Hanukkah & the Maccabees
It's perhaps the best known Jewish festival of the year, but what exactly are Hanukkah's origins, and why was it first celebrated?
On today's episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by Dr Jodi Magness to answer these questions and unravel the holiday's complex history. On their journey they discover it emerged from an incredibly important event in ancient Judaean history - the Maccabean Revolt, over 2,000 years ago at a time when the successors of Alexander the Great ruled supreme. It is a gripping story of defiance, of Jewish civil war, and of resistance against the oppressive Seleucid Empire.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
All music from Epidemic Sound
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The Ancients
A podcast for all ancient history fans! The Ancients is dedicated to discussing our distant past. Featuring interviews with historians and archaeologists, each episode covers a specific theme from antiquity. From Neolithic Britain to the Fall of Rome. Hosted by Tristan Hughes.
New episodes every Sunday and Thursday.
From History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts Dan Snow's History Hit, Gone Medieval, and Betwixt the Sheets.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
- No. of episodes: 539
- Latest episode: 2025-07-30
- History
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