Episodes
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In this essay, 'History is People' acclaimed historical novelist Rosemary discussed her responsibilities as a children's author and her belief that human nature remains essentially consistent and relatable throughout history, using a range of texts from the Homeric Age to the English Civil War to illustrate her points.
The essay was originally distributed at a conference for the Children's Literature in Education journal in Exeter in 1971, and was later reprinted in the 1973 anthology Children and Literature: Views and Reviews, edited by Virginia Haviland, which is where this reading is taken from. The text can be found here: https://archive.org/details/childrenliteratu00havi
Voice Cast:
Alex Davis as Rosemary Sutcliff
Nikos Karydis as Homer
Flavio Bacci as the Roman soldier
Sarah Bremner as Margret Paston
Vicky Saward Read as Catherine Parr
And Jay Ingate as Edward Spencer
Music Credits:
Meditation Impromptu One to Three, Touching Memories, Relaxing Piano Music and Crossing the Divide, all by Kevin Macleod and available from incompetech.com
If you’d like to find out more about Rosemary Sutcliff, you can visit the official website at RosemarySutcliff.net
You can also read David's analyses of various Sutcliff novels and short stories on website for the Our Mythical Childhood Survey, an international project which looks at the influence of Classical culture on modern children’s media: http://www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/myth-survey/searchHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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With millions of copies sold in a variety of languages, as well as various literary awards and a CBE to her name, Rosemary Sutcliff was one of the most successful 20th century authors of historical fiction.
Many of her works follow the adventures of a family across the generations, from Roman to Post-Roman Britain, beginning with Marcus in her most famous novel The Eagle of the Ninth. Alongside this series – known as the Dolphin Ring Saga – she also published several others novels set in Roman Britain, including Outcast, Mark of the Horse Lord, Song for a Dark Queen and The Capricorn Bracelet. Sutcliff was able to conjure an evocative picture of life in Roman Britain, not only regarding her characters and the material culture they interact with, but also the natural world that they inhabit. Although she passed away in 1992, Sutcliff’s impact continues to be felt to this day, with various archaeologists and historians having been inspired to pick up their trowels and pens by Sutcliff.
How Sutcliff came to imagine Roman Britain had much to do with her experiences in childhood and adolescence. She did not have an easy time growing up, with her father often away on naval duty for long periods at a time and her mother frequently experiencing depressive episodes. Moreover, she was diagnosed with Still’s Disease at a young age, which severely affected her mobility for the rest of her life, and her illness coupled with her family’s frequent moves meant her childhood was often lonely. However, one way in which Sutcliff was able to escape these issues was reading vast amounts of literature, with Rudyard Kipling her favourite author. Before becoming an author, she also found success as a painter, with her work displayed at the Royal Academy.
As the 14th December 2020 marks what would have been Sutcliff’s 100th birthday, we’ve put together an audio documentary about her life and works, exploring how she engaged with themes such as religion, nature, nationality, sexuality, material culture and disability Roman Britain, as well as her continuing impact today.
You can find out more about Rosemary Sutcliff at https://rosemarysutcliff.net/
Contributors to this documentary include:
Anthony Lawton (Sutcliff’s Godson and Chair of Sussex Dolphin)Kate Gilliver (Cardiff University)Donald Gordon (The Trimontium Trust)Tony Keen (University of Notre Dame)Deborah Roberts (Haverford College) Giacomo Savani (Trinity College Dublin) Ellen Swift (University of Kent)Voice-overs were provided by:
Alex Davis (Rosemary Sutcliff)Lee Grana (Agricola)Andy Bates (Uncle Aquila)Phil Hughes (Esca)Jay Ingate (Alexios)The music featured in this production includes:
• Peace of Mind
• Winds of the Rain Forest
• Garden Music
• Easy Lemon
• White Lotus
• Sad Trio
• Relaxing Piano Music
• Music for Manatees
All by Kevin Macleod
Along with ‘Time to Run Finale' by Dexter Britain
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Missing episodes?
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Ridley Scott's Gladiator premiered on the 1st May 2000, and to mark the 20th anniversary David and Jay look back on the box-office smash, multi-award winner and cultural phenomenon.
They discuss The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), on which Gladiator was based, recreating Rome for the 21st century, whether was Commodus really that bad, what connects Maximus to George Bush Jr, the inspiration by Hans Zimmer's score, and if Hollywood is ready to make a film with an African emperor...Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Antony joins David to discuss his PhD 'Gods Behind Glass', which looks at the interpretation of Romano-British religious practice and identity in museums. They discuss changing views of religion in Roman Britain, including shifts from interpreting it as accommodation to domination, the sensory experience of ritual, where people's perceptions of the Roman religion originate from, and Mithras (obviously).
Antony also talks about his time as curator of the archaeological collections of Lincolnshire County Council, making the jump from this to the PhD, how he's learnt a lot about the Chinese Bronze Age, and Edinburgh at New Years.
