Month: June 2022

#Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for June 7, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VII Id. Iun. 2775 AUC ~ 8 Skirophorion in the first year of the 700th Olympia

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When Iris returns to Olympus with bad news, Zeus must find a new approach.  He asks silver-tongued Hermes to convince Hades to do something unimaginable for the powerful king of the underworld….

In today’s episode, our featured guest Dr. Tara Mulder tells us all about the oldest profession in the world: midwifery! Listen in on a discussion between Dr. Mulder and hosts Dr. Chelsea Gardner and Dr. Melissa Funke that covers the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences of childbirth in ancient Rome, from the perspective of professional midwives. We look at a gravestone of a known midwife and talk about training and approaches to the birthing process. Dr. Mulder brings a unique perspective to the conversation, as she herself the daughter of a professional midwife! Don’t miss it, this is an episode that definitely delivers!

Blogger and Author Sarah Turner, aka The UnMumsy Mum is the guest chatting to Jasmine this week discussing how modern attitudes to parenting contrast with how Greco-Roman parents dealt with their children, and whether or not their own boys would have coped with the less than gentle style of parenting at the time.

Selections from past episodes featuring LGBTQIA characters from Greek mythology (and history!). Selected by incredible intern Grace Roby, put together by the magnificent Michaela Smith.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an outbreak of diseases in humans but it won’t be fatal. And while cereal crops will flourish, soft fruits will dry up.

… 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 6, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VIII Id. Iun. 2775 AUC ~ 7 Skirophorion in the first year of the 700th Olympia

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Despite the defeat at Raphia, Antiochus III was not discouraged from further conquests. After dealing with his final rival Achaeus in 213, the Seleucid king would lead a massive expeditionary force into Asia, an anabasis, intending to assert his authority over the wayward satrapies and kingdoms that splintered away during the troubled reigns of his predecessors. Marching from Armenia to India between 212-205, Antiochus and his army would battle the likes of Arsaces II of Parthia and Euthydemus I of Greco-Bactria as they restored the borders of the empire, allowing Antiochus to claim the epithet Megas (the Great) as a testament to his power.

In 1919, excavators working near Edinburgh in Scotland unearthed the largest hoard of Roman hacksilver ever found. The trove, containing mostly silver vessels but also some personal items and coins, was probably buried in the early 5th century AD – just as the legions were finally pulling out of Britannia. The treasures – found at the ancient hillfort site of Traprain Law – shine a fascinating light on the connections between the Iron Age peoples of what is now Scotland and the rest of the Roman Empire. In this episode Tristan is joined by archaeologist Dr Fraser Hunter, Principal Curator at the National Museum of Scotland, who shares his passionate insights into the Traprain Law Treasure and what it tells us about late Roman Britain.

Despite the defeat at Raphia, Antiochus III was not discouraged from further conquests. After dealing with his final rival Achaeus in 213, the Seleucid king would lead a massive expeditionary force into Asia, an anabasis, intending to assert his authority over the wayward satrapies and kingdoms that splintered away during the troubled reigns of his predecessors. Marching from Armenia to India between 212-205, Antiochus and his army would battle the likes of Arsaces II of Parthia and Euthydemus I of Greco-Bactria as they restored the borders of the empire, allowing Antiochus to claim the epithet Megas (the Great) as a testament to his power.

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Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends that some pest will destroy crops just as they are maturing.

… 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 4, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est pr. Non. Iun. 2775 AUC ~ 5 Skirophorion in the first year of the 700th Olympia

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Over the course of 400 years people travelled to the Oracle of Dodona and asked questions. Some of these have survived and give an fascinating insight into what the people of ancient Greece were thinking. In this episode I take you through the history and background of the oracle before getting stuck into those questions. Perhaps less pig theft but certainly job and relationship advice. I reckon there’s a few which are relevant today.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[Saturday] If it thunders today, it portends cloudy and rainy conditions that will create mouldy dampness and subsequent rotting of crops. [Sunday]  If it thunders today, it portends bad things for the countryside and those responsible for villages and towns will have to deal with disorder.

