Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for February 13, 2023

Hodie est a.d. Id. Feb. 2776 AUC ~ 23 Gamelion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous individuals from the ancient world. The final Queen of Ancient Egypt, and a woman who used her position to directly influence Roman politics and society, there’s more to her than Shakespeare plays would suggest. And while Cleopatra’s story ended in tragedy, what about her children who survived? Cleopatra Selene, named after her mother, is a story lost to history – the true, final ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, what do we know about her today? In this episode Tristan is joined by Dr Jane Draycott from the University of Glasgow, to learn about the astonishing life of this other Cleopatra. Cleopatra Selene II grew up during the last days of Ancient Egypt, and in Rome during the first years of its new Empire. She would go on to rule as Queen of Mauretania, becoming one of the most important women of the Augustan age. So what can we learn from Cleopatra Selene, and is it time she’s recognised as a giant of the ancient world?

“He was trapped – he couldn’t get up. There was blood everywhere. The faces were coming closer, the knives rose and fell. And then, to his relief, he saw Brutus.” One of the most iconic deaths in history, Caesar’s assassination is the brutal climax to an impressive series of victories: from triumphing during the First Triumvirate, to outlasting Pompey and Cato, gaining Imperator status and becoming dictator for life. How did it all come to such a gory end?

In this second episode on perhaps the most notorious assasination in world history, Tom and Dominic look at the bloody and chaotic aftermath of the death of Julius Caesar. They discuss the fate of the senators turned assassins, their failure to restore the institutions of the republic, and the ensuing civil war that brought about the first emperor of Rome.

The Lupercalia was literally run on on the 15th February in ancient Rome. Apart from the nudity, running and goathide thongs there’s a lot going on here. Indeed the Roman writers seem unsure of how it all started and in this episode I play detective in trying to work out how it started and what this tells us about Rome. I also talk about the festival itself and how it manifested as well as one famous instance involving the Lupercalia.

With Antiochus II’s death, it’s time for a recap episode! For the third time in our series, we’re sat around the metaphorical campfire, just as we did when we said our goodbyes to Seleucus I and Antiochus I. The empire may be transitioning from the third generation of Seleucid royalty to the fourth, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a minute to reflect on the last fifteen years…

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends both abundance and political unrest.

… 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 February 11, 2023

Hodie est a.d. III Id. Feb. 2776 AUC ~ 21 Gamelion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Welcome to Satura Lanx, upper beginner / intermediate podcast told in beginner-friendly, easy spoken Latin. Every other Saturday I chat about everything concerning Latin (literature, language, culture), my own life and reflections and the questions you’ll ask me. The same episodes are available in full video format on my YouTube channel. This is a Satura Lanx production.

Liv speaks with author and classicist Natalie Haynes about all things Medusa and Natalie’s new novel about the tragic Gorgon, Stone Blind.

In this bonus episode, Liv speaks with Michaela Smith who handled the research for the special Sparta series. They talk about researching for the show, and the ancient world in general.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[Saturday] If it thunders today it portends good deliveries in childbirth for women

[Sunday] If it thunders today it portends many deaths and  unusual winds.

… 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 February 10, 2023

Hodie est a.d. IV Id. Feb. 2776 AUC ~ 20 Gamelion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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They asked for permission. Permission was denied… but they did it anyway. That’s the predicament that Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Digital Archaeology, Roger Michel, and Director of Technology, Alexy Karenowska found themselves in during 2022. Believing strongly that the British Museum didn’t have the right to deny their request to scan the Parthenon Marbles, both Roger and Alexy hatched a plan to scan the Marbles anyway, using only smartphones and iPads, and in full view of Museum staff. Not only did they manage to do it, the resulting copy of the Selene Horse in Pentelic Marble is an incredible example of what can be done by digital archaeologists, and the challenges it poses to traditional museums, committed to maintaining their collections. Roger and Alexy join Tom and Nick to re-tell the story, and discuss the 200+ year dispute between the UK and Greece, including the loud calls for the restitution of the Marbles to Athens.

Imperium Romanum is a YouTube channel dedicated to bringing history to life, with documentaries looking at everything Ancient Rome; from the army and military equipment to politics, religion, culture, lifestyle and much more. In this episode, Jasper, Murray and Marc are joined by Marc Beermann from Imperium Romanum to talk about what they do.

Turcae Sȳrīque quassātī…

Athens and Sparta had now entered into an agreement known as the 30 years’ peace, seeing the first Peloponnesian come to an end. This would see the creation of two spheres of influence within Greek lands that they would now turn their attention to. In Athens, Pericles would now also see a challenge to his influence within the Athenian political system. All accounts in the sources indicate that the rise of the conservative faction would be the toughest fight Pericles would have to endure to date….

Andreas et Clara, Ilsa absente, loquuntur de rebus quas facere sibi placent hieme. Quid de vobis? Quid tibi placet hieme facere?

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends wild beasts attacking humans.

… 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 February 9, 2023

Hodie est a.d. V Id. Feb. 2776 AUC ~ 19 Gamelion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Tune in this week as the guys wrap up Aeneid 9 and take a look at the fallout and aftermath of Nisus’ and Euryalus’ disastrous midnight raid. When the Rutulians wake to the bloody devastation, its off to besiege the city in which the Trojans, sans Aeneas, are hiding. In this “reverse Iliad”, we find the foreign aggressors — Aeneas and company — besieged within a city by the invaded inhabitants on the plain. Along the way, we’re met with an interesting digression in which Vergil honors motherhood with a threnody from Euryalus’ otherwise anonymous mother. He also gives us another invocation of the muse, this time of Calliope, inspiratrix of epic poetry. As full-scale war breaks out, we see Turnus unleashed, and another little hero step forward: Ascanius, Aeneas’ son. In his martial aristeia, he dispatches the Rutulian braggart Numanus, after a real, real long monologue. There may be some limericks and lighthearted moments along the way, but don’t look for any spoilers here!

This week we thought we’d do something a little different–and bring you a sneak peek of our audiobook version of Women of Myth. This version is available for preorder, and we recorded it ourselves, along with Liv from Let’s Talk About Myths Baby! who recorded her introduction. We picked three entries to share, from three different areas of the world. These women are so fascinating and awesome that we’re sure you’ll love them as much as we did. We hope you enjoy!

After the Bronze Age Collapse, Greece changed dramatically. The palaces were gone, long-distance trade declined, and crafts became much simpler. Most of all, there were fewer people living in Greece than there had been during the Mycenaean period. For all these reasons, scholars have often called this time the “Greek Dark Age.” But how dark was it, and what was life like after the palaces fell?

This special release is a recording from December 2022 with Dr. Nandini Pandey’s class at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). In the episode, you’ll hear Lexie and Dan discuss with the class their preconceived notions before the course, things they wish they could tell future students, (de)constructing classics, perspectives on how the ancient world intersects with their modern interests, and of course, a reading of the poem Ozymandias by the whole class.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends danger for a king in the east.

… 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 February 8, 2023

Hodie est a.d. VI Id. Feb. 2776 AUC ~ 18 Gamelion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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What better way to understand the real lives of everyday folk in the ancient Mediterranean than to look at the bones of the people themselves? On this episode, Chelsea and Melissa welcome Dr. Efthymia Nikita, a bioarchaeologist who studies the  surviving skeletal remains of ancient humans. Dr. Nikita shares her research and explains how bones can provide crucial information for understanding how people in the past lived, not just how they died. Join us as Dr. Nikita explores the way in which skeletal remains of ancient women can shed light on their mobility, sickness, diet, societal roles, and more!

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends a threat to the state from the 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)