Two Friends Talk History

What is the past, present and future of Classics in Scotland?In this episode of Two Friends Talk History, I'm joined by Dr Alex Imrie, Teaching Fellow in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh, to explore the story of the Classical Association of Scotland.Founded in 1902, CAS has been championing the study of the ancient world for more than a century. But what does Classics look like in Scotland today, and how can we make it accessible to more learners?This is a conversation about much more than ancient Greece and Rome. It's about education, accessibility, community, and making space for new voices and perspectives in the study of the past.And, as always, thank you for listening!To get in touch with Alex, you can find him on Twitter @AlexImrie23, or you can read his article featured in Ancient Voices with Sam Newington for the Journal of Classics Teaching: download PDF here.Dr Imrie has some exciting news! Working with colleague, Arlene Holmes-Henderson at the University of Durham, Dr Imrie will produce a volume called 'Classics in Scotland: Past, Present and Future' forthcoming! Stay tuned!Classical Association of ScotlandClassics for All🌍 You can read more about Dr Imrie's work here!To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & Twitter. If you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected] Music by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia Guertin

What can rats tell us about human history? In this episode of Two Friends Talk History, newly minted Dr Zofia Guertin (!) is joined by University of York doctoral researcher Daan Jansen to explore the surprisingly complex relationship between humans and rats. From eighteenth-century attitudes towards animals to the changing fortunes of black and brown rats in Northern Europe, Daan reveals how human beliefs, urban environments and animal behaviour have shaped one another. Together, they ask what it means to write history from an animal’s perspective—and why rats might deserve a much bigger place in our understanding of the past.To read more about the traces of rats in his archival research: https://the-rattus-project.blogspot.com/2025/04/rat-traces-in-archives.htmlYou can follow the project at @archaeoRattus on Twitter, and Daan on Bluesky @daancjansen or Instagram @animal_historian.Studies mentioned in this episode:Moth and plant communication: https://english.tau.ac.il/research/moths-plantsGrammar of whales: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240709-the-sperm-whale-phonetic-alphabet-revealed-by-aiTo get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on Redbubble🌍 Explore more at www.Archaeoartist.com🔗 If you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected] Music by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia Guertin

In this episode of Two Friends Talk History, host Zofia is joined by Stefano Carlo Sala, a doctoral researcher at the University of St Andrews, to explore the fascinating world of Dionysius of Halicarnassus—a Greek historian living in Rome at the dawn of the Empire. Together, they dive into how Dionysius used monuments, myth, and memory to connect early Roman history to a classical Greek past. If you’re curious about how contemporaneous historians tried to explain Rome’s rise, justify its rule over the Greek world, and shape cultural identity in an evolving political landscape, this episode is for you.🎧 Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode! 👉🏼 You can read the BLOG POST HERE.To read his recent publication: Carlo Sala, S. (2025). Law as a catalyst and remedy for civic violence in early Rome : two examples from Dionysius of Halicarnassus, in Cahiers des études anciennes [En ligne], LXII | 2025. URL: READ HERE ONLINE.If you would like to follow Stefano, you can join him on LinkedIn or Academia.EduLinkedIn: HERE  Academia.edu: HERE#twofriendstalkhistory #historypodcast #TFTH #publicoutreach #classics #anienthistory #classicspodcast #AncientHistory #Rome #Podcast #Historiography #receptionstudies #archaeoartist #classicsliterature #literature #archaeoartist To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on Redbubble🌍 Explore more at www.Archaeoartist.com🔗 If you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected] Music by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia Guertin

