Echoes of History

Was Cleopatra actually Egyptian?

It's a surprisingly important question. When most people think of Cleopatra, they have a specific person in mind. The Egyptian queen who married Julius Caesar and loved Mark Antony, and nearly ruled the Roman Empire for herself. But she was merely the final chapter in the long story of the Ptolemaic rulers of ancient Egypt. Who were the women who came before her? And though she is the most famous, does that mean she was the greatest Cleopatra?

Matt Lewis and Dr Deirdre Klokow unpack the mighty and sometimes mysterious legacy of the Cleopatras. Keep an eye out for her book, The Seleucids And Their Land, coming out in 2027.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube channel.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis
Edited by: Robin McConnell
Produced by: Robin McConnell
Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff
Production Manager: Beth Donaldson
Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:
Ptolemy's Lament by Sarah Schachner
The Alexandrian Pleiad by Sarah Schachner

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The unforeseen consequences of this war led to the first scientific history book, the birth of philosophy. and the rise of Alexander the Great. Assassin's Creed Odyssey puts us at the heart of the expansive conflict that occurred when Athens went to war with Sparta: the Peloponnesian War. Guest host Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Roel Konijnendijk to recount the causes, events and legacy of this pivotal war in the ancient Greek world.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™.

Hosted by: Tristan Hughes
Edited by: Michael McDaid
Produced by: Robin McConnell
Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff
Production Manager: Beth Donaldson
Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:
Delphi by The Flight
Pirates, Thugs and Bandits by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here. You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
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Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Benjamin Hornigold... Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced recreates the key people, places and events of the Golden Age Of Piracy. The game puts players in the salty shoes of Captain Edward Kenway as he rubs shoulders with real historical pirates as they fight for their freedom from the British and Spanish empires.

In the final episode of this special series, Matt Lewis is joined by the game’s Narrative Director Joel Janisse, and Level Design Director Julien Koch to find out how Ubisoft meticulously recreated the world of pirates with new historical details; and what were the biggest challenges of revisiting a fan-favourite game?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this interview on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis
Edited by: Robin McConnell
Produced by: Robin McConnell
Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff
Production Manager: Beth Donaldson
Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:
A Short Life But A Merry One by Brian Tyler
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Theme by Brian Tyler

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:09 - Did you reuse assets from the OG Black Flag?
09:31 - New decade, new tech: how did you stay faithful to Black Flag?
12:21 - Did you do new historical research?
14:10 - What's your favourite historic detail?
16:31 - Why is it called "Resynced"?
20:07 - Narrative vs Level Design
21:49 - Does History get in the way of Gameplay?
26:09 - 2013 vs 2026: the changes to working on Black Flag
29:48 - What's your favourite level/mission in the game?
30:15 - New Crew: are they based on historical people?
33:56 - Avoiding Pirate Tropes
37:28 - Did Matt Ryan re-record his performance as Edward Kenway?
39:31 - Why remake Black Flag?
44:17 - Why did Ubisoft remove the Abstergo sequences?
45:56 - Combat gameplay: fighting like a true pirate
47:56 - What did you learn making this game?
50:23 - What other games will be Resynced?
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How did Theseus escape the Labyrinth? Is the Labyrinth real? Who created the Minotaur? Assassin’s Creed Odyssey immerses players in the mythology of Ancient Greece. In particular, they can walk in the footsteps of Theseus through the Labyrinth and come face to face with the mythical Minotaur. Archaeology reveals the real roots of the myth and how it developed over time.

How is the myth connected to Knossos palace on Crete? Prof Nicoletta Momigliano guides Tristan Hughes from The Ancients podcast through the maze of myth vs reality that is the Minoan Labyrinth.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Tristan Hughes
Edited by: Alex Jones
Produced by: Robin McConnell, Anne-Marie Luff
Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff
Production Manager: Beth Donaldson
Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:
Phoibe the Orphan by The Flight, Michael Georgiades
The Minotaur by The Flight
Barnabas by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
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Did pirates really bury treasure, fly the Jolly Roger and walk the plank?

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced avoids many of the clichés of pirate fiction. Yet staying true to history still includes tropes of pop culture pirates - there may be no talking parrots, but they still drink a lot of rum. Matt Lewis rejoins Dr Rebecca Simon to debunk pirate myths!

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
06:08 - Did Pirates Use Black Flags?
12:30 - What does "Jolly Roger" mean?
13:24 - Peg Legs & Eye Patches
18:47 - Pets!
20:59 - Pirate Bling
23:54 - Did Pirates force folk to Walk the Plank?
25:07 - Did Pirates Maroon Enemies?
26:32 - The Pirate Code
32:32 - Did Pirates Bury Their Treasure?
37:16 - X Marks The Spot?
38:24 - Where Is The Rum?
41:10 - What's Your Favourite Pirate Myth?
42:15 - Why do Pirate Myths persist?
48:52 - Enter the Animus: which myth do you want to prove?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis
Edited by: Robin McConnell
Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell
Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff
Production Manager: Beth Donaldson
Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:
The Buccaneers by Brian Tyler
Confrontation by Brian Tyler
Fare Thee Well by Brian Tyler

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.