BullCityCoordinators

Sidequest 14 – Dr. Roshan Abraham on Apollonius of Tyana

The latest Sidequest takes us to the First Century CE to study the interesting historical figure that is Apollonius of Tyana. Apollonius is typically associated with Jesus and serves as a sort of “Pagan Jesus”, whatever that term may mean. It turns out there’s more to Apollonius than just that. Studying Apollonius provides with greater insight to the time in which Jesus lived and the historical narrative surrounding holy men and cult figures from that time period.

Our guide for this Sidequest is Dr. Roshan Abraham, a professor at American University. Dr. Abraham wrote an outstanding article about Apollonius which I recommend that you all read. In addition to discussing Apollonius and the historical discussion surrounding him, we also discuss how the Classics have been misused and appropriated throughout history including by white supremacists. Towards the end of the episode, we get into the intersection between mythology and D.C. Comics which Dr. Abraham knows a thing or two about.

Your reading assignments are Opus and Home Fire.

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.

Sidequest 13 – Ben and Victor Review The Eagle

For our second movie review, Victor stops by to talk with me about the 2011 film The Eagle. While this movie got overlooked when it was released, it’s a pretty darned enjoyable flick that we highly recommend. There are some predictable accuracy issues, but The Eagle gets a lot of the Roman fighting techniques correct. That’s not common when it comes to Hollywood and is just one reason this movie should be appreciated.

From a plot perspective, The Eagle follows Marcus Flavius Aquila who, guided by his slave Esca, goes on a quest to find the Eagle of the 9th Legion that Marcus’ father lost in battle. Co-starring Donald Sutherland, this is an entertaining movie about one man’s quest to restore his family’s lost honor. On the way, Marcus learns that the so-called “barbarians” aren’t that different from the “civilized” Romans. This leads us into a sidequest about how movies, particularly Westerns, portray the clash of “civilization” and the “savages” in the frontier. Clocking in at just under two hours, there’s no reason not to give this movie a chance.

The Eagle is based on a book that you can order here.

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 Bluesky.

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

Interview – Richlandia Talks Predictions, Gator Bowl and the Portal

You all may remember, probably because Dad won’t let you forget, that he (finally) got a preseason prediction right. In the season preview episode, Dad called Duke going 9-3 and that’s exactly what the Blue Devils did. Instead of breaking down what to expect in the Gator Bowl, we talk a lot about the changing face of college football. With the losses of QB1 and QB2 to the portal, Dad and I discuss how the portal is making bowl games entirely irrelevant. While players should be able to transfer, schools can’t tell fans that bowl games matter when the calendar forces key players to transfer out prior to the end of the season.

Dad and I present differing views, to some extent, on these issues. I also make a prediction that players will unionize to protect themselves and the commitments that schools make to players. Given that the NCAA has become completely irrelevant and can’t police its member institutions, courts are going to become the enforcement mechanism for “amateur” rules that apply to the NCAA. When that happens, players will unionize to protect themselves through collective-bargaining. It’s the only thing that players can, and should, do.

I hope you enjoy this episode. It’s an unusual format for Bull City Coordinators. If you don’t like it, I blame our Richlandia correspondent and take no responsibility for it.

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Sidequest 12 – Anthony Kaldellis on the “Byzantine Empire” and Roman Identity

In the latest episode of the Sidequest, Anthony Kaldellis, author of many books including The New Roman Empire, stops by to discuss his podcast Byzantium & Friends, how the academic community is starting to embrace podcasts as a medium to communicate with a wider audience, the narratives surrounding Antiquity, including when it “ended”, in the Western and Eastern imperial provinces and the importance of the “Byzantines” to Antiquity and the Classics. We also discuss the naming convention behind use of the term “Byzantine” and the important role the Crimean War played in that. Dr. Kaldellis wrote an article about that which I highly recommend and link to here.

One of the more interesting parts of this interview involved me learning about how widespread the Greek language was throughout the Empire. It turns out that the city of Rome had a large population that spoke Greek including one Julius Caesar. We also have a discussion about “Late Antiquity” and whether we should consider that as a transitional period which I discuss more in the intro to the podcast. I think my views on it come from the way I view things as a trial lawyer which may not entirely overlap with the way that historians approach their work. I could be way off about this. It’s just a thought I had as I edited the podcast.

Your reading assignment from this episode is “Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning“.

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 – Conor O’Neill Previews Duke-Wake

Friend of the pod Conor O’Neill stopped to talk about Duke, Wake Forest and a big matchup for the Blue Devils on Saturday. Before getting into Duke’s chance to get to nine wins and deliver on Richlandia’s pre-season W-L prediction, we cover the important story of the 70-80 pound Golden Retriever that knocked me down on my Monday morning run and injured my right leg. I’m still not back to normal, but given that I managed two-plus slightly painful miles this morning, I feel confident in saying I’ll be ready for the game on Saturday.

