About this episode

Mary Beard explores the lives of six individuals from Ancient Greece, revealing the complexities of their society and culture.

From Christopher Nolan blockbusters to presidential elections, their powerful influence endures on our stories, philosophies and politics, but what it was it like to be an Ancient Greek? Scattered clues need to be gathered until they form a living, breathing human, witness to the cultural powerhouse that was Ancient Greece. In Being Greek- her sequel to Being Roman- Mary Beard, Britain’s best-selling historian of the ancient world, rebuilds the lives of six people, from a priestess to a murderer. Her investigations reveal the limits of female independence and take us deep into the marriage of an Athenian power couple. Themes of faith, politics and justice reveal the foundations of Greek society, but it’s the thoughts, feelings and lifestyles of individual Greeks she’s really interested in. Gods and legendary heroes are easy to come by, but Mary looks behind the temples and beyond the classic myths, filling in her stories with the relatable detail of Greek life, uncovering what they ate, how they decorated their homes and raised their children. Mary visits the sites that help cast fresh light on past lives- the grave of a powerful woman in prehistoric Mycenae, an exquisite temple…

People in this episode

Host: Mary Beard

Topics covered

• Ancient Greece
• cultural history
• female independence
• Athenian society
• Greek mythology
• daily life in ancient times

Keywords

• Ancient Greece
• Mary Beard
• Being Greek
• Athenian power couple
• Greek society
• cultural history
• female independence
• daily life

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Being Greek, Being Roman

Places: Mycenae, Acropolis, Marathon

More episodes of Ancient Lives with Mary Beard

• BONUS: Mary Beard on Homer's Odyssey · July 28, 2026 · 13 min
• Martin Scorsese and the Godfather of Athens · July 28, 2026 · 28 min
• The Greengrocer Who Saved Democracy · July 21, 2026 · 28 min
• The Odyssey of Gamma 58 · July 14, 2026 · 28 min
• Courtroom Drama · June 30, 2026 · 28 min
• The Wolf of Via Vesuvio · June 11, 2024 · 28 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ancient Lives with Mary Beard podcast page.