Month: July 2021

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 14, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

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

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Today’s episode is simply magical! Join us as we welcome Dr. Britta Ager – an expert in ancient Mediterranean magic, spells, and curses – to the show and hear about her experimental work re-creating some sweet and smelly spells based on surviving recipes from the Egyptian Greek Magical Papyri. Listen in to learn about evidence for how and why people practiced magic in antiquity, from getting the gods on your good side to taking care of your animals, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure!

This week Dave and Jeff sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Ross King whose works such as Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling have set the gold standard for erudite, popular history over the last twenty years. We cover Ross’ career from academia, to novel writer, to his latest book, The Bookseller of Florence (2021). Come along as we walk the streets of Renaissance and contemporary Florence where one might have a life-altering epiphany atop a red-tiled dome or discover a long lost copy of Quintilian moldering in the dusty corner of some far-flung scriptorium. Can Jeff and Dave keep it together long enough to refrain from geeking out and going all “fan boy” on Mr. King? Just barely.

Evidence shows that Christian monasticism started in the eastern Mediterranean, and more specifically, Egypt. Professor of Medieval History, Dr Andrew Jotischky, Royal Holloway, University of London, returns to the show to discuss the formation of Christian monasticism in the eastern part of the Basin.

Are the Classics just something for privileged nerds? Dr. Anika Prather doesn’t think so. She joins the table to explain the importance of the Classics in African American thought, the importance of Africa itself in the classical world, and why we could all benefit from studying the Classics.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today it portends the rise of one man to power over many, but this man will be unjust in state business.

… 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 13, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. III Id. Jul. 2774 AUC ~ 4 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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The ancient Illyrians were indigenous communities along the Dalmatian Coast and stretching across to the central Balkans. Dr Danijel Džino, Macquarie University, joins the show to discuss what’s known about these peoples.

480 BC is a year widely-celebrated in Greek history. When Leonidas’ Spartan core and their Hellenic allies fought a powerful Persian army at Thermopylae, and an outnumbered, Athenian-led navy defeated a mighty Persian armada at Salamis. Yet it was not just off the coast of Athens that one of antiquity’s most well-known battles was fought that year. 600 miles to the west of Salamis, supposedly on the same day the naval engagement occurred, another battle was fought: the Battle of Himera. In this episode, Ancient World Magazine’s Dr Joshua Hall talks us through the battle and highlights why it was so significant in the story of ancient Sicily.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends the arrival of poisonous reptiles.

… 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 12, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. IV Id. Jul. 2774 AUC ~ 3 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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We have now reached the end of the Greco-Persian Wars, but with most of our sources focusing on the Greek experience and perhaps not giving us a completely accurate picture of the Persians. In this episode we are going to delve deeper into Persia’s experience in the Wars, look at their motivations and what led them to, ultimately being unsuccessful. To do this I have invited Trevor Culley from the History of Persia Podcast to come on and share his knowledge about the Persians with us, and help us look at the Persian perspective during the Wars. Trevor’s personal experience with both Persian history and podcasts began with a college extra credit assignment to listen to the first Hardcore History episode on the Achaemenids. He was instantly enthralled with the stories of the Kings of Kings and coming a little late to the party, started listening to podcasts. On one hand, He started heading down the road toward PhD that will let him study ancient Persia for a living. On the other, as he binged his way through both the History of Rome and early episodes of the History of Byzantium he was always excited for the episodes dealing with the Parthians and Sassanids. Trevor was surprised and disappointed to discover that there was not a similarly dedicated podcast dealing with the great empires east of Rome. This would inspire and motivate him to create the History of Persia Podcast back at the start of 2019.

Akhenaten was an Egyptian Pharaoh in the 18th dynasty that departed from traditional worship to primarily worship the sun deity, Aten, moving Egypt from polytheism to henotheism. British Egyptologist Dr Joyce Tyldesley, The University of Manchester, joins the show again to discuss what scholars know about Akhenaten’s life.

Julius Caesar is considered by many as a key individual whose influence ended the Roman Republic. His life was complex, and in modern times, his legacy lives on in facets like the Month of “July”. Head of the Classics Department, Professor Richard Alston, Royal Holloway, University of London, joins the show again to discuss the early period of Julius Caesar’s life.

On the day of the Euro 2020 final, we’re talking England versus Italy…Ancients style (well, sort of). Historian and archaeologist Dr Simon Elliott returns to the podcast to talk us through Julius Caesar’s two invasions of Britain in 55 and 54 BC. Hear what the Romans knew about Britain before the expedition, why Caesar wanted to invade, and what the “greatest PR man of the ancient world” learnt from the first, less successful, campaign. Simon’s book, Roman Conquests: Britain is out at the end of July 2021.

100 BCE – 200 CE – The emergence of the Silk Road saw the rise and fall of four great global empires and the spread of trade encouraged the spread of philosophy and religion across the whole of the Eurasian landmass.

In this episode, Barbara Graziosi introduces Homer, whose mythological tales of war and homecoming, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are widely considered to be two of the most influential works in the history of western literature.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an unexpected cold snap in the summer, as a result of which the necessities of life will be spoiled.

… 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 10, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VI Id. Jul. 2774 AUC ~ 1 Hekatombaion in the first year of the 700th Olympiad

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The Social War took place on the Italian Peninsula in the 1st century BCE between Rome and its allied communities. Professor Federico Santangelo, Newcastle University, is back on the show to explain what happened and why it occurred.

Liv speaks with Dr. Victoria Austen about the wide world of mythology and classical reception: Troy, Circe, Silence of the Girls, Song of Achilles, even the Aeneid as reception. Books mentioned: The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller, The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, A Thousand Ships and The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes, a trilogy by Emily Hauser, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin, and the House of Names by Colm Toibin. CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it’s fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I’m not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.

Corbulo finishes round one in Armenia and gets a promotion. Meanwhile in Britain, a certain queen decides to take on the Romans – Boudicea. Exactly why, though, is a bit of a mystery.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[Saturday] If it thunders today,  it portend there will be healing river waters.

[Sunday] If it thunders today, it portends hot weather and rainstorms and a scarcity 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)

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 9, 2021

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VII Id. Jul. 2774 AUC ~ 29 Skirophorion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

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Vorenus and Pullo are shipwrecked on an island, Caesar and Pompey fight it off offscreen, and the beginning of a relationship between Servilia and Octavia. There is also a special interview with Ken Cranham, who played Pompey.

In this episode, we discuss the 2004 film Troy, starring Brad Pitt. Unsurprisingly, we had a lot to say. Featuring: American imperialism, and Homeric combat, and just a little bit more complaining about the costuming in Troy: Fall of a City.

The Minoans were a civilization on the Island of Crete that flourished, and ended, during the Bronze Age. Professor in Archeology, Louise Hitchcock, The University of Melbourne, joins the show again to share what’s known about them.

“Famously warlike and imperialistic, the Neo-Assyrians cut a swathe across the ancient Near East. Surviving artwork and written sources give us clues as to how they accomplished this.” The team discuss Ancient Warfare XIV.6, the Neo-Assyrian Empire at war.

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Alia

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an appearance of the gods and the promotion of many good people.

… 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)