Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for November 2, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. IV Non. Nov. 2775 AUC ~ 9 Maimakterion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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A little smidgeon of a papyrus has returned from Montana to Jerusalem. Does it date to the Iron Age? Is it real? Does it contain the word Ishmael? How did it get to Montana? Our contestants are confused, as usual. Maybe more than usual, which is saying a lot.

In this episode we find Aeneas getting closer to a reunion with Dad and maybe even an exit from this Hotel California. But, as we’ve seen throughout this epic, there’s no gain without a healthy dollop of pain. First, there’s a horribly awkward rendezvous with a departed Dido who goes all Ajax on Aeneas and ghosts him (literally!) Then we get a glimpse of Tartarus and hear the wretched cries of the damned under the whip of Tisiphone. Finally, the Blissful Groves and a veritable Who’s Who of who slew, made it through just to drink Lethe’s brew (whew!) All this plus a wrestling Jacob, Tolkien, and a jittery Dave steeling himself for another parade. Don’t miss it.

Nero didn’t visit Athens or Sparta while in Greece because he was scared of religious and political retribution. Besides, he was too busy trying to become the periodonikes, the Grand Slam champion of all of the Games. But things weren’t going well back at Rome, so he is finally convinced to return. He had six months left to live.

2/4. Dan dives into Carter’s obsession with Tutankhamun and the trials and idiosyncrasies that made him the right man for the discovery. Dan visits the house Carter built where he conducted his search. There, architectural historian Nicholas Warner tells Dan about the many frustrating years of finding nothing…until water boy Hussein Abdel-Rassoul stumbled upon a square stone that looked like a step. They dug down and discovered a tomb door with the royal seal. No one could have imagined the treasure that lay inside…

We’re back with more bonus mythological content based on QCODE’s new podcast CUPID! This time… Gods inflicting love on mortals and the brewing of potent potions… Listen to Cupid wherever you get your podcasts.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends prosperity..

… 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 November 1, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est Kal. Nov. 2775 AUC ~ 8 Maimakterion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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“Let him kill me, so long as he reigns” These are reportedly the words spoken by Agrippina when an astrologer told her that her son, Nero, would become the Roman emperor but he would also murder Agrippina. When making a list of the wickedest rulers, Nero is usually near the top. A bloody Roman emperor who burned Christians during parties. His mother Agrippina has often been blamed for the monstrous reign of her son. Her name has become synonymous with incest, murder, greed, and manipulation. In reality, very little is known about the woman behind the myth. As historian Emma Southon writes in her biography on Agrippina, “As a woman, Agrippina exists only when her actions impact on the lives or actions of men in the political or military sphere because in the ancient world, as a woman, she exists only through her relationship with men.” Agrippina was born into a world of wealth, privilege, and confines. There was no guarantee that she would be remembered by history, she just as easily could have become one of the many faceless and nameless women from Antiquity. However, Agrippina fought for her memory to live on. She was a woman who was trained in the confines and expectations of Roman womanhood and blatantly decided to disregard them. This fact secured her a place in the history books but often not a favorable one. To later historians, her assertiveness, ambition, ruthlessness, and political intelligence made her unnatural, more man than woman.

1/4. On the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor lie the burial chambers of some of Ancient Egypt’s greatest pharaohs – Rameses II, Seti I and Tutankhamun. From Luxor, Dan delves into the history of the Valley of the Kings with Alia Ismail whose current project is 3D mapping the tombs. He ventures deep into the earth inside the most magnificent of all the valley tombs- Seti I – as he and celebrated Egyptologist Salima Ikram tell the story of Giovanni Belzoni and the many explorers and archaeologists who set the stage for Howard Carter’s discovery of the century.

Polybius’ theory of anacyclosis is the most sophisticated theory of political (r)evolution to have emerged from ancient Greek and Roman political thought.

Happy Halloween! In this Halloween Special Liv talks to past guest Dr. Ellie Mackin Roberts about all things Underworld: Persephone, Hades, and everyone in between. F

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends discord in the city.

… 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 October 31, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est pr. Kal. Nov. 2775 AUC ~ 7 Maimakterion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Located in modern day Ukraine, Olbia was the largest ancient Greek settlement on the coast of the Black Sea. A mix of Scythian and Greek culture, Olbia interacted with settlements and cultures across the ancient world. In this episode, Tristan is joined by Dr Owen Rees to talk about the fascinating and wonderful history of this peripheral city state – that despite all odds, managed not only to survive, but ultimately thrive.

