Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 13th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist

Hodie est a.d. III Id. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 25 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Virginia Campbell joins us to talk about Roman history, more specifically the handbook of electioneering.

Octavian and Antony get in a tussle over the grain supply, Atia and Octavia get the cold shoulder in a hot climate, and Vorenus plays ball, Pullo deals with the people, Posca is the MVP, and there are at least five slaps in the episode.

Aphrodite is looking for love in all the wrong places.

This week Jeff and Dave talk about Milo of Croton, by all accounts the most accomplished athlete of antiquity. This incredible individual was the winner of multiple Olympiads, strongman, wrestler, supposedly deadlifting a stone of more than 1100lbs. The ancients like Pausania, Galen, Strabo, Cicero and more were fascinated not only by his tremendous physical prowess, but equally by his enormous appetite for food and drink. Did he really eat an entire heifer in one sitting? Along the way we look at the Olympic Games, have a short travelogue to Olympia and Nemea, discuss Mohammed Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Flo Jo, and more. It’s summer, get out, be active, and take AdNavseam along on your workout. You won’t regret it. Maybe if you do enough reps you can snap your headband, like Milo, just by flexing the blood vessels in your head!?

Emerging around the 3rd century CE and later designated official adversaries of the Roman Empire, the Picts wreaked havoc across the northern fringes of Roman Britain. But due to their limited presence in the archaeological record and the complexities of multiple kings, kingdoms, and languages involved, unravelling the true identity of the Picts and understanding why Rome harboured such animosity towards them can be challenging. So what sources can archaeologists turn to, and what does it show us about ancient Scotland? In this episode, Tristan welcomes Professor Gordon Noble from the University of Aberdeen to shed light on the enigmatic culture of the Picts. By examining Imperial sources, ancient artwork, and even the earliest known form of daily ‘tweets’, what insights can we gather about the Picts? And why have they been obscured by the passage of time?

Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships – but is there more to her than a beautiful face? Commemorated throughout history in ancient epics and modern adaptations, Helen of Troy is known as one of the most beautiful women to ever have lived. But was Helen of Troy actually real, and from her story what can we learn about women’s positions and roles in ancient societies? In this episode Tristan is joined by author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes to discuss Helen’s place in mythology, history and modern society. Often viewed through the male gaze, Natalie helps set the record straight about who Helen really was and unravels the tragic story that encapsulated her life. With discussions of her conception, abductions, and grief after the Trojan War – we learn about why she was so noteworthy in mythology, and how her story has persevered through to the 21st Century. This episode contains references to rape and self harm. This episode was originally broadcast in March 2022.

Another decade is gone and it’s time for a Partial Recap! We run through what the ancient sources tell us about this decade. There are some real highs and lows!

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an outbreak of venomous 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)

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Published by David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist

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