The Rest Is History
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Instant Classics
by Vespucci
Today: #178 in History on our combined chart.
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| Date | Apple Podcasts |
|---|---|
| Oct 3 | #170 |
About the show
Join world-renowned classicist Mary Beard and Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins for Instant Classics — the weekly podcast that proves ancient history is still relevant.
Ancient stories, modern twists… and no degree in Classics required.
Discover The Odyssey and join the book club at: https://www.exploringtheodyssey.com
Latest episodes
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The Bayeux Tapestry: Britain’s Lost Latin masterpiece
October 1, 2026 · 56 minMary and Charlotte delve into the stitching of the Bayeux Tapestry, a 224-foot long narrative embroidery charting William the Conqueror’s successful invasion of England in 1066. Little is certain about the creation of the textile, but it…
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Classic Chats: Daniel Mendelsohn on translating the Odyssey
September 24, 2026 · 60 minMary and Charlotte talk to Daniel Mendelsohn, one of America’s most revered classicists, whose new translation of the Odyssey was published last year. Daniel’s decision to translate the Odyssey occurred rather unusually. In 2011, his…
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How Homer’s Odyssey Conquered the English-speaking World
September 17, 2026 · 60 minLast episode, Mary and Charlotte looked at how Homer’s Odyssey was reinterpreted in the Ancient World by writers like Euripides, Virgil and Ovid. In this episode, they show how it shaped English fiction - from Shakespeare through to…
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How Homer's Odyssey Conquered the Ancient World
September 10, 2026 · 53 minEver since the Odyssey was composed, people have retold the story, played with it or used it as a departure point for similar or related stories. In this episode, Mary and Charlotte look at what happened next. How the Odyssey inspired…
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The Vestal Virgins - just how virginal were they?
September 3, 2026 · 54 minFew elements of ancient Rome have inspired quite such lurid speculation – by the Romans as well as ourselves – as the vestal virgins. Mary and Charlotte enter the (imaginary) temple of Vesta to separate fact from myth. The Vestal Virgins…
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Classic Chats: Robert Harris on ‘Agrippa’
August 27, 2026 · 54 minMary and Charlotte talk to best-selling author Robert Harris about his new novel ‘Agrippa’. Robert Harris has published 16 novels, of which nine have been made into films, including The Ghost Writer, Enigma and the Oscar-winning papal…
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Marcus Agrippa: Power behind the throne
August 20, 2026 · 54 minOf all the Roman Emperors, Augustus has the reputation of being the most… well… august. That is to say, competent, level-headed and judicious. Not to mention one of the few who died of natural causes. But, according to Mary and Charlotte…
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BONUS Emily Wilson on translating the Odyssey
August 18, 2026 · 50 minA few months back we spoke to Emily Wilson on our subscriber series Exploring the Odyssey. Emily has been in the news recently, partly because her acclaimed 2017 translation of The Odyssey inspired Christopher Nolan, and partly because her…