Best Antique Bronze Podcasts (2025)

1
Down The Rabbit Hole of Sculpture with Laura Ford 45:43

Play Pause

4h ago45:43

45:43

In this pre-Christmas episode of Sculpture Vulture, host Lucy Branch reflects on a fruitful year while sharing insightful clips from past episodes. Lucy features pearls of wisdom from renowned sculptors such as Kenny Hunter, Steven C. Barber, Nigel Hall, Kerry Thomas, Neil Andrews, Tom Murphy, Aiden, Tim Shaw, and Rebecca Hawkins. Each sculptor off…

1
Battle of the Bad B*tches: Helen and Clytemnestra 56:58

22m ago56:58

56:58

Liv and Michaela come together for the third (?) annual Battle of the Bas--no wait that's actually the Battle of the Bad B*tches. Helen and Clytemnestra come together and we chat about everything that those two wonderful women were up to in the ancient sources. It's beautiful, it's amazing, and we support all their wonderful ways. Submit your quest…

1
Johannes Zachhuber, "Gregory of Nyssa: on the Hexaemeron: Text, Translation, and Essays" (Oxford UP, 2025) 1:09:13

1h ago1:09:13

1:09:13

Johannes Zachhuber and Anna Marmodoro, eds., Gregory of Nyssa: On the Hexaemeron: Text, Translation, and Essays (Oxford UP, 2025) This book presents Gregory of Nyssa's On the Six Days of Creation (In Hexaemeron) as a specimen of Early Christian philosophy. It comprises Gregory of Nyssa's text in its Greek original accompanied by a new English trans…

1
Liv Reads Statius: The Thebaid (Final) 1:19:11

22m ago1:19:11

1:19:11

Liv reads the final book of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The brothers of Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices, are dead. Their wives and sisters want to bury them, but (unfortunately!) they need the king of Athens, Theseus, to make it happen. Submit to the Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subs…

1
AWA388 - The triple acies revisited 11:25

21m ago11:25

11:25

In this episode of Ancient Warfare Answers, Murray Dahm tackles a question about Roman tactics. If the Romans deployed in three lines of infantry, each eight men deep, how did they avoid leaving their flanks exposed to an enemy who could form a single, wider line? Murray unpacks how the Roman system worked and why it proved so effective. Join us on…

1
Now for Cleopatra Senior!: Revisiting The Very Real Cleopatra VII with The Partial Historians 1:10:18

1d ago1:10:18

1:10:18

On Friday we looked at Cleopatra Selene (aka Cleopatra Jr, Cleopatra VIII), so it's only fitting to revisit an old (and very fun!) episode with the amazing Partial Historians about Cleopatra Selene's far more famous mother, Cleopatra VII (aka THAT Cleopatra... Find more from the Partial Historians here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via ema…

1
Conversations: Cleopatra Selene... A Queen her Mother Would Be Proud Of w/ Dr Jane Draycott 1:38:18

4d ago1:38:18

1:38:18

Liv speaks with Jane Draycott again this week about her book Cleopatra's Daughter: Egyptian Princess, Roman Prisoner, African Queen. Jane Draycott is an amazing scholar who has done phenomenal work on Roman women who often are left without a voice or are given a much lesser reputation than they deserve. Cleopatra Selene is a delightful character to…

1
AW387 - The Roman legion in the second century AD 1:01:29

5d ago1:01:29

1:01:29

"The second century begins with a great war of conquest, and ends with another civil war between pretenders to the throne. Between those two extremes, there were changes in equipment, the rise of career officers, and the introduction of campaigns fought with detachments, instead of uprooting the entire legion." The team discuss the latest edition o…

1
The Worst Friendship Breakup of All Time (The Wars of the Diadochi and the Hellenistic Period) 34:53

8d ago34:53

34:53

We are back with the Wars of the Diadochi and finally Ptolemy gets his proper introduction. Join me today to see what goes on after the Lamian War, see who takes what sides, and who does or does not die. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition a…

1
Saying The Unsaid in Bronze with Rebecca Hawkins 53:49

9d ago53:49

53:49

Today on the show, Lucy Branch talks to contemporary sculptor Rebecca Hawkins who discusses her journey from early influences in sculpture through to creating some of the world's most significant humanitarian memorials particularly addressing sexual violence in conflict and the determination to grow and survive despite hardship. Sculpture News: Reb…

1
Conversations: The Empire is Back. . .and This Episode is the Seleucids w/ Dr. Talia Prussin 1:38:45

12d ago1:38:45

1:38:45

Liv and Michaela speak with Dr. Talia Prussin about the Seleucid empire and the Hellenistic Period generally. Much shenanigans went down, and many discussions on which little guy is everyone's favourite. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition a…

1
AWA386 - Let the die be cast 11:09

15d ago11:09

11:09

In this episode of Ancient Warfare Answers, Murray Dahm returns to the topic of dice in the ancient world. After a question about Greek and Roman dice and the game of Hazard, Murray explores other games played with dice and uncovers intriguing details about the Roman game of Alea — perhaps the one Julius Caesar referenced with his famous phrase "Al…

1
That One Time When Alex Said Hey Guys, Figure It Out (The Wars of the Diadochi and the Hellenistic Period) 39:37

14d ago39:37

39:37

Some more fun history time for you all! This time we are diving into the Wars of the Diadochi, well more like Alex dying and all the Greek rebellions and the Lamian War in this episode. Starting off a new subsection of episodes based on the Hellenistic series, because we all need some more Hellenistic lore in our lives! Submit your question for the…

1
Sarah F. Derbew, "Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity" (Cambridge UP, 2022) 1:04:09

23d ago1:04:09

1:04:09

Sarah Derbew’s new book Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity (Cambridge UP, 2022) asks how should articulations of blackness from the fifth century BCE to the twenty-first century be properly read and interpreted? This important and timely book is the first concerted treatment of black skin color in the Greek literature and visual culture of ant…

1
Charles Higham, "Early Southeast Asia: From First Humans to First Civilizations" (NUS Press, 2024) 1:03:15

23d ago1:03:15

1:03:15

In September 2025 the Dutch government announced that it would return to Indonesia the fossilized remains of the famous ‘Java Man’, the first known example of an early species of human, homo erectus. The remains had been uncovered by a Dutch archaeologist in 1891-2 during the colonial period and taken to the Netherlands. In fact, Southeast Asia has…

1
Paulette F. C. Steeves, "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere" (U Nebraska Press, 2021) 40:01

24d ago40:01

40:01

The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere (U Nebraska Press, 2021) is a reclaimed history of the deep past of Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Paulette F. C. Steeves mines evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that …

1
James Lacey, "Rome: Strategy of Empire" (Oxford UP, 2022) 59:33

25d ago59:33

59:33

From Octavian's victory at Actium (31 B.C.) to its traditional endpoint in the West (476), the Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years -- an impressive number by any standard, and fully one-fifth of all recorded history. In fact, the decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying …

1
Nayanjot Lahiri, "Searching for Ashoka: Questing for a Buddhist King from India to Thailand" (SUNY Press, 2023) 47:40

25d ago47:40

47:40

Blending travelogue, history, and archaeology, Searching for Ashoka: Questing for a Buddhist King from India to Thailand (SUNY Press, 2023) unravels the various avatars of India's most famous emperor, revealing how he came to be remembered—and forgotten—in distinctive ways at particular points in time and in specific locations. Through personal jou…

1
Conversations: Life At the Far Edges of a Crumbling Empire... w/ Owen Rees 1:52:14

24d ago1:52:14

1:52:14

Liv speaks with returning guest Owen Rees about his new book looking at the fringes of ancient empire... From Egypt to Greece to Rome and China. Learn more about Owen's book, Bad Ancient, and Substack. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at …

1
Sarah Ruden, "Vergil: The Poet's Life" (Yale UP, 2023) 1:05:35

26d ago1:05:35

1:05:35

The Aeneid stands as a towering work of Classical Roman literature and a gripping dramatization of the best and worst of human nature. In the process of creating this epic poem, Vergil (70–19 BCE) became a living legend. But the real Vergil is a shadowy figure; we know that he was born into a modest rural family, that he led a private and solitary …

1
AWA385 - Did the ancients fight with their cloaks on? 11:12

26d ago11:12

11:12

In this episode of Ancient Warfare Answers, Murray Dahm tackles a listener question from Richard Azzalin. Did Greek and Roman soldiers ever fight while wearing their cloaks or chlamys? And did warriors sometimes go into battle barefoot? Murray looks at what the evidence tells us about these details of ancient warfare. Join us on Patreon patreon.com…

1
Hermes Here, Admitting All My Sins: the Remix 47:34

23d ago47:34

47:34

Michaela here giving you a remix of past episodes, looking at three different times that we have explored Hermes here on the show. From the Homeric Hymn, to Emily Hauser's How Women Became Poets, to Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound we are examining the ways that Hermes appears within antiquity. He is an interesting character for sure, and has a lot of d…

1
The Pull Of Pietrasanta With Sarah Monk 39:54

29d ago39:54

39:54

On the show today, Lucy Branch speaks to Sarah Monk of The Materially Speaking Podcast about Pietrasanta's International Sculpture Community Key Discussion Points: Pietrasanta's Unique Ecosystem and its History International hub near Carrara marble fields with specialized artisans: mold makers, foundry workers, patina specialists Three types of art…

1
Maia Kotrosits, "After Transformation: Rewriting Time, Christian Late Antiquity, and the Present" (Duke UP, 2025) 54:17

30d ago54:17

54:17

In After Transformation, Maia Kotrosits offers a lyrical history of Christian late antiquity as it lives on in and with the present. Recasting the monumental changes that occurred between the second and fourth centuries, when Rome transitioned from pagan to Christian worship, Kotrosits presents a condensed and evocative meditation on the profound e…

1
Conversations: Deconstructing 'Classicism' and So-Called Western Civilization, w/ Dr Dan-el Padilla Peralta 1:42:51

21d ago1:42:51

1:42:51

Liv and Michaela speak with Dan-el Padilla Peralta about his new book Classicism and Other Phobias, breaking down the 'Founders of Western Civilization' myth, the field of 'Classics', and the racialized mess its often made. Find more about the book, and the article Racing the Classics. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note…

1
AWA384 - Did Hannibal and Scipio Africanus Really Meet? 10:40

1M ago10:40

10:40

Dominik asks: is the famous story of Hannibal and Scipio Africanus meeting to discuss history's greatest generals plausible? Murray Dahm examines the ancient accounts, the realities of elite travel in the ancient world, and whether such encounters between great commanders could have happened. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast…

1
Liv Reads Statius: The Thebaid (Part 12) 37:17

29d ago37:17

37:17

Liv reads (the second half) of Book 11 of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. It's the beginning of the end... The brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, fight to the death and leave their surviving family members - Jocasta, Antigone, Ismene, and Oedipus - to deal with their grief. Submit to the quarterly Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad…

1
Conversations: Real Women's Voices at Real Ancient Work, w/ Andromache Karanika 1:44:54

29d ago1:44:54

1:44:54

Liv speaks with Andromache Karanika about women's work, work songs, and the very concept of real ancient women's lives. Set fire to the patriarchy, my dear listeners... And learn more about Dr Karanika. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at…

1
AW383 - The Ancient Warfare Christmas Reading List 43:56

29d ago43:56

43:56

With Christmas just around the corner, the Ancient Warfare team take a break from battles to share their top reading recommendations for the holidays. From newly released studies to timeless classics, Jasper, Murray, Mark, Lindsay, and Marc each choose books that any ancient warfare enthusiast would love to find under the tree. Whether you're looki…

1
Eric H. Cline, "Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed" (Princeton UP, 2025) 1:07:05

1M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

From the acclaimed author of 1177 B.C., a spellbinding account of the archaeological find that opened a window onto the vibrant diplomatic world of the ancient Near East In 1887, an Egyptian woman made an astonishing discovery among the ruins of the heretic king Akhenaten’s capital city, a site now known as Amarna. She found a cache of cuneiform ta…

1
Oracle You Glad to Hear From Me? Decoding Ancient Oracles & Prophecies... 40:54

27d ago40:54

40:54

We're here this Tuesday with another fun history episode because Liv deserves a break too! This was a fun one to research and write for you all, just a good ole deep dive into all the fun little oracles that are out there. Okay, we only looked at Delphic oracles, but to be fair that's because they were so incredibly important within the ancient Gre…

1
Hello Darkness: The Emotional Weight of Bronze with Tim Shaw 46:18

1M ago46:18

46:18

In this episode, Lucy Branch speaks with sculptor Tim Shaw about his journey from troublesome teenager to one of Britain's most compelling contemporary sculptors working in bronze and public art. Tim shares the pivotal moment that enabled him to pursue sculpture full-time, and how he's built an autonomous creative life, working primarily on bodies …

1
Ellen Muehlberger, "Things Unseen: Essays on Evidence, Knowledge, and the Late Ancient World" (U California Press, 2025) 1:16:11

1M ago1:16:11

1:16:11

How do you know the nature of another person: who she is, or what she is capable of? In four exploratory essays, a seasoned historian examines the mechanisms by which ancient people came to have knowledge—not of the world and its myriad processes but about something more intimate, namely the individuals they encountered in close quarters, those the…

1
Turns Out Disney's Hercules is Super Duper Queer (feat. Historical Homos) 1:36:03

2M ago1:36:03

1:36:03

Hear ye! Here ye! Liv met up with the Historical Homos again to talk all things Disney Hercules and how wonderfully queer it is! Thebes as the big city! Feeling out of place as a child because of something that's just a part of you! Merch as success! It's simply the most beautiful thing in the world. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email …

1
AWA382 - How Did Caesar's Legionnaires Stay Battle-Ready? 8:27

1M ago8:27

8:27

A listener asks: without modern nutritionists or recovery plans, how did Caesar's legionnaires maintain the stamina to fight repeated battles, such as Bibracte and the Arar in 58 BC? Murray Dahm looks at training, diet, and discipline in Rome's legions, and how ancient soldiers sustained their fighting edge. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwa…

1
Hugo Méndez, "The Gospel of John: A New History" (Oxford UP, 2025) 1:31:09

2M ago1:31:09

1:31:09

Throughout the centuries and into the present day, the Gospel of John has indelibly shaped Christian theology and thinkers in significant ways, but major new questions are being raised about the genesis of that gospel, its relationship to other Christian writings and influences, and especially the masked identity of its author. In The Gospel of Joh…

1
Liv Reads Statius: The Thebaid (Part 11) 46:32

1M ago46:32

46:32

Liv reads (the first half) of Book 11 of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. It's the beginning of the end... The brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, are about fight each other. But first, rants, raves, and pleas from the women in their lives... Furies, Jocasta, and Antigone. Submit to the quarterly Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-fr…

1
Do You Like Scary Stories? Spooky Selections from Spooky Conversations... 1:12:55

2M ago1:12:55

1:12:55

Happy Halloween! Today we've cobbled together selections from three favourite Spooky Season Conversations, featuring selections from 2022's Halloween Special w/ Dr Ellie Mackin Roberts, 2021's Scream Queens conversation with Vanessa Stovall, and 2022's Monster conversation with Jasmine Elmer. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voi…

1
AWA381 - Did Ancient Soldiers Protect Their Feet? 7:43

2M ago7:43

7:43

A listener asks: with Greek and Roman soldiers well-armoured elsewhere, how did they protect the tops of their feet from injury? Murray Dahm explores what ancient sources and archaeology reveal about footwear, armour, and the realities of combat. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

1
RE-AIR: Blood-soaked Trees, Erysichthon Eats Himself & Bonus Boogeywomen of Ancient Greece 29:03

2M ago29:03

29:03

This episode originally aired in October 2020... It might be old, but the story feels right on point in 2025. We travel to Thessaly where their king, Erysichthon gets a horrifying punishment for his crimes against Demeter. Plus, Lamia and Empusa... monstrous and vampiric women of mythology. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice…

