Month: September 2023

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for September 7th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VII Id. Sept. 2776 AUC ~ 22 Metageitnion in the third year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Greek/Latin News

Public Facing Classics

Fresh Bloggery

Association/Departmental Blogs and News

Other Blog-like Publications

Fresh Podcasts

Medusa stands as one of the most iconic yet misconstrued figures of Greek mythology. Recognised as one of the three Gorgons, she is notoriously portrayed with serpentine hair and petrifying eyes that turn onlookers to stone. Her life is famously ended by Perseus, the demigod son of Zeus. Popular culture often reduces her to a monstrous caricature, even using her name interchangeably for all Gorgons. But how much of this aligns with ancient records, and how much is a Hollywood construct? To unravel this enigma, Tristan welcomes classicist, author, and broadcaster Natalie Haynes. Together, they dissect Medusa’s origins, delve into her tragic narrative marked by betrayals from Perseus and Athena, and ponder the implications of her myth in today’s context.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great epic poem attributed to Homer, telling the story of an intense episode in the Trojan War. It is framed by the wrath of the Greek hero Achilles, insulted by his leader Agamemnon and withdrawing from the battle that continued to rage, only returning when his close friend Patroclus is killed by the Trojan hero Hector. Achilles turns his anger from Agamemnon to Hector and the fated destruction of Troy comes ever closer. With Edith Hall Professor of Classics at King’s College London Barbara Graziosi Professor of Classics at Princeton University And Paul Cartledge A.G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture at Clare College, Cambridge

Louise discusses Ishtar, one of the most enigmatic and fascinating deities of the ancient Middle East. What characteristics were assigned to her, and what stories were told about her? What happened when Ishtar met Gilgamesh? Louise also discusses the reception of Ishtar and Gilgamesh. What do people find interesting about them now? She explains how being based in Australia influences her research.

What was life like in the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah? Few people are better qualified to answer that question than Professor Avraham Faust, who has excavated and written extensively about the archaeology of the ancient southern Levant, with a compelling blend of breadth and depth.

Fresh Youtubery

Book Reviews

Dramatic Receptions

Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an outbreak of disease and great harm to the enslaved class.

… 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 September 6th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. VIII Id. Sept. 2776 AUC ~ 21 Metageitnion in the third year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Greek/Latin News

Fresh Bloggery

Association/Departmental Blogs and News

Other Blog-like Publications

Assorted Twitter Threads

Fresh Podcasts

As many as 2,000 historic items are thought to have gone missing from the British Museum’s collections in the past decade. How could it have happened, and how easily can museums get stolen artefacts back?.

This week Jeff and Dave wrap up their two-part series on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Here we learn about Demophoon, infant child of Queen Metaneira of Eleusis. It seems he has a problem with mortality, and Demeter has the cure: nightly fire purgations. As the kids say, “srsly?” But things don’t go so well when the blazing goddess of grain is caught in the act of burning off Demophoon’s (not huggable but mortal) portions, and rather than wreak havoc on the innocent inhabitants of Eleusis, she decides to set up a cult and allow them to worship her. Meanwhile, what about Persphone? Hey girl, beware the pomegranate! Tune in for an update on Dave’s Greece trip, the usual, blithe and bland banter, and maybe a pun or two about Grape Nuts. As the kids say, “Whaaa?”

NT Pod 101 is a conversation with Matthew Page about his new book, 100 Bible Films

In the sixth episode of ‘The Classics Podcast Does…Careers’, we welcome Sabah Hussain, Migration and Citizenship Team Leader at Rights & Security International, to discuss Odysseus’ no 1 virtue, the resonance of faith, studying abroad and the weirdness of the ancient world. Sabah studied her undergraduate degree in Ancient World Studies at University College London before an MA in Investigative Journalism at City University.

Book Reviews

Exhibition Related Things

  • Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends women having greater power than their nature would suggest they have.

… 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 September 5th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est Non. Sept. 2776 AUC ~ 20 Metageitnion in the third year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Classicists and Classics in the News

Public Facing Classics

Fresh Bloggery

Association/Departmental Blogs and News

Other Blog-like Publications

Fresh Podcasts

We talk to Melanie Racette-Campbell about her new book, “The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus”, and discuss why Roman elite men were particularly vulnerable to a societal transformation that changed their role in the state. What did it mean to be a good man in ancient Rome, and how and why did that change?

Look out, Cecil B. DeMille, because the Dans are coming for you! That’s right–making absolutely zero apologies to Messrs DeMille, Heston, or even Kilmer (for all you Dreamworks fans), we’re letting the data run roughshod over the story of the biblical exodus. The tale is beloved: a man of lowly birth but raised among royalty returns to his roots to save his enslaved people from bondage, but did any of it actually happen? How much do we actually know, and how do we know it? Then we dive deep into Exodus 22:29… because it’s horrifying. Is it possible that God commanded his chosen people to sacrifice their own

Want to know why the first two books of the Bible conflict with each other? Confused by the story of Joseph that seems to keep switching its narrative mid-stream? Looking for an explanation for why the pentateuch (that’s the first five books of the Bible) seems like it’s a bunch of different traditions all smashed together? Well, this week on D>D, we’ve brought in Princeton University’s Dr. Liane M. Feldman to talk about–brace yourself–neodocumentarianism! That’s right, neodocumentarianism. That’s a MINIMUM of 26 Scrabble points, but it would take some extraordinary events to be able to play it… Anyway, if you don’t know anything about the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis (and really, who does?), you’re not alone. But you’re definitely going to have some fun learning about it!

We are between issues of the magazine for this episode of the podcast. After casting around for ideas, Mark suggested the topic for Friday night’s chat: the impact of weather on conflict.

When you think of inventions that helped change the course of history, it’s doubtful Olive Oil makes the list. Originating thousands of years ago in the Mediterranean or further east – it’s now probably in your kitchen cupboards, or donning the shelves of supermarkets. But how did Olive Oil come to be, and how did the processes behind making it help advance numerous civilisations? In this episode Tristan welcomes Curator of the British Museum’s Ancient Levant and Anatolia department, Jamie Fraser, to talk about his work in Jordan and the incredible archaeological discoveries he and his team found. Looking at early Olive Oil production presses, monumental archaeology discoveries, and the impact this had on ancient civilisations – what can we learn about the origins of Olive Oil, and why is it so important in ancient history?

In this week’s episode, Jackson is joined by historian, author and podcaster Emma Southon to discuss her upcoming book ‘A History of The Roman Empire in 21 Women’. Within this episode, Jackson and Emma discuss kingmakers, Roman sex cults, Christianity, and many more interesting parts of these women’s lives!

So! Much! Seneca! Lauren Ginsberg joins Liv to RAVE about Seneca’s Medea, and provide some helpful and fascinating Roman context, among so many other things

Dionysus is as mysterious as he is wonderful, he’s new and he’s old, local and foreign… Plus, he seriously loved his wife Ariadne.

Of all the enemies the Roman empire faced in its centuries-long history, one name stood out: Hannibal. In the late third century BC, the Carthaginian general came dangerously close to destroying Rome and utterly reshaping the history of the world. Hannibal’s campaigns were a pivotal episode in the Punic Wars (264-146 BC), and these three conflicts between Rome and Carthage are the subject of this Everything You Wanted to Know episode. Rob Attar puts your questions to Professor Philip Freeman on the causes, key events and legacy of the wars, and asks whether elephants were really of any use on the ancient battlefield.

Book Reviews

Dramatic Receptions

Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an abundance of barley but not as much wheat.

… 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)