The Toldinstone Podcast

39 – Houses and Gardens of Pompeii

Caitie Barrett and I discuss the houses (and overlooked gardens) of Pompeii

38 – Lessons from the Lost Greek Plays

James Romm and I discuss what can be gleaned from the fragments of lost Greek tragedies.

37 – How Accurate was HBO’s Rome?

Greg Aldrete and I discuss the historical accuracy of HBO's "Rome."

36 – The Late Bronze Age Collapse

Eric Cline and I discuss the causes and consequences of the Late Bronze Age Collapse.

35 – The Spartan Mirage

Stephen Hodkinson and I discuss the latest research on classical Sparta.

34 – Ancient Rome and America’s Founding Fathers

Carl Richard and I discuss how Ancient Greece and Rome shaped the American Revolution and US Constitution.

33 – Understanding the Valley of the Kings

Chris Naunton and I discuss history's most iconic necropolis.

32 – Tactics of Alexander the Great

Roel Konijnendijk and I discuss the army and tactics of the most iconic Greek general.

31 – How the Renaissance invented Ancient Rome

Ada Palmer and I discuss how the Italian Renaissance transformed our understanding of antiquity.

30 – The Mind of a Roman Gladiator

Harry Sidebottom and I discuss the unique place of gladiators in Roman society.

29 – A Short History of Roman Spain

Paco Alvarez and I discuss the remarkable history of Roman Spain.

28 – What bones tell us about ancient Rome

Deborah Ruscillo and I discuss how zooarchaeology has transformed our understanding of the classical world.

27 – The Mona Lisa of Ancient Coins

Nick Vaneerdewegh and I discuss the Aetna Tetradrachm - the "Mona Lisa of numismatics" - and other treasures of the Brussels Coin Cabinet.

25 – The History of Ancient Rome in 12 Coins

Gareth Harney and I discuss how coins tell the story of Roman history.

24 – Decline and Fall of the Roman City

Luke Lavan and I discuss the transformation of Roman cities in late antiquity.

23 – Greek myths in comics

Matthew Blair and I discuss the uses and abuses of ancient myth and history in comic books.

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22 – Reading the Herculaneum Papyri

In this episode, Dr. Federica Nicolardi and I discuss the challenges of reading the scrolls charred and buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

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21 – The Ancient Architecture of New York City

Elizabeth Macaulay and I discuss New York's neo-antique architecture.

20 – Medicine, Roman and Modern

Dr. Athalia Pyzer and I discuss what - if anything - modern medicine owes to its classical roots.

19 – The Rules of Gladiatorial Combat

Michael Carter and I discuss the rules and rituals that governed the lives - and deaths - of Rome's gladiators.