Join world-renowned classicist Mary Beard and Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins for Instant Classics — the weekly podcast that proves ancient history is still relevant. Ancient stories, modern twists… and no degree in Classics required. Discover The Odyssey and join the book club at: https://www.exploringtheodyssey.com
What this show covers
OdysseyAncient RomeThe OdysseyAugustustranslationHomerChristopher NolanFilm criticismRoman emperorsSeptimius SeverusAncient portraitureSuetoniusBayeux TapestryArt historyMedieval Latin
What listeners will find here
Roman emperors on coins, in marble, and in myth
Roman emperors were everywhere in ancient images, but that doesn’t mean those images were true likenesses. Mary and Charlotte explore how sculpture, coins, texts, and rare paintings complicate the question of what rulers like Augustus or Septimius Severus really looked like.
How the Bayeux Tapestry became an English-French story told in Latin
The episode explores the Bayeux Tapestry as both a record of 1066 and a clue to who made it. Mary and Charlotte focus on its Latin inscriptions, possible Canterbury makers, and surprising links to Virgil, Rome, and even a comet.
Why Daniel Mendelsohn translated the Odyssey—and how he approached its hardest choices
Daniel Mendelsohn joins Mary and Charlotte to discuss his translation of the Odyssey, from the family story that sparked it to the literary decisions that shaped it. The conversation ranges from polytropos and adaptation to why great literature doesn’t always need to feel relatable.
From Chapman to Circe: how The Odyssey reshaped English literature
The episode traces how Homer’s Odyssey influenced English writing from Shakespeare and the rise of the novel to modern retellings by Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Madeline Miller. Mary and Charlotte are joined by Jonty Claypole to follow the poem’s long afterlife across plays, poems, and fiction.
How the Odyssey sparked centuries of Greek and Roman reinventions
The episode explores how Homer’s Odyssey inspired later writers across the ancient world. Mary and Charlotte trace how figures like the Cyclops, Circe, and Odysseus’ journey were reworked by Euripides, Theocritus, Apollonius, Virgil, and Ovid into strikingly different stories.
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