How Greece Shaped Rome with Mary Beard

396 BC. The city of Veii lies in ruins, destroyed by Rome in a brutal act of early imperial expansion. Yet just six years later, Rome itself would face devastation at the hands of invading Gauls, a shock that would shape the city’s identity for generations.In this episode of The ...  Show more

What can ancient DNA tell us about the first homo sapiens to arrive in Arabia over 50,000 years ago? Tristan Hughes is joined by Prof. Pierre Zalloua to delve into the groundbreaking advances in ancient DNA research that illuminate the complex journeys of these early human popula ...  Show more

As the Roman Empire grew, so did the importance of its army - the Roman Legion.

But what was life on the march like? What happened on the encampments after dark? And why couldn't eunuchs join the Roman legion?!

Joining Kate today to tell her all about this ...

Evidence shows us that women gladiators fought in front of baying crowds in Ancient Rome.

Who were these women? How would these fights have played out? And what did the rest of Rome think of women taking up such a masculine space?

Joining Kate is historian ...

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 hi ...

No one was like him, terrible were his crimes… Where was Alexander the Great born, and who were his parents? What drove him to go beyond the Aegean empire he had already carved out for himself, and conquer lands beyond the limits of the Greek world? Why did Alexander eventually t ...  Show more