logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
42m 24s

Women who shaped the Roman empire

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode
How do you surface the stories of women in the Roman empire, when the majority of ancient texts were written by men, telling of military victories and losses, or intrigues in the political arena? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Emma Southon chronicles the Roman empire through the stories of women whose experiences illuminate war, empire and political machinations, ... Show More
Up next
Today
Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled
On 30 January 1649, Charles I was led on to a freshly erected scaffold outside Whitehall’s Banqueting House in London. Thousands of spectators watched in shock and awe as the king of England, Scotland and Ireland was executed as a traitor. It was the climax of one of the most des ... Show More
37 m
Yesterday
The Nazis’ crimes laid bare
When the Nazi leaders went on trial in Nuremberg from November 1945, the true horrors of their regime were exposed to the world. In the second episode of our four-part series on the trials, the lawyer and author Philippe Sands chronicles the dramatic days when the likes of Herman ... Show More
46m 30s
Nov 22
What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us?
A recent documentary drawing conclusions from new analysis of Adolf Hitler’s DNA has sparked headlines around the world. But how did the programme’s researchers get hold of the key evidence? And what issues – and implications – are prompted by linking the Nazi leader with a range ... Show More
48m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Domina: Women Who Shaped Rome
<p>The crisis of the Roman Republic is a period littered with iconic male power players. Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Pompey, Brutus and the Gracchi brothers. But less famous, and often overlooked are the women that shaped these famous Roman states<em>men</em>.</p><br><p>In today' ... Show More
51m 42s
Jan 2022
The Birth of the Roman Empire
<p>16 January 27 BC is a date sometimes associated with the beginning of the Roman Empire. It was on that day that Octavian received the name Augustus, effectively becoming the first emperor of Rome. Augustus ordered the gates of Janus to be closed, marking an end to the period o ... Show More
50m 18s
Sep 2023
The Legacy of Rome
<p>Rome has attracted aspiring conquerors and leaders for millennia, not just as a great metropolis, but as an idea. It has long been a symbol of military might and universal power, defined by political and religious authority as well as great feats of engineering that would leav ... Show More
23m 24s
Jan 2024
Sex in Ancient Rome
<p>How sexually depraved were the Romans?</p><br><p>Whilst they were a civlised, stoic and innovative bunch, they were also a promiscuous bunch with very questionable morals.</p><br><p>Joining us today is friend of the show Emma Southon, author of <a href="https://www.emmasouthon ... Show More
45m 58s
Jul 2022
The Origins of Rome
<p>Known as the Eternal City, ancient Rome was one of the greatest civilisations in human history, but how did it come about?</p><br><p>With a turbulent history of Kings, civil wars and imperial desires - Rome has an incredible history. But who founded it? Were Romulus and Remus ... Show More
44m 33s
May 2023
Messalina: Empress of Rome
<p>In this episode of The Ancients, host Tristan Hughes speaks with historian Honor Cargill-Martin about the notorious Empress Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius. A lot has been said about Messalina over two millennia: that she was a nymphomaniac who organised orgies and e ... Show More
39m 11s
Jun 2024
LGBTQ Emperors of Ancient Rome
In Ancient Greece and the Roman empire homosexual relationships were an accepted and common practice. In this hyper-masculine society the male form was revered for its physical perfection while women’s virtue was jealously guarded to ensure the legitimacy of children. In Greece r ... Show More
20m 47s
Sep 2021
Sex in Ancient Rome
We’ve covered bloody battles, we’ve covered stunning cities, we’ve covered civilisations far away from the ancient Mediterranean. But in some 120 episodes of The Ancients we hadn’t covered one of the most popular topics in the world: sex. That is, until now. In today’s episode, s ... Show More
56m 18s
Mar 2024
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
With Julius Caesar dead, Cleopatra turned to another of Rome’s dominant figures. She became entwined with Mark Antony, the ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, but even with their enormous combined power the destructive tendrils of Roman politics were inescapable. Just ... Show More
41m 53s
Jul 2022
Formidable Heroines of History
<p>From the notorious thief Mary Frith in the seventeenth century to industrialist and LGBT trailblazer Anne Lister in the nineteenth, these heroines redefined what a woman could be and what she could do in pre-twentieth-century Britain.</p><br><p>Holly Kyte, author and literary ... Show More
26m 13s