The Rest Is History

Tom and Dominic unravel the story of Homer's Odyssey, asking what historical events it may be based on and where Odysseus, the epic's hero, might have faced his trials in real life.

Tom and Dominic reach the conclusion of Homer's Odyssey, tracing the second half of Odysseus' journey home to Ithaca and asking what the epic's account of the Olympian gods indicates about Ancient Greek religion.

Tom and Dominic journey through the life of Helen of Troy, from her godly parentage and marriage to the king of Sparta to her abduction to Troy, asking whether she was a victim or the mistress of her own fate.

Tom and Dominic trace how archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered in 1870 what he claimed was Troy, then searched for Mycenae, the dominion of Agamemnon, whose sacrifice of his daughter unleashed a terrible vengeance from Clytemnestra.

Described as the most legendary story ever told, the Trojan War is examined by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, who ask whether it actually happened and whether it was really fought over a beautiful woman.

Tom and Dominic launch into Persia's invasion of Greece, one of the most cataclysmic clashes in all ancient history, asking why the Persian Empire crossed the Aegean to destroy Athens in 490BC under Darius, the King of Kings.

Tom and Dominic discuss the Battle of Marathon and its aftermath, asking why the battle changed the world so considerably and whether the Athenians could really triumph over the indomitable Persian Empire.

Tom and Dominic continue marking the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian invasion of Greece, examining Thermopylae as the archetype of a heroic defeat and Salamis as the great naval clash that saved Greece from Persian conquest.

In 480 BC, 300 Spartans made a stand at Thermopylae as Persian forces under Xerxes seemed set to conquer Greece; though defeated, the Greek navy soon routed the Persians at Salamis, a turning point in the war.

Tom and Dominic trace the dazzling career of Alexander the Great, from Macedonia to his mysterious journey to the oracle at Siwa, asking whether he was man or god, visionary or blood-stained tyrant.

In the second part of the Alexander the Great special, Tom and Dominic ask whether Alexander might have kept his empire together had he lived, what killed him, and why he appears in the Qur'an.

In the fourth and final instalment of their Cleopatra mini-series, Tom and Dominic discuss Octavian's propaganda and the war he waged against Antony and Cleopatra, ending in their ultimate demise.

In the first episode of a four-part mini-series on Cleopatra, Tom and Dominic discuss her early life in Ptolemaic Egypt.

In the second episode of their four-part Cleopatra mini-series, Tom and Dominic discuss her relationship with Julius Caesar and the role it played in the politics of Rome.

Tom and Dominic examine Oedipus, the mythic king of Thebes who murdered his father and unwittingly married his mother, asking whether the tragedy was based on a real event and noting its later influence on Freud's reading of the subconscious.

Tom and Dominic explore Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstasy, revelry and madness, and the tragedy of the Bacchae, examining why female cults built around him were believed to be integral to the survival of Athens.

Tom and Dominic delve into the Ancient Greek world, asking how much of the Spartan image is real and how much rests on the projections and prejudices of others, and assess what the film 300 got right and wrong.

Tom and Dominic conclude their journey into Greek mythology with the quest of Jason and the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece, asking whether the Greeks still worshipped the Olympian gods in the more skeptical Hellenistic age.

Stephen Fry joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook as a guest on The Rest Is History to discuss his enduring fascination with the Greek myths.

Tom and Dominic trace how Hesiod first recorded the story of Zeus and the war between the gods and the Titans, and ask whether people in ancient Greece really believed these stories of gods, heroes and great wars.

Tom and Dominic explore what 'demos' really meant to the Athenians and why women were such a crucial part of Athenian democracy, asking whether it really was the precursor to modern democracy or something entirely different.

Tom and Dominic discuss the origins of the legend of Atlantis, asking whether there is really any truth behind the ancient tome or whether Plato was simply trying his hand at political satire.

Tom and Dominic explore the Library of Alexandria, built within the same complex as the tomb of Alexander the Great, tracing its role as a 'repository of everything' in the ancient world and who eventually destroyed it.

Herodotus, a Greek historian of the 5th century BC born on the western edge of an empire stretching to India, wrote The Histories, a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars considered the founding work of History in Western literature.