Shows
Two Friends Talk HistoryInvisible Chains: Human Trafficking in Antiquity with Florence FelsheimWhat did it mean to be bought, sold, and sexually exploited in the ancient world? In this powerful episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia is joined by doctoral candidate Florence Felsheim to explore the hidden realities of sexual trafficking in ancient Greece and Rome. Drawing on literary texts, archaeological evidence, and cognitive science, Florence unpacks how systems of enslavement and exploitation operated in societies often romanticized in popular culture.We examine the scale of the ancient slave trade, the gendered dimensions of exploitation, and how enslaved women were commodified—expected to provide not just labor, but se...2025-05-011h 16
Two Friends Talk HistoryClassical Reception of Sexual Violence in Antiquity in Modern Visual Media with Briana KingIn the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia and Dr Briana King return to our discussion into Classical Receptions studies. This time, we go into some of the heavier subject matter that we felt deserved its own episode. Briana joins me to unpack the dark and often overlooked threads of sexual violence in ancient history and its modern reinterpretations through case studies from film and television. We discuss ancient precedents for modern cinematic and television representations of sexual violence - made spectacle – in retellings of Roman narratives.We’re diving deep into how class...2025-04-251h 05
Two Friends Talk HistoryDigital Archaeology with Florence FelsheimIn the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia invites the brilliant Florence Felsheim, a PhD candidate in Classics at the University of St Andrews, for a fascinating deep dive into the intersection of virtual reality (VR), art, and cultural heritage. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the ways we visualize and interpret the past—and why that matters for both academics and the general public.From high-tech field surveys to immersive visualizations that bring ancient history to life, Digital Archaeology is revolutionizing how we explore and share the past. But with innovation comes big que...2025-03-2650 min
Two Friends Talk HistorySpecial Episode: The Ancient Peace Studies Network with Alice KönigIn part 2 of our collaboration, Zofia guest-hosts the Visualising War and Peace Podcast to interview project founder, Dr. Alice König. In this conversation, Alice she unveils the groundbreaking Ancient Peace Studies Network—the first of its kind dedicated to examining how peace was understood, experienced, and represented across different ancient cultures.Discover why peace narratives have received far less scholarly attention than war stories, and how Dr. König's team is working to change that by investigating whose voices and experiences are reflected in ancient accounts of peace and reconciliation.What can ancient approaches to c...2025-03-191h 03
Two Friends Talk HistorySpecial Episode: Ancient war stories and their real-world ramifications with Dr Alice KönigTo launch series 4 of Two Friends Talk History, I was very fortunate to interview Dr Alice König, host of the Visualising War and Peace Podcast, for this special crossover episode. Alice has recently co-edited a new book with Nicolas Wiater, on ancient conflict narratives, called Visualising War across the Ancient Mediterranean: Interplay between Conflict Narratives in Different Genres and Media (Routledge 2025). In this podcast episode, Alice introduces the book and discusses some of the themes at the heart of it.This episode explores the conception of visualisation: the ways in which narratives of war not...2025-02-121h 05
Two Friends Talk HistoryPoverty in Late Antiquity with Carlos MachadoIn this episode, I interview Dr Carlos Machado from the University of St Andrews about the social perceptions and realities of poverty in the Late Antique period. Dr Machado is a Roman historian whose work focuses on aspects of urban space in the Late Antique Roman world, from elite building, honorific monuments, and domestic spaces; he is now working on shedding a light on the strata of society that seldom received attention in the historical record or monumental commemorations - the poor - which is what we shall dig into today. We discuss preconceptions about who the 'poor' o...2023-12-1543 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryAthletics and Honour with Giorgos MouratidisIn this episode, I conduct an in-person interview with the Assistant Director of the British School at Athens, Dr Giorgos Mouraditis. Giorgos' research focuses on athletic self-representation in inscriptions from the Hellenistic and Imperial periods. Listeners will be familiar with the British School of Athens from the last episode when I met with its Director, Professor Rebecca Sweetman, to discuss the exciting public engagement work that the institute is working on. I returned to the BSA for a short visit in May of this year during the fieldwork I am conducting for my thesis chapter in Greece. I...2023-10-0426 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryClassical Reception with Briana KingIn this week's episode, flips the script and am interviewed by returning guest, Dr Briana King. This episode will be part one of an ongoing look at how the ancient world is used in different media today!I discuss with Dr King the history of “Classics” and what we mean when we discuss classical reception. Our first conversation is meant to lay down the foundational context for understanding what it means when classical images and stories are incorporated into modern