Have Toga, Will Travel: Exploring Greece and Rome, Ancient and Modern

Did you know that the popes constructed a palace on top of a mausoleum built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian? Before he died, Hadrian commissioned a magnificent tomb for himself on the right bank of the Tiber River, just north of the ancient walls of Rome. Over the centuries, that tomb would become a fortress known as the Castel Sant’Angelo, then a papal residence, and finally a museum. In this episode, Emily and Cam cover the history of the monument and describe what it’s like to explore it today.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

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Links to other episodes we made that touch on Hadrian:

• Hadrian Tours the Roman World
• Hadrian in Athens
• Hadrian’s Wall, Part I: The Romans in Britain and the Imperial Frontier (the first of four episodes on Hadrian’s Wall)
• Thermae Romae: A Japanese Film about Ancient Roman Bathing—and Time Travel!

The cover image is our own photo of the Castel Sant’Angelo!

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• 04:51 - When and where was Hadrian’s Mausoleum built?
• 05:05 - A brief history of Hadrian’s Mausoleum
• 06:00 - The Mausoleum of Augustus: Hadrian’s inspiration
• 08:44 - How was Hadrian’s Mausoleum different from that of Augustus?
• 10:08 - The location of Hadrian’s Mausoleum and the Pons Aelius across the Tiber

• 12:08 - The outer fence and Hadrian’s peacock statues
• 12:32 - The square “basement”
• 14:04 - The main drum
• 15:02 - The superstructure, the hanging garden, and the statue of Hadrian

• 17:15 - From Tomb to Castellum: Honorius joins the Mausoleum to the Aurelian Walls
• 17:39 - Justinian’s forces repel the Ostrogoths from Hadrian’s Mausoleum
• 19:30 - The monument gets a new name: Gregory the Great, the plague of 590 and the intercession of Archangel Michael, and the Castel Sant’Angelo
• 20:29 - The Church of St. Michael and a digression on the Castel’s statues

• 23:43 - From Theophylact to the House of Orosini: the Castel as the stronghold of powerful families connected to the papacy
• 26:23 - A digression on the Passetto di Borgo, the protected walkway of the popes
• The evolution of the Castel from the 14th to 16th centuries: new fortifications, and fancy new apartments
• 27:22 - A digression on the curious escape of Benvenuto Cellini
• 28:27 - The Castel Sant’Angelo in the 17th and 18th centuries (and Bernini’s new design for the Ponte Sant’Angelo)

• 33:49 - Italy takes control of the Castel Sant’Angelo after unification
• 34:10 - Mariano Borgatti makes a museum

• 35:55 - The approach: the bridge and the curtain wall
• 36:47 - The lower courtyard
• 37:57 - The remains of Hadrian’s Mausoleum: the dromos, the helical ramp, and the Hall of Urns
• 44:32 - The Angel’s Courtyard and the papal apartments on the lower level (featuring the Apollo room and the aedicula of Leo X designed by Michelangelo)
• 49:28 - The perimeter walkway, Alexander’s Courtyard, and the rooms of the second level (featuring the rooms of Paul III, née Alessandro Farnese)
• 56:12 - The apartments of the third level (the library, the cagliostra, the Halls of Adrianeo and the Festoons, the Treasure Room)
• 59:33 - The rotunda and the rooms of the fourth level
• 60:00 - The Angel’s Terrace and the return to earth

Athens was the city the Roman Emperor Hadrian loved most in the world, and he left his mark there by commissioning a bunch of new monumental public buildings for the city and its people. In this episode, Emily and Cam talk about the long and sometimes tense history of Romans building things in Athens, Hadrian’s own architectural sensibility, and some of the key structures he left behind (including the Library of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus).

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Links to other episodes we made that touch on Hadrian:

• Hadrian Tours the Roman World
• Hadrian’s Wall, Part I: The Romans in Britain and the Imperial Frontier (the first of four episodes on Hadrian’s Wall)
• Thermae Romae: A Japanese Film about Ancient Roman Bathing—and Time Travel!

The cover image is our own photo of the Arch of Hadrian by night!

