Spartacus

In Our Time: History

03/06/14

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41m

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Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life of Spartacus, the gladiator who led a major slave rebellion against the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. He was an accomplished military leader, and the campaign he led contributed significantly to the instability of the Roman state in this period. Spartacus was celebrated by some ancient historians and reviled by others, and became a hero to revolutionaries in 19th-century Europe. Modern perceptions of his character have been influenced by Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film - but ancient sources give a rather more complex picture of Spartacus and the aims of his rebellion.

With:

Mary Beard Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge

Maria Wyke Professor of Latin at University College, London

Theresa Urbainczyk Associate Professor of Classics at University College, Dublin.

Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Previous Episode

Chivalry

February 13, 2014

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42m

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss chivalry, the moral code observed by knights of the Middle Ages. Chivalry originated in the military practices of aristocratic French and German soldiers, but developed into an elaborate system governing many different aspects of knightly behaviour. It influenced the conduct of medieval military campaigns and also had important religious and literary dimensions. It gave rise to the phenomenon of courtly love, the subject of much romance literature, as well as to the practice of heraldry. The remnants of the chivalric tradition linger in European culture even today. Miri Rubin Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London Matthew Strickland Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Laura Ashe Associate Professor in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Worcester College Producer: Thomas Morris.

Next Episode

Weber's The Protestant Ethic

March 27, 2014

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50m

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Max Weber's book the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Published in 1905, Weber's essay proposed that Protestantism had been a significant factor in the emergence of capitalism, making an explicit connection between religious ideas and economic systems. Weber suggested that Calvinism, with its emphasis on personal asceticism and the merits of hard work, had created an ethic which had enabled the success of capitalism in Protestant countries. Weber's essay has come in for some criticism since he published the work, but is still seen as one of the seminal texts of twentieth-century sociology.

With:

Peter Ghosh Fellow in History at St Anne's College, Oxford

Sam Whimster Honorary Professor in Sociology at the University of New South Wales

Linda Woodhead Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University.

Producer: Thomas Morris.