Synopsis: The Country Lords of Carchemish adorned their city with temples and monuments. But Assyrian conquests in the Khabur River valley heralded a growing eastern threat. “I am the ruler Katuwa, Country Lord of Carchemish, son of the Country Lord Suhi (II), grandson of the Country-Lord Astuwatamanza. The gods raised me by the hand and they gave to me my paternal succession. And because of my justice the gods raised me in strength….I myself then constructed the temple for the Storm God of Carchemish with that abundance, and I established for him seasonal offerings.” – Inscription of Katuwa on the King’s Gate at Carchemish, late 10th/early 9th century BC

Eight episodes

Kicking off a new batch of the series that seeks to find out how the classics compares to modern day, Jasmine is joined by the brilliant Andrew Hunter Murray, best selling author, journalist and one of the indomitable QI elves. Talk ranges from misunderstood monsters to modern horror and, just to warn you, there is some bad mouthing of Cicero…

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[no entry for today]

… 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 October 29, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. IV Kal. Nov. 2775 AUC ~ 5 Maimakterion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Carmina Nona: Ovid writes to one of his few remaining friends.

Congressus Sīnēnsium…

Welcome to Episode 3 of our Ancient World series, in this episode Bettany heads to the Bay of Naples, where in the middle of a volcanic landscape a Roman city now lies underwater. The Roman city at Baia is now submerged due to volcanic movement, the site has become a vast archaeological marine park, with statues, villas and mosaics visible underwater. Often referred to as the Las Vegas of the Roman world, it was the playground of the Roman elite. Bettany heads to Baia to see the site and Lucy finds out more about how it has become an archaeological park, allowing visitors to explore the remains by diving or snorkelling in the clear waters of the bay.

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is “How can I speak Latin fluently?”. The full answer is in the (Y)PLC course (opening soon!), and here’s a little preview.  Si plura consilia huius generis audire vis, scito cursum meum provectioribus discipulis destinatum mox iterum propositum iri! Si certior de hoc fieri vis, nomen da in pagina infra posita!

The night before battle, a nervous young officer consults a witch, who promises to raise the dead to prophesy for him… Adapted from Lucan, Civil War, 6.413-830, followed by a discussion of Roman witches, zombies, and a lengthy digression on horse rearing!

We spoke with Tim Brooks of the Endangered Alphabets project about the cultural importance of scripts, the pressures on marginalized and isolated scripts, his beautiful wood carvings, and the various initiatives he and his group have been working on to support script revitalization and creation around the world.

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‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

[Saturday] If it thunders today, it portends a year of serious disease. 

 [Sunday] If it thunders today, it portends not only prosperity, but fewer enemies and good cheer for the state.

… 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 October 28, 2022

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. V Kal. Nov. 2775 AUC ~ 4 Maimakterion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

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Octavian becomes both consul and a problem for the senate, Vorenus settles down to a life of familial bliss, and Antony grows one heck of a beard.

Episode 100! Will the guys celebrate the century mark by digging even deeper into the Classics, finding hidden layers of erudite exegesis, philology, philosophy, and theology in yet another literary jewel from antiquity? Nope. Time to phone one in. C’mon, it can’t be Homer, Vergil, Ovid or the predicative dative all the time, right? So, join Dave and Jeff as they look through their fingers at some of the “best” of the last couple of years. Listen as the clips veer from the embarrassing, to the embarrasinger, to the embarrassingest! You’ll cringe! You’ll cringe again! (But, really, thanks for sticking with us this long).  Are we going to bring it for the next 100? You Cheddar believe it.

What happened to all the gear and supplies after a big battle? What did people tend to salvage?

Sparta had defeated Athens at the battle of Tanagra in 457 BC, though both armies had taken heavy losses. Both would look to make a temporary truce so that they could regroup without the fear of being attacked while in a vulnerable position. This would see the forces of both Athens and Sparta return to their cities bringing a close to this campaign. However, this would not be the end of hostilities and campaigning for the first Peloponnesian war….

Robin Waterfield is an independent scholar and translator living in southern Greece. In addition to thirty volumes of translations of works of Greek literature, he is the author of numerous books, ranging from children’s fiction to Greek history, most recently The Making of a King, also published by the University of Chicago Press…

Liv speaks with fellow Classics podcaster Jasmine Elmer (listen to Legit Classics wherever you’re listening to LTAMB!) about all things monstrous, but particularly… Volcanic monsters and myths of Greece and Rome. Follow Jasmine on Twitter. 

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Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends a shortage of the necessities of life.

… 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)