Episode Details

In this very special episode we're joined by archaeologist Darius Arya. Darius has lived and worked as an archaeologist in Rome for over twenty years! 

Special Episode – The Archaeology of Early Rome with Darius Arya

We wanted to learn more about the archaeological record for the early period of Rome's history. While we've been focused on reading and interpreting the literary sources of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, there's a wealth of other evidence for the ancient past to consider. Archaeology is fundamental in revealing elements of the past that aren't written down. Even more interesting is that the archaeological remains can suggest new interpretations about the past that conflict or add complexity to the literary sources.

You may have seen Darius on television. He's presented a number of documentaries on the ancient world and we are absolutely thrilled to explore Rome's early history with his expertise. Things to listen out for in this episode:

• The importance of topography
• The connections between the Etruscan peoples and the Romans
• Discussion of how the Etruscans dominate the archaeological record compared Rome's other early neighbours, the Volscians and the Aequians
• What we can say about the Sabine peoples
• Key sites of interest when thinking about early Rome and her neighbours

We recommend having a map handy to spot all the places that are touched on in this far-ranging and engaging conversation. The map below has some of places mentioned on it and also provides some guidance on the languages of the different regions. 

The Linguistic Landscape of Central Italy at the beginning of Roman expansion.
Courtesy of Susana Freixeiro~commonswiki via Wikimedia Commons

Darius Arya can be found on soc