Gladiators and the Roman Psyche: Interview with Dr. Harry Sidebottom
From Tides of History by Audible / Patrick Wyman
April 2, 2026 · 45 min · Season 5 · Episode 174
About this episode
The episode explores the lives of gladiators in Roman society through an interview with Dr. Harry Sidebottom, discussing their cultural significance and recent research findings.
Gladiators are one of the most instantly recognizable yet alien aspects of Roman society, and Dr. Harry Sidebottom's new book - Those Who Are About to Die - offers a cutting-edge view of these fascinating entertainers based on the most recent research. We discuss what recent research has revealed about their lives, why the Romans were so intrigued by them, and why they matter today. Patrick has a brand-new history show! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLA Patrick's new book - Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age - is now available for preorder, and will be released on May 5th! Preorder in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWLostWorlds. And don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Tides of History ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. See Privacy Policy at…
People in this episode
Host: Patrick Wyman
Guest: Dr. Harry Sidebottom
Topics covered
- Gladiators
- Roman society
- entertainment
- historical research
- cultural significance
Keywords
- gladiators
- Roman society
- Dr. Harry Sidebottom
- historical research
- entertainers
- cultural significance
- interview
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age, The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World
Books & works: Those Who Are About to Die
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