Bettany Hughes

What happened in the 5th century BC changed your life. This was the time when three trailblazers - the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates - transformed our understanding of human potential, cutting us loose from gods, making us deciders of our own destiny. All survivors of childhood trauma, living thousands of miles apart, what was it about their time that created ideas that still shape our own lives?

Once the biggest and most influential city on the planet, founded by Alexander the Great and home to Cleopatra, Archimedes and the largest library in the world. How did this shining beacon for civilisation and knowledge meet its demise? Acclaimed historian Bettany Hughes looks at Alexandria past and present, following in the footsteps of Hypatia, the city's last great female philosopher.

Join historian Bettany Hughes as she explores the different beliefs and practices that form the core of the Buddhist philosophy and investigates how Buddhism started and where it travelled to, through visits to seven of the most spectacular monuments built by Buddhists across the globe.

Bettany Hughes examines the Minoans, whose sophisticated society transformed all of Greece

Take the journey of a lifetime on a 900-mile adventure trip up the River Nile of Egypt, whose flowing waters have shaped the land on its borders.

Inspired by Odysseus - Bettany Hughes makes an epic journey of her own travelling from Eastern Greece to Ithaca, Odysseus' westerly island home. Voyaging by sea, she's on the hunt for the truth behind Greek myths and legends.

It's the story of one of antiquity's most potent forces. A story of naked human desire and how that desire transformed who we are and how we behave. Classicist Bettany Hughes embarks on a voyage of discovery, traveling across the globe to reveal the truth about the love, fertility and sex goddess Venus in this BBC history documentary. What relevance does this immortal have in the 21st century?

Historian Bettany Hughes presents a unique and visually stunning look at Britain's past by taking to the air in a bid to unlock secrets hidden in the landscape.