In Our Time: 25 Key Figures in Ancient History

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 25 major leaders, thinkers and writers of the classical world 'The best thing on Radio 4, possibly the best thing on the radio full stop' The Spectator In Our Time is one of BBC Radio's most successful and best-loved programmes, with a weekly listenership of over two million. Since 1998, it has 'transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time' (The Times), introducing its audience to an astonishing array of intriguing topics, from the epic of Gilgamesh to the gin craze. This special thematic collection focusses on some of the most important rulers, philosophers and writers of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. Across 25 episodes, presenter Melvyn Bragg and a panel of top-class academics engage in lively and eloquent conversation as they explore the lives, reputations and impact of these pivotal figures. Their subjects include emperors, statesmen, military leaders, authors, poets, playwrights, fabulists and theorists - among them Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Socrates, Pythagoras, Ovid, Aesop and Sappho. Whether you're a long-standing In Our Time fan or a new listener, a student of ancient history or simply keen to expand your knowledge; this thoughtfully curated compilation of illuminating, accessible discussions is sure to enlighten and entertain. Production credits Presented by Melvyn Bragg Produced by Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Victoria Brignell, Natalia Fernandez and Luke Mulhall First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: Part I: Leaders of Ancient Rome Julius Caesar 2 October 2014 With Christopher Pelling, Catherine Steel and Maria Wyke Cleopatra 2 December 2010 With Catharine Edwards, Maria Wyke and Susan Walker Cicero 25 January 2018 With Melissa Lane, Catherine Steel and Valentina Arena Agrippina the Younger 31 March 2016 With Catharine Edwards, Alice König and Matthew Nicholls Nero 25 April 2019 With Maria Wyke, Matthew Nicholls and Shushma Malik Constantine the Great 5 October 2017 With Christopher Kelly, Lucy Grig and Greg Woolf Marcus Aurelius 25 February 2021 With Simon Goldhill, Angie Hobbs and Catharine Edwards Pliny the Younger 12 December 2013 With Catharine Edwards, Roy Gibson and Alice König Queen Zenobia 30 May 2013 With Edith Hall, Kate Cooper and Richard Stoneman Part II: Leaders of Ancient Greece Pericles 17 September 2020 With Edith Hall, Paul Cartledge and Peter Liddel Alexander the Great 1 October 2015 With Paul Cartledge, Diana Spencer and Rachel Mairs Part III: Thinkers of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece Galen 10 October 2013 With Vivian Nutton, Helen King and Caroline Petit Thucydides 29 January 2015 With Paul Cartledge, Katherine Harloe and Neville Morley Xenophon 26 May 2011 With Paul Cartledge, Edith Hall and Simon Goldhill Heraclites 8 December 2011 With Angie Hobbs, Peter Adamson and James Warren Socrates 27 September 2007 With Angie Hobbs, David Sedley and Paul Millett Archimedes 25 January 2007 With Jackie Stedall, Serafina Cuomo and George Phillips Pythagoras 10 December 2009 With Serafina Cuomo, John O'Connor and Ian Stewart Part IV: Writers of Ancient Rome Seneca the Younger 23 February 2017 With Catharine Edwards, Mary Beard and Alessandro Schiesaro Josephus 21 May 2015 With Tessa Rajak, Philip Alexander and Martin Goodman Ovid 29 April 2021 With Maria Wyke, Gail Trimble and Dunstan Lowe Horace 15 November 2018 With Emily Gowers, William Fitzgerald and Ellen O'Gorman Part V: Writers of Ancient Greece Aesop 20 November 2014 With Pavlos Avlamis, Simon Goldhill and Lucy Grig Herodotus 23 September 2021 With Tom Harrison, Esther Eidinow and Paul Cartledge Sappho 9 April 2015 With Edith Hall, Margaret Reynolds and Dirk Obbink © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.