"Everyone's image of [Ancient Rome] is based on modern movies. In some ways, I think those were rather impressive, but they got some things terribly wrong.”

We've inherited the history of Ancient Rome through movies, ruins, and shallow stories. The truth is far messier, says classicist Mary Beard. The hidden side of Roman life that screens rarely capture is chaotic; crowded streets teeming with Romans whose everyday lives were shaped by social hierarchies and familial obligations.

Mary Beard unpacks what archaeology, literature, and even shoes tell us about the Romans’ daily lives. From the role of slaves in dressing elites to the rowdy crowds at chariot races, she shows how we’ve underestimated their complexity.

0:00 You’re picturing Ancient Rome all wrong
1:22 Mary Beard: scholar of Ancient Rome
20:41 The Roman triumph: the greatest celebration of all time
40:27 The Romans who shaped the world
41:25 Augustus
45:46 Virgil
47:22 Julius Ceasar
48:42 Cincinnatus
50:53 The Gracchii brothers
53:27 Marcus Tullius Cicero
55:19 Emperor Nero
57:45 Tacitus
1:06:01 Understanding “The Odyssey”

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About Mary Beard:

Winifred Mary Beard, OBE, FBA, FSA is an English Classical scholar. She is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Newnham College, and Royal Academy of Arts professor of ancient literature. She is also the classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement, and author of the blog, "A Don's Life," which appears in The Times as a regular column. Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist."

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