Live Broadcast: $15 - Free for Contributing and Lifetime members, 10% off for all other members
Live Broadcast + Signed Book: $48 - 10% off for all members

From medieval fortresses and Viking strongholds to Japanese castles and modern-day luxury bunkers, castles have long captured our imaginations. Beyond their roles in warfare and defense, castles have served as powerful symbols of wealth, status, identity, and ambition.

Join award-winning historian and bestselling author Dan Jones for a conversation with Curt DiCamillo about Jones’ latest book, Castles: A Fortified History of the World—an ambitious, exploration of fortifications across continents and centuries. Drawing on years of research and his gift for storytelling, Jones traces the history of castle-building from the walls of Troy and the desert fortresses of the early Islamic caliphates to the castles of the Americas. Whether real or imagined—King Arthur and Count Dracula to Neuschwanstein and Disneyland—Jones explores how the idea of the castle has evolved alongside the structures themselves and why these enduring symbols continue to fascinate us.

Dan Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of Henry V, Powers and Thrones, Crusaders, The Templars, The Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses, and Magna Carta, as well as the Essex Dogs trilogy of novels. He is the host of the podcast This is History: A Dynasty to Die For and has produced, written, and presented dozens of TV shows, including the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles. Since 2025 he has been a member of the board of trustees of Historic Royal Palaces, a non-profit organization dedicated to managing and maintaining the unoccupied palaces of England.

Author photo © Peter Clark 

Curt DiCamillo is American Ancestors' Curator of Fine Art. As part of the Education team, he curates American Ancestors' large art collection, lectures around the world, and hosts the celebrated American Ancestors Art & Architecture webinar series.