Start here. Stephen Fry joins Holland and Sandbrook for a wide-ranging conversation on Homer, myth, archaeology, and why the story of Troy has never stopped mattering. Episode 13 is the essential entry point, but the back catalogue has dozens of relevant episodes on the Bronze Age, Greek culture, and the ancient Mediterranean. Holland is also a classicist and the author of Rubicon and Dynasty. Available on all major podcast platforms.

The Iliad episode and the Odyssey episode are the two to start with — search "Natalie Haynes Iliad" on BBC Sounds and it comes up immediately. Each episode focuses on a single classical text or figure and makes the material feel immediate and alive. One of the best introductions to classical literature available in any format. Free on BBC Sounds.

Mary Beard — Cambridge classicist and SPQR author — brings ancient texts to contemporary audiences with characteristic candor and rigor. Particularly useful for the episodes on Greek literature, women in antiquity, and the reception of classical culture. A good follow-on once you have finished Haynes.

Broader coverage of the ancient Mediterranean world, with episodes on Bronze Age archaeology, Homeric scholarship, Troy, and Greek culture. A good supplement when you want more depth on a specific topic — Bronze Age trade, Mycenaean warfare, the Sea Peoples. Search by topic rather than listening sequentially.

The foundational history podcast — 179 episodes covering the full arc of Roman history from founding to fall. Not directly about Homer, but essential context for the Roman works in the After the Iliad section. Begin at episode 1. Duncan's series set the template for narrative history podcasting and remains one of the best ever made.

An Italian-language option for the adventurous reader. Barbero is one of Europe's most beloved historians — a specialist at the University of Turin whose lectures on the ancient warrior ethos are available on YouTube. His extraordinary gift for inhabiting the minds of people from the distant past makes him essential listening for anyone reading the Iliad's battle scenes. His energy and narrative clarity translate even across the language barrier.