Daisy Dunn on Marcus Agrippa, ancient Rome's king of cement

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

More episodes of Great Lives

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Great Lives podcast page.