Ancient History

Ancient History

episodes

Interviews with scholars of ancient history about their new books.

Philip Abbott, "Sounds for a New World: The Christianizing Soundscapes of Late Antiquity" (Oxford UP, 2026)

April 29, 2026

Sounds for a New World

Assistant Professor of Religion Philip Abbott and Philip Abbott
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In the Greco-Roman world, gods were known to tame soundscapes, or acoustic landscapes. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, and other Classical deities demonstrated…

Money Beyond Borders with Barry Eichengreen

April 13, 2026

Money Beyond Borders

Barry Eichengreen
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Doubts about the international dominance of the dollar are only growing amid worries about tariffs, political dysfunction, and fraying international a…

Michael L. Satlow, "An Enchanted World: The Shared Religious Landscape of Late Antiquity" (Princeton UP, 2026)

April 13, 2026

An Enchanted World

Michael L. Satlow
Hosted by Michael Motia

In Late Antiquity (ca. 200–600 CE), the world was alive with unseen forces—divine agents who influenced every aspect of daily life. For most ordinary …

Paul Robichaud, "Stories of the Stones: Imagining Prehistory in Britain, Ireland and Brittany" (Reaktion, 2026)

April 13, 2026

Stories of the Stones

Paul Robichaud
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Stories of the Stones: Imagining Prehistory in Britain, Ireland and Brittany (Reaktion, 2026) by Dr. Paul Robichaud explores how ancient monuments – s…

David Potter, "Master of Rome: A Life of Julius Caesar" (Oxford UP, 2025)

April 11, 2026

Master of Rome

David Potter

By any measure, Julius Caesar is one of the most significant and famous figures in Roman history. Self-identified as a "popular" politician, he advoca…

Dominik Berrens, "Naming New Things and Concepts in Early Modern Science: The Case of Natural History" (Cambridge UP, 2026)

April 6, 2026

Naming New Things and Concepts in Early Modern Science

Dominik Berrens
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Naming new discoveries is central to science, and for centuries, Latin dominated this process. The resulting terminology still shapes modern science, …

William H. F. Altman, "Ascent to the Good: The Reading Order of Plato’s Dialogues from Symposium to Republic" (Lexington, 2018)

March 14, 2026

Ascent to the Good

William H. F. Altman
Hosted by Joseph Liss

At the crisis of his Republic, Plato asks us to imagine what could possibly motivate a philosopher to return to the Cave voluntarily for the benefit o…

Jessica Clarke, "A New History of Ancient Roman Theatre" (Liverpool UP, 2025)

March 13, 2026

A New History of Ancient Roman Theatre

Jessica Clarke

"Roman theatre" is a term often used to describe the theatre of ancient Italy during the second and third century BCE. Plautus and Terence are referre…

Imperial Depths: Mark Letteney and Matthew Larsen on the Roman Prison System (JP)

March 12, 2026

Imperial Depths

The notion of abolishing prisons strikes some as an impossible dream: could we could reasonably conceive of a society that responded to harm without t…

Kim Bowes, "Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent" (Princeton UP, 2025)

March 12, 2026

Surviving Rome

Kim Bowes

The story of ancient Rome is predominantly one of great men with great fortunes. Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent (Princeton U…

The Augustan Revolution: On Ancient Rome with Reece Edmends

March 11, 2026

The Augustan Revolution

Reece Edmends
Hosted by Ryan Shinkel

In this second episode of Season 5, I interview Dr. Reece Edmends, a graduate of King’s College, Cambridge, and a junior faculty member in the Classic…

Warwick Ball, "Ancient Civilizations of Afghanistan: From the Earliest Times to the Mongol Conquest" (Reaktion, 2025)

February 26, 2026

Ancient Civilizations of Afghanistan

Warwick Ball
Hosted by Nicholas Gordon

Today, Afghanistan–if it ever reaches global headlines–is portrayed as an unstable land, known more for the wars great powers fight (and often lose) o…

David Frankfurter ed., "Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic" (Brill, 2019)

February 19, 2026

Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic

David Frankfurter
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

In the midst of academic debates about the utility of the term “magic” and the cultural meaning of ancient words like mageia or khesheph, this Guide t…

The Far Edges of the Known World: Life Beyond the Borders of Ancient Civilization

February 17, 2026

The Far Edges of the Known World

An Interview with Owen Rees
Hosted by Maggie Freeman

When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a border town on the Black Sea, he despaired at his new bleak and barbarous surroundings. Like many Greeks and Roman…

Caillan Davenport, "Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors" (Yale UP, 2026)

February 10, 2026

Behind Caesar's Back

Caillan Davenport
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Caillan Davenport presents a thrilling explora…

Arnoud S. Q. Visser, "On Pedantry: A Cultural History of the Know-it-All" (Princeton UP, 2025)

February 2, 2026

On Pedantry

Arnoud S. Q. Visser
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

A lively and entertaining cultural history of a supremely annoying intellectual vice Intellectuals have long provoked scorn and irritation, even downr…

Felege-Selam Solomon Yirga, "The Chronicle of John of Nikiu: Coping with Crisis in Post-Roman Egypt" (U California Press, 2025)

February 2, 2026

The Chronicle of John of Nikiu

Felege-Selam Solomon Yirga
Hosted by Michael Motia

In the midst of profound political changes in late seventh-century Egypt, after the end of Roman hegemony and during Islamic rule, a bishop named John…

Vanessa R. Sasson, "The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women" (Equinox, 2023)

February 1, 2026

The Gathering

Vanessa R. Sasson

Vanessa R. Sasson's book The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women (Equinox, 2023) is a retelling of the story of the first Buddhist women's …

Daniel Eastman An, "Fear of God: Practicing Emotion in Late Antique Monasticism" (U California Press, 2025)

January 24, 2026

Fear of God

Daniel Eastman An
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In the writings of ancient Christians, the near-ubiquitous references to the "fear of God" have traditionally been seen as a generic placeholder for p…

Sean Mathews, "The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East" (Hurst, 2025)

January 8, 2026

The New Byzantines

Sean Mathews
Hosted by Nicholas Gordon

Where does Greece belong? Many look at the ancient Greek ruins of Athens, and see the cradle of Western civilization. But much of Greece’s history act…