Messalina: Empress of Rome

In 63 BC, Rome faced a conspiracy that threatened to tear the Roman Republic apart. At its centre stood two figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero, the grand old orator of Rome and Lucius Sergius Catilina, accused of plotting violence, rebellion and the overthrow of Rome’s political orde ...  Show more

WARNING: graphic descriptions of violence and warfareMeet Diades, Alexander the Great’s overlooked military engineer, the man who made the impossible siege of Tyre happen.Tristan Hughes and Professor Edmund Richardson retell the thrilling, brutal, brilliant story of invention, am ...  Show more

Messy Messalina has not gone down in history with the tidiest reputation. In fact, we may even say her reputation is kind of messy. Empress Messalina was the wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, who ruled from AD 41 to 54. She is infamous for her promiscuity and extravagance. But, was ...  Show more

What did it look like inside a Roman brothel? Who was the sex worker involved in a murder plot to kill an Emperor? And why was the Pope getting sex workers to race chariots?!In this first episode of our brand new limited-series on sex work through history, Kate is joined by Profe ...  Show more

How sexually depraved were the Romans?Whilst they were a civlised, stoic and innovative bunch, they were also a promiscuous bunch with very questionable morals.Joining us today is friend of the show Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women.How did the Rom ...  Show more

Have you ever heard of the Emperor who made his horse a senator? Seems like a top bloke, right? Today on Betwixt the Sheets we’re going to meet (possibly) the most debauched Roman Emperor.From stealing brides from their wedding days to an unhealthy obsession with his sister, who ...  Show more