Domina Tempora
Domina Tempora by Martini Fisher invites you to explore the elegance, influence, and hidden legacies of the ancient world. Through a refined lens, historian Martini Fisher uncovers the narratives that defined power, culture, and artistry across centuries.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 12
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- Sep 23, 2026
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- Jul 8, 2026
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27: Actors, Actresses, and Other Unsavoury People: Life on the Roman Stage (opens the original)
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The ancient Greeks loved the theater and ancient Greek actors enjoyed a position of eminence and respect. In contrast, although entertainment and drama were similarly adored in Ancient Rome, theater performers were often belittled by higher society and also perceived as morally unclean. The emperor Tiberius, who ruled Rome from 14 to 37 AD and not the most morally upstanding man himself, urged those of high society and theatrical performers to avoid interacting with one another. Later, Julian th
26: The Many Lives of Brunhilde: Shield Maiden, National Symbol, and ‘Fat Lady’ of the Opera (opens the original)
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Richard Wagner’s 19th century opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of Nibelungen), affectionately known as The “Ring” Cycle, may be considered by many as the height of operatic absurdity, with larger than life staging, costumes and voices. The image is so ingrained in the modern consciousness that opera lovers and non-lovers alike associate the opera, specifically the character of Brunhilde, with a heavy-set female opera singer wearing her hair in pig-tails, costumed with horned helmet and a
25: Before Mars, There Was Bellona: When Rome Gave War a Woman’s Face (opens the original)
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In his History, Livy reported that during a critical part of the battle against the Samnites in 296 BCE, the general Appius Claudius was seen in the front lines raising his hands as he uttered a prayer, “Bellona, if you grant us victory today, I promise to build you a temple.” This prayer was proven to be effective as the Romans proceeded to capture and plundered the Samnite camp, giving a massive amount of booty to their own sodiers. More than a thousand years later, Shakespeare introduced Macb
24: Fredegund: The Queen They Called a Murderess (opens the original)
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Fredegund (545 - 597 CE), the queen consort of Chilperic I - the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons, has a reputation of being one of the most bloodthirsty and sadistic women in history. Accounts by Gregory, the Bishop of Tours (539 - 594 CE), depict her as a murderous lady who achieved power through her husband and used it to keep his kingdom in a state of war for more than forty years. She was also known as an early exponent of dirty warfare who relied heavily on poison and other covert ope
23: The Greeks Invented Heroes. The Romans Invented Publicity (opens the original)
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Many indications of a celebrity culture already existed since classical antiquity. The Ancient Greek and Roman world gave us many individuals who were celebrities in their day and whose careers provide us with what we recognize today as different aspects of the modern celebrity culture such as endorsements, groupies and 15 minutes of fame - albeit without the terminology. The price of fame in the ancient world is also surprisingly, and in some cases chillingly, similar with what we see today.Tun
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