Classical Antiquity Sidequest 2 – Belisarius and the Byzantines

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Our second sidequest takes us to the “Byzantine” Empire and the attempt by Justinian to restore the Empire to its lost glory. Dr. David Parnell, professor at Indiana University NW and author of Belisarius & Antonia, stops by to discuss one of Late Antiquity’s greatest generals, Belisarius. During our almost hour-long interview, we discuss how we got saddled with the term “Byzantine Empire”, Belisarius’ career and the times in which he lived. Turns out his wife, Antonina, was a pretty big deal in her own right. I hope my wife doesn’t read this and remind me how important a wife can be.

We also discuss Procopius, the famed historian of the Jusitinian era. He wrote two important texts which serve as major sources in understanding that historical era. The first one is History of the Wars and the second one is The Secret History. We cover those texts and get into theories about how the later came to be. And, hey, we also talk about the Epic History project on Belisarius which Dr. Parnell was involved in.

Having just finished Dr. Parnell’s book, I would strongly recommend that you pick up a copy. If you want to read more of his works, you can find them here:

https://iun.academia.edu/DavidParnell

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Parnell-2

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

More on The ACC’s Lawsuits

My friends over at Saturday’s Warrior asked me to stop by and talk about FSU-Clemson-The ACC, which is what I call the unholy triangle of sadness. Take a look at my interview with Trevor. I hope you’ll learn something. Or at least be mildly entertained by the Blues Brothers reference. The bar is kind of low at this point.

This was another appearance on a podcast that is part of The College Huddle Network. This has been a lot of fun and reminded me that I’m due for another post on the site about the litigation that is still ongoing.

As always, Go Duke!

College Huddle Appearance – ACC, FSU and Conference Restructuring

I stopped by The College Huddle with my friends from The Cavalier Connection to talk about the uncertainties facing The ACC. Give it a listen / watch, folks! Thanks to The College Huddle and to The Cavalier Connection for having me on. This was a lot of fun.

As you all now, Bull City Coordinators is now part of The College Huddle network. This is a fan-led college sports podcast community. We look forward to future collaborations with members of The College Huddle and to continuing to (hopefully) inform our fans!

As always, Go Duke!

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 1 – Alexander the Great with Victor Lamas

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We’re kicking off the Classical Antiquity Sidequest podcast with an episode about the ultimate historical figure from Antiquity – Alexander the Great! My friend Victor Lamas stopped by the podcast to talk about one of the most studied and most influential historical figures. Topics of discussion include how Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, his skill on the battlefield (the dude never lost a battle!), his successes as a diplomat and the movies that have been made about Alexander. We also delve into a sidequest about the 1970 masterpiece Waterloo. Highly recommend that to all. I think it’s on YouTube.

In addition to talking to about Alexander, we discuss Phillip of Macedon, Alexander’s father. He’s a very important historical figure who set the stage for Alexander to succeed and is worthy of your time and attention.

For further reading on Alexander the Great, check out the following –

Generalship of Alexander the Great

The Nature of Alexander

Alexander of Macedon

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Interview – Luke DeCock

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News & Observer columnist Luke DeCock stopped by the pod to talk about the problems facing The ACC. Looking at you, former Big East teams and FSU. We also discuss the “legally interesting” (which is a kind way of saying “dubious”) lawsuit filed by FSU against The ACC. Having read FSU’s most recent Complaint, I don’t think very highly of it. I had initially planned on doing a more detailed discussion of it, but that would be a waste of time. Which is pretty much what that lawsuit looks like to me. But I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again.

Luke also discussed the future of The ACC and how we got into this mess. This involves a hopefully interesting discussion about the pros and cons of Notre Dame’s involvement with the conference. We also both comment on how we don’t see an exit strategy for FSU. If another conference wanted the Noles, the TV overlords would’ve moved the school by now. Also, and this should be obvious, the TV partners running college football want a strong Grant of Rights. They don’t want GoRs to be found unenforceable. The TV deals just won’t work if member schools can invalidate them. Just sayin’!

