It's All Greek (and Latin) To Me

• “The Old Lie” – The Roman Ode that Haunted the Trenches

  “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” – “It is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country.” This week, Jimmy and Armand dive into the conflicted world of Horace, the Roman poet who famously threw away his own shield, switched sides in a civil war and then wrote stirring verses urging young men to die for Rome’s new leadership. We explore Horace’s transformation from the carefree party bard many imagine, into a potential imperial propagandist; how Augustus used poetry to shape public feeling; and how this short Latin phrase – once used to promote war – would echo across the centuries, only to be picked up and shattered by Wilfred Owen in his devastating First World War poem. Also in this episode: a Roman consul who walks willingly to torture, Horace’s surprisingly cheeky thoughts on adultery, and how Yorkshire accents might just be the secret to perfect Latin pronunciation. Main texts explored: Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 2 (Angustam amice pauperiem pati) Contains the famous line: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” Horace – Odes, Book 1, Ode 37 (Cleopatra Ode) Horace – Odes, Book 3, Odes 1–6 (The “Roman Odes”) Explored generally. Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 7 (Ode on Adultery) Wilfred Owen – “Dulce et Decorum Est” Cavafy – “Thermopylae” (modern poem) Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 5 (Regulus Ode) Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville Produced by Diggory Waite A Hat Trick Production For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk

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• The Father of History or the Father of Lies? Herodotus' Histories with Han Parker

  Was Herodotus the Father of History — or the Father of Lies? Jimmy and Armand dive into the strange and spectacular world of Herodotus — a world filled with fox-sized, gold-digging ants, Pharaohs running brutal language experiments on babies and cultures who’d never dream of burning their dead… but would happily eat them. They explore how Herodotus crafted his Histories, why later Greek historians threw serious shade at his methods, and how someone with more in common with a travel vlogger or Victorian explorer than a modern academic came to shape our understanding of history itself. Main texts explored: Histories, Herodotus Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville Produced by Diggory Waite A Hat Trick Production For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk

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• Gods, Frogs and The Ancient Greek Elvis – The Music of Ancient Greece

  He gyrated, he pouted, he played two pipes at once – and he may have been the Elvis of ancient Greece... This week, Jimmy and Armand plunge into the strange, stirring soundscape of the classical world, where music wasn’t background – it was everything. We meet professional pipers who whipped crowds into frenzies, women whose musical talent could buy them out of slavery, and frogs who sang in rhythmic unison to torment a god. From breath-defying performance techniques to the eerie beauty of melodies reconstructed from scraps of papyrus, this is a world where language and pitch were inseparable – and where the past can still sing. The music heard (in order) was:  ‘Improvisation on the Lourve Aulos’ performed by Callum Armstrong. 'The Frog Chorus' from ‘The Frogs’ by Aristophanes performed by Callum Armstrong. ‘Pindar's 12th Pythian Ode’ performed by Stef Conner and Barnaby Brown. ‘Euripides Orestes’ performed by a mixed choir and Barnaby Brown on the Aulos. A big thank you to all the performers.  Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville Produced by Diggory Waite A Hat Trick Production For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk

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• “They Make a Desert and Call It Peace” – Tacitus' Agricola

  “They make a desert and call it peace.” It’s one of the most brutal lines in ancient history – but was it ever actually spoken?  Jimmy and Armand unpack the sharp, unsettling world of Roman historian Tacitus, who often slipped his most biting critiques of Ancient Rome into the mouths of her enemies. We explore the fine line between history and drama, how Roman speeches were crafted rather than recorded, and what that says about truth, narrative, and power. Also in this episode: collapsing assassination boats, Roman mothers who just won’t die, the surprising origin of the phrase “parting shot” (which isn’t actually ‘parting shot’ at all!) and why Chelmsford was once (sort of) the heart of the Roman Empire. The main texts explored were:  Agricola, Tacitus Annals, Tacitus Histories, Tacitus Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville Produced by Diggory Waite A Hat Trick Production For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk

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• Dogs, Birds and… Eels? – Pets in the Ancient World

  Armand and Jimmy follow the pawprints of history to uncover the deeply emotional – and sometimes bizarre – relationships the ancients had with their animals. From the heartbreaking moment Odysseus returns home to find his loyal dog Argos dying, to a Roman epitaph that mourns a beloved pup named Patrikhi, they reveal a world where grief and love for pets were immortalized in verse. Along the way, they explore a Roman orator who dressed his pet eel in jewellery, Virgil’s possible tax-dodging fly funeral, and Julius Caesar’s short-lived affection for a giraffe… The main texts explored (in order) were: Homer’s Odyssey, Roman Epitaph for Patrikhi, Catullus Poems 2 & 3, Martial Epigrams 1.109, Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, Herodotus’ Histories and Euripides’ Orestes.  Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville  Produced by Diggory Waite  A Hat Trick Production For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk

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