forages for crowberries and helps bake traditional geothermal rye bread. By burying the dough in a pipe in the bubbling hot springs of a volcanic area, the Vikings learnt to harness the island’s subterranean energy to create a delicious, dense cake-like loaf of bread – a culinary tradition that continues in Iceland to this day.

Dan also encounters the Icelandic horse. Brought over on longships by the original 9th century settlers, this unique breed has remained genetically isolate for over a thousand years. Its legendary strength and steady ‘fifth gait’ provided the only reliable way for the first Vikings to traverse the treacherous, rugged, roadless interior.

Dan rides an Icelandic horse

Image Credit: History Hit

Paradise or Valhalla?

With its abundance of walrus ivory, rivers teeming with salmon, and the miraculous gift of geothermal heat, Iceland must have seemed like a paradise to the first settlers. Yet did this ‘Land of Fire and Ice’ truly become an earthly Valhalla, or did the human hunger for power and resources lead to its eventual ruin?

While the first episode of Icelandic Vikings: Arrival celebrates the triumph of human spirit and exploration, the story doesn’t end there. Join Dan Snow for Episode Two (releasing 8 January 2026), as he ventures into the ‘Age of Survival’. From the breathtaking plains of Þingvellir – home to the world’s oldest parliament – to the jagged lava fields of the interior, Dan uncovers the bloody, complex truths hidden within the legendary Icelandic Sagas.

Watch Icelandic Vikings: Arrival now on History Hit (with thanks to Visit Iceland).

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In History Hit’s new documentary, The Dead of Winter: Medieval Ghost Stories, Eleanor draws on medieval chronicles, religious monuments, and Icelandic sagas to uncover why the dead were believed to walk again. By investigating the supernatural potency of the winter solstice, she reveals how these haunting tales reflect deep-seated anxieties over sin, salvation, and the bonds of medieval community that still echo across the centuries.

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Purgatory and the returning dead

As the days shorten and the nights stretch toward the winter solstice, the shadowed weeks of Advent transform into a journey into the heart of darkness. In the medieval world, it was believed that the veil between the living and the dead reached its thinnest, allowing spirits to walk openly among the living. As families huddled around the hearth to stave off the biting cold and the darkness, ghost stories shared in the flickering firelight reached the height of their haunting potential.

Countless ghost stories survive from this era because, for the medieval mind, death was a transition rather than an end.  “For medieval people, there wasn’t much of a line between the living and the dead,” explains Eleanor. Spirits returned for many reasons, with purpose: to frighten, to warn, or to plead for mercy.

The emergence of Purgatory – a realm of post-mortem purification – radically transformed the ghost story. Spirits were increasingly seen as souls returning to beg for help, urging the living to shorten their suffering through prayer and religious intercession. These were more than just tales of terror; they were profound expressions of faith and hope in a world where death was a constant companion.

Dr Eleanor Janega on location in Norfolk

Image Credit: History Hit

The Dark Hunt of Peterborough

One of the most chilling accounts comes from Peterborough Abbey, 900 years ago – at the time one of England’s most important strongholds of Christianity. In 1127, the community was paralysed by the arrival of “The Wild Hunt.” Recorded in two separate contemporary chronicles, eyewitnesses described a terrifying procession of “black, huge, and loathsome” hunters riding black horses and billy goats, accompanied by wide-eyed hounds. The horns of the hunt reportedly rang through the woods for 50 nights – the entire end of winter.

However, Eleanor uncovers a fascinating political layer to this haunting. The apparition began the night after the arrival of a new abbot, Henry of Poitou. A relative of King Henry I, Poitou was viewed by the local monks as a “drone in the hive” – a foreign interference interested only in wealth and power, and a means through which the king could assert his authority over the monasteries – bypassing the traditional custom of the monks electing their leader.

“The Peterborough hunt is an incredibly convenient haunting,” Eleanor points out. The monks used the story to suggest that God Himself was displeased with the appointment. The Wild Hunt was a tangible sign of divine wrath, showing how ghost stories allowed the Church to resist royal control and assert its own authority on how things should be done.