1
Hidden In Plain Sight: Emma Stebbins Legacy with Karli Wurzelbacher 38:54

2M ago38:54

38:54

In today's episode, host Lucy Branch, introduces Carly Wurzel Backer PhD and, Chief Curator of the Heckscher Museum of Art, who shares insights on Emma Stebbins, a pioneering 19th-century sculptor known for her Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. The discussion covers Stebbins' life, her groundbreaking works, and the process of organising an exhibit…

1
Jeremy Swist, "Julian Augustus: Platonism, Myth and the Refounding of Rome" (Oxford UP, 2025) 1:29:40

2M ago1:29:40

1:29:40

The Roman emperor Julian (r. 361-363 CE) was a man of action and of letters, which he employed in an effort to return the Empire to the light of the pagan gods, and reverse the Christianization of the empire advanced by his uncle Constantine and the sons of Constantine. This enterprise was inspired and guided by his conversion to the Neoplatonic ph…

1
Jennifer Barry, "Gender Violence in Late Antiquity: Male Fantasies and the Christian Imagination" (U California Press, 2025) 32:14

2M ago32:14

32:14

Gender Violence in Late Antiquity: Male Fantasies and the Christian Imagination (University of California Press, 2025) by Dr. Jennifer Barry confronts the violent ideological frameworks underpinning the early Christian imagination, arguing that gender-based violence is not peripheral but is fundamental to understanding early Christian history. By a…

1
Michael B. Cosmopoulos, "The World of Homer: Archaeology, Social Memory, and the Emergence of Greek Epic Poetry" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 1:22:08

2M ago1:22:08

1:22:08

Epic poetry, notably the Iliad and the Odyssey, stands as one of the most enduring legacies of ancient Greece. Although the impact of these epics on Western civilization is widely recognized, their origins remain the subject of heated debate. Were they composed in a single era or over the course of centuries? Were they crafted by one or by many poe…

1
RE-AIR: Conversations: Sorceresses & Satire, Witches of Ancient Greece & Rome w/ Maxwell T Paule 1:15:56

2M ago1:15:56

1:15:56

Thanks for your patience... New episodes are (fingers crossed) coming soon! For now, this episode originally aired in October 2021 (which, yes, Liv looked up AFTER guessing it was 'a couple years ago'... time is a flat circle). Liv speaks with Maxwell T Paule all about witches (and much, much more) of classical myth and Roman poetry... Follow Maxwe…

1
AWA380 - How Did the Greek Phalanx Keep Its Line? 14:20

1M ago14:20

14:20

A listener from Brisbane asks: how did the Greek hoplite phalanx maintain a cohesive front while advancing into battle over uneven terrain dotted with trees, bushes, and obstacles? Murray Dahm explains how ancient soldiers kept formation, reformed when disrupted, and adapted their tactics to the landscape. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarf…

1
BONUS! Hermes Historia: We Yearn for the Grave (Re-air) 49:34

2M ago49:34

49:34

Hey, did you know that Michaela and Liv are running a bonus history series over on the show's Patreon?! Last year we aired a few Hermes Historia episodes before putting the rest behind the Patreon paywall. This was the inaugural Spooooky Hermes Historia episode... Michaela shares a brief history of ancient Greek funerary practices. Because Spooky S…

1
RE-AIR: So Many Snakes, the Prolific Monster Dynasty of Typhoeus & Echidna 36:00

2M ago36:00

36:00

This episode originally aired in October 2021... So. Many. Snakes. To continue Spooky Season, a look at the Father of Monsters, Typhoeus (or Typhon), and the near equally monstrous Echidna. CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I re…

1
Angelos Chaniotis, "Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian" (Harvard UP, 2018) 1:11:35

2M ago1:11:35

1:11:35

The world that Alexander remade in his lifetime was transformed once more by his death in 323 BCE. In Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian(Harvard University Press, 2018), Angelos Chaniotis, Professor of Ancient History and Classics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, examines how his successors reorganized Pers…

1
AW379 - Commanding an Army in Antiquity 28:31

2M ago28:31

28:31

How do you get the right man to command your armies? Does he learn on the job, or from books, and what happens when something goes wrong? In this episode, the team discusses issue 104, Who Put You in Charge? Commanding an Army in Antiquity. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast