Plato's Symposium
In Our Time: History
01/02/14
•42m
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Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Plato's Symposium, one of the Greek philosopher's most celebrated works. Written in the 4th century BC, it is a dialogue set at a dinner party attended by a number of prominent ancient Athenians, including the philosopher Socrates and the playwright Aristophanes. Each of the guests speaks of Eros, or erotic love. This fictional discussion of the nature of love, how and why it arises and what it means to be in love, has had a significant influence on later thinkers, and is the origin of the modern notion of Platonic love.
With:
Angie Hobbs Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield
Richard Hunter Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge
Frisbee Sheffield Director of Studies in Philosophy at Christ's College, University of Cambridge.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
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The Medici
December 26, 2013
•42m
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The Battle of Tours
January 16, 2014
•42m
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Tours. In 732 a large Arab army invaded Gaul from northern Spain, and travelled as far north as Poitiers. There they were defeated by Charles Martel, whose Frankish and Burgundian forces repelled the invaders. The result confirmed the regional supremacy of Charles, who went on to establish a strong Frankish dynasty. The Battle of Tours was the last major incursion of Muslim armies into northern Europe; some historians, including Edward Gibbon, have seen it as the decisive moment that determined that the continent would remain Christian.
With:
Hugh Kennedy Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London
Rosamond McKitterick Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge
Matthew Innes Vice-Master and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London.
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