You can fill out a survey to help with Antony's research at: durham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/godsbehindglass
You can find him on Twitter here and more about his research here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Former guests Matthijs Wibier and Christopher Burden-Strevens, prosecco in hand, return to put David in the hot-seat, where he talks about what he's learned from doing the podcast, why he got into archaeology, the modern reception of Roman Britain, cringing over old Facebook statuses, and why you shouldn't always listen to your lecturers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In the second half, Richard discusses his work on Roman coinage and how the desire to keep correcting himself propelled his work forward, his influence on those who have gone on to be prominent scholars in their own right (and why he's happy none of them are 'Reecian' in style), deciding to write a book on the archaeology of the Later Roman Empire, and his thoughts on the current state of archaeology.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Richard joins David for a two-part episode, reflecting on how the study of Roman Britain has evolved since he published 'My Roman Britain', his unique writing style, reviewer feedback - both to him and from him, and how his own approach to material nearly saw him axed from teaching Roman Britain at UCL.
He also discusses how he came to lecture in archaeology, starting as a schoolboy digging in Cirencester, to studying biochemistry at university and working as a school-teacher for a while, his subsequent journey around Europe collecting data on Roman coins, and the unexpected turn of events that helped him to fund a PhD. Along the way, he recalls meeting the who's-who of Roman studies: Ian Richmond, Mortimer Wheeler, Molly Cotton, Shepperd Frere ...and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
You can download My Roman Britain from Richard's academia.edu page here, as well as many of Richard's other publications.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Emma-Jayne joins David to discuss the OU's online learning tools, including the creation of the Hadrian: The Roamin' Emperor game and filming at Delphi. Emma-Jayne also chats about her research on disability and sensory experience in the Roman World, and how bodily experience would have been far more varied then we tend to think, as well as votive offerings and how these might have helped people deal with these issues. Fittingly, just in time for Halloween, they also talk about Emma-Jayne's work on funerary customs and the process of os resectum, which included removing a finger of the deceased.
Emma-Jayne can be found on Twitter here, the Votives Project here, and you can play the Roamin' Emperor game here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Anthony joins David to discuss Legonium, where he brings Latin to life with Lego sets. Anthony talks about where the idea came from, how its grown over the years and now includes the Legonium Season 1 book, and how he was never really into Lego growing up but the advent of Star Wars Lego changed that.
They also chat about Bellum Sacrum, the card-game Anthony has developed with Laura Jenkinson, which pits Roman gods and goddess against each other, and what it's been like test-driving it with his students.
There's also discussion of which Star Wars character would be a good fit for Mithras, the Legonium photo competition, visiting Hobbiton, and some of the weird things people leave in the Temple to Mithras at Carrawburgh.
You can find the Legonium website here, the Bellum Sacrum website here, and Anthony on Twitter and Instagram.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Csaba joins David to discuss his work on Roman religion in the Danubian provinces, as well as his PhD on religion in Dacia, a Roman province that is roughly akin to modern Transylvania. He chats about modern Romania’s relationship with its Roman past, and how Roman archaeology in Eastern Europe has developed over the last hundred years. Csaba also reflects on his hopes for the future, and that the growing collaborative efforts between scholars across what was once the Roman world can continue to flourish in the face of more isolationist politics. Naturally, there's also lots of Mithras talk.
You can find Csaba's website on Roman religion here, and a website devoted to his new project on religion in the Danubian provinces here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Katherine joins David to discuss her work on the pioneering 18th century art historian and archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann: his life, unfortunate early death, Katherine’s project on Winckelmann’s love letters and his status as a major figure in queer history, and giving his name to archaeology’s premier football tournament, the Winckelmann cup.
Katherine also discusses her own journey, growing up in the Roman town of Colchester, starting as a classics undergrad, but then moving onto modern history and then German philosophy for her PhD, and the benefits of being exposed to a range of ideas and approaches.
Following on from that, they also chat about some of the questions that need to be addressed regarding the relationship between classics and other subjects, as well as the reception of Rome in later cultures, and whether there is a disconnect between early career researchers and more established academics, especially when it comes to social media.
You can find Katherine on Twitter here and you can find her book Winckelmann and the Invention of Antiquity here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Owen joins David to discuss his PhD on craft-tools from Roman London, including what they tell us about life in the city at the time, the misconceptions we can have about craftsman, particularly concerning how varied their experiences were, and how a tool for calming horses got misidentified as ritual castration implement.
Owen also chats about his recent post-doctoral work on the Roman leather in the Museum of London collection, his experiences working on the famous Bloomberg excavations, and why he wasn't a fan of the Romans growing up. Additionally, he discusses the importance of finding a balance between work and your other interests, and not expecting too much of yourself, because your mental health should always take precedence over those extra hours you could work.
