Underneath the Toga pt 2 (With Naomi Alderman) 

Naomi Alderman is an author and games designer. Her books include
Disobedience (adapted into a film starring Rachel Weisz), The Power
(also an Amazon Prime series) and most recently The Future. She’s
also an emerging classicist and reached out to Instant Classics
after our episode on the toga came happily close to her MA thesis
on the same subject.  In this episode, Naomi sets the record
straight about when and why women in Ancient Rome may have worn the
toga, talks about her interest in the classical world and why
studying it gives her solace. Finally, she asks the big question -
which Mary and Charlotte answer too - if you could rescue one lost
work of literature from the past, what would it be?  This
episode was recorded in a moment of immense jeopardy as Naomi
waited to discover if she had passed her Classics MA or not. The
next day we had our answer. Yes - and with distinction. Which is
not surprising based on the evidence of her conversation in this
episode.  Content warning: this episode contains mildly
explicit comments about sex in the ancient world. @instaclassicpod
for Insta, TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for X email:
instantclassicspod@gmail.com Mary and Charlotte recommend some
further reading: all Naomi’s books, games, broadcasts and myriad
other activities can be found on her website, naomialderman.com The
question of Roman women (and which Roman women) wearing the toga
has been discussed in intricate detail for decades. Naomi’s
dissertation clearly disposes of the idea that adulteresses were
forced to wear it. But if you want a flavour of the arguments, one
of the clearest discussions, yes clearest (!), try Thomas A J
McGinn,  Prostitution, Sexuality and the Law in Ancient Rome
(OUP pb, 1998), esp chap 5. Mary chose the autobiography of Nero’s
mother, Agrippina, as her favourite “lost work” of the ancient
world. There is more on this in A. A. Barrett’s Agrippina, Mother
of Nero (Routledge pb, 1999). Charlotte made a reference to a 19th
century science fiction novel whose name she couldn’t remember – it
was After London by Richard Jefferies Instant Classics handmade by
Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole  Executive Producer: Natalia
Rodriguez Ford Video Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson
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