Two Friends Talk History is a podcast where public historian, Zofia, chats with scholars, archaeologists, researchers and more to explore fascinating histories, look behind the scenes and ask the big question that's missing in much academic discourse: so what? Why is this relevant today? Find me on Instagram @TwoFriendsTalkHistory and website, ArchaeoArtist.com. Support the Pod @Patreon.com/archaeoartist For show merch @ https://www.redbubble.com/people/TFTHPodcast/shop?asc=u
…
continue reading

1
Invisible Chains: Human Trafficking in Antiquity with Florence Felsheim
1:16:53
1:16:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:16:53By An ArchaeoArtist Production
…
continue reading

1
Classical Reception of Sexual Violence in Antiquity in Modern Visual Media with Briana King
1:05:37
1:05:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:05:37In the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia and Dr Briana King return to our discussion into Classical Receptions studies. This time, we go into some of the heavier subject matter that we felt deserved its own episode. Briana joins me to unpack the dark and often overlooked threads of sexual violence in ancient history and its modern r…
…
continue reading

1
Digital Archaeology with Florence Felsheim
50:24
50:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:24In the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia invites the brilliant Florence Felsheim, a PhD candidate in Classics at the University of St Andrews, for a fascinating deep dive into the intersection of virtual reality (VR), art, and cultural heritage. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the ways we visualize and interpre…
…
continue reading

1
Special Episode: The Ancient Peace Studies Network with Alice König
1:03:19
1:03:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:19In part 2 of our collaboration, Zofia guest-hosts the Visualising War and Peace Podcast to interview project founder, Dr. Alice König. In this conversation, Alice she unveils the groundbreaking Ancient Peace Studies Network—the first of its kind dedicated to examining how peace was understood, experienced, and represented across different ancient c…
…
continue reading

1
Special Episode: Ancient war stories and their real-world ramifications with Dr Alice König
1:05:36
1:05:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:05:36To launch series 4 of Two Friends Talk History, I was very fortunate to interview Dr Alice König, host of the Visualising War and Peace Podcast, for this special crossover episode. Alice has recently co-edited a new book with Nicolas Wiater, on ancient conflict narratives, called Visualising War across the Ancient Mediterranean: Interplay between C…
…
continue reading

1
Poverty in Late Antiquity with Carlos Machado
43:41
43:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:41In this episode, I interview Dr Carlos Machado from the University of St Andrews about the social perceptions and realities of poverty in the Late Antique period. Dr Machado is a Roman historian whose work focuses on aspects of urban space in the Late Antique Roman world, from elite building, honorific monuments, and domestic spaces; he is now work…
…
continue reading

1
Athletics and Honour with Giorgos Mouratidis
26:59
26:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
26:59In this episode, I conduct an in-person interview with the Assistant Director of the British School at Athens, Dr Giorgos Mouraditis. Giorgos' research focuses on athletic self-representation in inscriptions from the Hellenistic and Imperial periods. Listeners will be familiar with the British School of Athens from the last episode when I met with …
…
continue reading
In this week's episode, flips the script and am interviewed by returning guest, Dr Briana King. This episode will be part one of an ongoing look at how the ancient world is used in different media today! I discuss with Dr King the history of “Classics” and what we mean when we discuss classical reception. Our first conversation is meant to lay down…
…
continue reading

1
Research and Engagement at the BSA with Rebecca Sweetman
27:05
27:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:05In this week's episode, Zofia interviews the Director of the British School at Athens (BSA), Professor Rebecca Sweetman. Rebecca has stepped into the role of Director of the BSA for the next few years and has really hit the ground running. We discuss the role and responsibilities of the institute and the exciting outreach she is leading with her fa…
…
continue reading

1
Visualising War and Peace in Antiquity with Alice König
1:04:12
1:04:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:12In this episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia interviews Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of St Andrews, and founder of the Visualising War and Peace Project, Dr Alice König. In this interview, Zofia asks Alice about ideas of representing war in antiquity, and if concepts like a ‘peace movement’ was possible in a period of Roman I…
…
continue reading
In this week's episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia is joined by Dr Sam Ellis, an expert in the language of tyranny in antiquity and the study of monocratic power in the Greek polis from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. We explore how the language used to frame the actions of sole rulers has created a construct of 'tyrant' that remains …
…
continue reading

