Ancient History Fangirl

4.5 (442)
HISTORY
UPDATED BIMONTHLY

An ancient history podcast run by two Millennial women. Misbehaving emperors, poison assassins, mythological mayhem; it’s like if Hardcore History met up with My Favorite Murder in the ancient world, with a heavy helping of booze and laughter.

JAN 1

RE-RELEASE: Janus: God of the New Year

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ Janus is the two-faced god of the Roman pantheon. He was the god of beginnings and endings, of dual natures, of passageways and passage through time. He’s the god of thresholds and doorways and gates, and the god of change, both concrete and abstract. He’s constantly in motion; he’s the god who’s always just passing through. Janus may not be very well-known. But in his time, he was considered one of the most important gods—perhaps more important than Jupiter himself. Today, we’re going to tell you all about him. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

58 min
12/25/2025

RE-RELEASE: Saturnalia: So Much More than Roman Christmas

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠⁠ Wish you had a holiday all about feasting, drinking, the upending of the social order, blood sacrifices, the harvest, pranks, novelty gifts, honouring a god who devoured his kids, and the returning sun? Don’t we all??? Welcome to Saturnalia. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 3m
12/18/2025

RE-RELEASE: Krampus: The Goat Knows What You Did

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ This year, we decided that the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a mythological foray into one of the most famous characters of the season: The Krampus. And some of you might be saying: wait a minute, Krampus isn’t ancient; he’s modern. Also, everyone knows about Krampus, the festive demon of Christmas. Why are you covering this well-trodden topic? Wait until you hear the wild things we uncovered about him and his history, and then make your judgements about how old and well-trodden this topic is. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

46 min
12/11/2025

RE-RELEASE: You Don't Know Yule

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ What do you know about Yule? Maybe a lot. The holiday is widely celebrated in Scandinavian countries, and it's an important part of Wiccan and Pagan tradition. But for many of us, the version that's come down through history is strongly associated with Christmas--and heavily sanitized. When we scratched the surface, however, we found that the origins of Yule were older and darker and weirder than we ever imagined. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 25m
12/04/2025

RE-RELEASE: St. Nicholas and the Christmas Cannibals

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠ Ah, Christmas—it's a time of cheer, of gift-giving and generosity; and a time to eat yer babies. This year, we’re focusing on two different cannibalistic monsters from Christmas folklore: Père Fouettard and Hans Trapp. Because it turns out that child cannibalism really is the reason for the season—and perhaps Santa Claus is the biggest cannibal of all. What is Santa hiding under those jolly cheeks and that big white beard? Strap in, pour yourself your favorite holiday beverage, and get ready for a wild ride into the dark side of Christmas. Sponsors & Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 19m
12/02/2025

The Ancient History of the Horse (with David Chaffetz)

⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! For thousands of years, horses have been essential to human civilization from warfare to trade and empire-building. All over the world, people have captured horses, tamed horses, mythologized horses, and trained them to be ideal companions in the project of human advancement. How has the relationship between human and horse changed over time? When did people start treating their horses as individuals and companions, rather than just livestock? How far back does the human-horse partnership go, and are there any truly wild horses left in the world today? Today we’re joined by David Chaffetz, author of Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires, to answer some of these questions. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 14m
11/27/2025

Like a Wolf but Not a Wolf: The Beast of the Gevaudan (Part 2)

⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! In our last episode, we detailed the rise of the Beast of the Gevaudan, some of its most gruesome attacks, and the doomed efforts of professional hunters to take it down. In this one, we’ll discuss how the Beast finally died—and the theories that arose after its death about what exactly just happened in the Gevaudan. The thing is, even with a body—and a detailed autopsy—we’re still not sure what the Beast of the Gevaudan was. Theories and legends abound, from practical to mythological. In this episode, we unpack it all and try to come to a conclusion. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 18m
11/20/2025

Like a Wolf but Not a Wolf: The Beast of the Gevaudan (Part 1)

⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! From 1764 to 1767, an area of southeastern France called the Gevaudan was stalked and terrorized by a mysterious beast. Some said it was a wolf. Others that it was “like a wolf, but not a wolf”—far stronger, faster, more brutal and more intelligent than other wolves. Still others provided much more strange and otherworldly descriptions that did not resemble a wolf at all. This was the Beast of the Gevaudan. It didn’t hunt like a wolf. It didn’t eat like a wolf. And the rugged, poverty-stricken environment that became its hunting ground was a bigger part of the story than most accounts admit. To this day, the Beast of the Gevaudan is a seminal cryptid mystery—and its legend forms the foundation for much of werewolf lore as we know it today. Join us as we unpack the eerie unsolved mystery of the Beast of the Gevaudan. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 16m

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Genn McMenemy

Host
Jenny Williamson

Host

4.5

out of 5

442 Ratings

History fun!

09/19/2025

Bwb1982

Love the in-depth stories and breakdowns from ancient history! They make it so enjoyable and funny!
Fascinating discussion s

07/19/2025

Lieuallen

I appreciate their ability to hold a discussion which simultaneously acknowledges their own biases while evaluating the points of view of others. They are impressive in their willingness to examine all sides and work through the complexity of each topic.
Episode 303

08/04/2025

IamBobb

Great stories and told with enthusiasm. However, I started listening to this podcast because every other podcast talks about their opinion in today's politics. halfway through episode 303, I get the speaker’s opinion on today’s politics. I don’t want more of the same. I will keep looking.
Good content but

07/31/2025

dirtybackroads

There’s a lot that’s good with this podcast. They provide good research into their episodes but the bad jokes and constant giggling can be a bit much. I wish they cut that out and just give us their great content

An ancient history podcast run by two Millennial women. Misbehaving emperors, poison assassins, mythological mayhem; it’s like if Hardcore History met up with My Favorite Murder in the ancient world, with a heavy helping of booze and laughter.