Month: July 2021

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 20, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. XIII Kal. Aug. 2774 AUC ~ 11 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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The Social War was a peninsular war that lasted five years and was fought between Rome and many of its allied communities. Roman historian, Dr. Seth Kendall, George Gwinnett College, joins the show to share what occurred during the first of five years of the war.

Money makes the ancient Mediterranean world go round…but what happens when there’s not enough metal to make official coinage? In this episode, archaeologist Dr. Irene Soto Marín shares her research on quasi-official (not counterfeit!) coinage in Roman Egypt during the 4th century CE, a period of instability and uncertainty. Join us as we learn how the Roman army created a cheap and effective monetary system to meet the needs of the local populations and how they literally “broke the mold” in doing so!

This episode covers the last bit of book 10 of Plato’s Republic. Imagine you get to choose your reincarnation. You can come back as a tyrant, a sports star, a swan, whatever you want. What do you pick? And what do you have to know to make a good choice? Socrates has some advice. In this final episode of Republic, tell the story of a man who travelled to the afterlife and came back to tell the tale. This puts a didactic bow on the all-night conversation they’ve been having and demonstrates how Socrates thinks poetry should be written.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends a damaging drought.

… 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 July 19, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. XIV Kal. Aug. 2774 AUC ~ 10 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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A bunch of 80 million year old shark teeth in Iron Age Jerusalem have set the archaeological world ablaze. What are they doing there along with 10,000 fish bones and six and a half tons of pottery? It’s gotta be a joke, right? Do our panelists speculate wildly or do they jump the shark?

It was one of the most powerful empires in history, leaving marks and remnants across the globe, but in this episode we are looking specifically at the impact of the Romans on Brittany. Tristan was joined once again by Sir Barry Cunliffe, who takes us through the Roman occupation of Brittany, the response of the residents, and the impact on both cultures. From slaves and wine, to fish sauce and rebellion, this is an intriguing look into the character of Brittany and the realities of a Roman occupation. Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, Sir Barry Cunliffe is the author of Bretons and Britons: The Fight for Identity.

The Bay of Naples featured a mosaic of luxury estates by the first century. Classical archaeologist, Dr. Mantha Zarmakoupi, University of Pennsylvania, joins the show to share what villa-style living was like for Romans in this part of the Italian peninsula.

A codified law, nascent territorial expansion, and the creation of offices such as Quaestor and Tribune of the Plebs, all occurred in Rome during the 5th century BCE. Dr. Gary Forsythe, Texas Tech University, returns to the show to discuss what occurred with the Roman Republic during the century.

200 – 600 – The Sasanians were firmly in control of their Silk Road branch while Rome and China languished.  This period saw the rise of the Gupta, Maya and Aksumites but was also the age of the mysterious Hunnic tribes of the Eurasian Steppe.

The Seleucid Empire’s vast geographic spread made it the heir to a wide variety of cavalry traditions, with the fighting style of each region being incorporated into an army of Macedonian origin: units like armored cataphracts and horse archers from the steppes, scythed chariots from the Near East, and even war elephants acquired from distant India. Scholars have long viewed the cavalry of the Seleucids (and by extension other Hellenistic powers) as being ineffectual, with the use of such “exotic” troop types limited to being a passing fad. Dr. Silvannen Gerrard joins our show to argue that the Seleucid military was in fact quite capable and adaptive, and that the often-downplayed role of unorthodox troops like elephants betrays a powerful and effective tool for warfare.

This week Patrick and an esteemed panel of historians, archeologists and classicists discuss the life and legacy of Roman emperor Hadrian. Joining Patrick on the panel are: Dr Andrew Fear, Department of Classics, University of Manchester, Frances McIntosh, Curator of Roman Collections, Hadrian’s Wall, English Heritage, Professor Richard Hingley, Professor of Archaeology, Durham University, Dr Alexander Thien, School of Classics, University College Dublin, Professor David Breeze, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, The University of Edinburgh and Professor Mary T Boatwright, Department of Classics, Duke University.

For our July podcast, we were joined by Professors Asa Eger (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Andrea De Giorgi (Florida State University), and Reyhan Durmaz (University of Pennsylvania) for a discussion of a new volume just published by Routledge, entitled Antioch: A History, coauthored by Asa Eger and Andrea De Giorgi, covering the history of the city from the 4th century BCE to the present.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends war and the destruction of powerful people. At the same time, there will be an abundance of grain crops.

… 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 July 17, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. XVI Kal. Aug. 2774 AUC ~ 8 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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In this interview Episode I sit down and chat with the author Mark Adams about his book, “Meet me in Atlantis”. We talk about his experiences and what he learnt about Plato’s tale of the lost city of Atlantis. He also talks about the many people he met during his research for the book and where he also tells their stories.

Over on Patroen I had a little fun with the latest bonus episode looking at the connections between the tale of Atlantis to the Bronze Age civilisation of the Minoans. I also look into the areas that don’t support these connections, other areas that have been put forward, as well as the view this was all Plato’s invention, with no historical context.

Communities from the Aegean, including the Minoans and Mycenaeans, conducted trade in Egypt. Dr. Uroš Matić, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Archaeological Institute, joins the show to discuss.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[Saturday] If it thunders today, it portends the succession of a great ruler.

[Sunday]  If it thunders today, it portends a shortage of crops due to rainy weather.

… 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 July 16, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. XVII Kal. Aug. 2774 AUC ~ 7 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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The Hellenistic period brought increased variety and diversity in art in the Mediterranean. Archaeologist and ancient historian, Dr Jane Masséglia, University of Leicester, joins the show to discuss art in the Hellenistic period in eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin.

It’s thanks to Alex who emailed in this question, what was the difference between Auxilia & Foederat? Is not why the different name?

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

if it thunders today, it portends victory over an eastern king and the arrival of disease with dry hot weather.

… 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 July 15, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est Id. Jul. 2774 AUC ~ 5 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

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Boaty Week continues with Owen Rees. What was life like at sea in Ancient Greece? How were battles fought? And how were sailors regarded?

The seventh province of Rome was called Asia. Dr. Julietta Steinhauer, University College London, joins the show to discuss it.

What could be more terrifying than an army racing towards you? An army on chariots? What if those chariots had blades mounted on either side? In this episode, Tristan speaks to Dr Silvannen Gerrard about the use of this unconventional mode of transport during the Hellenistic period, particularly by the Seleucid Empire. They discuss the benefits and difficulties of using these chariots, and how they fit in with other unusual modes of troop transportation, from war-elephants to camel-archers. Silvannen is an Ancient Historian at the University of Manchester.

CW: The accounts of Virginia include paedophilic desire and violence against women. Virginia has been murdered by her own father in the Forum in an attempt to protect her from the decemvir Appius Claudius. As far as Virginius and most other Roman dads are concerned, death is better than dishonour. What will this act mean for Virginius and his family? How will it impact Appius Claudius? Tune in to find out as we venture once more into the rule of the Second Decemvirate and deal with the aftermath of one of the crises of the Conflict of the Orders.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of real and imagined machines that appear to be living, and the questions they raise about life and creation. Even in myth they are made by humans, not born. The classical Greeks built some and designed others, but the knowledge of how to make automata and the principles behind them was lost in the Latin Christian West, remaining in the Greek-speaking and Arabic-speaking world. Western travellers to those regions struggled to explain what they saw, attributing magical powers. The advance of clockwork raised further questions about what was distinctly human, prompting Hobbes to argue that humans were sophisticated machines, an argument explored in the Enlightenment and beyond.

Caesar pursues Pompey to Egypt only to find Alexandria embroiled in a dynastic dispute between the boy prince Ptolemy and his sister Cleopatra. He installs Cleopatra on the throne, resulting in a prolonged siege.

Fresh Youtubery

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends conflict among the common people and a shortage 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)