Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20150322 | 20150909 (R3) | Historian Bettany Hughes follows the trail of the Caucasus in antiquity from the Black sea coast of Ancient Colchis to the shadow of Mount Ararat in Armenia. In this two-part series, Bettany Hughes travels to the Caucasus, the land that sits on the boundary of Asia and Europe, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, to unravel its mythologised and pivotal place in Western history. For the Ancient Greeks, the region was home to the Golden Fleece, the Amazons and Prometheus. In the Christian tradition it was thought to be the resting place of Noah's Ark after the flood. In Russian literature it was mythologised by Pushkin, Lermontov and Tolstoy. And in the Europe of the Enlightenment, it crucially became known as the home of the purest members of the white race - hence today's descriptions of white criminal suspects as 'Caucasian'. Bettany travels to the region to find the roots of these stories and test how far the myths are backed up by reality Produced by Russell Finch A Somethin' Else production for Radio 3. Historian Bettany Hughes follows the trail of the Caucasus in antiquity. |
| 02 | 20150329 | 20150910 (R3) | Historian Bettany Hughes continues her journey through the Caucasus, the land that sits on the boundary of Asia and Europe, to understand its mythologised and pivotal place in Western history. In this second part, she traces how an anthropologist invented the idea that this region was the home of the white race 'The Caucasians', still heard today in descriptions of white criminal suspects as 'Caucasian males'. And she finds how the writings of Pushkin and Tolstoy it became a a 'Russian version of the Wild West'. For the Ancient Greeks, the Caucasus was home to the Golden Fleece, the Amazons and Prometheus. In the Christian tradition it was thought to be the resting place of Noah's Ark after the flood. In this series, Bettany travels to the region to find the roots of these stories and test how far the myths are backed up by reality. Written and presented by Bettany Hughes Produced by Russell Finch A Somethin' Else production for Radio 3. Exploring the idea that the Caucasus was the home of the race known as 'Caucasians'. |