Dr Eleanor Janega and Bill Locke (Head of Programming and Executive Producer) on location

Revenants: the physical dead

Beyond the spectral warnings from Purgatory lay a much more visceral fear: the revenant. Unlike the ghosts of modern cinema, medieval revenants were often believed to be physical corpses that refused to stay in the ground.

Eleanor explores these “living dead” in the documentary through several chilling examples:

• The Chained Monk: A spirit so restless and troubled that his corpse had to be buried in iron chains to prevent it from rising.
• The Icelandic Sagas: Tales of drowned men returning to their villages, dripping with seawater, to sit by the hearths of the living.
• The Warning from Purgatory: A young choir girl sent back to the world of the living with a chilling message regarding the state of her soul.

Protecting against these physical threats required constant vigilance, turning rituals and prayers into essential tools for survival. The Church became the ultimate shield, using these stories to teach moral behaviour and enforce social order.

Some of the History Hit production team filming in Norfolk

Image Credit: History Hit

A legacy that lingers

Eleanor concludes that medieval ghost stories were never intended just to frighten. They were a way to explain the world, to enforce duty and honour, and to build community around the shared hearth during the long, cold winter.

“We still do it today,” Eleanor says. “We use ghost stories to bring us together and explain the world around us.” Whether it is a warning from Purgatory or a black hound in the night, these stories still echo across the centuries, reminding us that even in our modern world, we still have a fascination with what lingers in the dark.

Step into the shadows this solstice and join Dr Eleanor Janega for The Dead of Winter: Medieval Ghost Stories, available now on History Hit.

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In the sixth and final episode of History Hit’s series exploring the remarkable collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, presenter Dan Snow joins Dr Liam McNamara, Keeper of Antiquities, to journey into Egypt’s distant past – long before the pyramids in The Ashmolean Up Close: Origins of Ancient Egypt. Through extraordinary artefacts from the Predynastic period (c. 4,000–3,100 BC), they uncover how early beliefs, artistry, and power structures along the Nile laid the essential foundations for the world we recognise as Ancient Egypt.

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The early Nile: chaos and control

Over 6,000 years ago, Egypt was divided between the fertile Lower Egypt in the north and the arid Upper Egypt in the south. Yet, even in these scattered agricultural communities, a powerful culture was already forming. Regional chieftains were emerging as centralised rulers, laying the groundwork for future dynasties.

While the Ashmolean’s collection features fascinating grand pieces from this era like the large limestone statue of the Ancient Egyptian fertility god Min (c. 3,300 BC), the greatest insights into the world these early gods and rulers emerged from come from smaller, finely crafted objects. In the documentary, Dan is granted special access to rare collection items dating from 3,600 BC onwards – objects that were already considered ancient by the time of the great pharaohs.

Dan is shown a realistic pottery hippo as well as a model of a carved scorpion – objects that were symbols of power, reflecting the early Egyptians’ attempts to control chaos and dominate the natural landscape.

Status was also shown through the materials such objects were made from, highlighting the surprising far-reaching trade connections across the ancient world. Dan examines a small blue figurine made from Lapis lazuli, a material whose nearest source was Badakhshan in Afghanistan. This highlights the surprising, far-reaching trade connections across the ancient world long before the height of the New Kingdom.

Other objects, such as a ceremonial palette (a common item in high-status burials), were often carved and decorated with images associated with the rulers’ burgeoning power and prestige, including mythical creatures.

Dan Snow talks to Dr Liam MacNamara about the statue of the Ancient Egyptian fertility god, Min.

Image Credit: History Hit

King Scorpion’s colossal macehead

One of the Ashmolean’s most remarkable objects offers a rare glimpse into the emergence of Egypt’s earliest rulers and the first steps towards unification: a colossal macehead. Although maceheads were originally weapons, this stunning limestone fragment, discovered in Hierakonpolis (the capital of Upper Egypt), is thought to have been created solely for ceremonial purposes as a symbol of authority.

Liam explains to Dan that this colossal macehead belonged to ‘King Scorpion’ – an actual name, not a nickname. The ruler is pictured in the centre, deliberately shown on a much larger scale than all other figures, establishing his absolute authority.

