Two Friends Talk History

• Classical Reception of Sexual Violence in Antiquity in Modern Visual Media with Briana King

  In the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History, Zofia and Dr Briana King return to our discussion into Classical Receptions studies. This time, we go into some of the heavier subject matter that we felt deserved its own episode.  Briana joins me to unpack the dark and often overlooked threads of sexual violence in ancient history and its modern reinterpretations through case studies from film and television. We discuss ancient precedents for modern cinematic and television representations of sexual violence - made spectacle – in retellings of Roman narratives.We’re diving deep into how classical reception shapes public perception—and why that matters.🏛️To see images from this podcast, check out the accompanying blog post!This is a heavy but essential conversation about power, misrepresentation, and the stories we choose to tell. To follow Dr King's academic work, check out her page on Academia.Edu.📢 Trigger warning: this episode discusses sexual violence and may be distressing to some listeners. Please listen with care.Sexual Violence Support ContactsRape Crisis Scotland: https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-helpline/For sexual violence or violence against women, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) run by Refuge and Women's Aid provides 24/7 support and information. Additional resources include Rape Crisis England & Wales which offers specialist support for women who have experienced sexual violence. Women's Aid also offers a live chat service and email supportVisit the Rights of Women website on legal information sheets on a range of issues, including Forced Marriage and the law. Support for victims of ‘honour’-based violence and forced marriage.To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected].

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• Digital Archaeology with Florence Felsheim

  In the latest episode of Two Friends Talk History,  Zofia invites the brilliant Florence Felsheim, a PhD candidate in Classics at the University of St Andrews, for a fascinating deep dive into the intersection of virtual reality (VR), art, and cultural heritage. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the ways we visualize and interpret the past—and why that matters for both academics and the general public.From high-tech field surveys to immersive visualizations that bring ancient history to life, Digital Archaeology is revolutionizing how we explore and share the past. But with innovation comes big questions—where does creativity meet caution in this rapidly evolving field?If you’re fascinated by history, technology, or the future of cultural heritage, this episode is a must-listen. Florence Felsheim’s insights into the ethical and methodological complexities of virtual archaeology will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the ways technology is reshaping our connection to the past. Tune in to Two Friends Talk History to explore how VR is breathing new life into ancient worlds—and what that means for historians, artists, and the curious minds who love to explore them.To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected]. 

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• Special Episode: The Ancient Peace Studies Network with Alice König

  In part 2 of our collaboration, Zofia guest-hosts the Visualising War and Peace Podcast to interview project founder, Dr. Alice König. In this conversation, Alice she unveils the groundbreaking Ancient Peace Studies Network—the first of its kind dedicated to examining how peace was understood, experienced, and represented across different ancient cultures.Discover why peace narratives have received far less scholarly attention than war stories, and how Dr. König's team is working to change that by investigating whose voices and experiences are reflected in ancient accounts of peace and reconciliation.What can ancient approaches to conflict resolution teach us about modern peacebuilding? In this thought-provoking special episode, we explore how elite-centered peace narratives shaped societal attitudes in antiquity and continue to influence our understanding of peace today. Dr. König reveals how her interdisciplinary network is "reading against the grain" of ancient sources to uncover ordinary people's lived experiences of peace—voices that have been historically marginalized but might offer valuable insights for contemporary peace literacy.Don't miss our conversation about bridging academic research with creative outreach, as Dr. König shares details about the network's collaboration with a professional theater company, NMT Automatics, and the upcoming multi-authored publication, "New Visions of Ancient Peace." This episode offers a perfect blend of historical scholarship and practical application, demonstrating how ancient wisdom might help us visualize and build more effective paths to peace in our modern world. We hope you enjoy this collab episode!If you would like to get in touch with Alice regarding her work, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website and the Visualising Peace Project.The music for the episode was composed by Jonathan Young, and Zofia Guertin mixed the episode. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected]. 

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• Special Episode: Ancient war stories and their real-world ramifications with Dr Alice König

  To launch series 4 of Two Friends Talk History, I was very fortunate to interview Dr Alice König, host of the Visualising War and Peace Podcast, for this special crossover episode.  Alice has recently co-edited a new book with Nicolas Wiater, on ancient conflict narratives, called Visualising War across the Ancient Mediterranean: Interplay between Conflict Narratives in Different Genres and Media (Routledge 2025). In this podcast episode, Alice introduces the book and discusses some of the themes at the heart of it.This episode explores the conception of visualisation: the ways in which narratives of war not only reflect or depict conflict but also envision it, in ways that shape how conflict gets pursued or prevented in the real world. She also discusses the role that interplay between narratives and discourses can play in cementing and amplifying influential war imaginaries. And she considers the impacts which all of this war-storytelling has on ordinary lives in the everyday.  We hope you enjoy this collab episode!If you would like to get in touch with Alice regarding her work, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website and the Visualising Peace Project.The music for the episode was composed by Jonathan Young, and Zofia Guertin mixed the episode. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtistMusic by the wonderfully talented Chris SharplesIllustration by Zofia GuertinIf you'd like to get in touch, email at [email protected].  

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• Poverty in Late Antiquity with Carlos Machado

  In this episode, I interview  Dr Carlos Machado from the University of St Andrews about the social perceptions and realities of poverty in the Late Antique period. Dr Machado is a Roman historian whose work focuses on aspects of urban space in the Late Antique Roman world, from elite building, honorific monuments, and domestic spaces; he is now working on shedding a light on the strata of society that seldom received attention in the historical record or monumental commemorations - the poor - which is what we shall dig into today. We discuss preconceptions about who the 'poor' of antiquity were, and how the early Christian church tried to deal with the shifting fortunes of their communities when facing historical realities of cycles of poverty in the past. I have included some links below for anyone wishing to find out more about Dr Machado's  recent publications, and his upcoming project work. Urban space and aristocratic power in late antique Rome: AD 270-535Machado, C., 25 Oct 2019, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 317 p.The epigraphic cultures of Late AntiquityBolle, K. (ed.), Machado, C. (ed.) & Witschel, C. (ed.), 2017, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. 615 p. (Heidelberger althistorische Beiträge und epigraphische Studien; vol. 60)Dr Machado has recently won an AHRC-DFG partnership grant for a project entitled ‘Land and loyalty: the politics of land in the later Roman world (4th to 6th century)’. This forthcoming project will analyse the politics of imperial and royal land grants and how this practice changed the dynamics of Mediterranean societies between 300 and 600 CE. To follow Carlos on Twitter (X); @AmianoMarcelino, or you can check out his Academia.edupage or University of St Andrews contact page. To get in touch and find out more about Two Friends Talk History:Find us on Instagram & TwitterSupport us through PatreonBuy our merch on RedbubbleExplore more resources and topics about the ancient world on ArchaeoArtist

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