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00:10 - Introduction

03:29 - Athens: A Brief History

• 03:38 - The buildings of the fifth century BCE: products of the Athenian empire
• 04:23 - Athens in the Fourth Century
• 04:43 - Athens under Macedonian and Roman Domination
• 05:26 - Athens and its fame as an artistic, intellectual, and religious center
• 07:07 - Gifts from powerful rulers (and a digression on the Stoa of Attalos)

12:00 - Augustan Athens

• 12:27 - Architecture and political messaging in Athens under the Romans
• 14:10 - The Odeion of Agrippa and the Athenian Agora
• 18:28 - The Temple of Rome and Augustus on the Acropolis
• 21:08 - The Roman Agora: the Gate of Athena Archegetis

24:06 - Hadrian’s Athens

• 24:34 - Hadrian’s architectural style
• 25:07 - Hadrian builds a great big aqueduct
• 26:30 - The Eridan0s River gets a makeover
• 27:13 - North of the Acropolis: the Pantheon and the Library of Hadrian
• 32:09 - South of the Acropolis: Hadrian’s Gymnasium and the temple of Zeus Panhellenios
• 33:53 - South of the Acropolis: the Temple and Precinct of Olympian Zeus (and Hadrian among the gods)
• 44:53 - The Temple of Olympian Zeus Today (featuring a story about a magic pomegranate)

48:23 - The Arch of Hadrian

51:21 - Wrap-up

The emperor Hadrian didn’t just build a wall across Britain! During a career that involved a “world tour” to pretty much every province of the Roman Empire, he rubbed elbows with provincial aristocrats; showered gifts on the cities of the empire; climbed a couple of mountains and hunted at least one big cat; hung out for years in Greece; murdered the odd senator; and loved, lost, and deified his cherished friend Antinous. (Maybe he even wore a toga while he travelled!) Listen as Emily and Cam hit the highlights of his career.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Links to other episodes we made that touch on Hadrian:

• Hadrian’s Wall, Part I: The Romans in Britain and the Imperial Frontier (the first of four episodes on Hadrian’s Wall)
• Thermae Romae: A Japanese Film about Ancient Roman Bathing—and Time Travel!

Cover image adapted from a photo of a gold coin minted between 134 and 138 CE, depicting Hadrian in profile and bearing the legend “Hadrianus Augustus P(ater) P(atriae)” (Hadrian Augustus, Father of his Country). American Numismatic Society, Wikimedia Commons.

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00:10 - Introduction

02:22 - Not Quite Emperor

• 02:28 - Hadrian’s early life
• 03:26 - Ward of Trajan
• 04:55 - Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan’s path to imperial power
• 05:57 - Hadrian’s career under Trajan during the Dacian Wars, the Parthian War, and the Rebellion of the Jewish diaspora
• 09:24 - Trajan is dead, long live Hadrian

11:23 - New Frontiers

• 11:24 - Hadrian’s lack of interest in expanding the Roman Empire
• 11:37 - Earlier emperors and wars of conquest
• 12:08 - Hadrian abandons Trajan’s conquests
• 13:16 - Hadrian, Nigrinus, and the execution of four senators

14:53 - Hadrian’s World Tours

• 15:02 - An inward focus
• 15:41 - Hadrian tours the provinces (of a really big empire!)
• 17:45 - Hadrian the intellectual: a conversation with Apollo’s oracle at Delphi about Homer
• 19:33 - Hadrian the adventurer: lighting, lions, and bears, oh my!
• 21:14 - Inspecting the army and securing the frontiers
• 23:01 - Hadrian and imperial patronage: local elites, imperial benefactions, and loyalty

26:47 - Antinous: a short digression

• 27:06 - Antinous’ background
• 27:48 - Antinous’ death and speculations about its cause
• 29:07 - Hadrian’s grief, the deification of Antinous, and Antinous at Tivoli

32:28 - The Olympian: Hadrian in Greece

• 32:48 - Hadrian’s early fascination with Greek culture
• 34:28 - Hadrian’s first trip to Greece: Athenian citizen, Eponymous Archon, and friends with Epictetus and Plutarch
• 37:55 - Hadrian Reborn: the Emperor and the Eleusinian Mysteries
• 41:52 – Hadrian’s plan for the Panhellenion and the Sanctuary of Zeus
• 43:17 - Hadrian among the gods: Hadrianus Olympios, Hadrianus Panhellenios

46:32 - Rebellion in Judaea

• 46:54 - The Bar Kokhba Rebellion
• 47:47 - Untangling the roots of the rebellion: a messianic movement?
• 48:50 - Imperial plans and Judaean politics

