In Our Time: History
BBC Radio 4
Historical themes, events and key individuals from Akhenaten to Xenophon.
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Top 10 In Our Time: History Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best In Our Time: History episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to In Our Time: History for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite In Our Time: History episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Utopia
In Our Time: History
10/07/99 • 28 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the concept of Utopia. Both the idea of, and the longing for a perfect society have been in our imagination for centuries, even millennia. Utopian dreams have driven fantasy, Fascism and fine feeling.Utopias, by definition, do not exist. The literal meaning of the Greek is “nowhere”. And yet, we are still enthralled by its allure. Why do some of us still believe in it - after the devastation wreaked this century by the utopian ideals that gave rise to Fascism and Communism? And what do utopias in fiction tell about the present - and even future?With Dr Anthony Grayling, human rights campaigner, lecturer in philosophy at Birkbeck College, London and Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford; John Carey, distinguished critic, journalist, broadcaster, Merton Professor of English, Oxford University and editor of, The Faber Book of Utopias.
1 Listener
Demosthenes' Philippics
In Our Time: History
12/15/22 • 56 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the speeches that became a byword for fierce attacks on political opponents. It was in the 4th century BC, in Athens, that Demosthenes delivered these speeches against the tyrant Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, when Philip appeared a growing threat to Athens and its allies and Demosthenes feared his fellow citizens were set on appeasement. In what became known as The Philippics, Demosthenes tried to persuade Athenians to act against Macedon before it was too late; eventually he succeeded in stirring them, even if the Macedonians later prevailed. For these speeches prompting resistance, Demosthenes became famous as one of the Athenian democracy’s greatest freedom fighters. Later, in Rome, Cicero's attacks on Mark Antony were styled on Demosthenes and these too became known as Philippics.
The image above is painted on the dome of the library of the National Assembly, Paris and is by Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863). It depicts Demosthenes haranguing the waves of the sea as a way of strengthening his voice for his speeches.
With
Paul Cartledge A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge
Kathryn Tempest Reader in Latin Literature and Roman History at the University of Roehampton
And
Jon Hesk Reader in Greek and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews
Producer: Simon Tillotson
1 Listener
History of History
In Our Time: History
01/22/09 • 42 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how the writing of history has changed over time, from ancient epics to medieval hagiographies and modern deconstructions. In the 6th century AD, the bishop of Tours began his history of the world with a simple observation that “A great many things keep happening, some of them good, some of them bad”. For a phrase that captures the whole of history it’s among the best, but in writing about the past we are rarely so economical. From ancient epics – Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War - to medieval hagiographies and modern deconstructions, historians have endlessly chronicled, surveyed and analysed the great many things that keep happening, declaring some of them good and some of them bad. But the writing of history always illuminates two periods – the one history is written about and the one it is written in. And to look at how the writing of history has changed is to examine the way successive ages have understood their world. In short, there is a history to history.With Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge; John Burrow, Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford and Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London.
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Introducing History's Secret Heroes - Series 2
In Our Time: History
07/30/24 • 12 min
Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for tales of deception, resistance and courage in series two of History's Secret Heroes.
1 Listener
The Antikythera Mechanism
In Our Time: History
12/12/24 • 50 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 2000-year-old device which transformed our understanding of astronomy in ancient Greece. In 1900 a group of sponge divers found the wreck of a ship off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the items salvaged was a corroded bronze object, the purpose of which was not at first clear. It turned out to be one of the most important discoveries in marine archaeology. Over time, researchers worked out that it was some kind of astronomical analogue computer, the only one to survive from this period as bronze objects were so often melted down for other uses. In recent decades, detailed examination of the Antikythera Mechanism using the latest scientific techniques indicates that it is a particularly intricate tool for showing the positions of planets, the sun and moon, with a complexity and precision not surpassed for over a thousand years.
