logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
28m 58s

Pythagoras' Utopia

History Hit
About this episode

What comes to your mind when you think of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek polymath? Some might think of the Pythagorean theorem, a foundational principle of mathematics. But he was also the enigmatic founder of Pythagoreanism, a mysterious secret society that strove to create a utopia on earth.


Today Dan is joined by Kristen Ghodsee, an ethnographer and author of Everyday Utopia. Kristen delves into this ancient social experiment, and talks about other attempts at paradise in the millennia since.


Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann, and edited by Ella Blaxill.


Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.


We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Yesterday
Medieval Sex
Warning: this episode contains explicit language.Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle Ages. They delve into the beliefs around sodomy as “non-procreative sex”; pilgrim ... Show More
42m 14s
Oct 7
Alexandria
This is the story of a city that laid the foundations for our modern world. Sitting at the intersection of East and West, Alexandria has been home to many of humanity's greatest architectural and cultural achievements, like the famous Lighthouse and the storied Great Library. Som ... Show More
31m 43s
Oct 5
The Spanish Civil War
Why did Spain spiral into civil war in 1936? Today, we delve into the grinding class conflicts and ferocious political divisions that split Spain in two, from the dictatorship of the 1920s to the ambitious and divisive government of the early 1930s. We explore why democracy unrav ... Show More
58m 28s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Pythagoras (Radio Edit)
In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Edith Hall and comedian Desiree Burch to learn about ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. Pythagoras is famous in maths classes everywhere for his triangle theorem, but surprisingly little is known about his a ... Show More
28m 21s
Apr 2024
How to Survive in Babylonia
Would you be able to survive in ancient Babylonia? In this episode, Tristan is joined once again by Amanda Podany from California State Polytechnic University to discuss the realities of daily life in this fascinating empire. Together, they discuss everything from clay tablet lit ... Show More
53m 25s
Dec 2023
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most famous figures in history. Believed to be the Son of God in Christianity, he is the central figure in one of the world’s most dominant religions. Today, Tristan and Dr Helen Bond, a Professor of Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh ... Show More
55m 34s
Aug 2023
Cyrus the Great
The ancient Persian ruler who founded the Achaemenid Empire, known for his benevolent governance and conquests - Cyrus the Great was a giant of history. History remembers him as someone who conquered numerous lands, established a legendary empire, respected local customs, and all ... Show More
38m 50s
Apr 2023
Episode #176- Was Pythagoras Killed By Beans?
If you managed to get through elementary school math then you have almost certainly heard the name Pythagoras. The ancient Greek thinker has been celebrated as the man who first discovered the mathematical relationship between the sides of a right triangle. This has been known fo ... Show More
1h 22m
Jun 2024
The Parthians
The Parthians were heavyweights of ancient Mesopotamia. Hailing from what is now modern day Iran, they charged onto the scene by destroying the Seleucid Empire and became one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. They are perhaps most famous for capturing Crassus - Rome’s spider-lik ... Show More
54m 58s
Nov 2023
Ancient Goddesses of Sex and War
Sex and death are often intertwined: one is the start of creation, the other is the end. And as we’ll learn in today’s episode, ancient battlefields were the setting of intimate acts, too. One on one, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping and picking out a partner to…engage with. An ... Show More
32m 1s
Dec 2023
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
March 15th 44BC is perhaps the most notorious date in all of ancient history. On that fateful day, the Ides of March, 55-year-old Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of disaffected senators. In this episode, Tristan (with a little help from Dr Emma Sout ... Show More
50m 23s
Jun 2023
The Picts
Emerging around the 3rd century CE and later designated official adversaries of the Roman Empire, the Picts wreaked havoc across the northern fringes of Roman Britain. But due to their limited presence in the archaeological record and the complexities of multiple kings, kingdoms, ... Show More
43m 10s
Jan 2021
The Ancient Babylonians
Host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Kae Kurd in Ancient Mesopotamia as they explore the Babylonian civiliisation. If your knowledge of Babylon doesn’t extend beyond the Boney M. song then this is the episode for you. We reveal all sorts of fas ... Show More
55m 8s