A Day at the Ancient Olympics

⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! Join us as we return to Cleopatra’s Alexandria—the glamor, the political intrigue, the history—and take a second in-depth look at Egypt's last Pharaoh. Our guide for this episode is none other than Saara El-Arifi, best ...  Show more

⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! When Octavian (Augustus) returned home victorious from his final battle against Marc Antony and Cleopatra, he was met by an ecstatic crowd. The Senate had ordered all classes and priesthoods, including the Vestal Virgin ...  Show more

For nearly 12 centuries, the Ancient Greeks honoured their gods with one of the most famous sporting contests in the world: The Olympic Games. Athletes represented their city states to compete for the glory of the gods, knowing that winning or losing could change the course of th ...  Show more

A tradition that endured millennia. The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC and took place every four years until at least 396 AD. It was a major religious and sporting festival, attended by over 40,000 spectators who flocked to watch athletes compete in sports like wrestlin ...

With the Paris Olympics in motion, it is a good time to revisit this episode from our archives.From the first ad at the first Olympics in 1896, to the hundreds of millions spent on today's advertising contracts, sponsorship money has always been a contentious issue. The Olympics ...  Show more

Every four years, the Modern Olympic Games is a celebration of athletic excellence. From modest roots in 19th Century Athens, to a worldwide phenomenon which will feature almost 15,000 athletes in Paris 2024, the Modern Olympics has developed into the largest sporting festival in ...  Show more