media through books, music, film, and more. I will explore the history of the transmission of the...2023-08-2353 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryResearch and Engagement at the BSA with Rebecca SweetmanIn this week's episode, Zofia interviews the Director of the British School at Athens (BSA), Professor Rebecca Sweetman. Rebecca has stepped into the role of Director of the BSA for the next few years and has really hit the ground running. We discuss the role and responsibilities of the institute and the exciting outreach she is leading with her fantastic teams in Athens and Knossos. With the 50th anniversary of the Fitch Laboratory coming up next year, we discuss how researchers, academics, artists, poets, and more are making use of the incredible library, archives, and collaborative space...2023-07-1927 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryVisualising War and Peace in Antiquity with Alice KönigIn this episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia interviews Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of St Andrews, and founder of the Visualising War and Peace Project, Dr Alice König. In this interview, Zofia asks Alice about ideas of representing war in antiquity, and if concepts like a ‘peace movement’ was possible in a period of Roman Imperium. We discuss the absences in war narratives, and war’s impacts on women and children, and then turn our attention to the podcast series that Dr König and Dr Nicolas Wiater, launched in 2021, the Visualising War and Peace po...2023-05-241h 04
Two Friends Talk HistoryTyranny in Antiquity with Sam EllisIn this week's episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia is joined by Dr Sam Ellis, an expert in the language of tyranny in antiquity and the study of monocratic power in the Greek polis from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. We explore how the language used to frame the actions of sole rulers has created a construct of 'tyrant' that remains with us today. For a suggested reading list and more information, please check out my website for a blog post on this episode and more resources.Yo...2023-03-3144 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryWishing Upon a Romano-British Well with Maxime RatcliffeThis week on Two Friends Talk History, I spoke with Dr Maxime Ratcliffe, hot off the press with his recently awarded doctorate, to discuss Romano-British well depositions and the tantalising mysteries that were buried within them. We explore their persistence in the British landscape, and their possible uses in antiquity.For a suggested reading list and more information, please check out my website for a blog post on this episode and more resources. If you would like to get in touch with Dr Ratcliffe on the Durham University Archaeology department website here, or you can f...2023-03-0145 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryThe Archaeology of Alcohol with Alexandra SluckyIn this week’s episode, Zofia is joined by returning guest, archaeologist, and archaeobotanist, Alexandra Slucky, to discuss the archaeology of alcohol! We discuss the archaeological process used to identify historic alcoholic vessels and processes.For a suggested reading list and more information, please check out my website for a blog post on this episode and more resources:https://archaeoartist.com/2023/01/29/archaeology-of-alcohol-on-tfth/If you would like to get in touch, you can find Alex on Instagram or on Twitter @SluckyAlex. To get in to...2023-01-2950 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryPolybius' Histories with Elke CloseIn this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Elke Close about Polybius, the Achaean statesman, teacher, and historian from the Hellenistic period. Polybius was active in Megalopolis at the tail end of the period of Greek independence following the wars of the Hellenistic kings and the rise of the Roman empire. Elke discusses the social context and political realities that Polybius faced while held in Rome as a hostage, which, fortunately, he lodged with the famous Cornelii Scipiones family. From his position among one of Rome’s most prominent families, Polybius rode shotgun on several watershed moments of the Rep...2023-01-0635 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryThe Severans with Alex ImrieIn this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Alex Imrie about the historical context and impact of the Severan dynasty on the Roman Empire and beyond. We unpack how the dysfunctional family engaged with each other and the tumultuous world of politics and warfare around them while trying to connect to a human center. Dr Imrie is a Tutor in Classics at the University of Edinburgh and the National Outreach Co-ordinator for the Classical Association of Scotland (CAS). His doctoral work focused on the Constitutio Antoniniana (Antonine Constitution), and he has since published widely on the Severans. ...2022-12-071h 10
