Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator

Mythic & Legendary

24 Episodes 8 Series 99 Figures 12 Events 103 Books 1 Authors

The Mythic & Legendary era treats stories from the mythic past through classical antiquity and medieval legend, examining origins, transmission, and cultural afterlives. Content includes a multi-episode Atlantis series situating the myth in Plato’s dialogues and later geopolitics; a October–November 2025 bonus interview series with Mary Beard on figures like Julius Caesar, Alexander and Spartacus; multi-episode Greek myths and Helen of Troy series exploring Zeus, the Theogony, Homeric traditions, Schliemann’s archaeology and Helen’s portrayals; and a playful World Cup of Gods tournament of defunct deities. Episodes cover Troy, Robin Hood, ancient monsters, Roman conspiracies and Q&A material. Discussed figures and events include Gawain, Rama, Clytemnestra, King David, the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Founding of Carthage (814 BC), Cleisthenes’ reforms, the Resurrection of Jesus, Philistine capture of the Ark, the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Battle of Badon. Recommended texts referenced include Plato’s Critias, T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda and Andersen’s The Nightingale.

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Episodes Series Figures Events Books Authors

Episodes by year

Showing 12 of 24

2025

7 episodes

RIHC: Iconic Episodes, Unforgettable Heroes, and History’s Greatest Apples

This special episode, recorded in Sydney to mark the podcast being named Apple’s 2025 Show of the Year, features hosts …

The Trojan War, with Mary Beard - FULL EPISODE

Bonus Interviews with Mary Beard · Part 1

Tom Holland interviews classicist Mary Beard at Leighton House about the Trojan War and its place between myth and hist…

Greek Myths: Sex, Drugs & Tragedy (Part 3)

Greek Myths · Part 3

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss Euripides' The Bacchae and the strange, violent cult of Dionysus. They open w…

Greek Myths: Jason & The Quest for the Golden Fleece (Part 4)

Greek Myths · Part 4

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the myth of Jason and the Argonauts and its literary afterlife, especially Ap…

Greek Myths: The Riddle of the Sphinx (Part 2)

Greek Myths · Part 2

This episode of The Rest Is History examines the myth of Oedipus and its cultural afterlife. Holland and Sandbrook rete…

Greek Myths: Zeus, King of the Gods (Part 1)

Greek Myths · Part 1

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook introduce a four-part mini-series on Greek myth, opening with Zeus and the Theogony. …

RIHC: Greek Gods, The Trojan War, and The Odyssey

Tom Holland interviews Daniel Mendelson about Mendelson's new translation of The Odyssey and the poem's historical reso…

2024

5 episodes

Dragons

This episode traces the cultural and literary history of dragons from ancient myth to modern popular culture. Tom Holla…

RIHC: Ancient Monsters, Roman Conspiracies, and D-Day Gaffs

This bonus episode of The Rest Is History features hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook in an informal, wide-ranging…

Helen of Troy: Queen of the Greek Myths (Part 1)

Helen of Troy · Part 1

This episode of The Rest Is History is a deep-dive into Helen of Troy: her mythic origins, portrayals across ancient Gr…

Helen of Troy: A Family of Blood (Part 2)

Helen of Troy · Part 2

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss Heinrich Schliemann’s archaeology and the relationship betwee…

RIHC: The Worst Disasters in History (Livestream)

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore a range of historical disasters — some emblematic, others shocking in t…

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Series in this era

8 series

Greek Myths

4 episodes Aired: 2025-09-21

World Cup of Gods

3 episodes Aired: 2021-11-27

Helen of Troy

2 episodes Aired: 2024-06-02

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas

1 episode Aired: 2021-12-25

Atlantis

1 episode Aired: 2023-03-20

Bonus Interviews with Mary Beard

1 episode Aired: 2025-10-09

Great World Cup Saga

1 episode Aired: 2022-11-24

Indiana Jones double bill

1 episode Aired: 2023-06-26

Historical figures

99 tagged

Athena

8 episodes

Homer

8 episodes

Zeus

8 episodes

Agamemnon (King of Mycenae)

7 episodes

Achilles

6 episodes

Helen of Troy

6 episodes

Odysseus

6 episodes

Apollo

5 episodes

Menelaus of Sparta

5 episodes

Paris of Troy

5 episodes

Historical events

12 tagged

Trojan War

12 episodes

Capture of Thebes by the Sons of the Seven (mythic)

1 episode

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (biblical)

1 episode

Doggerland submergence (c. 8200 years ago, North Sea)

1 episode

Exodus (biblical Israelite departure from Egypt)

1 episode

Fall of Troy (Sack of Troy / Trojan Horse)

1 episode

Founding of Carthage (c.814 BC)

1 episode

Founding of Thebes by Cadmus (mythic)

1 episode

Garden of Eden

1 episode

Ragnarök

1 episode

Books

103 tagged

The Odyssey

Author: Homer

8 episodes

The Iliad

Author: Homer

7 episodes

Theogony

Author: Hesiod

3 episodes

Oedipus (Oedipus Rex)

Author: Sophocles

2 episodes

Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

Author: Tom Holland

2 episodes

The Republic

Author: Plato

2 episodes

The Trojan Women

Author: Euripides

2 episodes

Agamemnon

Author: Aeschylus

1 episode

Alexander to Actium: The Hellenistic Age

Author: Peter Green

1 episode

Ancient Apocalypse

Author: Graham Hancock

1 episode

Authors

1 tagged

Homer

7 episodes