I love the podcast, Scott has a way of storytelling that makes history interesting to anyone. The only problem I have is the 3rd season that has to do with the descendants of Cleopatra, the episodes seem to cut off while Scott is still talking and then go on to the next episode. I checked both here and on Spotify and both do the same thing. I feel like I’m missing out on part of the story.

It helps people who once didn’t understand history understand it better.

The perfect podcast for me as I love ancient history I have listened over and over to many episodes as Scott is so informative. I spend the winter outside USA due to burnt home and inability to camp - this is what keeps me sane nightly where ever I might be so appreciated

Scott does a fantastic job

Such a delight to listen to. Scott’s passion is clear in the detail he imparts about distant Assyrian (Akkadian) history. Love his fun, oldschool turns of phrase— “tabula rasa”. Also appreciate someone who puts together quality sources for what they discuss; especially in a world of unaourced “slop”.

Great content

As a truck driver, I have endless hours to fill. I love all things history, and have listened to many great ones. This podcast holds its own with the greats. He delivers amazing story that keep me entertained for hours. I find my self constantly pausing to look up new things I’ve never heard of till now!

Puts me to sleep every time. It’s the worst version of a boring lecture class. Awful.

I enjoy the podcasts the stories are entertaining and interesting. For instance I always assumed the whole family of Marc Antony died. I have one big problem with this podcast it isn’t the occasional myth that sneaks in. It’s the rather lack of any sort of respect of Christianity.. there are over a billion of us around the world. Just dismisses Arianism as potato potato (said differently) the dirty or not of Jesus hangs literally the entire belief system. That wasn’t just a small thing and any cursory glance at a reputable church history website would emphasize how big that is. It’s not that I want him to be deferential it’s that it comes of disrespectful. The big question that arises from this is even if it’s boring it deserves the same level of thoroughness as all other history. The world we live in especially in the west is shaped by it. If you’re speaking of that time and it comes up do it well or not at all please.

Well documented and researched but there's not much in the way of tenable threads or story to the presentation. The best histories are the ones that connect the facts in meaningful tangible ways and this podcast does not always succeed.

i just can't and can't you put a sock over mic or something??

I am a new listener and have a new found fascination with ancient human civilization. I am truly enjoying the podcast as I am learning so much, and I appreciate that I can follow without an extensive background knowledge. I like how we are getting such a vast overview of the ancient world which helps connect like pieces of a puzzle.

The history podcast I didn’t know I needed

I couldn’t possible love Scott’s approach to telling these stories any more. Just really great great stuff! I appreciate the immense research that has to go into this. That, coupled with the most cozy soothing voice on the planet makes for good listening.

I’ve been enjoying this podcast and learning a lot. Thank you Scott!

Absolutely love it. I’m a big fun of ancient history and this podcast surely hit the target. I recommend to anyone who genuinely wants to learn more. The depth of the episode and easy listening makes it hard to resist .

I’ve listened to the series multiple times. Scott is absolutely the best story teller. Compelling, engrossing. I’ve learned so much. I started listening at night in order to fall asleep because I find Scott’s voice soothing. Well forget about falling asleep! It’s too exciting. And the humor. Please Scott keep the episodes coming. You are the best!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much Chris for weaving together such a diverse set of cultures and civilizations in a coherent manner to make it both enjoyable and educational.

I’m almost finished with the bloodline series Chris did, and I’m learning more about the African and Eastern civilizations than I’ve ever known. This series is bringing the historical players to life for me. The first series of true Bronze Age civilization which is not as historically documented, sadly made it less intimate. But it was a good review of current ideas on the timeframe. The Rediscovery series was fun to listen to and it shocked and amused me with the beginnings of modern archeology. Other than the sound quality, I think it’s a great way to learn both ancient history and classical. Keep up the good work Chris, and thank you for your extensive efforts to provide a great podcast.

Love this podcast. Listening to episodes every day. Scott is a great storyteller - funny, compelling, and provides details to humanize the historical figures and help you see the big picture. Highly recommended.

I’ve never been into podcasts, however I’ve been listening to The Ancient World regularly for almost a year now and I’m super into it! It feels as if you’re right there seeing how it all went down.. It’s a series of enthralling tales from recorded history, and your narrator is well versed, well spoken, and VERY funny at the right times. Also you will never run out of episodes. There must be Hundreds of hours of content. Not very kid appropriate in parts, it’s actual history! But for everyone else, this is a strong recommendation, go and listen!!!

Excellent

Based on “Son of a Nobody” I grew up with a lot of biblical history. Recently I’ve listened and followed Useful Charts on YouTube and Fall of Civilizations on YouTube & it’s podcasts. THIS podcast takes a deeper look, which I really appreciate. It rounds out the self-education I’ve enjoyed.

A very entertaining and well made podcast, I’m on my second listen.

The author has a dry wit and a narrative style that adds a nearly contemporary feel to the history. Sometimes it feels like “we” are dishing up some juicy gossip on that king down the hall.

