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It's All Greek (and Latin) To Me

It's All Greek (and Latin) To Me

Written by: It's All Greek (and Latin) To Me
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Want a quick way to know more about Classical Myths and Literature? Join Armand D'Angour (Professor of Classics at Oxford University) and Jimmy Mulville (Comedy Producer, Chairman of charity 'Classics For All' and lifelong classics devotee) as they explore stories and quotes that are familiar through their use in our everyday lives.


Ever said 'Carpe Diem!' or heard about the 'Oedipus Complex'? Ever really thought about where that quote comes from or what the Oedipus Complex really refers to?


Let Armand and Jimmy tell you where these originated, what they actually mean, and who wrote them.





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Episodes
  • The Vote To Save a City – The Deadly Mytilinean Debate with Paul Cartledge

    The Vote To Save a City – The Deadly Mytilinean Debate with Paul Cartledge
    Jul 8 2025
    This week, Jimmy and Armand plunge into the tense world of ancient Athenian democracy, where the fate of an entire city hung on a single vote. The fierce Mytilene Debate showcased the incredible power of demagogues, the importance of the thin line between justice and vengeance and the undeniable power of ‘sleeping on it’…

    They also unpick the origins and intricacies of Ancient Athenian Democracy, ostracism by pottery shard, and how quoting Euripides might just save your life...

    Thank you to Professor Paul Cartledge for the suggestion for this week’s episode. The Main Text Explored was Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, Book III.

    Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville
    Produced by Diggory Waite
    A Hat Trick Production

    For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • “The Old Lie” – The Roman Ode that Haunted the Trenches

    “The Old Lie” – The Roman Ode that Haunted the Trenches
    Jul 1 2025
    “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” – “It is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country.”

    This week, Jimmy and Armand dive into the conflicted world of Horace, the Roman poet who famously threw away his own shield, switched sides in a civil war and then wrote stirring verses urging young men to die for Rome’s new leadership.

    We explore Horace’s transformation from the carefree party bard many imagine, into a potential imperial propagandist; how Augustus used poetry to shape public feeling; and how this short Latin phrase – once used to promote war – would echo across the centuries, only to be picked up and shattered by Wilfred Owen in his devastating First World War poem.

    Also in this episode: a Roman consul who walks willingly to torture, Horace’s surprisingly cheeky thoughts on adultery, and how Yorkshire accents might just be the secret to perfect Latin pronunciation.

    Main texts explored:
    Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 2 (Angustam amice pauperiem pati) Contains the famous line: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”
    Horace – Odes, Book 1, Ode 37 (Cleopatra Ode)
    Horace – Odes, Book 3, Odes 1–6 (The “Roman Odes”) Explored generally.
    Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 7 (Ode on Adultery)
    Wilfred Owen – “Dulce et Decorum Est”
    Cavafy – “Thermopylae” (modern poem)
    Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 5 (Regulus Ode)

    Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville
    Produced by Diggory Waite
    A Hat Trick Production

    For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • The Father of History or the Father of Lies? Herodotus' Histories with Han Parker

    The Father of History or the Father of Lies? Herodotus' Histories with Han Parker
    Jun 24 2025
    Was Herodotus the Father of History — or the Father of Lies?

    Jimmy and Armand dive into the strange and spectacular world of Herodotus — a world filled with fox-sized, gold-digging ants, Pharaohs running brutal language experiments on babies and cultures who’d never dream of burning their dead… but would happily eat them.

    They explore how Herodotus crafted his Histories, why later Greek historians threw serious shade at his methods, and how someone with more in common with a travel vlogger or Victorian explorer than a modern academic came to shape our understanding of history itself.

    Main texts explored: Histories, Herodotus

    Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville
    Produced by Diggory Waite
    A Hat Trick Production

    For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
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