Roman Ghostbusters
As the Halloween season hits, Mary and Charlotte turn to the wealth of ghost stories from the ancient world to ask: did the Greeks and Romans really believe in ghosts and why are their stories so simi...
30 Okt 202537min
Special Announcement! - Instant Classics Live
Exciting News! Vespucci, in collaboration with the City of London Corporation and the Culture Mile Business Improvement District, is thrilled to present the very first live recording of Instant Class...
28 Okt 20251min
Did Nero Really Fiddle While Rome Burned?
‘Fiddling while Rome burns’ is an accusation flung at every political leader at some point in their career. In this episode, Mary and Charlotte uncover the origins of this phrase and ask: why has it p...
23 Okt 202543min
Underneath The Toga
Can it really have taken seven episodes of Instant Classics to get to everyone’s favourite Roman meme: the toga party? Mary and Charlotte grasp the thistle - or rather the sinus (fold at the front of ...
16 Okt 202539min
Cassandra: Prophet Of The Modern World?
Who was the mythical Cassandra and why have pop stars started singing about her? Mary and Charlotte turn sleuth and track the elusive Trojan princess through the pages of ancient texts - from Homer’s ...
9 Okt 202549min
How did Rome begin?
We all know what Rome became - largest empire of the ancient world, public bathing, gladiators, aqueducts, excellent roads and all that - but how did it begin? Who founded it? When? And why? Mary and ...
2 Okt 202534min
Decoding The Parthenon
The Parthenon is one of the most celebrated and recognisable buildings in the world, but what did it mean to the Ancient Greeks? What role did it play in Greek society? And what did it look like in it...
25 Sep 202552min
Free Speech - An Ancient History
In the wake of recent conflicts over free speech and acts of political violence, Mary and Charlotte discuss how - then as now - free speech dominated the political agenda in the ancient world, with wi...
18 Sep 202547min