I listened to the entire podcast from beginning to present over the winter holidays. It might become a yearly tradition. Scott’s writing and presenting are both excellent. I’ve learned a lot of ancient history. Thanks Scott!

The episodes are well-crafted, entertaining, and packed with information. The series has helped me learn a lot about civilizations that I hadn’t had much of an interest in previously.

Well researched, and importantly, he doesn’t talk too fast or too slow. As he mentions in the second episode it is hard to find podcasts about ancient history. If you want ancient history these are the best ones I have found. They are actually quite good.

I say this with all my respect- I happily fall asleep to this show most nights before bed. Scott’s voice lulls me to sleep as I dream of these ancient scenarios. It may take me multiple nights to get through one episode or I may binge on five in a row… I try to really pay attention to all the details, but they are perfect. So thank you Scott, my insomnia and my anthropological brain really appreciates you!

I decided to start from the very first episode, because I am also very interested in the subject. I was disappointed to see that Gilgamesh was listed as the first story when that has long been known to not be true the descent of Inanna is older than the epic of Gilgamesh, and might itself not even be the oldest story. Theoretically, this could be just an innocent mistake. However, it is an innocent mistake that lends itself to the perpetuation of sexism by crediting a story about a man over a story about a woman, despite the fact that the information shared is demonstrably not true. I hope that as I listen, I will feel the need to update this review. I hope that undermining the representation of women and replacing it with the representation of men is not a theme throughout all of the episodes.

Extraordinary! Thank you so much!

I appreciate the fact that the host admits he is an amateur, but given the paucity of history podcasts, he is doing his best to review historical information. I also appreciate the high quality audio. I even came to appreciate the modern colloquial expressions he uses to make a dry subject appeal to the masses. I have come across some of his historically inaccurate information (or interpretation), which makes me wish for a podcast run by a historian. I think my biggest criticism is that he relies too heavily on the Bible as a historical source. That is a piece of literature, but not a reliable source of historical events. For a comparison, listen to the “Literature and History” podcast, which contrasts the literary writings in the Bible to archeological data. If you don’t have the historical information, just leave it out.

The history is fascinating and well researched. The level of detail about the kings and dynasties that ruled ancient middle eastern kingdoms is impressive. The problem is that Scott’s voice is so warm and soothing that I get lost in the rhythm of the words and don’t retain the information.

In depth, well researched and fascinating.

Excellent and surprisingly varied podcast, especially once you get into the Rediscovered and Bloodlines series, the former of which covers the West’s rediscovery of the ancient world from Egypt to Persia to Mesopotamia, the latter following the direct descendants of Antony and Cleopatra. It provides a great overview of ancient history in tje first 30-odd episodes that provide a great setting and context for all that follows.

Funny and educational not an easy combination but done well here. Highly recommend

Scott is very entertaining to listen to and I am very excited to travel through ancient history with his guidance!

A good basic overview of ancient history, as Scot promised, but sufficient for your average curiously minded person who is just a beginner. Not many opinions or personal biases unlike other podcasts. Told in a good measured non-condescending manner with an amusing touch of dry humour. A few areas of mispronunciation though he does apologize in advance for this. It may not be for everyone but it works for me, nice work Scot 👍

I love this podcast. He deftly weaves a story that pulls together geopolitics and the daily lives of individuals. Throughout, he provides a wealth of knowledge, wonderful storytelling and good humor. Anyone who can quote Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap is worth a listen!

What starts as a perfunctory recap of history up until 500 B.C. turns in to a nuanced account of the early days of archeology. What a cool show!

Great storytelling!

I am an academic historian. My specialty is not the ancient world, but I feel like I’m on safe ground saying that I know how to write history, and I know what I’m talking about. This is better than any of the textbooks I’ve ever seen on ancient history, by about 1,000,000 miles.

The scope of this podcast might give one pause, but Scott Chesworth presents the information so that you can follow it. He if very funny at times but never turns overdoes it. If you have any interest in The Ancient World, you have to listen to this podcast. The fifty-four part Bloodline series is also probably one of the best history podcast I have ever heard. It tells a fascinating part of Roman imperial history from Marc Anthony to end of the Severans. It really is a wonderful piece of work.

Fantastically listen- especially the bloodline series. Scott has an incredible voice!

The episodes are a great length with plenty of interesting points to launch your own research off of. I appreciate the host’s voice and annunciation.

I’ve loved this show for ages, but being someone who adores ancient Hittite history especially, I knew I had to finally leave a revie. This podcast is phenomenal! Scott really does his research and his delivery is concise and fascinating. Thank you SO much for focusing on the Neo-Hittites! There is much less information on them than other ancient peoples, and I’m really impressed by all that you’ve gathered! Best, Sierra

Five stars

I have been looking for this exact content and this podcast delivers everything I wanted. Perfect for those who are super curious about the ancient world and have questions that take a ton of research to find answers to. This podcast has those answers! And he gives good sources so I can my own further research on certain topics.

The story telling is very good. I listen to this series multiple times during my commute.

I love history podcasts. This is a great one with good length of episodes (~30 mins). It’s well written and good wide range of content.