A Very Merry Saturnalia to You
https://overcast.fm/+ABRBupd3YjY
What the holiday that the Christians overtook was like. Unsurprisingly, some things seem mighty familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHC7WfnEXCo
#romanHistory #saturnalia #podcastEpisode #InstantClassics
A Very Merry Saturnalia to You — Instant Classics
Every December, the Ancient Romans took part in a festival of feasting, drinking, gift-giving and awkward office parties. So far, so Christmas. But, in this episode, Mary and Charlotte ask what really went on during the Roman festival of Saturnalia and whether the comparisons to Christmas really hold? As is so often the case, we discover a people and culture similar to us in some ways, yet also completely alien. The records show that socks were sometimes Saturnalia presents – but, disturbingly, so too were enslaved people. Jokes about the boss were acceptable at Christmas parties, unless - as we discover in one macabre story - the boss happens to be the emperor Nero. The brutal side of Saturnalia becomes really apparent when you consider the differences between Santa and Saturn. One likes to spoil children, the other has a horrid habit of eating them. So if you do decide to celebrate Saturnalia, no laughing at the boss, and keep those chimneys blocked! Charlotte and Mary’s reading suggestions The best guides…
TIL about Roman togas
* Were the business suit of the day and not something one wore casually
* Were semicircles of fabric (if your fabric is rectangular, you're wearing a “pallium”)
* Required assistance to put on
* Were a burden to wear and you had to use your left arm to keep it in place
https://overcast.fm/+ABRBuqFKB_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJKV_qL5e0E
#podcast #ancientRome #InstantClassics #MaryBeard
Underneath The Toga — Instant Classics
Can it really have taken seven episodes of Instant Classics to get to everyone’s favourite Roman meme: the toga party? Mary and Charlotte grasp the thistle - or rather the sinus (fold at the front of a toga) - and ask what exactly is a toga? Who wore them and when? And how do you make one? In this fact-filled episode, we discover that - despite the antics of students around the world today - a toga wasn’t a bed-sheet turned into a sort of cheap tunic for getting blind drunk in, but an elaborate, woollen garment more like a cloak or robe that signified power. We find out how many kilometres of woollen thread were necessary to make a toga, where the word ‘candidate’ (as in political candidate) comes from and which Roman emperor wore platform shoes to make himself look taller. As they go deeper into the folds of the toga, Mary and Charlotte reveal how wearing one was about much more than looking smart but got to the very essence of what it meant to be Roman. And… in case you’re wondering… one of our hosts has…
TIL that we don't understand how Roman charioteers controlled the chariots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RzZ9FKVE-A
#podcast #InstantClassics #MaryBeard
A Day At The Races In Ancient Rome
Instant Classics | Instant Classics
Elliot Shank