Dan notes the striking familiarity of the image that looks very much like the depictions of Pharaohs such as Rameses, despite the fact this mace head was made way before the Pharaoh period. King Scorpion is wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and the traditional royal costume, including a bull’s tail hanging behind his leg – a symbol of power and virility that persisted for millennia.

Unlike later pharaohs often depicted taking on military enemies, King Scorpion is shown holding a pick, seemingly breaking open an irrigation canal he is standing upon. Liam clarifies that the idea of controlling the annual inundation of the Nile was a vital royal prerogative, demonstrating that the ‘enemy’ here was the natural world, ensuring abundance for his people.

Despite living hundreds of years before the First Dynasty, Dan notes how the depiction of King Scorpion looks “like a Pharaoh in all but name.” Liam agrees, noting that he’s wearing exactly the same crown and costume as Rameses would thousands of years later – showing an extraordinary continuity that proves kingship was already fully formed in the Predynastic period, with King Scorpion being one of the earliest kings of Egypt. 

Close-up of King Scorpion’s macehead, showing the image of him in a similar way to the Pharaohs, and with hanging birds visible near the top, denoting ‘subject people’.

Image Credit: History Hit

The dawn of empire

The macehead holds further clues about the formation of the Egyptian state, including a row of little lapwing birds hanging from their necks at the top of the mace head. Liam explains that these birds in later hieroglyphs write the word for ‘subject people’. Since the King is wearing the crown of Upper Egypt (the South), these birds likely represent regions he has conquered.

Furthermore, Egyptologists speculate that the missing side of the macehead may have shown King Scorpion wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt. Dan notes that this would show “pretty much all of Egypt brought under one sovereign,” confirming the theory that this object may document the initial unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, suggesting King Scorpion might have been the Alfred the Great or Charlemagne of Ancient Egypt – the singular figure who brought together the disparate territories under one banner.

Nevertheless, as Liam points out, while “King Scorpion was clearly a very high status ruler, it’s important to know that there’s a long history of development before this.”

This pivotal moment marks the transformation into the Egypt we recognise, hundreds of years before the first dynasty or pyramid stood. “Long before the infamous Ancient Egypt of Pharaohs and pyramids, early communities along the Nile were laying the foundations of one of history’s most enduring cultures,” concludes Dan. “These objects in the Ashmolean’s collection capture a pivotal moment, the dawn of kingship, the roots of belief, and the early unification of a land that would one day become legendary.”

Join Dan Snow and Dr. Liam McNamara to journey back to the very origins of power in The Ashmolean Up Close: Origins of Ancient Egypt and discover more about the fascinating objects in the Ashmolean’s collection.

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Founded by Greek colonists 2,500 years ago, Paestum is a living testament to a vibrant, untold chapter of the ancient Mediterranean. Originally named Poseidonia, after the Greek god of the sea, the city was one of over 50 Greek settlements established along the Italian coastline – a region that became known as Magna Grecia (‘Greater Greece’). The settlers brought their rich culture, thriving on the fertile agricultural soils and lucrative trade routes, leaving an indelible mark in southern Italy well before the rise of Rome.

In History Hit’s new documentary, Paestum: A Tale of Three Cities, Tristan explores the magnificent ruins, revealing how three incredible civilisations – the Greeks, the native Italian Lucanians, and the mighty Romans – collided in this single, extraordinary location. 

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Here, we focus on the city’s foundational Greek age, deciphering the art and architecture the Greeks left behind.

The colossal temples: a pinnacle of Greek grandeur

Paestum boasts three of the best-preserved, colossal ancient Greek temples in the world, monuments that rival anything found in Greece itself. Tristan focuses on the Temple of Neptune, which he rates as one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world. Standing over 10 metres tall and built decades before the famous Parthenon, it is the pinnacle of the Greek Doric style, instantly commanding awe with its long, fluted columns.

Inside the Temple of Neptune, Paestum, Southern Italy.

This documentary takes you inside the temple’s sacred heart and challenges assumptions about its dedication. While early archaeologists assumed the most monumental temple belonged to Poseidon, Director Dr Tiziana D’Angelo explains that evidence now points towards the goddess Hera or perhaps Apollo.