Owen is a finds specialist at Museum of London Archaeology. You can find him on Twitter here. You can read a blog-post on shoes from Roman London written by Owen here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Laura joins David to talk about Greek Myth Comix, which started when she made an pact with one of her Classical Civilisation students to get back into drawing. She discusses her favourite graphic novel authors and writers, the difficulties in adapting the ancient world for modern audiences (and why she wasn't a fan of the BBC show Atlantis), and when Greek Myth Comix got onto the front page of Reddit. Laura also chats about her work on the Amarantus and his Neighbourhood project from Cambridge School Latin, which aims to teach kids about life among the lower-classes of Pompeii.
You can find out more about Greek Myth Comix here, and the Amarantus Project here. You can find Laura on Twitter and Instagram.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Emma joins David to talk about her work as Public Engagement Fellow at the ICS, including some of the projects she's been involved in, the growing realisation among university departments that outreach is a vital, and how its important to engage with people with a wide variety of skills in developing such projects. Emma also discusses her work on Xerxes and his reception in the Roman World (and in 300), her current research on military wives in ancient Greece and their modern counterparts, how meeting a classics teacher at sixth-form open evening sent her on the path to studying the ancient world, and how it would be interesting to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge try her hand at adapting ancient myth.
Emma Bridges is Public Engagement Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies.
You can find her on Twitter @emmabridges.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Lee joins David to discuss his PhD thesis on fishing in Roman Britain, spending the summer in excavating in Pompeii, and how for both them studying for their MAs was a big turning-point. There's also plenty on Lee's other major area of research: experimental archaeology. He chats about how he got interested in this avenue of research, bringing people together for a TRAC workshop on the subject, how it's a great tool for public engagement, but also how it doesn't necessarily get the recognition it deserves in academia.
Lee Grana is a PhD student at the University of Reading and previously worked for for Oxford Archaeology. You can find him on Twitter @leegrana.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Luke joins David to discuss his forthcoming book on public space in Late Antiquity, reading Gibbon's Decline and Fall at the age of 12, how a birthday trip to Hadrian's Wall had to be postponed so he could have an emergency operation, why Constantine I is one his favourite emperors but he doesn't have much time for Justinian anymore, studying in Germany, France, Belgium, Turkey and Italy, his thoughts on the current state of late antique studies, and why Scythopolis in the AD500 was a much better place to live than Athens or Pompeii...
Luke Lavan is a Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Kent.
You can find out more about the Late Antique Archaeology Series here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Pete joins David to discuss the recently published Hadrian's Wall: A Journey Through Time, which features many of his photographs. He talks about how he came to archaeology via volunteering at sites such as Vindolanda, how posting his photos of Roman archaeology to Twitter has generated a significant following across the globe, and advice he'd give to anyone wanting to get out and photograph heritage sites. He also reflects on how the media don't always present a story about heritage in the way they perhaps should, as Pete found when some of his own photographs showing damage to the Wall went viral.
You can find Pete on Twitter @pete _ savin and purchase Hadrian's Wall: A Journey Through Time here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Helen joins David to discuss the Minimus Latin course, for which she is the illustrator, that has been going for twenty years! Helen chats about creating Minimus with Barbara Bell, how it has spread across the globe and became much bigger than they ever thought possible, the importance of finding inventive and entertaining ways to teach people - especially children - about the ancient world, the Minimus at Vindolanda weekend, and being inspired by the TV series I, Claudius.
As well as her work on the Minimus series, Helen teaches at Primary School in Suffolk. You can follow her on Twitter and find out the latest news about Minimus at http://www.minimus-etc.co.uk.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ben joins David to discuss his PhD on the representation of the eagle in Roman society, which included looking at the traditional military/political/divine aspects, but also delved into lesser known themes, like what the symbol meant to women and how it related to pregnancy. He also talks about his post-doctoral work on the project 'People and Birds in the Southern Levant', which included a steep - but an ultimately rewarding - learning curve when he had to jump from classics to prehistoric archaeology.
They also chat about Ben's other big research interest, the reception of the classical world in film and TV, especially in Star Trek. He discusses the Original Series classically-themed episodes 'Bread and Circuses' and 'Who Mourns for Adonais?' along with the Romulans have Roman-like traits, and how these reflected the political climate in America at the time.
Ben Greet worked as Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Reading. You can find him on Twitter and follow him at 'Dr Ben's Blog'. You can find the chapter on how Star Trek inadvertently challenges Plato here.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Liz joins David to discuss her forthcoming book Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture. They chat about the portrayal of monsters in Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion films of the 1960s-80s, as well as more recent depictions, such as in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, reflecting on what makes a good monster and how the presentation of these creatures has changed.
There's also talk about the place of reception studies in academia more generally, Liz's research on Seneca, her blog which you can check-out here, and why the Sphinx is the patron monster of defeating mansplaining!
Liz Gloyn is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics at Royal Holloway.
You can find Liz on Twitter @lizgloyn.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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