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.

Timeline Subway

Episodes Series Figures Events Books Authors

Episodes by year

Showing 12 of 24

2023

3 episodes

RIHC: English Mythology, Historical Heatwaves, and Woke Informers

This bonus episode is a loose, conversational Q&A in which Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss podcast scheduling…

The Mystery of the Holy Grail (Ep 2)

Indiana Jones double bill

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the origins, meanings and later receptions of the Holy Grail legend. Tr…

Atlantis: Legacy of the Lost Empire (Ep 2)

Atlantis · Part 2

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue a multi-part exploration of the Atlantis myth, tracing its origins in …

2022

2 episodes

Tunisia: Dido of Carthage

Great World Cup Saga · Part 8

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook focus on Dido (Elissa), the legendary founder-queen of Carthage, usin…

Robin Hood

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the origins, evolution and cultural afterlife of the Robin Hood legend.…

2021

7 episodes

28 Dec: Massacre of the Innocents and the Tay Bridge disaster

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas · Part 5

This episode of The Rest Is History (day four of the hosts' 12 Days of Christmas marathon) examines two anniversaries f…

Neanderthals

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interview Professor Chris Stringer (Natural History Museum) about Nea…

Stephen Fry and Troy

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook welcome their first-ever guest, Stephen Fry, to discuss Greek mythology with a …

The World Cup of Gods - Preview

World Cup of Gods

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook launch a playful "World Cup of Gods" tournament, explaining the rules (no curre…

The World Cup of Gods - Part 1

World Cup of Gods · Part 1

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook present a light-hearted themed episode built around a Twitter-run "World Cup of…

The World Cup of Gods - Part 2

World Cup of Gods · Part 2

This episode (part two of the "World Cup of Gods" coverage) features Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook taking listeners…

Troy

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the Trojan War: its mythic narrative, archaeological evidence, and cultural a…

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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