1
Wishing Upon a Romano-British Well with Maxime Ratcliffe
45:17
45:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:17This week on Two Friends Talk History, I spoke with Dr Maxime Ratcliffe, hot off the press with his recently awarded doctorate, to discuss Romano-British well depositions and the tantalising mysteries that were buried within them. We explore their persistence in the British landscape, and their possible uses in antiquity. For a suggested reading li…
…
continue reading

1
The Archaeology of Alcohol with Alexandra Slucky
50:42
50:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:42In this week’s episode, Zofia is joined by returning guest, archaeologist, and archaeobotanist, Alexandra Slucky, to discuss the archaeology of alcohol! We discuss the archaeological process used to identify historic alcoholic vessels and processes. For a suggested reading list and more information, please check out my website for a blog post on th…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Elke Close about Polybius, the Achaean statesman, teacher, and historian from the Hellenistic period. Polybius was active in Megalopolis at the tail end of the period of Greek independence following the wars of the Hellenistic kings and the rise of the Roman empire. Elke discusses the social context and politica…
…
continue reading
In this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Alex Imrie about the historical context and impact of the Severan dynasty on the Roman Empire and beyond. We unpack how the dysfunctional family engaged with each other and the tumultuous world of politics and warfare around them while trying to connect to a human center. Dr Imrie is a Tutor in Classics at the U…
…
continue reading

1
Reconnecting Heritage: Repatriation and Museums with Barbara Winter
57:31
57:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:31Kicking off Series 3, in this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Barbara Winter to discuss how indigenous artifacts have traditionally been collected and displayed in western Canada. This discussion touches on the arguments historically used to keep acquired material culture outside of minority communities (by colonial powers), and in large museum collec…
…
continue reading

1
Multilingualism in Republican Italy with Rory Nutter
44:46
44:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:46Drawing the year to a close, this week, Zofia is joined by historian Dr Rory Nutter. Together we discuss the linguistic changes that took place in the Italian peninsula over the 4th- 3rd centuries BCE as Latin speakers interacted with the mosaic of languages spoken in the region, and the importance of looking at the materiality of objects when read…
…
continue reading

1
Vampires in Antiquity with Ambra Ghiringhelli
1:02:57
1:02:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:57In this weeks' episode, Zofia is joined by classical scholar and vampire fang-atic, doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, Ambra Ghiringhelli. Getting to the heart of the vampires in antiquity and in the archaeological record, we shine light in the darkest of spooky places where these immortal bloodsuckers have haunted our imaginations …
…
continue reading

1
Witches in the Classical World with Celeste Du Blois
49:06
49:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:06In this episode, Zofia is joined again by Latinist and researcher of ancient magic, Celeste De Blois, a Classics doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh. Celeste returns to the pod to discuss witches in Greek mythology, Homeric stories, and Roman elegies. Click here to read the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, discussed in the episode. To get in …
…
continue reading

1
Teen Wolf and Werewolves in Antiquity with Javier Martínez Jiménez
38:34
38:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:34In this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and Late Antique period specialist Dr Javier Martínez Jiménez, currently a PDRA in the Cambridge Faculty of Classics "Impact of the Ancient City" ERC Project, to discuss his new article and foray into Classical Reception Studies, who looked at naughties tv Teen Wolf reboot and how it uses Classical …
…
continue reading

1
Rollin' Down Roman Rivers with James Page
48:41
48:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:41In this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James R. Page! James shares his insights into how Romans dealt with the changing and often dangerous environment of river transportation, and how local resilience and adaptation changed landscapes in their pursuit of water management! I hope you enjoy the e…
…
continue reading

1
The Globalised Mediterranean with Meg Currie-Moodie
40:58
40:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:58This week, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and outdoor adventure entrepreneur, Dr Meg Currie-Moodie. Meg and I talk about the globalised Mediterranean in antiquity, and what it meant to have shared visual language - a visual koine. We discuss large-scale material culture which employs globalised artistic elements - the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretani…
…
continue reading
From my recent stay at the British School at Athens, I am joined by archaeologist and Byzantine pottery specialist, the talented Dr Rossana Valente! Dr Rossana Valente (Richard Bradford McConnell Studentship holder) is a postdoctoral researcher at the British School at Athens and Visiting Research Fellow at Newcastle University. Rossana is part of …
…
continue reading

