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.

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20 episodes
Updated July 28

Episodes20

Newest first

July 28 · 13 min
BONUS: Mary Beard on Homer's Odyssey
Mary Beard talks to film director Uberto Pasolini about the power of Homer's Odyssey.
July 28 · 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.