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Welcome to this new podcast series featuring the research of UCL's staff and students on fascinating topics relating to the ancient world.
Meet the team
Dr Giovanna Di Martino, Co-Host
Hello! I'm a research fellow in Ancient Greek Literature at UCL working on translations, adaptations, and performances of ancient Greek drama in the early modern period. I am very excited to be hosting this podcast series and to learn about exciting new areas of research in the ancient world from our wonderful guests!
Sofia Bongiovanni, Producer
Hi, all! I am a PhD student at the Department of Greek and Latin at UCL; alongside producing this podcast, I chair the Lyceum Classics Community Seminar and am a Latin tutor. I received my MA at UCL and throughout my postgraduate experience, I have had the chance to meet many amazing graduate students who are investigating various aspects of the ancient world. I hope that you will enjoy listening to their voices as much as I do!
Mateen Arghandehpour, Co-Host
Hello! I'm a PhD student at UCL and I host the podcast with Giovanna. I love talking to people about their research and am very pleased to publish such talks as podcasts. I believe that the ancient world was a wonderful world and am excited to see so many facets of that from everyone's research!
Melissa Pires Da Silva, Producer
Hi there! I’m a PhD student at UCL, working on the reception of Homer and Virgil’s epics in twentieth-century French and German literature. I previously hosted the UCL Lyceum Seminar, and am now excited to be a host on UCL’s new Podcast Series, to continue building a space of exchange for fellow ancient world researchers and passionates from all areas!
Full playlist
Season One Podcasts
Episode 1: Culture and Politics of the Achaemenid Empire
Host: Giovanna Di Martino
Guest Speaker: Mateen Arghandehpour
Production: Giovanna Di Martino
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 2: Violence in Seneca the Younger
Guest Speaker: Sofia Bongiovanni
Production: Sofia Bongiovanni
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 3: 'Family' in Broch and Giraudoux's receptions of the Homeric and Virgilian epics
Guest Speaker: Melissa Pires da Silva
Production: Sofia Bongiovanni
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 4: Lucretius' De Rerum Natura
Guest Speaker: Marta Martín Díaz
Production: Sofia Bongiovanni
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 5: (Mis)understanding heroes: from Achilles to Superman
What do Achilles and Superman have in common and how do they differ? What is heroism in Homer and in modern times? Why is Achilles the best of ancient heroes? A fascinating interview with Homerist Dr Antony Makrinos who talks about heroism and his favourite Homeric hero, the mighty, swifty footed Achilles sharing the same heroic qualities with our own Superman.
Host: Mateen Arghandehpour
Guest Speaker: Dr. Antony Makrinos
Production: Sofia Bongiovanni
Music: Anna Marcanio
Season Two Podcasts
In this season, you can listen to some of the exciting, international collaborative research projects our staff are engaged with here at UCL. Feel free to drop your comments in the feedback form provided below if you have a few minutes to spare!
Episode 6: Comparative Classics: Greece, Rome, and India
Season Two begins with a discussion with Prof. Phiroze Vasunia who talks about his new inter-institution research project ‘Comparative Classics, Greece, Rome, and India’. You can see more about Prof. Vasunia at the Departmental People page and more on the project is situated on the Departmental Research pages.
Host: Mélissa Pires Da Silva
Guest Speaker: Prof. Phiroze Vasunia
Production: Giovanna Di Martino
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 7: The History and Literature of the Cuneiform World
In the Second Episode of Season Two Professor Mark Weeden talks about his current research across the Cuneiform World from hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Turkey to cuneiform tablets found in Iraq. You can see more about Prof. Weeden at the Departmental People page.
Host: Sofia Bongiovanni
Guest Speaker: Dr. Mark Weeden
Production: Mélissa Pires Da Silva
Music: Anna Marcanio
Episode 8: Ancient Greek Women Philosophers
In this Third Episode of Season Two, Dr Caterina Pellò talks about her current research on Ancient Greek Women Philosophers and offers a sneak peek at the volume she is co-editing on Ancient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives for Cambridge University Press. See more about Dr Pellò here.
Host: Giovanna Di Martino
Guest Speaker: Caterina Pellò
Producer: Sofia Bongiovanni
Music: Anna Marcanio
Feedback
Enjoying these podcasts? Have you any recommendations, thoughts to share or questions to pose? Drop us a line!