51:05 - Succession Crisis

• 51:22 - Imperial succession in the Roman World
• 52:24 - Hadrian’s potential successors
• 54:19 - Two adoptions, a death, and two murders

57:39 - Legacy

60:42 - Wrap-up

In “Trojan Women”, the Athenian playwright Euripides highlights an aspect of the Trojan War neglected by Christopher Nolan in “The Odyssey”: the true horror of Troy’s capture and destruction. In this episode, Emily and Cam break down Euripides’ play. Produced at Athens mere months after the Athenians captured Melos (where the Athenians killed all of the men and enslaved the city’s women and children), Euripides’ play offers a powerful and moving depiction of war’s impact on its victims by exploring the suffering and heroism of three Trojan women: Hecuba, Cassandra, and Andromache.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Links to previous episodes mentioned in this show:

• Our episode about Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey.
• Our episode about Sophocles’ Philoctetes.

Watch Michael Cacoyannis’ film version of the Trojan Women on Daily Motion.

Cover image adapted from a photo of George Romney’s “Lady Emma Hamilton as Cassandra”, taken by Jan Arkesteijn (Wikimedia Commons).

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00:10 - Introduction

02:16 - Content Warning!

02:53 - Euripides’ Trojan Women

• 02:56 - Euripides and his work
• 06:49 - The Play’s Context: the Peloponnesian War and the sack of Melos

11:12 - Plot Synopsis

• 11:14 - Poseidon and Athena hatch a scheme
• 13:16 - Talthybius, Hecuba, and the Allotment of the Captives to Agamemnon, Neoptolemus, and Odysseus
• 15:09 - Cassandra
• 16:05 - Andromache
• 17:16 - The agon: Menelaus, Helen, and Hecuba
• 21:57 - The funeral of Astyanax and the death of Troy

23:00 - War and Suffering: Hecuba and Talthybius

• 23:26 - Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey and Euripides’ Trojan Women: a difference in perspective
• 25:09 - The Pain of Hecuba, Cassandra, and Andromache (and a digression on Odysseus)
• 29:35 - Hecuba: Leadership and Resilience
• 33:11 - The Empathy of Talthybius

39:23 - Agency and Humanity

• 39:46 - The women as heroes
• 39:54 - Cassadra’s vengeance
• 40:42 - Andromache, Neoptolemus, and Astyanax
• 41:57 - Hecuba
• 43:04 - Helen and Talthybius

45:04 - Fortune is Fickle

• 45:51 - Greek literature and the instability of fortune
• 48:00 - Agency again: fate and choice

50:57 - The Victors and their Comeuppance

• 51:20 - Nolan’s view on war and society
• 52:12 - Euripides and the wrath of the gods
• 54:54 - Digression: Michael Cacoyannis’ “Trojan Women”, featuring Irene Papas

55:53 - Athens and the Trojan Women

• 56:53 - Empathy for the victims of warfare
• 57:32 - Euripides as Cassandra?

59:11 – Final Thoughts and Wrap-up

When modern authors and filmmakers like Christopher Nolan adapt ancient myths and characters, they are following an old and well-worn precedent. In this episode, Emily and Cam explore how the Athenian playwright Sophocles adapted a well-known story about Odysseus and used it in his play, Philoctetes, to explore questions about deception, persuasion, and intractable situations.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Links to our episodes dealing with the Odyssey:

• Our overview of Homer’s Odyssey.
• Our episode about Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey.
• Our episode about the “The Return”, Uberto Passolini’s splendid 2024 adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey.

Links to our other episodes touching on ancient drama (or adaptations thereof):

• Aeschylus’ Persians: The OG Greek Tragedy.
• Something for everyone! Plautus and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”.

Cover image: Lekythos depicting Philoctetes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (56.171.58); adapted from a photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikimedia Commons.

