Against the Lore: Recent Episodes
Zenia, Flo, Barney and Meg
Welcome to Against the Lore, the myth-busting ancient history podcast! Each episode, we fact check popular misconceptions around the ancient world. We take a general topic, look at how it worked in ancient history, and show how our modern world has been shaped by things that happened 2000+ years ago. Featuring Barney, Meg and Zenia, our experts on Near Eastern, Greek and Roman history, and Flo, our resident psychopomp. If you don't know what that is, you should probably listen to this podcast.
In which we revisit our favourite things from all of our eight seasons - because this will be the last of our regular content for the foreseeable :'( We'd like to say a huge thank you to all of our lovely listeners and supporters and we hope that you'll look out for some of the other outreach projects we have in the pipeline!
It's not the end of Against the Lore - just the end of the podcast. Goodbye for now <3
In which we are joined by Dr Kate Cook and Dr Jane Draycott, experts on classical videogames! Flo, Kate and Jane pitch their favourite videogames set in the ancient world to Meg and Zenia, who are totally new to gaming.
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!
In which we introduce the theme for series eight - the ancient world in modern popular culture! Each episode, we're going to bring our favourite examples of ancient history in popular culture, whether that's books, films, TV shows, videogames, brand names...there's a lot of ancient stuff out there. And Flo will judge the best examples of this 'classical reception'.
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 go against the lore on Archimedes while Lucretius muses on the nature of the universe and the Ancient Near Easterners predict the weather.
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 Jerry Toner to talk about natural disasters in the ancient world! Jerry goes against the lore to tell us that the Romans weren't actually that fussed about Vesuvius; Meg and Barney both share flood myths from Greek and Mesopotamian traditions; Flo wonders whether Pliny was the original storm chaser...
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.
In which we celebrate the festive season with drinks from each of our periods in history. Barney chugs beer, Zenia sips white wine, while Meg glugs Greek grog.
In which we welcome Iszi Lawrence to talk about the Scythians and their love of tattoos! Barney shares that the ancient Mesopotamians were very into piercings but across the ancient world, there were negative associations with tattoos, which were seen as a mark of punishment or ownership. Zenia reveals the etymology of the word 'stigma', and the whole Against the Lore team share what tattoos they would get...
In which we dive into history to find out the origins of how we write the way we do! The origins of the word 'alphabet' lie in Meg's territory, but she tag teams across to Barney to find out where the letters themselves came from. Meanwhile, Zenia reveals an unusual root to the Latin alphabet.
In which we welcome Rebecca Bradshaw to tell us about how the Ancient Near East commemorated conflict, and how the communities from that same area today value, preserve or even destroy ancient heritage. Meg shares stories about how the ancient Greeks remembered their war dead, while Zenia tells us that the Romans did their best to ignore theirs...
In which Meg chats to Bettina Joy de Guzman, classicist and multi-instrumentalist, about ancient instruments. Bettina plays us several beautiful lyres - deep ones, small ones, some in the shape of triangles - as well as the aulos and a selection of drums. Find out more about Bettina's work on bettinajoydeguzman.com
In which Barney, Zenia and Meg each share a ghost story from their respective historical periods. Meg tells us that Socrates believed in reincarnation, Zenia shares that mosquitos can come back to haunt you, and Barney reveals that leeks are the scariest vegetable...
In which Zenia reveals that there is no year zero, Barney takes us back to the future, and Meg is stuck in Ancient Greece's Groundhog Month.
In which Caroline Lawrence joins us again to talk about her favourite topic, superstition in the ancient world! Meg reveals a spell to turn you invisible, Barney takes us through Babylonian omens and Caroline tells us about the power of the evil eye...
In which we welcome Scott Gray to talk about colours in the ancient world! Meg and Scott discuss whether the ancient Greeks were colour-blind, Zenia tells us about how statues in the ancient world were painted in bright colours, and the colours of the rainbow confuse everyone, from Homer to Aristotle...
In which Against the Lore goes Against the Law with an episode on crime in the ancient world! Tune in for tales of heinous crimes (committed by hardened criminals like stale bread) and the trailer for a new series of Brooklyn 99 but set in ancient Babylonia...
In which Meg tells us about how the Olympics really started, Zenia tells us about how Nero messed them up, and Barney shares stories of ancient Near Eastern ultra runners.
In which we are joined by Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo! She tells us about Egyptian police baboons, Meg shares the story of Odysseus' loyal dog Argos, and Zenia goes against the lore on the rumour that Caligula made his horse a consul...
This special bonus episode is a guide to the Nero exhibition that's currently on at the British Museum. Zenia visited a few weeks ago and wanted to record a podcast that can accompany you around the exhibition, or help inform you before you visit it, or if you can't make it to the exhibition, this could serve as a long distance audio guide.
Happy birthday Zenia! And what better way to celebrate than to find out what people did for their birthdays in ancient times. Flo is disappointed to find out that people didn't eat their own birthday cakes, and Barney tells us the truth about horoscopes...
In which we find out what waste disposal methods were used in the ancient world. Zenia tells us the story of the Roman toilet octopus, and there's a unanimous vote to 'Bring Back Sulak', the Mesopotamian dirty hands demon...
In which Dr Jeremy Swist joins us again to talk about what music was like in the ancient world, and Meg tells us where the word 'guitar' comes from...
In which we welcome Dr Jeremy Swist as our special guest, and discover how ancient history features in metal music!
In which we welcome Caroline Lawrence as our special guest, and find out about smelly Romans, fly Mesopotamian hairstyles, deadly accessories and a shocking lack of pockets in the ancient world!
In which we talk about how neurodiversity might have been seen in the ancient world. Zenia and Flo discuss the Emperor Claudius and his potentially neurodiverse behaviour, and Barney shares a description of what could be OCD from a Babylonian text.
In which we compare ancient globetrotters from ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and the ancient near east! Zenia reveals that Hadrian's Wall was not just in Britain, and Barney makes the case for Babylonian king Nabonidus and his staycation.
In which we discover that there were no hospitals in the pre-Christian ancient world; Meg tells us about surgery in the Temples of Asclepius, and Barney describes the multiple uses for a goat in Babylonian medicine...
In which we introduce our favourite substitute teacher, Meg, and Barney insists that everything should be written on fireproof clay tablets.
In which we discover the real relationship of 'roommates' in the ancient world, and Flo offers to produce a Hollywood version of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In which we discover how ancient democracy was different from modern democracy, and Zenia tells us why the Romans were scared of crowns...
In which Barney tells us where chickens come from, and Flo discovers the Roman version of Marmite on Hadrian's Wall.
In which we find out about the parallels between Christmas and the Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Barney tells us about the 'old Egyptian switcheroo'.
Welcome to Against the Lore, the myth-busting ancient history podcast! Picking up on a hot news topic of the week, we look back at ancient lore to help us get to the core of modern day issues.
Who else is watching the new season of The Crown? In this episode we look at ancient marriages - the formal traditions, the big dresses, the juicy scandals - and Barney reveals the ancient version of WAP...
Welcome to Against the Lore, the myth busting ancient history podcast! In this episode, Alison, Barney, Flo and Zenia talk about how the ancient world dealt with plagues, epidemics and diseases. We compare strange cures and stupid deaths, and go against the lore on the very notion of an ancient pandemic.