Against the Lore

In which Zenia, Meg and Barney pitch Flo their favourite music video that includes classical references! We start with surprise Icarus in a BTS MV, followed by Lil Nas X and Lizzo putting their spin on classical antiquity, while Barney breaks down Katy Perry's Dark Horse...

In which we pitch Flo our favourite documentaries about the ancient world. For Zenia and Meg, these documentaries were genuinely life-changing, setting them on the path that has led all the way up to Against the Lore! But for Barney, the world of documentaries is changing, and not in a good way...

In which Meg, Zenia and Barney pitch Flo their favourite TV drama series set in the ancient world. Zenia puts forward ITV's Plebs and HBO's Rome and Barney fast follows with Starz's steamy series Spartacus, and pitches Gilgamesh as a mini-series. Meg brings two BBC dramas, Atlantis and Troy: Fall of a City, but also pitches a Glee-style series around the City Dionysia.

What's your favourite ancient series?

In which Zenia, Barney and Meg pitch to Flo their favourite movies set in the ancient world. From Gladiator to Troy, from Prince of Egypt to Gods of Egypt, we go against the lore on thumbs down and the eye of Horus.

In which we welcome special guest Dr Mai Musie to talk about novels, both ancient and modern, set in the ancient world! Mai tells us about novels written in the Roman Empire, which are rollicking tales of love and magic and adventure - and even science fiction! Barney brings an Egyptian Robinson Crusoe to the table, while Meg pitches the queer icon Mary Renault's books and Zenia goes with a classic, I Claudius.

In which we each pitch our favourite children's books set in the ancient world to Flo! Zenia continues fangirling for Caroline Lawrence, Meg is onto a winner with Vesuvius Poovius, while Barney stans Horrible Histories.

In which we pitch our favourite retellings of ancient myth to Flo and she chooses her favourite. From poetic Achilles to sponge adventures to Zeus Behaving Badly, we explore all sorts of Greek myth retellings!

What's Classical Reception? Find out in our next series...

In which we are joined by the Titan of Classics, Edith Hall, to talk about classicists from underprivileged backgrounds. From Isobel Cotton the blacksmith's daughter to Hormuzd Rassam to Freya Stark, these ordinary people defied social expectations and class limitations to make their mark on the history of Classics.

In which Caroline Lawrence joins us again to talk about storytelling in the ancient world. Of course, the great epics are the protagonists in this episode, but the key to how these stories were passed down was the incredible memorisation techniques that the ancients used on a daily basis.

In which we learn about the Mesopotamian goose-god of the earth, the Roman intersex (?) god(dess?) of the earth, and the Greek primordial quartet.

In an episode that is straight fire, Barney tells us that the ancient Egyptians thought the sun was made of poo, while Meg brings some beautiful poetry, ancient and (more) modern, to the hearth. Zenia tells the tragic story of the Great Fire of Rome and describes the super-stylish uniforms of ancient Rome's firefighters.

In which Meg begins a 'not all aqueducts' pipe positivity movement, Barney tells us about Hapi the Egyptian intersex idol, while Zenia tells the story of syncretism in Roman Bath.

In which we learn about the Romans who toppled statues, Egyptians who cached mummies, and Greeks who had a grand old time...!

In which we are joined by Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson to talk about classics teaching and education today. If you're interested in any of the resources mentioned in the podcast, check out our public post on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/againstthelorepodcast

In which we compare power structures across the ancient world - from the 'big men' (otherwise known as loo girls) in the ancient Near East, to democracy in ancient Greece, to Roman kings and emperors.

In which we discover the dolphin coins of Ancient Greek colonies, Ancient Egypt's cheap gold and Ancient Rome's horrendous inflation.

In which we hear Sappho's version of Teenage Dirtbag, Enkidu's entry to civilisation and Caesar, Queen of Bithynia...

In which we play Saturnalia and Flo takes over being the ancient history expert! Listen out for the Easter Eggs in our QI-style buzzers...

In which we find out about Tutankhamun's space dagger and Barney comes up with an excellent PhD title...

In which we find out about some creation myths that have similarities to our episode on fertility and meet some ancient David Attenborough equivalents.

In which we discover how the ancients made and appreciated art. From bricks as art in ancient Persia to art as storytelling in ancient Rome to joke art in ancient Greece, the ancient world is full of beauty!

In which we discover the Greek origins of modern-day theatre, the Roman version of pantomime (oh no we don't) and ancient Near Eastern ritual performances, including a ritual slap of the King for New Year's. Coronation inspo, anyone?!

In which we learn what games were played in the ancient world - the Romans and Greeks typically liked strategy games, while the Mesopotamians and Egyptians read omens into their race games...

In which we discover that ugliness can be lucky, disability can be divine, and Enkidu and Anne Hathaway have a surprising amount in common...

In which we find out what it meant to be bad in the ancient world - for Barney and the ancient near east, it's demons, whereas the Greek philosophers thought badness was due to a lack of self-control, and several emperors vie for the title of worst Roman!

