Athens: Birthplace of Democracy?

In 60 AD Roman Britain was very nearly brought to the brink. Cities burned, authority crumbled, and for a brief moment one woman challenged the might of the Roman Empire. Her name was Boudica.Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by novelist and historian Elodie Harper to explore the l ...  Show more

538 million years ago, life on Earth changed forever. In an evolutionary burst known as the Cambrian Explosion, complex animals rapidly appeared in the oceans, laying the foundations for almost every major animal group alive today.Tristan Hughes is joined by the mighty Henry Gee ...  Show more

What did "demos" really mean to the Athenians? Why were women such a crucial part of Athenian democracy? And who was the Tom Wamsgams of Athens? Join Tom and Dominic as they explore whether Athenian democracy really was the precursor to modern day democracy, or whether it was som ...  Show more

À partir du VIe siècle avant Jésus-Christ, la cité grecque d’Athènes met en place une toute nouvelle organisation politique : la démocratie. Ce régime inédit qui donne le pouvoir aux citoyens, devient par la suite et malgré ses limites, un véritable modèle. 

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Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins of democracy. In the Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln called it “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”, but the word democracy appears nowhere in the American Constitution; the French Revolution was fought for Liber ...  Show more

While the Roman Republic was still in its infancy, the Greek city-state of Athens rose from the ruins of war with the Persians to become the most beautiful and powerful in the region. During this Golden Age, many Athenian citizens enjoyed unprecedented freedoms in the world’s fir ...  Show more