1
The Late Antique City with Javier Martínez Jiménez
55:38
55:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:38In this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and Late Antique period specialist Dr Javier Martínez Jiménez, currently a PDRA in the Cambridge Faculty of Classics "Impact of the Ancient City" ERC Project, to discuss the social changes that characterised the transition to the Late Antique period. We discuss the knock-on effects of these changes …
…
continue reading

1
Roman Curses and Love Magic with Celeste Du Blois
51:43
51:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:43In this episode, Zofia is joined by fellow French Canadian and doctoral candidate, Celeste Du Bois, to discuss Roman curses and love magic in literature and in the archaeological evidence of curse tablets. We explore the challenges to studying religion from the bottom up (so to speak) and some of the intriguing ritual practices of people in the Gre…
…
continue reading

1
Bronze Age Kefalonia: the Tzanata tomb with Hettie and Makis Metaxas
46:06
46:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:06In this special episode, Zofia is joined by Hettie and Makis Metaxas from Poros, Kefalonia, who have worked tirelessly on advocating for the conservation of one of the most important monuments of Kefalonia’s Bronze Age, which they also helped discover- the Tzanata tholos tomb! We discussed their work to protect this important archaeological site ju…
…
continue reading

1
Ancient Greek Federalism: the Achaean Koinon with Elke Close
54:55
54:55
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:55In this episode, Zofia is joined by the creator of Hellenistic History website and outreach, Dr Elke Close, to discuss the Achaean League (koinon) of the Greeks during the second century BCE. We chat about the different tools she used to investigate ancient federalism from Polybius, epigraphy to numismatics, and ultimately, the showdown with Rome a…
…
continue reading

1
Hellenistic Queens with Briana King
1:06:58
1:06:58
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:06:58In this episode, Zofia is reunited with Dr Briana King, a specialist in cult of Aphrodite and Greek erotica in the late-Classical period, to discuss the dynamic and variable roles that Hellenistic Queens played by focusing on queen Olympias of Macedon and Arsinoe II of Egypt. We explore their martial actions, power plays and divine associations. Ta…
…
continue reading

1
The Bianchi Plague Processions of 1399 with Alex Lee
44:03
44:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:03This week, Zofia is joined by Dr Alex Lee to discuss the popular religious processions that took place in northern and central Italy from 1399-1400 in response to the outbreak of deadly plague. These processions were called ‘Bianchi’ because of their adherent’s white robes. We discuss Dr Lee's research into the religious responses from the communit…
…
continue reading

1
Shining a Light on Roman Houses with Lucia Michielin
41:50
41:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:50In this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and 3D-reconstruction specialist, Dr Lucia Michielin, to shine a light on her research into how the building practices of Romans considered lighting and its implications on home design. We discuss changes to Roman technology and how increased accessibility to glass in the Imperial period was reflect…
…
continue reading

1
Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius with Alexandra Swann
1:24:45
1:24:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:45In this week’s episode, Zofia is joined by Alexandra Swann for a deep dive into Stoicism the implications of what this philosophy meant in antiquity, and how we can benefit from it now. With the upcoming 1900th birthday anniversary of Marcus Arelius, we ask ourselves (WWMAD?) ‘What Would Marcus Aurelius Do?’ And explore how stoic wisdom guided the …
…
continue reading
In this week’s episode, Zofia is joined by archaeobotanist, Alexandra Slucky, who discusses the importance of studying floral remains in archaeological excavations, and how these tiny pieces of the past communicate the connectivity of trade networks and their impact on culture. Tangents include dysentery in the Middle Ages, the Post-Columbian excha…
…
continue reading