In which we discover what the ancient Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Babylonians thought of as Good! From Marcus Aurelius' commendable journalling habit, to Aristotle's virtue-signalling, to Gilgamesh's pursuit of eternal life, there's a grand scale of ancient goodness. But the key question we try to answer in the podcast is: where exactly does Papa John's fit on this scale? Plato may have the answer...

Get ready for a new format...triple threat episodes! Starting off with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

In which we're joined again by Caroline Lawrence, who is shocked by Soranus' terrible advice about breastfeeding. Meg tells us about the ancient Greek baby shower (aka the amphidromia ritual), while Barney reveals the ancient Sumerian word for midwife.

In which Caroline Lawrence returns to tell us about the textbook-perfect birth from Roman times! Barney attempts an induction via Akkadian incantations, while Meg tells us about the pollution that the ancient Greeks associated with childbirth - which have strange echoes of the covid rules...

In which we hear pregnancy advice from the ancient world! Roman doctor Soranus has some helpful practical advice for the third trimester, while the abortion debate raged among the Hippocratic doctors as much as it does in some countries today. Meanwhile, the hippo goddess of ancient Egypt and Babylonian demons join forces to protect unborn children. 

In which we find out how the peoples of the ancient world tried, and tried not, to conceive. From Pliny the Elder's spider-sourced implant to Babylonian couples therapy to an ancient Greek contraceptive cocktail, we categorically do not recommend you try these recipes at home...

In which Caroline Lawrence joins us again to discuss women's health in the ancient world! Meg talks about how Aristotle saw women as weak and spongy, basically human Brita filters, while Zenia highlights a Roman husband-and-wife doctor dream team. Caroline talks about Hippocrates' ideas of the wandering womb and the imbalance of the four humours, while Barney points out that the earliest gynaecological text comes from ancient Egypt. 

Big news all round! Announcing Dr Meg, two Against the Lore babies and the return of Caroline Lawrence. Oh, and Barney's cat's new trick...

In which we tackle the biggest misconceptions that you shared in a recent Twitter poll! We go against the lore on the assumption that the ancient world is about Northern European (white) history, that ancient peoples had no concept of their own history, and that Greek philosophers were seen as cool in their own day...

In which we go Against the Lore on some of the biggest conspiracy theories about the ancient world - both ancient and modern.

In this episode, we welcome Ophelie Lebrasseur, archaeologist and expert on chickens! From royal chickens in the Ancient Near East, to the world's first chicken farm, to chickens as sex symbols in ancient Greece, to omen-giving sacred chickens in ancient Rome, Ophelie joins the rest of the gang as we trace the history of chickens in archaeology, literature, and art in the ancient world!

In which we engage in our favourite British pastime - talking about the weather. Zenia tells us about how Hannibal made bad weather work for him (and his elephants), Meg shares the story of Odysseus' mishap with the winds, and Barney tells us about how priests in the Ancient Near East interpreted different types of thunder.

In which we gossip about famous historical breakups, like the mythological breakups of Jason and Medea or Ishtar and Dumuzid, or the dramatic divorce case of Fannia and Titinius (who have normal, not funny names) and the attempted divorce by Hipparete of her playboy husband Alcibiades. If we thought modern breakups were gossip-fodder, then ancient history shows that breakups have always been juicy news!

In which we compare assassinations in the ancient world, by advising Flo on how to get rid of a troublesome person in her life. Zenia tells us how the Romans found stabbing a foolproof method; Meg brings some variety to the mix by adding a potential poisoning to the stabbing theme; meanwhile Barney reveals some unorthodox Ancient Near Eastern methods for assassination - including being pelted to death with cylinder seals. 

In which we welcome back Caroline Lawrence to talk about what kind of names people had in the ancient world! From the Roman triple name to the Greek joke name to the Pharaohs' five names, we discover what really is in a name. 

In which we welcome back Iszi Lawrence to talk about civilisation collapse! Cue doom and gloom and...donkey chariots?

Check out Iszi's new show, Your Place or Mine, on BBC Sounds. 

In which Flo finds out what hairstyles she would have rocked in our three different periods of ancient history! Meg says her short hair would have been suitable for a slave, while Zenia advises Flo to get herself a monobrow and an ornatrix (Latin for hairdresser). Barney takes us through the different hairstyles of Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East - be warned, this episode comes with a visual cue!

In which we play a game of smash or pass on the celebrities of antiquity...from actors to priests to kings to politicians, there's a whole range of ancient celebs on whom we dish the dirt...

In which we welcome Professor Michael Scott, who has co-presented several series of the BBC's Invisible Cities, to talk to us about buildings! We each present our favourite buildings from the ancient world: Michael votes for the Parthenon, Zenia proposes Hadrian's Wall, Barney shares his admiration for the pyramids and Meg of course likes the building named after her (not really but sort of). 

In which we welcome Dr Valerie Smitherman to talk about the connections between ancient and modern poetry. Valerie tells us about her research on Bedouin poetic traditions and the modern-day X-factor style TV poetry contest in the UAE. Barney, Zenia and Meg each share their favourite poems from the ancient world.

In which we try to purge our January blues by getting all our pet peeves out in one go. Zenia objects to the objectification of Cleopatra; Meg goes against the lore on some assumptions about Homer, and Barney points a finger at orientalist attitudes to the Ancient Near East.