The Odyssey | Podcast series

In this four-part podcast series, Dr Daisy Dunn joins Kev Lochun to unpick Homer's Odyssey – from the gods and monsters through to its hidden meanings and real archaeological influences

An ancient Greek red-figure pottery scene showing several figures, including an archer drawing a bow and others seated or standing nearby (Photo via Getty)

Kev Lochun

Published: July 24, 2026 at 4:20 PM

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The Odyssey is one of the most celebrated stories ever told, recounting the tale Greek hero Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War. It should have taken him weeks – and it would have done, had he not angered Poseidon. Instead it took him 10 years, an adventure spanning impossible monsters, angsty gods and the unquiet dead.

In this podcast series, Kev Lochun and classicist Daisy Dunn explore the background, hidden meanings and real history within the Odyssey. Over the course of four episodes, discover why we can't say for sure who wrote the poem, his encounter with the one-eyed Cyclops and the so-called witch Circe, and the real Bronze Age world of feasting kings and heroic warriors that inspired Homer's epic poem.

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Episode 1Who wrote the Odyssey?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What makes the Odyssey ‘epic’? Daisy Dunn introduces us to one of the most famous works of Western literature – and why we're not sure Homer even exists
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Episode 2Gods and monsters: the hidden stories of the Odyssey. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Daisy Dunn explores the Odyssey's greatest hits – and how each tells us as much about ancient Greek civilisation as it does about Odysseus himself
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Episode 3How much of the Odyssey was actually real?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What happens when you go looking for the real world behind Homer's Odyssey? Daisy Dunn explores the archaeology of Bronze Age Greece
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Episode 4The Odyssey’s forgotten epilogue. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

How did the Odyssey shape the lives of the ancient Greeks who read it? Daisy Dunn considers the poem’s cultural afterlife – and its chaotic sequel

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Authors

Kev LochunDigital editor (audience and video)

Kev Lochun is digital editor (audience and video) at HistoryExtra

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