1. Ancient Ghosts
Kirsty Logan uncovers the ghosts that haunted our most ancient ancestors and which became the common ancestor for ghost stories across all eras and all cultures.
Illustration by Seonaid Mackay
'When was the first time a human felt haunted?'
Kirsty Logan travels back to the world’s earliest civilisations to uncover where tales of ghosts first emerged.
From the earliest evidence of belief in an afterlife, seen in decorated bones in early grave sites, to Ancient Egyptian letters to the dead, and predatory Chindi unleashed to wreak deadly vengeance in the snowy wastes of North America, Kirsty tells the tales of the spirits that haunted our most ancient forebears, and became the common ancestor for ghost stories across all of human history.
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Clips
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Daniel Ogden - The Most Haunting Tales of Classical Antiquity
Duration: 17:05
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Daniel Ogden - Contradictions in Ancient Ghosts
Duration: 02:49
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Ghost at the Cradle
Duration: 00:59
Daniel Ogden - The Most Haunting Tales of Classical Antiquity
Our ExtraΒ Interview today is
Daniel comes from Manchester and took his degrees at Oxford. He is currently Professor of Ancient History at the University Exeter, having previously taught at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY), Oxford and University College, Swansea and the author of many books including, 'Greek and Roman Necromancy', 'Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds' ,'Night's Black Agents', and the soon to come 'The Werewolf in the Ancient World' and 'The Dragon in the West.'
He tells us about some of his favourite ghost stories from the ancient world, including theΒ very first haunted houses,Β and explains why the stories are still able to thrill us even today.
Broadcasts
- Mon 19 Oct 2020 13:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Fri 10 Sep 2021 14:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4