
Daisy Dunn on Marcus Agrippa, ancient Rome's king of cement
From Great Lives by BBC Radio 4
March 2, 2026 · 27 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the life and contributions of Marcus Agrippa, focusing on his military and architectural achievements in ancient Rome.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman general best known for his military victories, but he also helped rebuild Rome, providing aqueducts, statues and the original Pantheon. Nominating him is Dr Daisy Dunn, author of The Missing Thread, who dubs him ancient Rome's king of cement. Joining her is Dr Shushma Malik from Cambridge University who throws light on the man who won the battle of Actium and was for many years second in command to the emperor Augustus. The programme is presented by historian Helen Carr and was produced in Bristol by Miles Warde.
People in this episode
Host: Helen Carr
Guests: Daisy Dunn, Shushma Malik
Topics covered
- ancient Rome
- military history
- architecture
- biography
- civil engineering
Keywords
- Marcus Agrippa
- ancient Rome
- Pantheon
- aqueducts
- military victories
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cambridge University
Books & works: The Missing Thread
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