What did it mean to be bought, sold, and sexually exploited in the ancient world? In this powerful episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia is joined by doctoral candidate Florence Felsheim to explore the hidden realities of sexual trafficking in ancient Greece and Rome. Drawing on literary texts, archaeological evidence, and cognitive science, Florence unpacks how systems of enslavement and exploitation operated in societies often romanticized in popular culture.We examine the scale of the ancient slave trade, the gendered dimensions of exploitation, and how enslaved women were commodified—expected to provide not just labor, but sexual access. From Roman brothels to banquet halls, the episode reveals how normalized sexual violence was embedded in the fabric of ancient daily life.As part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, this conversation sheds light on uncomfortable histories, connecting past systems of abuse to present-day conversations on power, consent, and human dignity. Listener discretion is advised.👉🏼Link: You can read the accompanying blog post HERE.🛑 If you or someone you know needs support, please see the international resources listed in the show notes.Join us as we confront the uncomfortable truths of antiquity—and ask: what can the ancient world teach us about exploitation, resilience, and justice today?To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected]. 🌍 If you or someone you know needs support, here are trusted organizations offering help across the globe:1. RAINN (USA/global support)🔗 rainn.org📞 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)💬 24/7 online chat2. UN Women – End Violence Against Women🔗 unwomen.org3. The Survivors Trust (UK)🔗 thesurvivorstrust.org📧 [email protected]. Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE Network)🔗 wave-network.org5. Child Helpline International (for youth/caregivers)🔗 childhelplineinternational.org6. UNFPA – Global Helpline Directory🔗 Global helpline list💻 Online & Anonymous Support8. Lifeline Chat (24/7, anonymous)🔗 suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat🔐 Tip: Use a VPN or private browser if privacy is a concern. Always contact local emergency services if in immediate danger.

In 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 reinterpretations through case studies from film and television. We discuss ancient precedents for modern cinematic and television representations of sexual violence - made spectacle – in retellings of Roman narratives.We’re diving deep into how classical reception shapes public perception—and why that matters.🏛️To see images from this podcast, check out the accompanying blog post!This is a heavy but essential conversation about power, misrepresentation, and the stories we choose to tell. To follow Dr King's academic work, check out her page on Academia.Edu.📢 Trigger warning: this episode discusses sexual violence and may be distressing to some listeners. Please listen with care.Sexual Violence Support ContactsRape Crisis Scotland: https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-helpline/For sexual violence or violence against women, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) run by Refuge and Women's Aid provides 24/7 support and information. Additional resources include Rape Crisis England & Wales which offers specialist support for women who have experienced sexual violence. Women's Aid also offers a live chat service and email supportVisit the Rights of Women website on legal information sheets on a range of issues, including Forced Marriage and the law. Support for victims of ‘honour’-based violence and forced marriage.To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected].

In 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 interpret the past—and why that matters for both academics and the general public.From high-tech field surveys to immersive visualizations that bring ancient history to life, Digital Archaeology is revolutionizing how we explore and share the past. But with innovation comes big questions—where does creativity meet caution in this rapidly evolving field?If you’re fascinated by history, technology, or the future of cultural heritage, this episode is a must-listen. Florence Felsheim’s insights into the ethical and methodological complexities of virtual archaeology will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the ways technology is reshaping our connection to the past. Tune in to Two Friends Talk History to explore how VR is breathing new life into ancient worlds—and what that means for historians, artists, and the curious minds who love to explore them.To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected]. 

In 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 cultures.Discover why peace narratives have received far less scholarly attention than war stories, and how Dr. König's team is working to change that by investigating whose voices and experiences are reflected in ancient accounts of peace and reconciliation.What can ancient approaches to conflict resolution teach us about modern peacebuilding? In this thought-provoking special episode, we explore how elite-centered peace narratives shaped societal attitudes in antiquity and continue to influence our understanding of peace today. Dr. König reveals how her interdisciplinary network is "reading against the grain" of ancient sources to uncover ordinary people's lived experiences of peace—voices that have been historically marginalized but might offer valuable insights for contemporary peace literacy.Don't miss our conversation about bridging academic research with creative outreach, as Dr. König shares details about the network's collaboration with a professional theater company, NMT Automatics, and the upcoming multi-authored publication, "New Visions of Ancient Peace." This episode offers a perfect blend of historical scholarship and practical application, demonstrating how ancient wisdom might help us visualize and build more effective paths to peace in our modern world. We hope you enjoy this collab episode!If you would like to get in touch with Alice regarding her work, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website and the Visualising Peace Project.The music for the episode was composed by Jonathan Young, and Zofia Guertin mixed the episode. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected]. 

