A four thousand(ish) year old murder trial. A procession of the dead. Kings who believed they could escape the gods by dressing gardeners in royal clothes...then killing them. Welcome to the Dark Side of Ancient Mesopotamia! Guiding Maddy and Anthony through this most ancient and most fascinating civilisation is the incredible Professor Amanda Podany, author of 'Weavers, Scribes and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East'.

Edited by Tomos Delarggy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

'Strike, man, strike!' were the last words of Sir Walter Raleigh as his neck lay on the block. After thirteen years in the Tower of London, (multiple) expeditions to find a city of gold, and a plot to kill the king, Walter Raleigh finally met his end. Maddy Pelling tells Anthony Delaney the story of how it all played out.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Research by Phoebe Joyce. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Beneath the streets of the French capitol lurks a city of the dead: the Paris Catacombs.

Why they were piled up there is a dark and fascinating story, that includes everything from the bloody days of the French Revolution, to the making of 'corpse candles' and a mystery man found amongst its passageways.

Joining Anthony and Maddy for today's episode is the fantastic Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator for Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us down to this underworld.

Edited by Tomos Delargy, Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.