How long is the Great Wall of China? When was it built? Are there really skeletons buried inside it?

Matt Lewis poses these questions and many more to Dr Jeremiah Jenne, co-host of the Chinese history podcast, Barbarians at the Gate. Together they recount the storied development of the wall from its origins as earthen banks to its deserved place as an iconic monument that can be seen from space - or can it? They also reveal how accurate is the depiction of the wall as a building site under attack in Assasssin's Creed Chronicles - China, and answer the ultimate question: why didn't the Great Wall keep out the Mongols?

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

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Tim Arstall

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Theme Master by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Prologue by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Great Wall Session by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Forbidden City Escape by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

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.

What really happened to the French crown jewels? On the 19th October, 2025, a gang of thieves disguised as construction workers broke into the Louvre. Their target: the Gallery of Apollo, where the French Crown Jewels were on display. They made off with eight pieces of the crown jewels, worth around $100 million. It was all over in eight minutes.

History repeats itself. In September 1792, the crown jewels of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were stolen. Assassin's Creed Unity lets players take part in the aftermath of this daring robbery, recovering the last of the lost jewels in the "French Crown Jewels" Paris Story. But what happened to the other extraordinary treasures owned by the royal family when the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution?

Matt Lewis joins Dr David Gilks from the University of East Anglia to find the answers. He’s the author of Quatremére de Quincy: Art and Politics during the French Revolution. The tentative title of his next book is How to Become a French Revolutionary Hero. Read David's blog HERE - https://bit.ly/3Tt1o36

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: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Monarch Enemy by Christ Tilton

Nothing Is True by Chris Tilton

The Mob Accuses by Sarah Schachner

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What were the main causes of the Russian Revolution? Why were the Romanovs murdered?

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia transports us to the tense atmosphere of World War One as Russia made the difficult transition from an imperial state to a socialist republic. But what was it like for the ordinary person on the streets of Moscow, or in the wheatfields of Kursk? Did they passionately pursue the political shifts that were underway? Or did they just fear the threat - and the fact - of violence while they looked for their next meal?

To help Matt Lewis understand the experience of the worker during the Russian Revolution, he's joined by Professor Sarah Badcock from the University of Nottingham, author of Politics and the People in Revolutionary Russia; A Provincial History.

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

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

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 by Aaron Miller, Mark Rutherford

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.