Ancient Lives with Mary Beard

BBC Radio 4

Mary Beard unearths the lives of the Ancients. Join Mary as she discovers the real lives of people from the ancient Greek world and the Roman empire.

Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes20

Newest first

Tuesday · 13 min
BONUS: Mary Beard on Homer's Odyssey
Mary Beard talks to film director Uberto Pasolini about the power of Homer's Odyssey.
Tuesday · 28 min
Martin Scorsese and the Godfather of Athens
Mary Beard and Martin Scorsese chart the rise and fall of an Athenian strongman.
July 21 · 28 min
The Greengrocer Who Saved Democracy
Mary Beard meets Gerys the Greengrocer as he faces up to the army of Sparta.
July 14 · 28 min
The Odyssey of Gamma 58
Mary Beard meets the real people who inspired the myths of Homer.
July 7 · 28 min
Star of Stage and Temple
Mary Beard goes in search of Myrrhine, priestess and unlikely star of a popular sex comedy
June 30 · 28 min
Courtroom Drama
Mary Beard presents the first of five compelling stories from Ancient Greece.
June 16 · 3 min
Trailer
Mary Beard uncovers the real life of Ancient Greece hidden behind the gods and heroes.
Jun 11, 2024 · 28 min
The Wolf of Via Vesuvio
Mary joins novelist Robert Harris to uncover the story of a Pompeii hustler.
Jun 4, 2024 · 27 min
Three Lovers and a Funeral
Two men, one woman. All three seem devoted to each other. Love story or exploitation?
May 28, 2024 · 28 min
A Bag of Snails and a Glass of Wine
Mary Beard joins Calidius Eroticus and Fannia Voluptas for a Roman bar crawl.
May 21, 2024 · 28 min
Soldiering for Softies
Mary Beard meets the young Roman soldier who spends more time shopping than fighting.
May 7, 2024 · 28 min
The Whistleblower
Meet the savvy political operator who cleaned up Britain after Boudicca's revolt.
May 7, 2024 · 28 min
Death on the Nile
Join Hadrian and his court poet for one of the strangest voyages in the history of Rome.
Nov 8, 2023 · 28 min
Love in the Borderlands
A man and a woman meet and marry on Hadrian's Wall. Is it true love or exploitation?
Nov 8, 2023 · 27 min
Battling Bureaucrats
Meet the frustrated office manager trying his best to run an empire.
Nov 8, 2023 · 27 min
What We Lost in the Fire
Join the greatest doctor of his age as Rome's great fire threatens his life's work.
Nov 8, 2023 · 28 min
Rome's Got Talent
Meet a child prodigy who recited his poetry for the Emperor and the raucous Roman crowds.
Nov 8, 2023 · 27 min
The Vengeance of Turia
Meet Turia, a young woman fighting for her family in the chaos of a brutal civil war.
Nov 7, 2023 · 28 min
Loving An Emperor
Meet Marcus Aurelius- Emperor, warrior, philosopher and dangerous flirt.
Nov 1, 2023 · 2 min
Welcome to Being Roman with Mary Beard
From a slave to an emperor, Mary Beard meets six fascinating people from the Roman Empire.

Ancient Lives with Mary Beard

BONUS: Mary Beard on Homer's Odyssey

Martin Scorsese and the Godfather of Athens

The Greengrocer Who Saved Democracy

The Odyssey of Gamma 58

Star of Stage and Temple

Courtroom Drama

Trailer

The Wolf of Via Vesuvio

Three Lovers and a Funeral

A Bag of Snails and a Glass of Wine

Soldiering for Softies

The Whistleblower

Death on the Nile

Love in the Borderlands

Battling Bureaucrats

What We Lost in the Fire

Rome's Got Talent

The Vengeance of Turia

Loving An Emperor

Welcome to Being Roman with Mary Beard