Underneath the Toga pt 2 (With Naomi Alderman)
Instant Classics
Why classics matters now
Naomi argues classics helps contextualise technological upheaval and offers historical perspective and comfort.
Naomi Alderman is an author and games designer. Her books include Disobedience (adapted into a film starring Rachel Weisz), The Power (also an Amazon Prime series) and most recently The Future. She’s also an emerging classicist and reached out to Instant Classics after our episode on the toga came happily close to her MA thesis on the same subject.
In this episode, Naomi sets the record straight about when and why women in Ancient Rome may have worn the toga, talks about her interest in the classical world and why studying it gives her solace. Finally, she asks the big question - which Mary and Charlotte answer too - if you could rescue one lost work of literature from the past, what would it be?
This episode was recorded in a moment of immense jeopardy as Naomi waited to discover if she had passed her Classics MA or not. The next day we had our answer. Yes - and with distinction. Which is not surprising based on the evidence of her conversation in this episode.
Content warning: this episode contains mildly explicit comments about sex in the ancient world.
@instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and YouTube
@insta_classics for X
email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com
Mary and Charlotte recommend some further reading: all Naomi’s books, games, broadcasts and myriad other activities can be found on her website, naomialderman.com
The question of Roman women (and which Roman women) wearing the toga has been discussed in intricate detail for decades. Naomi’s dissertation clearly disposes of the idea that adulteresses were forced to wear it. But if you want a flavour of the arguments, one of the clearest discussions, yes clearest (!), try Thomas A J McGinn, Prostitution, Sexuality and the Law in Ancient Rome (OUP pb, 1998), esp chap 5.
Mary chose the autobiography of Nero’s mother, Agrippina, as her favourite “lost work” of the ancient world. There is more on this in A. A. Barrett’s Agrippina, Mother of Nero (Routledge pb, 1999).
Charlotte made a reference to a 19th century science fiction novel whose name she couldn’t remember – it was After London by Richard Jefferies
Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci
Producer: Jonty Claypole
Executive Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford
Video Editor: Jak Ford
Theme music: Casey Gibson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The AI-powered Podcast Player
