I have a particular fondness for The Ancient World Podcast.  I was once on my way from Tel Aviv to Philadelphia after a very long and somewhat arduous trip in Israel. I checked in for my flight, only to learn that it was six hours delayed.  Luckily, I had twelve episodes of The Ancient World Podcast downloaded on my iPad, so I found a quiet corner, some not-that-bad-at-all kosher chardonnay, and soon I was happily ensconced in Ancient Rome with Livia and Augustus.  The time flew by! Thank you, Scott!  

This is an assiduously-researched podcast organized by series and narrated by Scott C., the founder, and creator of this low-tech/no bells and whistles podcast that relies on a real passion for the subject matter.  Scott has a great gift of putting the listener right down into the scene and making it come alive.  I’m deep into his “Bloodline” series, tracing the generations of Ancient World rulers from Cleopatra to Zenobia and I find myself coming up with tasks I can do while listening to squeeze more episodes in.  

If you love delving into antiquity with shows like I, Claudius or Rome, then you will adore The Ancient World Podcast.  Even without the not-half-bad-at-all kosher chardonnay.

Download the episodes, create a playlist and listen in ascending order (i.e. 1-54).

There is nothing I don’t love about Dan Snow’s popular History Hit podcast.  Each week is a delightful episode on a compelling topic, often featuring host Dan Snow visiting a location or interviewing historians and authors such as Philippa Gregory, Simon Seabag Montifiore, and Joanne Freeman. The mood is informal, and Dan’s enthusiasm for his subject matter is infectious.  The topics are all over the place in terms of period and subject matter, making this an eclectic podcast in the nicest possible way. 

The History Hit Podcast’s success has led to the creation of History Hit TV video-on-demand service, which is enjoying considerable acclaim.  Featuring the world’s top historians discussing the same wide range of topics with new content every week.  This is must for all history buffs.  

This is the history podcast I look forward to each week and each week I delight in reminding myself that it comes out twice a week!  An offshoot of the BBC’s popular History Magazine and World Histories Magazine, the podcast brings modern historians, authors, professors, and researchers in for interviews about their work and latest trends in the study of history.  The format is a one-on-one interview or roundtable discussion.  I find my nightstand pile swelling each time I listen to a History Extra Podcast as there is always something that captures my imagination.

As this post goes live, the podcasts are particularly interesting as the staff is celebrating their 100th episode by going to back and reviewing interviews with scholars from the early days of the podcast.  There are also interesting roundtable discussions such as a look at 100 Women who Changed the World, the sticky problem for authors of fiction in dealing with Historical Fact and Fiction, and a fascinating discussion between popular historian Tom Holland and Ed Husain on Islam’s Struggle with Modernity.  

If you love history and historical fiction, you’ll love these 30-50 minute programs, which drop twice a week.  You can also subscribe to the History Extra Magazine in digital and print versions.  

If I were trying to get a sullen teenaged girl to take an interest in history, I’d stream The History Chicks regularly in the car or around the house in the sure and certain knowledge that my offspring would soon be clamoring for more about Joan of Arc, Hatshepsut, or the Romanovs.  

This long-running podcast is hosted by history buffs, Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider, who manage to fuse deep-dive research with an engaging and compelling discussion of their female subjects.  The mood is lighthearted, but you will come away with as much knowledge as you do from In Our Time, with none of the misogyny.  Each episode is approximately an hour long and covers the life,  or aspect of the life of a famous woman in history.  You can go about it methodically and make your way through their chronological list, pick and choose from their extensive backlist, or just subscribe and enjoy whatever drops into your player that week.  The hosts emphasize that “this History 101, and there isn’t a test…”  Indeed.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of women or just want to listen to some great stories, well told, then subscribe to this podcast and enjoy!