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00:11 - Introduction

02:50 - Sophocles’ Philoctetes

• 02:55 - The performance: 409, at the end of the Peloponnesian War
• 03:07 - Athenian Tragedy in the late 5th century: actors and the chorus
• 05:37 - The competitive context

07:26 - The Myth of Philoctetes

• 07:39 - Son of Poias
• 07:57 - Philoctetes, the Trojan War, and Lemnos
• 09:37 - Philoctetes and the Bow of Herakles

10:30 - Philoctetes: Plot Summary

• 10:43 - The opening scene: a plot is hatched
• 13:22 - The encounter with Philoctetes
• 15:10 - The “merchant” enters the scene
• 18:00 - Philoctetes’ seizure and Neoptolemus’ moral crisis
• 18:57 - Odysseus’ surprise entry
• 20:21 - Odysseus and Neoptolemus have a spat
• 21:35 - The epiphany

22:17 - Sophocles’ innovations

• 22:54 - Lemnos: a deserted island
• 23:25 - Neoptolemus replaces Diomedes
• 24:36 - A digression on other plays about Philoctetes: Aeschylus and Euripides

25:57 - Odysseus in Philoctetes

• 26:10 - Odysseus as trickster
• 27:14 - The Homeric precedent
• 28:23 - Sophocles’ move: Odysseus, disguise, and a destabilization of trust: are the minor characters who they say they are?

35:26 - Deception in Philoctetes

• 35:35 - Is Odysseus the play’s “bad guy”?
• 38:43 - The chorus has a different view!
• 39:10 - Philoctetes isn’t a straightforward “good guy”!
• 40:48 - Neoptolemus: is deception good when you do it to help someone else?
• 43:57 - Sophocles doesn’t give us easy lessons

44:43 - Intractable Problems

• 45:04 - The impasse
• 46:33 - The epiphany of Heracles and what it might mean
• 48:47 - A happy ending for Philoctetes—and for Odysseus!
• 50:15 - The value of deception: an open question (and Sophocles’ brilliance)

51:21 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam take on Christopher Nolan’s film, “The Odyssey.” Everyone has an opinion on this movie, and Emily and Cam are no different. Sheep, and Cyclops, and Circe, oh my!

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Useful Links:

• Listen to our overview of Homer’s Odyssey.
• Listen to our episode about the “The Return”, Uberto Passolini’s splendid 2024 adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey.

Cover image: adapted from “The Wine-Dark Sea,” a photo by Alan Hughes, Wikimedia Commons.

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00:11 - Introduction

• 01:06 - The bottom line (good and bad)
• 02:39 - The film as a reflecting pool (or theater set)

03:52 - Synopsis

06:45 - What we loved

• 06:49 - Practical effects and a textured world (featuring the sheep!)
• 10:10 - The film’s visual language: costumes, colors, props, palaces (historical accuracy is NOT the goal here)
• 14:04 - A deep and talented bench of actors (with a shoutout to Himesh Patel and John Leguizamo)
• 17:31 - Some choice storytelling moments
• 20:02 - The adventure stories: Polyphemus’ cave; the sirens; the underworld; Circe
• 27:23 - Athena and the other gods

29:14 - Approaching Nolan's Odyssey

• 29:21 - How we evaluate movies like this: give us a smart adaptation that does something interesting!
• 30:32 - The story Nolan wants to tell: war damages both individuals and societies, causing trauma and social collapse
• 33:52 - The main problem: too much telling, not enough showing

36:25 - Odysseus breaks the world?

• 36:38 - The setup: Zeus’ Law, the Trojan Horse, and the Sea Peoples
• 37:09 - The horse: a gift for Athena, or a gift for Zeus?
• 38:37 - Odysseus and his crew as the “Sea Peoples”: an unconvincing yarn
• 44:14 - The Sea Peoples as a hollow threat?

47:17 - Odysseus traumatized?

• 47:36 - The nature of Odysseus’ suffering
• 48:11 - Odysseus and his (lack of?) relationships with his crew
• 49:29 - Odysseus and Sinon
• 52:11 - Odysseus miraculously recovers (but doesn’t seem to learn anything?)

53:58 - Violence in Nolan’s film

• 54:39 - Christopher Nolan’s take on depicting violence and alienating audiences
• 55:52 - The horrors witnessed by Odysseus at Troy
• 57:29 - Odysseus takes on the suitors

59:49 - Unsatisfying Endings

• 60:08 - The problems with Penelope (and her treehouse bed!)
• 63:02 - Rushed endings and dangling resolutions
• 65:02 - Words of wisdom spoken at the bar

66:18 - Final takeaways: our thoughts on why this film looks the way it does

• 66:30 - The Adventure Stories (a.k.a. the Odyssey Trap)
• 67:49 - Unsatisfying stakes?
• 68:59 - Odysseus the hero

71:16 - Wrap-up

Need a refresher on Homer’s Odyssey before you watch the upcoming movie by Christopher Nolan? Emily and Cam have got you covered! In this episode, they break down the poem’s plot and its major themes as they explore topics like Odysseus’ reliability as a narrator (spoiler alert: he has none whatsoever!) and Penelope’s own craftiness.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Useful Links:

• Listen to our episode about the “The Return”, Uberto Passolini’s splendid 2024 adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey.