The temples also reveal a surprising truth of ancient ritual: most of the sacred ceremonies took place outside by the altar, rather than within the god’s house.

Paestum, Southern Italy

Image Credit: History Hit

The treasure of the Tomb of the Diver

The artistic legacy of Greek Paestum is revealed in one of its greatest treasures: the Tomb of the Diver. Discovered in 1968, this is one of the only surviving examples of a complete Greek wall painting from the early 5th century BC anywhere in the world.

In the documentary, Tristan and Tiziana discuss the symbolic meaning of this breathtaking fresco, which contains a central figure, diving into water – is it a metaphor for the passage from life to the afterlife, or a realistic scene of daily life? The other frescoes depict scenes of classical Greek life, including symposiums (Greek drinking parties) – scenes instantly recognisable to Greeks across the Mediterranean. This astonishing find proves that the Greek cultural zenith was not confined to Athens, but flourished with equal brilliance here in Southern Italy.

The Tomb of the Diver, Paestum, Southern Italy

Image Credit: History Hit

The collision of cultures

The documentary continues its journey by exploring the subsequent periods that defined the city, showcasing dramatic shifts in power and culture:

• The Lucanians – warriors and cultural fusion: Two centuries after its foundation, native Italian tribes, the Lucanians, took over the city. While some bitter Greek sources labeled them “barbarians,” you’ll see the reality was far more complex: far from destroying Greek culture, the Lucanians deeply admired it. They transformed the city’s art to feature vivid scenes of warriors and military prowess, creating a profound cultural fusion that incorporated Greek styles.
• The Roman conquest: Control shifted again in 275 BC. The Lucanians – having unwisely allied with the Greek warlord Pyrrhus against Rome – lost their protector and the city was conquered. The Romans were swift to establish authority, building the Forum as a new political and urban centre. Yet, while replacing many Greek structures, the Romans allowed the magnificent temples to stand, underscoring their enduring respect for Paestum’s Greek origins and ensuring the city’s foundational culture survived.

Tristan and Dr Tiziana D’Angelo stand beside a Lucanian artwork depicting chariot racing.

Image Credit: History Hit

As Tristan points out, Paestum fundamentally challenges the perception that ancient Italy was exclusively Roman, demonstrating instead that Rome existed alongside a vast array of extraordinary civilizations. As the site epitomises the dramatic collision of Greek, Lucanian, and Roman cultures, it reveals the rich, often overshadowed, histories of people who left behind some of the most beautiful wonders of the ancient world.

Join Tristan Hughes as he explores these layers of history, uncovering how three civilisations converged at this single, extraordinary site. Watch Paestum: A Tale of Three Cities to discover the art, politics, and power of the Mediterranean’s hidden gem.

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In History Hit’s new documentary, A Very Victorian Scandal: The Trials of Oscar Wilde, Dr Anthony Delaney investigates the trajectory of the famous playwright. Delaney argues that these three trials were about far more than a single fate: they were a reckoning for Victorian society, where public virtues hid private vices and the press fuelled a voracious demand for scandal.

Anthony explores key locations – from the luxurious Savoy Hotel, where Wilde’s recklessness peaked, to the grim walls of Bow Street Police Station – uncovering how Wilde’s persecution fundamentally changed the social landscape and achieved his status as a modern icon of rebellion and resilience.

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Art for art’s sake: the rise of a sensation

Late Victorian London was an imperial capital of immense outward confidence, and Oscar Wilde forged his reputation in this arena of ambition. The roots of his confidence lay in his brilliance: excelling at Oxford University, he embraced Aestheticism, a cultural movement that championed the supremacy of beauty over morality: “art for art’s sake”.

Wilde didn’t just advocate these ideals; he lived them. He meticulously curated his entire existence into an art form, from his signature fur coat and silk cravat to his razor-sharp wit. He summarised his approach with his now-famous quote:

“I treated art like the supreme reality, and life as a mere mode of fiction.”

By the early 1890s, Wilde’s career was soaring. His only novel, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, became a commercial success despite its scandalous themes, and his West End plays like The Importance of Being Earnest satirised polite society, making him a sensation. His celebrity status was cemented in America, where he instantly captured the nation’s attention, famously declaring at customs: “I have nothing to declare but my genius.”

Oscar Wilde (left) and ‘Bosie’ (right)

Image Credit: History Hit

The perfect storm: secrecy, vice, and the press

Despite the outward image of Victorian domesticity he maintained with his wife, Constance, and their two children, Oscar Wilde conducted many intimate relationships with other men, viewing these connections through the elevated lens of Greek philosophy.

Wilde’s private life began to unravel after he met Lord Alfred Douglas (‘Bosie’), a young, impulsive Oxford undergraduate. Bosie became an obsession, leading Wilde further into London’s underbelly – a world of covert meetings in bustling areas like Piccadilly Circus, where the anonymity of the expanding city allowed same-sex liaisons to flourish. Wilde confessed he deliberately “went to the depths in search for new sensation.”

However, the outward face of Victorian respectability masked deep anxieties about sexuality. As Professor Kate Williams explains, while society was outwardly moral, it hid a “really complex, seething world of sexualities, of crime and secret places.” Homosexuality, though common, was only tolerated if it was kept absolutely discreet.

Public attitudes were being rapidly shaped by a new, sensationalist popular press, explains historian Bob Nicholson. Literacy rates were soaring, and cheaper newspapers needed to attract millions of new readers. The successful papers knew their audiences didn’t want long reports on Parliament; they wanted “sensation and celebrity.”

Dr Anthony Delaney and Professor Kate Williams upstairs at The Savoy Hotel, London

Image Credit: History Hit

The law is weaponised

Adding to the perfect storm was a tightening of the law. The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 included the notorious Labouchere Amendment. Before 1885, prosecuting homosexual acts was notoriously difficult, requiring proof of penetration. The Labouchere Amendment changed everything: it criminalised any type of lewd activity, or “Gross Indecency,” between men. The ability to prove “fondling or fumbling” could now lead to imprisonment. This new, sweeping law became a devastating weapon against discretion.

Wilde’s celebrity made him the perfect target for a powerful adversary: Bosie’s furious father, the Marquess of Queensberry. In 1895, as Wilde prepared for his greatest success, The Importance of Being Earnest, Queensberry relentlessly pursued him. The Marquess left a notorious calling card for Wilde at the Albemarle Club he frequented, scribbling the accusation: “For Oscar Wilde, posing Somdemite.”

Wilde, compelled by honour and driven by Bosie, made a fatal miscalculation: he decided to prosecute Queensberry for libel.

One joke too many

The libel trial began in April 1895. Wilde, buoyed by his wit and social standing, believed he could win by outmanoeuvring Queensberry’s defence lawyer with his intellect. However, unbeknownst to him, Queensberry’s team had gathered witnesses – young working-class men who claimed they’d had liaisons with the playwright.

Although Wilde was the plaintiff, he was cross-examined as if he were the defendant. He was relentlessly interrogated, and attempted to turn the whole proceedings into a joke, giving flippant answers and defiant theatrics. Crucially, when asked if he had kissed a man called Granger, Wilde replied “Oh dear no, he was a peculiarly plain boy”. At this, Queensbury’s team zeroed in. The legal tables turned with devastating speed. 

As Wilde’s grandson, historian Merlin Holland, notes “One joke too many and he’s talked himself into prison”. As Anthony succinctly puts it, “From celebrated playwright to condemned man, Wilde walked into the courtroom a plaintiff, and left a fugitive”. 

The reckoning: a society on trial

Following his disastrous libel trial, Wilde was swiftly arrested for ‘gross indecency’. In the documentary, Anthony details the further trials Wilde faced, which ultimately led to his imprisonment.

The case quickly became bigger than Wilde himself, morphing into a public reckoning for the entire era. Professor Kate Williams argues that the trial epitomised all the late Victorian insecurities: “Oscar Wilde is a mirror held up to Victorian society, and what it shows is hypocrisy in all varieties.” 