To 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 Conflict Narratives in Different Genres and Media (Routledge 2025). In this podcast episode, Alice introduces the book and discusses some of the themes at the heart of it.This episode explores the conception of visualisation: the ways in which narratives of war not only reflect or depict conflict but also envision it, in ways that shape how conflict gets pursued or prevented in the real world. She also discusses the role that interplay between narratives and discourses can play in cementing and amplifying influential war imaginaries. And she considers the impacts which all of this war-storytelling has on ordinary lives in the everyday.  We hope you enjoy this collab episode!If you would like to get in touch with Alice regarding her work, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website and the Visualising Peace Project.The music for the episode was composed by Jonathan Young, and Zofia Guertin mixed the episode. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected].  

In 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 working on shedding a light on the strata of society that seldom received attention in the historical record or monumental commemorations - the poor - which is what we shall dig into today. We discuss preconceptions about who the 'poor' of antiquity were, and how the early Christian church tried to deal with the shifting fortunes of their communities when facing historical realities of cycles of poverty in the past. I have included some links below for anyone wishing to find out more about Dr Machado's  recent publications, and his upcoming project work. Urban space and aristocratic power in late antique Rome: AD 270-535Machado, C., 25 Oct 2019, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 317 p.The epigraphic cultures of Late AntiquityBolle, K. (ed.), Machado, C. (ed.) & Witschel, C. (ed.), 2017, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. 615 p. (Heidelberger althistorische Beiträge und epigraphische Studien; vol. 60)Dr Machado has recently won an AHRC-DFG partnership grant for a project entitled ‘Land and loyalty: the politics of land in the later Roman world (4th to 6th century)’. This forthcoming project will analyse the politics of imperial and royal land grants and how this practice changed the dynamics of Mediterranean societies between 300 and 600 CE. To follow Carlos on Twitter (X); @AmianoMarcelino, or you can check out his Academia.edupage or University of St Andrews contact page. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtist

In 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 its Director, Professor Rebecca Sweetman, to discuss the exciting public engagement work that the institute is working on.  I returned to the BSA for a short visit in May of this year during the fieldwork I am conducting for my thesis chapter in Greece. I thought it might be fun to throw my mic in my rucksack and do some field interviews while I am on the road!Giorgos' upcoming project, ‘Athletics and Paideia’ investigates the role of monuments in preserving and the diffusion of knowledge about Hellenic culture and civic education. Giorgos has an upcoming publication that explores Money and Honour in athletics this autumn, and a chapter in a forthcoming volume on Paideia and Performance (2023).You can follow Dr Mouraditis on Twitter @Giorgos_m776 and Instagram @Giorgos.m776. If you would like to find out more about what is going on at the British School at Athens, you can check out their website, www.bsa.ac.uk, or linktree . To read his publications and stay connected through Academia.edu.  If you would like to get in touch, you can contact Dr Mouraditis by email, contact Giorgios at: [email protected] If you would like to apply to the BSA for ‘Communicating Archaeology: knowledge exchange, impact, and public engagement', apply here: https://www.bsa.ac.uk/courses/communicating-archaeology/ This course will be aimed at PG students or professionals looking to gain hands on experience communicating archaeology to public audiences. This is a brand new programme, with exciting seminars and speakers planned including the fabulous Classicist and award-winning author, Natalie Haynes, journalists, heritage practitioners, and me, podcast and graphic art nerd, Zofia!The deadline for application is October 30th  2023.To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through Patreon Buy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected].