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Mentioned as one of the foundational texts of European and world literature, specifically discussing how Virgil's ghost appears to guide Dante through the underworld

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Mary Beard is quoted as saying that since Virgil laid down his pen, there hasn't been a day when someone hasn't read the Aeneid

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Mary Beard's new book being discussed in the episode, about how the Twelve Caesars have been understood and represented throughout history

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Referenced as the classical source that people in the 15th-16th century read to learn about the first twelve Roman emperors and their corrupt nature

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Discussed in the context of how modern students view it as essentially 'a handbook of rape' compared to how it was taught in previous generations

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Mary Beard describes reading this biography of Tacitus's father-in-law as a teenager, where she encountered the famous quote 'they make a desert and call it peace'

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Referenced when discussing who would win between Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, noting that Plutarch paired them together in his biographical work

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Mentioned as one of the two best-known modern popular versions of the Roman Empire (along with the film Gladiator), noting its narrative device of a character wanting to restore the republic

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Referenced as hugely popular translations from the early 20th century that would no longer work for modern audiences, illustrating how classical works must be re-mediated for each generation