The established aristocratic male identity was already under attack from labour strikes, colonial self-determination, and women demanding the vote. By condemning Wilde, society sought a scapegoat, believing that if they could just demonise and throw him out, the prevailing moral order would be safe. 

Anthony goes on to investigate the final trials that sealed Oscar’s fate and explores Wilde’s own profound reflections on his situation.

Historian Merlin Holland, who is also Oscar Wilde’s grandson.

Image Credit: History Hit

The legacy of resilience

The trials of Oscar Wilde were the culmination of a perfect storm, explains Anthony, “fuelled by press sensationalism, political anxiety, and buckling Victorian morality.” His conviction fundamentally changed the social landscape, making same-sex attraction a target of intense intolerance and fuelling a hostile environment for decades.

Nevertheless, Wilde’s defiance and maintenance of his integrity throughout his ordeal cemented his status as a modern icon. His grandson, Merlin Holland, explains that Wilde’s legacy endures today because he represents four essential qualities that inspire younger generations: Rebellion, Integrity, Individuality, and Sensuality.

Join Dr. Anthony Delaney as he investigates exactly what happened in each of the sensational 1895 trials of Oscar Wilde in A Very Victorian Scandal: The Trials of Oscar Wilde.

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After years of civil war and instability, History Hit has gained unique access as the first documentary team in 15 years to film in the rarely seen extraordinary ancient sites within Cyrenaica, centred around one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Cyrene – a vibrant and important part of the Greek and Roman world. 

This is a fascinating journey into a spectacular region where documentaries rarely go. From the majestic monumental Greek cities to active archaeology being revealed right before our eyes on the coast, this film celebrates the beauty, significance, and untold history of one of the ancient Mediterranean’s most powerful regions. Prepare for a film like no other, promising unprecedented access and a view of ancient history you’ve never seen.

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The coastal city emerging from the waves

Most modern understanding of Libya is framed by the era of Colonel Gaddafi and the subsequent civil war. However, Dan’s journey travels back 2,000 years and beyond to Cyrenaica, a fertile strip of land in northeastern Libya that was once the breadbasket and powerhouse of the ancient Mediterranean. As Dan explains, “Very few news crews, let alone history documentary-makers get to come here.” 

Dan’s journey begins at the bay of Al Haniyah on the Mediterranean coast, where a fascinating archaeology project is rediscovering a long-lost coastal city, revealing its secrets thanks to natural coastal erosion. Working with teams from the University of Ulster and the University of Benghazi, Dan witnesses fascinating, active archaeology in progress that is disclosing the people who lived here two millennia ago. 

Dan Snow sees how objects embedded in the cliffs are being exposed due to coastal erosion.

Image Credit: History Hit

“Ancient objects are literally falling out of the cliffs,” Dan notes, as the intense winter storms of North Africa claw away at the cliff face, exposing layers of history spanning over 1,000 years. The erosion is a race against time, but offers a unique, exposed cross-section of an ancient port. Dan and the lead archaeologist, Dr. Julia Nikolaus, even discover human bones that have fallen out of a burial, a visceral reminder that the waves of the Mediterranean are exposing all aspects of daily life and death at Al Haniyah.

Along with hundreds of pottery shards, monumental buildings – including the remains of a temple and a Roman villa – are emerging, along with remaining patches of mosaic floors. This seemingly obscure town, which left little impression in the history books, is transforming our understanding of trade, proving it was a crucial hub for exporting goods like wine and Cyrenaican oil – once described as the oil of the ancient world.

Dan Snow with lead archaeologist Dr Julia Nikolaus – they are pointing at a blocked-up doorway or window emerging from the cliffs

Image Credit: History Hit

Dan even joins a team conducting an underwater survey that is uncovering columns and signs of an ancient harbour beneath the waves, proving that a “new chapter in the story of Cyrenaica is being recorded right here.”

We can imagine merchant ships anchored offshore; crews calling out as heavy amphorae were loaded; traders bargaining in the shade of warehouses; families strolling along the harbour-front. For centuries, this place supported busy routines of work, travel, and exchange.

