Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

1st-century BC books in Latin

Ancient literature comprises religious and scientific documents, tales, poetry and plays, royal edicts and declarations, and other forms of writing that were recorded on a variety of media, including stone, clay tablets, papyri, palm leaves, and metal. Before the spread of writing, oral literature did not always survive well, but some texts and fragments have persisted.

2 episodes

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  1. The Aeneid

    Melvyn Bragg discusses ‘The Aeneid’, Virgil’s great epic poem that formed a founding narrative of Rome.

    21 April 2005

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    Featuring: Edith Hall, Philip Hardie, Catharine Edwards

     
  2. Virgil's Georgics

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Roman poet's celebration of agriculture and rural life composed in 29BC after a civil war, when questions of land ownership were contested.

    18 May 2023

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    Featuring: Katharine Earnshaw, Neville Morley, Diana Spencer