Cover image: “Archaic or late geometric period krater depicting Odysseus and a friend stabbing the giant Polyphemus in his only eye, clay, 670 BCE, Archaeological Museum of Argos.” Photo by Mary Harrsh, Wikimedia Commons.

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00:11 - Introduction

01:40 - What is the Odyssey?

• 01:46 - The Odyssey, the Iliad, and other epic poems
• 02:23 - The Homer problem. Do we know who wrote the Odyssey, and when?
• 06:54 - An overview of the Odyssey’s plot
• 10:14 - The poem and its 24 “books”

11:00 - The Telemachy: Narrative

• 11:23 - Athena visits Ithaka
• 12:08 - Athena’s plans for Odysseus’ son Telemachus
• 13:55 - Telemachus sets sail on an adventure to visit Nestor, Menelaus, and Helen

17:50 - The Telemachy: Themes

• 18:01 - The vulnerability of Telemachus’ position
• 19:39 - Hospitality: gracious hosts and happy guests

21:43 - Sailing to Ithaka: Narrative

• 22:06 - Odysseus escapes the Island of Calypso
• 23:18 - Shipwrecked again! Odysseus and the Phaeacians
• 29:28 - Odysseus tells the story of his adventures (the Cyclops, Circe, the underworld, the sirens, Scylla and Charybdis—and some other good bits)
• 41:29 - The Phaeacians send Odysseus home

42:11 - Sailing to Ithaka: Themes

• 42:18 - More on hospitality: bad hosts and dodgy guests
• 45:19 - Odysseus, the man of suffering
• 46:30 - Odysseus, the unreliable narrator
• 62:50 - A postscript on the poem’s mythical geography

55:37 - Ithaka at last!: Narrative

• 55:51 - Odysseus visits Eumaeus
• 56:41 - Telemachus returns to Ithaka—and Odysseus hatches a plan
• 58:42 - Odysseus among the suitors in disguise
• 59:57 - Penelope, Odysseus, and Eurycleia
• 62:23 - Penelope’s contest, Odysseus’ bow, and a massacre
• 64:48 - Reunions: Odysseus and Penelope, Odysseus and Laertes
• 65:53 - The final battle (and a deus ex machina)

66:39 - Ithaka at last!: Themes

• 66:43 - How much revenge is TOO much?
• 72:33 - Penelope, that crafty girl

79:41 - Final bits and bobs

• 79:50 - The popularity of the Odyssey over time
• 80:37 - Our hopes for Nolan’s film

81:45 - Wrap-up

Have you ever wondered what a bath-house architect from ancient Rome would think if he found himself swept through a time warp into a modern Japanese Spa? Wonder no more! Emily and Cam discuss Thermae Romae, a 2012 Japanese Film that seeks to explore precisely this question by dramatizing the adventures of one Lucius Modestus, an engineer who becomes Emperor Hadrian’s personal bath-house designer.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Useful Links:

• Watch Thermae Romae (with English Subtitles) on Dailymotion
• Watch the Thermae Romae Novae anime series on Netflix

Cover art adapted from Joseph Theodor Hansen, "Tepidarium at the Forum Baths in Pompeii"

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00:11 - Introduction

01:56 - Thermae Romae: the basics

• 02:28 - How to watch Thermae Romae
• 03:29 - A plot summary: Lucius Modestus travels through time, learns lots about Japanese bathing culture, and applies his knowledge to Roman bath-houses in the time of Hadrian
• 06:59 - The original Thermae Romae manga series
• 08:13 - The film’s success and the Thermae Romae Universe

10:17 - A Fish-out-of-Water Comedy

• 10:24 - The basic premise and some of the movie’s quirks
• 13:35 - Modern Japanese and Ancient Roman bathing cultures, compared
• 19:16 - Lucius bumbles his way through modern Japan and discovers the marvels of Japanese bathing
• 26:05 - Poking fun of Japanese onsen culture (and a digression on the challenges of translation)