The wonder of Cyrene: A claim to power

Heading inland, Dan travels up into the fertile mountains, site of the magnificent city of Cyrene, which was a wonder of the ancient Graeco-Roman world and a profound statement of Greek identity. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Dan’s excitement of exploring here is palpable. “I’ve dreamed of coming here all my life” says Dan. “We’ve been told that we’re (History Hit) are the first television crew to come and film here since the fall of Gaddafi. And as a result we have the whole place to ourselves – it feels almost like  we’re discovering it for the first time”. 

The Gymnasium at Cyrene, Libya, with the small theatre visible in the background.

Image Credit: History Hit

Cyrene’s grand architecture – including the colossal Greek gymnasium, a centre of learning and physical fitness lined with Doric columns – was designed to proclaim that visitors were entering the Greek world. Its origins, revealed in ancient writings by Herodotus, were humble: struggling Greek colonists were shown the fertile land by indigenous Libyans. Dan also explores a splendid house complete with an outdoor Hall of the Muses, where rich guests would enjoy music and poetry beneath a warm North African sky.  

The city’s immense wealth stemmed from one unique cash crop: Silphium. This legendary plant, which no longer exists, was literally worth its weight in gold due to its supposed healing properties. Dan visits the marketplace where this invaluable commodity was traded, a trade so vital it was thought to be protected by the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Silphium was transported from Cyrene down to the coast, and then exported to the wealthy centres of the ancient Mediterranean, from Alexandria to Athens and Rome. 

Cyrene also exported knowledge. It was the home of the philosopher Aristippus, who founded the hedonistic school of thought focused on pleasure, and his daughter Arete, believed to be the first female philosopher in history.

The Sanctuary of Apollo in Cyrene, Libya

Image Credit: History Hit

In a unique fusion of storytelling and innovation, History Hit’s film collaborates with Ubisoft to recreate lost parts of the ancient city of Cyrene using stunning imagery from Assassin’s Creed Origins. This allows us to picture what it would have been like to walk these very streets and visit Cyrene’s magnificent theatre, temples and sacred places (including the Temple of Apollo and the spring of Apollo) over 2,000 years ago.

From Greek gymnasium to Roman arena

Dan charts Cyrene’s evolving identity after the Romans took over in 96 BC due to dynastic squabbles in Ptolemaic Egypt, when they transformed the city to better express their Roman-ness. The massive Greek theatre was converted into a Roman amphitheatre, trading the stage for the arena and gladiatorial shows. People from here continued to feature in accounts of the Roman world, men like Simon of Cyrene who the New Testament says helped to carry Jesus’ cross to his crucifixion. 

Dan concludes his journey at the harbour city of Apollonia, which ultimately would overshadow Cyrene. Here, the final transition of the ancient world is visible: the ruins of a Christian basilica, built largely from the recycled plinths and inscriptions of dismantled Roman temples. This basilica reflects the shift to the Byzantine era, proving that the legacy of those ancient civilizations can be explored just as profoundly in Northern Africa as in Athens or Rome.

Components of the ancient temple in Apollonia were rearranged by the Byzantines to create a space for Christian worship.

Image Credit: History Hit

A mainstay of the ancient world

As Dan concludes, the sites in Libya are on the same monumental scale as the Parthenon in Athens. They make a powerful claim: the Cyrenians were not some peripheral colonial outpost; they were one of the mainstays of the ancient world. As Dan reflects,

It’s easy to forget that the Mediterranean Sea was the centre of the Ancient world. You don’t need to go to Athens or Rome… you can explore them all in Northern Africa. It has been an eye-opening experience.”

History Hit’s Head of Programming, Bill Locke, reflects on the team’s experience in Libya:

“Filming in Libya was an extraordinary experience – seeing ancient Greek pottery emerging from the cliffs in a previously untouched site by the Mediterranean, and walking through the wonders of Cyrene, the first documentary crew to film there since the fall of Gaddafi.”

We’ll be speaking to Bill in more depth soon where we’ll delve deeper to learn more about the team’s fascinating and exclusive experiences filming in a spectacular region where documentaries rarely go.

Join Dan Snow for an unprecedented look at the treasures of North Africa in Ancient Adventures: Libya.

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