Month: June 2021

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 12, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est pr. Id. Jun. 2774 AUC ~ 1 Skirophorion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

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  • a quiet Saturday

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“Screw your winged horse, I want a Manticore!” We break down the first four episodes of Netflix’s original anime series with repeat guest Christie Vogler and newcomer Zoé Thomas. We dig into the show’s pop cultural influences, its novel takes on mythology and the design choice to make everyone super hot. We also talk at length about Hera’s anger, Zeus’ faults and convenient vases depicting exactly the myth you need to tell. The mention of unmixed wine also really shakes our kraters. Additional questions: Would a similar show set in Rome with as much attention to artistic style feature too many ugly sculpture? How many brains does a three headed dog need? Should we all just play kottabos when we party? We also introduce new literary lens where all stories are actually about Alexander the Great.

Fresh Youtubery

Book Reviews

Exhibition Related Things

Online Talks and Professional Matters

Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

if it thunders today, it portends the same thing as yesterday.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 11, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d III Id. Jun. 2774 AUC ~ 1 Skirophorion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Classicists and Classics in the News

Public Facing Classics

Fresh Bloggery

Blog-like Publications

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Fresh Podcasts

Recently we were lucky enough to be featured on the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby podcast, alongside the Against the Lore, as part of Liv’s promotion of myth/classics podcasters. In the clip, we give you a bit of an episode teaser that we’re planning for Season Three: Aphrodite. You’ll hear all about the supposed “first female nude” and how… well… she’s not. We talk the Male Gaze and feminist approaches to the statue. All in 5 minutes.  Phew.

Here I share the story of how discovering the Black classical tradition brought this Black woman to love classics.

This week, Dr Joanne Paul sits down with archaeologist, presenter and podcaster, Natasha Billson. Natasha might be better known to listeners as “Behind the Trowel”, her social media presence, from which she hosts regular live shows, videos, and interviews. You might also recognise her from More 4’s archeology programme, The Great British Dig. Natasha talks about how she uses her platform to connect with colleagues and to engage with the public, particularly in the time of Covid, and the relationship between history and archaeology. She explores her outreach work and her desire to make her work more accessible and the study of the past more inspiring to people.

In the fourth century Rome was still a prominent city and Constantinople became a principal city of the Roman Empire. Head of the Classics Department, Dr Lucy Grig, The University of Edinburgh, joins the show to discuss the similarities and contrasts between Constantinople and Rome during the century.

Murray and Mark talk to James Romm about his new book “The Sacred Band: Three hundred Greek lovers fighting to save Greek freedom”. “The Sacred Band” highlights a monumental era in history, one marked by war, ideological divide, the rise of eros in Greek public life, and the end of freedom. Romm reintroduces the tale of the Sacred Band to the historical record.

Alexander the Great is one of the most famous generals and empire builders in history, but the story of his death is almost as remarkable as his life. Tristan Hughes host of the History Hit podcast The Ancients, and Alexander the Great superfan, joins Dan to tell the almost unbelievable tale of what happened after Alexander died. It is a titanic struggle for power and control over his empire that involves war, body snatching, extremely slow carriage chases and a thousand soldiers being eaten alive by crocodiles in the Nile.

Fresh Youtubery

Book Reviews

Exhibition Related Things

Online Talks and Professional Matters

Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

if it thunders today, it portends a period of heats, searing but causing no damage and there will be happy celebrations in state affairs.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 10, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d IV Id. Jun. 2774 AUC ~ 30 Thargelion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

In the News

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This is the era of Roman history where the Goths from the north begin to pose a serious threat to the stability of the faltering Roman empire. When they begin to lay siege to Roman cities Decius rides to confront them, not realising the challenging battles that await him. Guest: Associate Professor Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University/Humboldt Research Fellow, Goethe University, Frankfurt)

Super heroes and super twisted plots… is Sophocles a better psychological playwright than Euripides? How can we understand ancient art? And would Plato have liked cubism? This Classical Wisdom Speaks Episode is with Nickolas Pappas, Professor of Philosophy and Executive Officer of the Philosophy Program, at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is an expert in Plato and author of several books, including “Plato’s Exceptional City, Love, and Philosopher, Politics” and “Philosophy in Plato’s Menexenus” as well as “The Routledge Guidebook to Plato’s Republic.” We discuss how we can understand ancient art and theater and the role psychology plays in its understanding…

In popular culture, Nero is thought of as the Emperor who played the fiddle as Rome burned to the ground. Whilst this might not be strictly factual, it does hint towards another side of this infamous character. For this episode, Dr Shushma Malik returns to The Ancients to discuss Nero’s interest and talents in the arts: in poetry, on stage and playing the kithara. Shushma shares the evidence provided by Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio to explore how commonplace these hobbies were, how Nero’s performances were received and whether they can give us a deeper understanding of Nero’s matricidal behaviour. Shushma is a lecturer at the University of Roehampton and the author of, ‘The Nero-Antichrist: Founding and Fashioning a Paradigm’.

Theatre artist and cultural historian, Dr. Andrew Walker White, joins the show to discuss what scholars know about early theatre in Greece.

London began its life as Old Londinium—an informal trading community that sprang up around the narrowest point in the Thames, and was burned to the ground by Boudicca’s army just decades after its founding. This week, we asked bestselling urban fantasy author Ben Aaronovitch to take us on a tour of Old Londinium—say, the day before Boudicca’s arrival. Join us as we explore the streets and rivers of this diverse and enterprising trading town, and then wander all the way up Watling Street to Hadrian’s Wall.

A history of a language that was once spoken from Egypt to Afghanistan and played an important role in the creation of great religious writings.

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Book Reviews

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends many deaths, but also prosperity.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 9, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d V Id. Jun. 2774 AUC ~ 29 Thargelion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

In the News

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Fresh Bloggery

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Assorted Twitter Threads

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Join us for a lively discussion with Dr. Michael Fontaine (Classics, Cornell University) as we talk about his new book—How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor—a translation and analysis of ancient Roman treatises on humor from both Cicero and Quintilian. Along the way we tackle such questions as “How can a politician or a lawyer use humor to win a room?”, “Is one born funny or can it be taught?” and “Did Cicero seal his own fate by telling jokes that went too far?” Tune in for the laughs, guffaws, and occasional snickers, and be sure to share your own opinion on this all important query: “Is it possible for really attractive people to be funny?”

In this episode, Dr. Liana Brent joins Chelsea and Melissa to talk about the archaeological remains of burials in Roman Italy at the ancient cemetery of Vagnari. Find out how archaeologists and anthropologists discover information about the real lives of ancient people through their commemorative practices, funerary rituals, and graves.

Everyone knows the saying about what the world’s “oldest profession” is, but you will find a very close runner up in the kitchen. The history of those who cook professionally to make their living goes way, way back to the origins of civilization itself. It’s another epic journey across the ages, this time with a … 

Flax, wool, dyes, and more were used in the Bronze Age to produce textiles in the Mediterranean Basin. Dr Serena Sabatini, University of Gothenburg, joins the show to discuss textile production in northern Italy in the Late Bronze Age.

Sophus explains the most famous piece of literature from ancient Iraq: the Epic of Gilgamesh. He guides us through the many meanings that have been found in it, from antiquity to the present day. Why does it fascinate us, and what can it offer us?

It’s time for another episode of The Ozymandias Project with Lexie Henning! Tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for an exciting odyssey as we nerd out about the eternal attractiveness of Egyptology, ponder how to convince parents to let their kids study archaeology, and think about ways to incorporate the ancient world into our everyday lives without being in academia.

At the heart of the ancient Middle East, a sophisticated, urbanized, and long-lived world, was a writing system: cuneiform, used for everything from heroic epic to receipts and medical texts, and first developed in Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago. Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid of Oxford joins me to talk about cuneiform literature, medicine, and mental health in this fascinating and little-known ancient world.

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Dramatic Receptions

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends the loss of flocks due to wolves.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 8, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d VI Id. Jun. 2774 AUC ~ 28 Thargelion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Classicists and Classics in the News

Greek/Latin News

Fresh Bloggery

Blog-like Publications

Assorted Twitter Threads

Fresh Podcasts

We break down the composition, logistics, strategy, and tactics employed by a Hellenistic army in the age of Alexander. Meanwhile, Eumenes and Craterus clash in the first great battle of the Wars of the Diadochi.

Before Rome was a republic, it was a kingdom. Dr. Gary Forsythe, Texas Tech University, joins the show again to discuss Rome’s transition from a regal structure to a republic.

How does politics affect personality? In the ideal city, the perfect laws and education create philosopher kings. But what about everywhere else? In this chapter, Socrates gets down to some real-world political science and analyzes the four kinds of regime that actually exist in the Greek world. And because the city matches the soul, each of the regimes has its own distinctive personality type. Socrates reckons that living in a state like Sparta will make you spirited and proud; living under oligarchy will make you cheap; and living under democracy should chill you right out. Unfortunately, chilling out is the last thing you’ll do before the tyrant takes over the city and enslaves you. Easy come, easy go. This episode covers book 8 of Plato’s Republic.

In this episode, Dr. Liana Brent joins Chelsea and Melissa to talk about the archaeological remains of burials in Roman Italy at the ancient cemetery of Vagnari. Find out how archaeologists and anthropologists discover information about the real lives of ancient people through their commemorative practices, funerary rituals, and graves.

Fresh Youtubery

Book Reviews

Online Talks and Professional Matters

Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends wet weather and the destruction of grain.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)