#446 | Slavery In The Ancient World

In 1788, King George III began speaking without pause, talking to trees, and frightening his court. He is often remembered as the “Mad King” who lost America, but his life was far more complex and tragic. This episode looks at the devoted farmer-king, his mysterious illness, and ...  Show more

A million years ago, in a cave in South Africa, our ancestors did something no other animal has ever done: they controlled fire. Fire cooked our food, shrank our guts, grew our brains, and gave us the deep sleep and fireside stories that made us human. This is the story of our sp ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the role of slavery in the Roman world, from its early conquests to the fall of the Western Empire. The system became so entrenched that no-one appeared to question it, following Aristotle's view that slavery was a natural state. Whole populations ...  Show more

Was Rome a slave society? Did Caesar really take a million Gauls captive? And what is the real story of Spartacus? Listen as William and Anita are joined by Mary Beard to discuss slavery in Ancient Rome. ***Tickets for the live show can be bought at the following link from 9am o ...  Show more

Is slavery hardwired into society? Is hierarchy inevitable? Who built the pyramids? Listen as William and Anita are joined by David Wengrow to discuss slavery in the world’s most ancient civilizations. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer ...  Show more

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this episode, we discuss the notion of the barbaroi in Greek culture; the origins and philosophical theories for slavery; and the legal status and type of roles (and importance) that slaves and metics (foreign residents) had in the Athenian ec ...