Two Friends Talk HistoryReconnecting Heritage: Repatriation and Museums with Barbara WinterKicking off Series 3, in this episode, Zofia interviews Dr Barbara Winter to discuss how indigenous artifacts have traditionally been collected and displayed in western Canada. This discussion touches on the arguments historically used to keep acquired material culture outside of minority communities (by colonial powers), and in large museum collections. To challenge these historic narratives made by caretakers of cultural heritage, we explore the ways in which repatriation reconnects individuals and communities to pre-colonial pasts and helps build confidence for future generations.Dr Barbara Winter worked at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, for over thirty years as...2022-11-0557 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryMultilingualism in Republican Italy with Rory NutterDrawing the year to a close, this week, Zofia is joined by historian Dr Rory Nutter. Together we discuss the linguistic changes that took place in the Italian peninsula over the 4th- 3rd centuries BCE as Latin speakers interacted with the mosaic of languages spoken in the region, and the importance of looking at the materiality of objects when reading inscriptions.Tangents include awkward linguistic encounters, Aeclanum field school, and visiting Ostia Antica.The show will be going on hiatus until February, so until then, thank you so much for tuning to Two Friends Talk...2021-12-2944 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryVampires in Antiquity with Ambra GhiringhelliIn this weeks' episode, Zofia is joined by classical scholar and vampire fang-atic, doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, Ambra Ghiringhelli. Getting to the heart of the vampires in antiquity and in the archaeological record, we shine light in the darkest of spooky places where these immortal bloodsuckers have haunted our imaginations and cemeteries alike. We hope you enjoy the final interview of a three-part journey into monsters that went bump in the night and how they remain relevant in the modern world. Tangents include the medieval village of Wharram Percy, the plagu...2021-12-031h 02
Two Friends Talk HistoryWitches in the Classical World with Celeste Du BloisIn this episode, Zofia is joined again by Latinist and researcher of ancient magic, Celeste De Blois, a Classics doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh.Celeste returns to the pod to discuss witches in Greek mythology, Homeric stories, and Roman elegies.Click here to read the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, discussed in the episode. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through 2021-11-0349 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryTeen Wolf and Werewolves in Antiquity with Javier Martínez JiménezIn this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and Late Antique period specialist Dr Javier Martínez Jiménez, currently a PDRA in the Cambridge Faculty of Classics "Impact of the Ancient City" ERC Project, to discuss his new article and foray into Classical Reception Studies, who looked at naughties tv Teen Wolf reboot and how it uses Classical mythology, language and bodies to present an updated version of the werewolf. Tangents include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Riverdale, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Supernatural, Ancient Greek Werewolf pottery and rituals! To find out more from...2021-10-2238 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryRollin' Down Roman Rivers with James PageIn this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and University of Edinburgh PhD candidate, James R. Page! James shares his insights into how Romans dealt with the changing and often dangerous environment of river transportation, and how local resilience and adaptation changed landscapes in their pursuit of water management!I hope you enjoy the episode!If you would like to find out more about James' work, you can find him on his Academia.edu page and check out the Upper Sabina Tiberina Project's Vacone Villa that he...2021-09-2248 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryThe Globalised Mediterranean with Meg Currie-MoodieThis week, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and outdoor adventure entrepreneur, Dr Meg Currie-Moodie. Meg and I talk about the globalised Mediterranean in antiquity, and what it meant to have shared visual language - a visual koine. We discuss large-scale material culture which employs globalised artistic elements - the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania built Juba II called Kubr-er-Rumia in Arabic - and a small-scale devotional statuette found in Egypt of Horus dressed as a Roman emperor!For more information on the statue of Horus, you can find a fascinating article that discusses it and the recreated c...2021-09-0440 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryByzantine PotteryFrom my recent stay at the British School at Athens, I am joined by archaeologist and Byzantine pottery specialist, the talented Dr Rossana Valente!Dr Rossana Valente (Richard Bradford McConnell Studentship holder) is a postdoctoral researcher at the British School at Athens and Visiting Research Fellow at Newcastle University. Rossana is part of the team analysing the ceramics for Byzantine period Sparta and has fascinating things to say about what studying this pottery can tell us about the Late Antique and Early Medieval periods of Mediterranean trade.Tangents include lockdowns in Athens, field schools and...2021-08-1844 min
Two Friends Talk HistoryThe Late Antique City with Javier Martínez JiménezIn this episode, Zofia is joined by archaeologist and Late Antique period specialist Dr Javier Martínez Jiménez, currently a PDRA in the Cambridge Faculty of Classics "Impact of the Ancient City" ERC Project, to discuss the social changes that characterised the transition to the Late Antique period. We discuss the knock-on effects of these changes as they impacted technology like water provisioning and urban contraction. Tangents include field schools, Roman Merida, setting up a museum exhibition, floating feathered pantomimes, werewolves, and more!To find out more from the talented Dr Martínez...2021-07-2455 min