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Christina Salowey, Ph. D., talks Ancient Greece

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We hope you’re ready for another installment of The Classical Antiquity Podcast! This time we’re hoping in The Wayback Machine to visit Ancient Greece. Our guest is Christina Salowey, Ph. D., who teaches at Hollins University here in the Roanoke area. We discuss Dr. Salowey’s area of research which includes, primarily, the intersection of environmental history and mythology. Folks, this is fascinating stuff.

Also, in order to avoid my daughter getting angry at me, we have a long discussion on Athena and her role in Greek mythology and culture as well as her influence on Star Wars. We also relive the wonderful memories that the sinkhole in our old neighbor’s yard created for us. Good times!

If you’re interested in Greek Antiquity, here is a good place to start – https://www.theoi.com/. If you’d like some books on the topic, Dr. Salowey suggested reading Stephen Frey’s books.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Basketball Rivalry Week Podcast Crossover – GTHC

With Duke-UNC coming up this Saturday, my friends over at 5 Point Play had me back on to talk the upcoming game and what to expect from the Blue Devils as they take on the Heels. Let’s Go Duke!!!

This was a fun about the Blue Devils, the team with the best shade of blue!

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Fred Goldsmith

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First and foremost, big thanks to Troy Taylor from Totem Pole Nation for getting this set up. I can’t thank him enough for making this happen.

Former Duke football head coach Fred Goldsmith stopped by the podcast to talk about his early career in football, a stop at Rice and his time coaching the Blue Devils. We learned about a lot of great coaches that Coach Goldsmith worked with including Ken Hatfield, Chan Gailey, Mike Heimerdinger and Craig Bohl among others. During this long and informative discussion, we learn a lot about the challenges Coach Goldsmith faced after an amazing 1994 season, the number of players he got in the NFL and how he was close to getting Duke over the hump before he was let go after the 1998 season. I know you will enjoy listening to Coach Goldsmith tell some great stories about his time leading the Blue Devils.

We also talk about how, after the 1994 season, Coach Goldsmith was close to getting a lot of high-profile coaching jobs. You won’t believe where he almost ended up.

If you get a chance, you should check out his book, Comeback Coach. I bought it a few years back. It’s a quick and entertaining read.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Jennifer Gerrish, Ph. D. talks Roman History

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Dr. Jennifer Gerrish, Classics professor at the College of Charleston (Go Cougs!), stopped by to talk about one of my favorite topics, Ancient Rome. During our almost hour long conversation, we learn about Dr. Gerrish’s Ancient Rome origin story, cover the problems inherent in studying Antiquity and spend a lot of time going over the political genius, yet completely destructive force, that was Julius Caesar. SPOILER ALERT – he gets assassinated. Dr. Gerrish provides the greatest characterization of Caesar I’ve ever come across. You’ll love it. We also spend a fair amount of time talking about why governments fall and what appears to be the unchanging pattern of human nature.

If you want to learn more about Roman history and read some of Dr. Gerrish’s writings, check out the below –

Dr. Gerrish’s books:

Recommended reading list:

I’d also check out Emma Southon‘s book on Aggripina because she is a fascinating character and that era of the Empire is always worth your time.

I know this isn’t the typical stuff we cover at Bull City Coordinators, but this was an informative discussion with an intelligent guest. Dr. Gerrish and I are hoping to do another interview after this coming school semester ends. And, hey, why not do more after that? Rome is always a great topic.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Get to Know the Troy Trojans with Josh Boutwell

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Josh Boutwell of the Troy Messenger stopped by to talk about Duke’s next opponent, the Troy Trojans, and what to expect from Troy in the Birmingham Bowl. During our interview, we talked the coaching change for both teams, my time working for a sign company and the advantage it gave me in recognizing random cities and towns across the United States, the Trojans’ football culture, what a great stadium we’ll get to watch the game in and the terrible parking situation in Birmingham. Not to give away the ending, but the Blue Devils are going to have their hands full come December 23.

In addition, Josh discusses his cancer treatment during the interview. Please stop by this site to help out with his medical costs if you are so inclined.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!