During our talk, Conor breaks down Maalik Murphy’s “salute” to Jonathan Brewer, the chaotic nature of Blue Devil wins this year, where Wake Forest is as a program and the problems inherent with strength of schedule discussions. Perhaps getting ahead of ourselves a bit, Conor and I discuss what losing Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol will do to the Duke receiving corps next season. In doing so, we learn what it feels like when doves cry (that’s a Simpsons reference, people).

Now, one other thing we discuss is the two historic things that could happen with a Blue Devil win on Saturday. If Duke beats Wake, Manny Diaz would hold the record for the most wins by a Blue Devil head coach in his first season. If that weren’t enough, Dad’s preseason win prediction would (finally) be right. Dad thinks that would warrant a special podcast episode with him. Conor agrees. I’m not so sure. What do you all think about this?

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

College Huddle Collab to Preview Duke-VT

As you all know, Bull City Coordinators is part of The College Huddle network. And while I’m going to be doing fewer podcasts of my own, I’m always happy to do a collab with fellow College Huddle members. So, when Boundary Corner asked me to talk Duke Football, I happily stopped by their pod to talk about the Blue Devils. We’ve got a big game on Saturday and I’m looking forward to being back at Wallace Wade.

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Steve Wiseman Recaps Duke After 10 Games

Our old friend Steve Wiseman stopped by the podcast to recap Duke’s big win over NC State and assess how the Blue Devils have done through ten games. We discuss that while it’s defense first in Durham, the offense is starting to click. On top of that, Coach Diaz and his staff have spent time shoring up the kicking teams after Duke lost a tough one against SMU. As you’d expect, we talk about Coach Feeley taking teams into the sewer. With two games to go and a chance to get to nine wins, you best believe that the Blue Devils will do all they can to drag Virginia Tech and Wake Forest there.

Now, before the interview portion of the episode starts, I give my thoughts about NC State fans talking smack about how State shouldn’t lose to Duke and how embarrassing it is for Doeren to be 1-3 against the Blue Devils. Let me be clear, NC State fans should get their facts straight. I hope you enjoy my take.

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Sidequest 11 – Jeremy Swist on Late Antiquity

Dr. Jeremy Swist, a professor at Grand Valley State University, stopped by to discuss the historical period of time known as “Late Antiquity“. This is an era of time I know very, very little about, so I enjoyed the introduction to what is a fascinating area of study. It turns out that this is an evolving field that covers a period of transition for the Roman Empire from generally 200 CE to 700 CE (the precise time is open for debate). As the focus moves away from the Italian Peninsula, the Roman state evolved and changed. This set the stage, to some extent, for the next era of the Empire. I’m sure this is somewhat of an oversimplification, but it’s how I conceptualize it my mind.

During the interview, we discuss philosophy, how Late Antiquity as a concept came to be, what Late Antiquity means and the arbitrary nature of classifying historical periods. Dividing up history into specific areas of time naturally creates problems and creates incomplete or misleading narratives which includes terms like “Classical Antiquity”. Late Antiquity breathes life into what was previously thought of as a period of decline and reexamines this period. We also discuss the evolution of religious practices that a saw move towards Christianity from “Paganism” that occurred during this era. And, hey, there’s some new tribal / social / ethnic groups that arrive during Late Antiquity. There’s a lot to unpack here, folks.

Your reading assignments include The World of Late Antiquity by Peter Brown, A Companion to Late Antiquity and Anthony Kaldellis’ The New Roman Empire (one of these authors may be a guest in an upcoming episode).

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.

Duke-NC State (Abbreviated) Preview

After losing two straight, Duke looks to get right against NC State on Saturday. It’s a big game for the Blue Devils which I discuss briefly. Why a brief discussion? Well, just like Duke hopes to turn a page after two straight losses, I have to turn a page on weekly podcasts. I’m a little slammed at the moment and will cut back on the frequency of the episodes. I do plan on a few more episodes this season, but you won’t get one each week. Regardless of my schedule, I’m taking the Blue Devils to win on Saturday. Let’s speak win number seven into existence, folks!

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Miami Nights Previews the Hurricanes

After a heartbreaking loss against SMU, Duke has to turn its head and get ready for a Miami team that is on a roll right now. Aided by Cam Ward, the Hurricanes are having a great season. Fellow College Huddle member Curt of Miami Nights: A Canes Podcast stopped by to educate us about what the Blue Devils should expect on Saturday.

As a heads up, I will be at a wedding on Saturday and will have to watch the game later. Please, please do not DM me, tweet at me or otherwise contact me until I am able to watch the game. Unless Duke wins. Then please tell me all about how the Blue Devils got the win!

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 Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!