Ancient History Fangirl

An ancient history podcast run by two Millennial women. Misbehaving emperors, poison assassins, mythological mayhem; it’s like if Hardcore History met up with My Favorite Murder in the ancient world, with a heavy helping of booze and laughter.

History
Society & Culture
226
Abortion in the Ancient World (With Princess O'...
We’re joined by feminist Biblical scholar Princess O’Nika Auguste to discuss abortion in ancient Greece, Rome, and in Biblical times.
43 min
227
Abortion Rights Takeover: Silphium
Silphium was the miracle plant of ancient Greece and Rome. Among its many other uses, it may have functioned as a contraceptive--and an abortifacent.
25 min
228
Abortion Rights Takeover: Bathroom Business (Wi...
Pliny the Elder interviewed sex workers to get the lowdown on how they dealt with unwanted pregnancies (but we suspect the ladies were having him on).
65 min
229
The Invisible Thread: Life after Slavery in Pom...
We talk to Elodie Harper--bestselling author of the Wolf Den and the House with the Golden Door--about enslavement and freedom in Pompeii.
59 min
230
Podcast Takeover for Abortion Rights
We have several episodes that discuss abortion, and in the next few weeks, we’ll be re-releasing those on our main feed twice a week.
3 min
231
Elektra, Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and the Curse...
In this episode, bestselling author Jennifer Saint introduces us to Clytemnestra, Elektra, Cassandra, and the murderous curse that shadowed their lives.
47 min
232
Gender Rebels of Greek Mythology: Achilles at War
In this episode, we explore what happened to gender in the pressure-cooker of ancient war, as Achilles’ clash with Agamemnon rose to a fever pitch—over a woman called Briseis.
57 min
233
Gender Rebels of Greek Mythology: Achilles' Bea...
Achilles left Pyrrha behind, but his time as a dancing girl followed him to the beach at Aulis.
54 min
234
Gender Rebels of Greek Mythology: Achilles Coul...
Achilles spent several years passing as a girl. Today, we're going to explore that time in his life--and what it tells us about his gender.
56 min
235
Gender Rebels of Greek Mythology: Achilles x Pa...
Join us as we explore the mythology of a genderqueer Achilles and the man who loved him.
78 min
236
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Part 3)
As Spartan control in Greece receded, opportunistic warlords and upstart city-states rose up to take advantage of a power vacuum.
59 min
237
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Part 2)
The Thebans had their city back. Now they had to figure out how to hold it against the Spartans, because the Spartans would strike back.
44 min
238
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Part 1)
The time was the 300s BC. The place was Thebes. And in this place, in this time, there was an elite military force—the best of the best special ops shock troops—made up of 150 male lovers.
52 min
239
Gender Rebels of Ancient Greece and Rome: Eunuc...
Last week, we focused on people who chose to undergo castration for religious reasons. But enslaved people were castrated as well--often in childhood.
53 min
240
Gender Rebels of Ancient Greece and Rome: Eunuc...
Eunuchs were perhaps the most visible queer people in the ancient Roman and Greek world. No study of queer history in that time would be complete without them.
47 min
241
Gender Rebels of Ancient Greece and Rome: Inter...
It was dangerous to be Intersex in ancient Greece and Rome.
63 min
242
BONUS: We Wrote a Book!
Women of Myth is about epic women in mythology from around the world.
36 min
243
Gender Rebels of Ancient Greece and Rome: Trans...
It's a common belief that being trans is somehow a "modern" invention and there were no trans people in the ancient world. But nothing could be further from the truth.
60 min
244
Gender Rebels of Ancient Greece and Rome: Queer...
This mini-series-within-a-series will be a deep dive into queer history in ancient Greece and Rome--starting with queer women.
57 min
245
Life of Sappho (With Leesa Charlotte from Sweet...
Like her poetry, our picture of Sappho's life is very fragmentary. This week, we team up with Leesa Charlotte from Sweetbitter to try piecing the puzzle together.
41 min
246
Ariadne, Dionysus, and the Theseus of it All (W...
In this episode, we talk to Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne, to discuss myth, storytelling, and the lives of women in ancient Greece and Minoan Crete.
49 min
247
Janus: God of the New Year
Janus may not be very well-known. But in his time, he was considered one of the most important gods—perhaps more important than Jupiter himself. Today, we’re going to tell you all about him.
54 min
248
Krampus: The Goat Knows What You Did
This year, we decided that the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a mythological foray into one of the most famous characters of the season: The Krampus.
42 min
249
Bathroom Business (With Kate the Exploress)
In this episode, we team up with Kate the Exploress to delve into the most intimate aspects of daily life for sex workers in ancient Greece and Rome.
65 min
250
Transgender Aphrodite
Join us as we uncover the historical and mythological evidence for a transgender Aphrodite.
39 min