… 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 3, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. III Non. Iun. 2775 AUC ~ 4 Skirophorion in the first year of the 700th Olympia

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Palmyra is an ancient ruined city in modern Syria, long known for its place in the Roman empire and strongly influenced by Persian and Hellenistic cultures. In modern times it has been associated with the major destruction by the Islamic State, and there are currently hopes for its restoration. Guest: Dr Peter Edwell (Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology at Macquarie University).

The Delian league had now been established with the majority of its members coming from regions throughout the Aegean. In its inception they had all turned to a Greek city state on the mainland, that of Athens who headed the league. In 477 BC the league would now find itself in a position to begin campaigning for the first time, they would set out under the leadership of a relative new comer to the scene of Athenian politics, Cimon….

After a few parting remarks and summations to Book 1, Jeff and Dave wander through the dense undergrowth near the shores of Carthage and make their way to the palace of Dido and Book 2. Here we meet the big set piece, the longest account of the fall of Troy in Greco-Roman literature. How does Jupiter’s promise of endless empire for the wolf-pelted Romans get started? How does it feel for Dido to wear that souvenir T-shirt, “I’m with Cupid”? How do we feel about ethnic profiling? Are all Greeks really as evil as the actor left on the shore, or is he just a Sinon the times? What kind of a sound should a spear make when it hits a horse? And finally, should Laocoön get some comeuppance for being the only one who sees the truth? These and more questions will be answered, and you will be treated to a lovely clip from that war on bureaucracy, the ’80s British comedy series Yes, Minister. And don’t miss the extended discussion of scrimshaw and relish.

Patron of the podcast James poses this question for Murray, ‘The number of Spartan soldiers declined from its high of 10,000 to less than 2,000 around its defeat by Thebes due, in part, to increasing economic concentration and the resulting decline in the number of soldiers able to pay their mess contributions. Did Spartan society recognise this decline as a problem, and were there efforts to reverse this trend? If there were, why did they fail?’

Richard Cohen joins us to talk about the nuts and bolts of how history gets written, and the people who have shaped how we study the past.

Liv dives into ancient parody and satire before reading the Batrachomyomachia, the Battle of Frogs and Mice, translated by Hugh Evelyn White.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends a hot and dry wind of such strength that not only grains but even soft fruits will dry and shrivel up.

… 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 2, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. IV Non. Iun. 2775 AUC ~ 3 Skirophorion in the first year of the 700th Olympia

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There are surprising intersections between video game creation and archaeology, and that, of course, comes along with the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of mining ancient history for content creation. Neither Anna nor Amber really grew up playing video games, so we are extremely lucky to have a guest expert, Dr. Bill Farley, Associate Professor of Anthropology at South Connecticut State University. Bill will be our guide on the subject. The Toad to our Mario Party. Right? That’s a thing, right?

Although medieval Europe was firmly Christian, pagan deities still loomed large in the popular imagination. Rhiannon Davies spoke to Ronald Hutton about four of these divine figures: the powerful and protective Mother Earth; the glamorous fairy queen; a night-roaming supernatural lady; and a Gaelic giantess.

Boudica has become a hero of British folklore. An ancient queen, her leadership of the Iceni in an uprising against the forces of the Roman Empire in around 60 AD is echoed around school classrooms. But what evidence do we have for her actions, appearance and eventual defeat? And how was she portrayed by the Romans in comparison to her contemporaries. On this Platinum Jubilee, we have put all of our Boudica content into one episode. Listen as Tristan speaks with Caitlin Gillespie, the author of ‘Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain’ about Boudica’s power and our differing memories of her. This episode was published in two parts on 7th March and 21st March 2021.

We’re taking a slight departure from our Gender Rebels series to tell you the story of Zeus and Ganymede. This is the story about the time Zeus kidnapped a teenage boy named Ganymede and brought him to Olympus to be his “cup bearer.” Zeus and Ganymede were not gender rebels. In fact, they set the standard for the erastes-eromenos binary of the time. This story was used to send the message that the gods approved of pederastic practices that were widespread in ancient Greece and Rome. It’s a dark story, but it’s an important one. Join us as we drag it out into the light.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends easy births for women, but miscarriages for cattle, and an abundance of fish.

… 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)