29:46 - Thermae Romae and Roman Culture

• 29:56 - A quirky interpretation of real Roman history: the reign of Hadrian, the death of Antinous, and the question of succession (and deification!)
• 38:54 - Lucius’ (very Japanese) critique of Roman bathing culture
• 42:09 - Does Lucius’ critique hold water? Imperial bath-houses, neighborhood bath-houses, and bath-house sociability
• 47:04 - The old men from the onsen teach Lucius to care less about honor and more about community spirit
• 49:36 - Some final thoughts about the movie

51:25 - Wrap-up

• 51:31 - What’s up next: the Odyssey—both Homer’s Odyssey, and Nolan’s Odyssey
• 52:26 - A plug for “The Return” (and for our episode about it!)

We’re dropping a quick note in our feed to remind you that we’re on vacation and won’t be releasing a full episode on June 15, but also to tease a couple of upcoming episodes—including a couple on Homer’s Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s film of the same name!

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

Read the first in our series of blog posts on Hadrian’s Wall here:

• Hiking Hadrian’s Wall, Part I

If you haven’t done so already, have a listen to our episode on The Return, a 2024 film adaptation of the Odyssey starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche:

• Homer’s Odyssey on Film: “The Return”

Emily and Cam wrap up their series on hiking Hadrian’s Wall Path with a discussion of the final 31 miles of the Wall. Follow along as they explore medieval monuments made of wallstone, find themselves treed by some cows, and are regaled with tales of cannibals (human and otherwise!).

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

If you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:

• Our Ko-Fi page

Read the first post in our series of blog posts on Hadrian’s Wall here:

• Hiking Hadrian’s Wall, Part I

If you’re interested in hiking the Wall, you’ll find the following resources helpful:

• Walking Hadrian’s Wall Path, by Mark Richards (Cicerone Press)
• Hadrian’s Wall Path, by Anthony Burton (National Trails Official Guidebook)
• Harvey Maps, Map of Hadrian’s Wall Path

Finally, you’ll find the rest of the episodes in this series at the following links:

• Hadrian’s Wall, Part I: The Romans in Britain and the Imperial Frontier
• Hadrian’s Wall, Part II: Walking from Wallsend to Carrawburgh
• Hadrian’s Wall, Part III: Hiking the Crags (Sewingshields to Birdoswald)

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00:11 - Introduction

1. 00:24 - Episode overview
2. 01:11 - Housekeeping and Summer vacation

02:41 - Birdoswald to Haytongate

1. 03:16 - The character of the trail and the last visible elements of the Wall
2. 05:44 - Honesty Boxes and the Haytongate Hut

06:56 - Lanercost Priory

1. 07:22 - A priory built of wallstone: the history of Lanercost
2. 10:52 - Exploring Lanercost (and our encounter with Max)

12:24 - Haytongate to Carlisle

1. 12:46 - An unpleasant encounter with cows
2. 14:37 - “Where’s the Wall,” or the perils of starting in the west
3. 15:55 - Crosby on Eden, haggis, and black pudding
4. 17:59 - The Wall at the River Eden: Uxelodunum and Milecastle 66

18:27 - Carlisle

1. 18:56 - Carlisle Castle: Luguvalium becomes the old Norman keep
2. 21:31 - Richard III, Mary Queen of Scots, and the Jacobites: Carlisle Castle’s long history
3. 24:52 - Another encounter with Max
4. 27:00 - Carlisle Cathedral (and more plundered wallstone)
5. 28:47 - Carlisle’s Guildhall
6. 30:06 - Misadventures in Carlisle dining

31:46 - Carlisle to Bowness on Solway

1. 32:14 - Burgh by Sands: Aballava, Africans in Roman Britain, and Edward I’s unpleasant bout with dysentery
2. 34:53 - The Tidal Flats: Dykesfield, Drumburgh, and the dangers of high tide!
3. 37:45 - Bowness on Solway and a gathering at Fort Maia: Billy No-Mates and a man obsessed with cannibals!

43:02 - Logistics of the Hike

1. 43:07 - Where to begin? In the west at Bowness, or in the east at Newcastle?
2. 45:38 - Resources for planning: books and maps
3. 47:10 - Lodging, adventure companies, luggage, and the AD 122 bus
4. 50:53 - Food: full English breakfasts and pub fare
5. 53:16 - Tips for the trail: rain, sunburn, and blisters, oh my!

56:56 - Final Thoughts

58:02 - Wrap-up