With
Mike Edmunds Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University
Jo Marchant Science journalist and author of 'Decoding the Heavens' on the Antikythera Mechanism
And
Liba Taub Professor Emerita in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Scholar at the Deutsches Museum, Munich
Producer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production
Reading list:
Derek de Solla Price, Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism (American Philosophical Society Press, 1974)
M. G. Edmunds, ‘The Antikythera mechanism and the mechanical universe’ (Contemp. Phys. 55, 2014)
M.G. Edmunds, ’The Mechanical Universe’ (Astronomy & Geophysics, 64, 2023)
James Evans and J. Lennart Berggren, Geminos's Introduction to the Phenomena: A Translation and Study of a Hellenistic Survey of Astronomy (Princeton University Press, 2006)
T. Freeth et al., ‘Calendars with Olympiad display and eclipse prediction on the Antikythera mechanism’ (Nature 454, 2008)
Alexander Jones, A Portable Cosmos: Revealing the Antikythera Mechanism, Scientific Wonder of the Ancient World (Oxford University Press, 2017)
Jo Marchant, Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World’s First Computer (Windmill Books, 2009)
J.H. Seiradakis and M.G. Edmunds, ‘Our current knowledge of the Antikythera Mechanism’ (Nature Astronomy 2, 2018)
Liba Taub, Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2022)
1 Listener
Angkor Wat
In Our Time: History
07/21/22 • 49 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the largest and arguably the most astonishing religious structure on Earth, built for Suryavarman II in the 12th Century in modern-day Cambodia. It is said to have more stone in it than the Great Pyramid of Giza, and much of the surface is intricately carved and remarkably well preserved. For the last 900 years Angkor Wat has been a centre of religion, whether Hinduism, Buddhism or Animism or a combination of those, and a source of wonder to Cambodians and visitors from around the world.
With
Piphal Heng Postdoctoral scholar at the Cotsen Institute and the Programme for Early Modern Southeast Asia at UCLA
Ashley Thompson Hiram W Woodward Chair of Southeast Asian Art at SOAS University of London
And
Simon Warrack A stone conservator who has worked extensively at Angkor Wat
Producer: Simon Tillotson
1 Listener
Tagore
In Our Time: History
05/07/15 • 46 min
1 Listener
London
In Our Time: History
09/28/00 • 41 min
1 Listener
Roman Britain
In Our Time: History
05/01/03 • 28 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Romans in Britain. About 2000 years ago, Tacitus noted that “the climate is wretched”, Herodian said, “the atmosphere in the country is always gloomy”, Dio said “they live in tents unclothed and unshod, and share their women” and the historian Strabo said on no account should the Romans make it part of the Empire because it will never pay its way. But invade they did, and Britain became part of the Roman Empire for almost four hundred years.But what brought Romans to Britain and what made them stay? Did they prove the commentators wrong and make Britain amount to something in the Empire? Did the Romans come and go without much trace, or do those four centuries still colour our national life and character today?With Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University; Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University; Catharine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University.
1 Listener
Megaliths
In Our Time: History
03/30/23 • 50 min
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss megaliths - huge stones placed in the landscape, often visually striking and highly prominent.
Such stone monuments in Britain and Ireland mostly date from the Neolithic period, and the most ancient are up to 6,000 years old. In recent decades, scientific advances have enabled archaeologists to learn a large amount about megalithic structures and the people who built them, but much about these stones remains unknown and mysterious.
With
Vicki Cummings Professor of Neolithic Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire
Julian Thomas Professor of Archaeology at the University of Manchester
and
Susan Greaney Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Exeter.
1 Listener
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FAQ
How many episodes does In Our Time: History have?
In Our Time: History currently has 533 episodes available.
What topics does In Our Time: History cover?
The podcast is about History and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on In Our Time: History?
The episode title 'Demosthenes' Philippics' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on In Our Time: History?
The average episode length on In Our Time: History is 44 minutes.
How often are episodes of In Our Time: History released?
Episodes of In Our Time: History are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of In Our Time: History?
The first episode of In Our Time: History was released on Oct 15, 1998.
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