Against the Lore

In which Dr Jeremy Swist joins us again to talk about what music was like in the ancient world, and Meg tells us where the word 'guitar' comes from...

In which we welcome Dr Jeremy Swist as our special guest, and discover how ancient history features in metal music!

In which we welcome Caroline Lawrence as our special guest, and find out about smelly Romans, fly Mesopotamian hairstyles, deadly accessories and a shocking lack of pockets in the ancient world!

Look out for Season 2 of Against the Lore! 

In which we talk about how neurodiversity might have been seen in the ancient world. Zenia and Flo discuss the Emperor Claudius and his potentially neurodiverse behaviour, and Barney shares a description of what could be OCD from a Babylonian text.

In which we compare ancient globetrotters from ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and the ancient near east! Zenia reveals that Hadrian's Wall was not just in Britain, and Barney makes the case for Babylonian king Nabonidus and his staycation. 

In which we discover that there were no hospitals in the pre-Christian ancient world; Meg tells us about surgery in the Temples of Asclepius, and Barney describes the multiple uses for a goat in Babylonian medicine...

In which we introduce our favourite substitute teacher, Meg, and Barney insists that everything should be written on fireproof clay tablets.

In which we discover the real relationship of 'roommates' in the ancient world, and Flo offers to produce a Hollywood version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. 

In which we discover how ancient democracy was different from modern democracy, and Zenia tells us why the Romans were scared of crowns...