Instant Classics

In Ancient Greece, the Iliad was the poem above all other poems - an epic full of war and bloodshed that tells of the great heroes who fought and died for Troy.  But not so long after the supposed composition of the Iliad, a woman on the Mediterranean island of Lesbos, close to the coast of modern-day Turkey, introduced a new and enduring note to poetry: desire.  Her name was Sappho. She was revered through the Ancient World, but today only one work survives in its entirety: a poem usually known as the Hymn to Aphrodite. The rest is fragments - only about 600 lines of the 10,000 lines the Romans were still reading seven centuries after her death.  Sappho lived in the 7th Century BCE, long before the rise of Athens as the dominant city-state in Ancient Greece. It was before democracy, before the Parthenon and, arguably, before the extreme subjugation of women common in the later “classical” period. Women weren’t exactly liberated in seventh century Lesbos, but it looks like they were a lot freer than in fifth-century Athens.  From her poetry, we can tell she was an aristocrat, a singer, a lover, and a mother.  Sappho, famously, loved women. And in this episode, Charlotte and Mary explain why they also love Sappho. Not only is she the great poet of desire, but she also writes about nature, motherhood, middle-age, bad knees, and why war - despite what her brothers might say - is boring.  Charlotte and Mary recreate what they can of Sappho’s life and art. And they ask the big question: why is it that so little of her work survives compared to many male writers of the ancient world? Are medieval monks to blame? Was she, as Otis Redding sang, just too hot to handle?  @instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for X email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com To join the Instant Classics Book Club and share our trip into Homer’s Odyssey, go to  https://instantclassics.supportingcast.fm/ New episodes will be published every other Tuesday, and available exclusively for members beginning 30th September. Sign up now with the promo code EARLYBIRD25 to receive a 25% discount on membership.  Mary and Charlotte’s recommended reads: There are hundreds of translations and adaptations of Sappho. Two of Mary and Charlotte’s recent favourites are: Anne Carson: If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho and Stanley Lombardo: Sappho, Poems and Fragments In her book, Eros, the Bittersweet, Carson also asks what makes Sappho the great poet of desire.  The world behind the poetry is the subject of Rosalind Thomas’s “Sappho’s Lesbos”, in The Cambridge Companion to Sappho. This is a fairly specialist collection of essays, but takes the story of Sappho’s influence right up to the present, from the USA to India, China and Latin America. For the controversies around the new discoveries of Sappho’s poetry made a decade ago, start with Roberta Mazza, Stolen Fragments (extraordinary detective work on the world of the illegal  trade in ancient papyri). Three articles by Charlotte also discuss that “new” Sappho and lift the lid on the problems: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/29/sappho-ancient-greek-poet-unknown-works-discovered  https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jan/09/a-scandal-in-oxford-the-curious-case-of-the-stolen-gospel  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/25/doubts-cast-over-provenance-of-unearthed-sappho-poems Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole  Executive Producer: Jo Meek  Senior Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Video Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Think ‘Roman sport’ and images of Kirk Douglas, Russell Crowe, Paul Mescal and other Hollywood gladiators may come to mind. But while the Romans were partial to blood-sports, chariot-racing was the really big thing.  The archaeological remains of chariot-racing tracks have been found all over the Roman Empire, but none suggest a scale or grandeur close to the Circus Maximus in Rome. At full capacity, we think it could take a quarter of a million people - that’s twice the largest football stadium today.  In this episode, Mary and Charlotte recreate what a day at the races was actually like for the Romans. They describe how chariot-racing worked as a sport, what the experience may have been like for the spectators (courtesy of the poet Ovid), although remain stumped by the not insignificant issue of how a quarter of a million people went to the loo when archeological labour has - so far - only discovered one, solitary toilet.  They also describe how the chariot-racing industry worked, and the phenomenal wealth that prize charioteers acquired (Cristiano Ronaldo looks underpaid in comparison).  Ultimately, it is impossible to draw comparisons with sporting events today because chariot-racing at the Circus Maximus was far more than entertainment. It played a hugely important role in the political life of the empire as one of the few places where the people in large numbers could encounter the emperor . As a consequence, it was not only a site for chariot-racing but for mass public protest. How the emperor behaved, before the gaze of the city, was critical to his popularity. While no emperor was ever unseated at the Circus Maximus, it gave his enemies a chance to see whether the people would mind if something unpleasant happened to him later.  @instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for X email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com To join the Instant Classics Book Club and share our trip into Homer’s Odyssey, go to  https://instantclassics.supportingcast.fm/ New episodes will be published every other Tuesday, and available exclusively for members beginning 30th September. Sign up now with the promo code EARLYBIRD25 to receive a 25% discount on membership.  Mary and Charlotte’s recommended reads: For good introductions to the “sport”, try: F. Meijer, Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire (Johns Hopkins, 2010) J. Toner, The Day Commodus Killed a Rhino: understanding the Roman Games (Johns Hopkins pb, 2015) The career of the super successful Diocles is the theme of an online article by Peter Struck: https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/greatest-all-time Mary discusses the problems that emperors had at the races  in her book Emperor of Rome (Profile pb, 2024) Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole  Executive Producer: Jo Meek  Senior Producer: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Video Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The journey of Odysseus unfolds, revealing themes of adventure, identity, and morality. The podcast dives into its rich characters and complex narrative, including father-son dynamics. A film adaptation by Christopher Nolan adds modern relevance, while discussions on diverse translations showcase the poem's accessibility. Listeners discover how the oral tradition shapes its legacy, making this ancient tale resonate today. Personal connections to the story highlight the timeless allure of Odysseus's quest for home, making it an epic for the ages.

Dropping tomorrow, and every other Tuesday, the Instant Classics Book Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast dives into the intriguing parallels between Donald Trump and ancient Roman emperors, exploring how history often influences modern politics. The hosts discuss the unreliable narratives of figures like Suetonius and how these tales shaped perceptions of power. They examine extravagant behaviors shared by Trump and emperors, revealing the complexities of leadership and authority. The dialogue weaves together ancient myths and contemporary political strategies, shedding light on the enduring impact of imperial history on today’s society.

A new podcast hosted by Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins. Ancient stories, modern twists… and no degree in Classics required. Episode 1 Available on Thursday, August 28th, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices