<p>Aligning with the winter solstice of 2024, Tristan Hughes and Professor Ronald Hutton delve into the ancient Druids of Britain and France.</p><p>They discuss how Julius Caesar encountered this feared enemy in his Roman conquest of Gaul, and Cicero had meetings with a Druid leader in Rome.</p><p>From human sacrifice to the creation of Stone Henge, to battles with St. Patrick of Ireland, Tristan and Ronald consider the complex history and evolving perceptions of these enigmatic figures.</p><br><p>Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.</p><p>Theme music from Motion Array, all other music from Epidemic Sounds</p><p><em>The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.</em></p><br><p><strong>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 </strong><a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></strong></a><strong>.</strong> </p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>:</p><p><a href="https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK</a></p>
