In this episode, we welcome Ophelie Lebrasseur, archaeologist and expert on chickens! From royal chickens in the Ancient Near East, to the world's first chicken farm, to chickens as sex symbols in ancient Greece, to omen-giving sacred chickens in ancient Rome, Ophelie joins the rest of the gang as we trace the history of chickens in archaeology, literature, and art in the ancient world!
Jul 10, 2022
36 min
In which we engage in our favourite British pastime - talking about the weather. Zenia tells us about how Hannibal made bad weather work for him (and his elephants), Meg shares the story of Odysseus' mishap with the winds, and Barney tells us about how priests in the Ancient Near East interpreted different types of thunder.
Jun 26, 2022
35 min
In which we gossip about famous historical breakups, like the mythological breakups of Jason and Medea or Ishtar and Dumuzid, or the dramatic divorce case of Fannia and Titinius (who have normal, not funny names) and the attempted divorce by Hipparete of her playboy husband Alcibiades. If we thought modern breakups were gossip-fodder, then ancient history shows that breakups have always been juicy news!
Jun 12, 2022
28 min
In which we compare assassinations in the ancient world, by advising Flo on how to get rid of a troublesome person in her life. Zenia tells us how the Romans found stabbing a foolproof method; Meg brings some variety to the mix by adding a potential poisoning to the stabbing theme; meanwhile Barney reveals some unorthodox Ancient Near Eastern methods for assassination - including being pelted to death with cylinder seals.
May 29, 2022
34 min
In which we welcome back Caroline Lawrence to talk about what kind of names people had in the ancient world! From the Roman triple name to the Greek joke name to the Pharaohs' five names, we discover what really is in a name.
May 15, 2022
35 min
In which we welcome back Iszi Lawrence to talk about civilisation collapse! Cue doom and gloom and...donkey chariots?
Check out Iszi's new show, Your Place or Mine, on BBC Sounds.
May 1, 2022
35 min
In which Flo finds out what hairstyles she would have rocked in our three different periods of ancient history! Meg says her short hair would have been suitable for a slave, while Zenia advises Flo to get herself a monobrow and an ornatrix (Latin for hairdresser). Barney takes us through the different hairstyles of Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East - be warned, this episode comes with a visual cue!
Apr 17, 2022
33 min
In which we play a game of smash or pass on the celebrities of antiquity...from actors to priests to kings to politicians, there's a whole range of ancient celebs on whom we dish the dirt...
Apr 3, 2022
34 min
In which we welcome Jerry Toner to talk about natural disasters in the ancient world! Jerry goes against the lore to tell us that the Romans weren't actually that fussed about Vesuvius; Meg and Barney both share flood myths from Greek and Mesopotamian traditions; Flo wonders whether Pliny was the original storm chaser...
Feb 20, 2022
32 min
In which we welcome Professor Michael Scott, who has co-presented several series of the BBC's Invisible Cities, to talk to us about buildings! We each present our favourite buildings from the ancient world: Michael votes for the Parthenon, Zenia proposes Hadrian's Wall, Barney shares his admiration for the pyramids and Meg of course likes the building named after her (not really but sort of).
Feb 6, 2022
31 min
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