1
Sex in the Ancient World with Briana King
1:04:24
1:04:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:04:24This week's episode is Sex in the Ancient World where Zofia is joined by Dr Briana King to discuss how we can understand sexuality in antiquity, how people in the ancient world used erotic art in their daily lives, Spartan wedding rituals and more! Join us as we explore this tantalising and sometimes titillating topic together! Find us on Instagram…
…
continue reading
Things are changing here at Two Friends Talk History! Carrying on from series 1 in which Zofia and Liam explored the ancient world through stories and interviews, in series 2, Zofia invites new friends to talk history on Two Friends. Guests will continue to delve into global history topics from new perspectives, share behind the scenes knowledge of…
…
continue reading

1
Dysfunctional Families: the Anarchy and the Ptolemies
58:00
58:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
58:00In this week's episode, Liam delves into 'The Anarchy' of 12th century England when Empress Matilda battled her cousin King Stephen for control of the English throne. Meanwhile, Zofia navigates the twisted tale of some terrible Ptolemies: Cleopatra II, her daughter Cleopatra III and the husband they shared, Ptolemy VIII. The 2nd century BCE ruling …
…
continue reading

1
Lands of Ice: nomadic life in the Arctic circle
1:25:41
1:25:41
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:25:41Hi Folks! In this episode, Zofia and Liam strike North and explore the cold climes of Nunavut in Canada. Zofia interviews Jennie, a close friend from the Inuit community on Victoria Island, located deep within the Arctic circle. Liam and Zofia provide a historical background to the Inuit of the area before Zofia interviews Jennie who provides a fas…
…
continue reading

1
Roman Aeclanum - Public Archaeology in Campania
49:39
49:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:39Hi Folks! This week we are delving into Zofia's work at the ancient Roman archaeological site of Aeclanum. Aeclanum was an important Roman located in south-central Italy and it prospered for hundreds of years before disappearing beneath the earth. Join us as we explore what it was like digging up an ancient city as well as the outreach done to enco…
…
continue reading

1
Mostly Magic: necromancing with John Dee & the Sami shamanism
1:05:42
1:05:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:05:42This week's episode is 'Mostly Magic'. Zofia explores the life of the 16th century occultist, necromancer, scientist and advisor to the Tudor court, John Dee, who flourished during a time when magic and science were inextricably linked. Liam meanwhile, looks at the Sami peoples of northern Scandinavia, how they were perceived as sorcerers and heret…
…
continue reading

1
Killer Queens: Queen Lakshmibai and William Dorsey Swann
1:14:56
1:14:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:56This week's episode is 'Killer Queens'. Liam explores the life of Queen Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, who joined the rebellion against the British East India Company in the mid 19th century. Zofia meanwhile looks at a different type of Queen, William Dorsey Swann, who led a fascinating life as a black, gay man during the 19th century and who was …
…
continue reading

1
Where they Fear to Tread: North Sentinel Island and Xibalba!
1:03:09
1:03:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:09This week's episode is Where they Fear to Thread where we look into places off the beaten track... and for good reason! Zofia dives deep into ancient cave systems of Cobán, Guatemala, the location of none other than the Mayan underworld of Xibalba. Liam gives the history of North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean where trespassers are likely to b…
…
continue reading

1
Greed and Grift: Marcus Crassus and King Leopold II
1:03:19
1:03:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:19This week's episode is Greed & Grift where we discuss the terrible consequences of rich old dudes who can't be satisfied. Zofia dives back in time to the Roman Republic to explore the richest man you've probably never heard of: Marcus Crassus. Liam looks at the not so noble life of King Leopold II of the Belgians and his harrowing and brutal exploi…
…
continue reading

1
Patrons of the Arts: Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun and Empress Tokugawa Masko
1:19:34
1:19:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:19:34Join us as we explore Patrons of the Arts. Liam delves into the life of Tokugawa Masako, a 17th century Japanese empress who was a driving force behind an aesthetic for a new age. Zofia tells the story of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun who was a prominent French painter of the 18th century and was patronised by none other than Marie Antoinette. Tangents i…
…
continue reading
Join us for our first ever episode. Zofia focuses on the Antonine plague that struck the Roman Empire during the 2nd century CE as well as the story of Glycon, the original snake oil man. Liam explores how the concoction of deadly diseases and viruses that Europeans brought to the New World resulted in catastrophic consequences for the peoples and …
…
continue reading