BullCityCoordinators

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!

Interview – Richlandia on Duke and SMU

While Duke is bowl eligible in Year One of the Diaz Era, the Blue Devils are far from perfect. With SMU’s high-powered offense coming to Wallace Wade on Saturday, Duke Nation needs a dose of hope, optimism and balls if we want to see our team get its seventh win. And there’s no better place for that than the wonderful land that is Richlandia. That’s right folks, our Richlandia correspondent stops by to give us his thoughts on this Blue Devil team and what we can expect when the Mustangs take the field.

Before we get to the episode, we listen to another very, very close to perfect prediction from Jason and I give my thoughts on the reaction to Tony Bennett’s retirement. Things change, folks. Get used to 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 10 – Zachary Herz on Elagabalus and Toxic Roman Masculinity

Dr. Zachary Herz stopped by to talk about one of the more interesting emperors in Roman history, Elagabalus. Despite having a fairly short reign (ruled from 218 CE – 222 CE), he’s become a significant historical figure. Elagabalus was a teenage emperor who ruled during what turned out to be a transitional era for the Empire. The Roman elite, threatened by this young ruler, embarked on a campaign to denigrate and insult him by attacking him as feminine and a woman. This involves a discussion about Roman sexual norms. So, just prepare yourself for a somewhat more explicit subject matter than we normally delve into here at the Sidequest. These attacks have created a complicated picture surrounding Elagabalus that creates an impression that he may have been transgender. We discuss that issue during the podcast and the complex history surrounding whether he was trans and whether use of that term is appropriate in the context of Roman Imperial Antiquity.

Your newest reading assignments are The Crimes of Elagabalus and Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard.

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 – Plant the Spear Previews FSU

Jesse from Plant The Spear, a website and podcast covering the Seminoles, stopped by to educate us on Duke’s Friday night opponent. While a lot of people have blamed DJU for Florida State’s struggles, it turns out there’s a lot more going on with the Seminoles than questionable quarterback play. In addition to that issue, there have been drops by receivers, bad plays on defense and problems with recruiting and the portal. Even though that sounds like a recipe for a Blue Devil win, keep in mind that Duke has never beaten Florida State. And it isn’t like the Blue Devils have been on fire offensively of late. Given all that, both of us expect a tight game that will probably come down to the last possession. That said, I’m hoping the Duke fans storm the field to celebrate a Blue Devil win. It’d be another great win for Coach Diaz and his staff.

This was another great College Huddle collaboration. Hopefully we can keep doing these in the future.

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 – Fred Goldsmith Talks Bye Weeks

Coach Fred Goldsmith returned to the podcast to discuss how teams handle hot streaks, the importance of bye weeks and his 1994 Duke team that finished 8-4 and played in the Hall of Fame Bowl. Coach told some stories about what his team accomplished that year and drops a real nugget about a basketball coach who helped fire up the team before a big win. It’s always great to hear more about that wonderful season. We had some audio problems here and there, but it doesn’t distract from the great talk we had.

Also, it turns out that Coach Goldsmith, and a lot of other legendary Blue Devils are coming back to Durham for for the SMU game this season. I plan to be there and hope to see Coach then.

Before the episode starts, we hear from former captain and podcast guest Ben Erdeljac. We also mention a few charities that are providing relief to people suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

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 – College Huddle Collab for Rivalry Week

Because nothing says Rivalry Week like the last full week of September, it’s time to preview Duke-UNC! To get you all ready for what to expect on Saturday, I put together another collaboration with the folks over at Heel Brothers who you remember from an episode earlier this year. This episode starts with me previewing the Blue Devils’ season so far and discussing what Coach Diaz and the staff have been able to do. After that part wraps up, the episode transitions into a discussion about the Tar Heels and the aftermath of the loss to James Madison. It’s a strange time at Chapel Hill.

We also get in a few voicemails including a surprise call that was made at halftime from Keenan Memorial Stadium. I wonder what that’s all about. What does Richlandia think about this game? Stay tuned and you’ll find out.

Now, folks, I’m sure a lot of you don’t really like hearing so much from UNC podcasters, and I get that. But, if you stick around for the entire episode, you’ll find that there’s some common ground between our two fanbases when it comes to what most of us think about a certain team from Raleigh. Trust, as the kids say, trust.

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 – A Duke-MTSU College Huddle Collaboration Preview Episode

Duke takes to the road Saturday to face a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider team that is in the midst of an historic rebuild. The team had to fill around 60 roster spots this offseason in addition to getting a new coaching staff. What can we expect from the Blue Devils’ opponent on Saturday? Well, Jake from Blue Raider Pod stopped by to educate us on our opponent in Murfreesboro and get you ready for the game.

In addition to learning about Derek Mason and what he’s doing in his first season at MTSU, we learn a little bit about Blue Raider Nation. After you listen to this episode, stop by Jake’s pod and listen to me give my thoughts on Duke. This was another excellent College Huddle collaboration. I’m glad to be a small part of this new group.

There’s a few voicemails to start the episode which raise an important question – who is the biggest Blue Devil fan? Is it Cash Rogers or my dad? Let me know in the comments or by leaving a voice mail. Speaking of which …

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 9 – Antiquity on Screen with Dr. Monica Cyrino

Dr. Monica Cyrino, a consultant for many TV and film projects, stopped by to talk about the opportunities streaming services created for stories from Antiquity. We cover a host of movies and TV shows including Troy: Fall of a City, STARZ’ Spartacus (which is an insanely over-the-top show), Those About to Die and a few gladiator films (I bet you can guess which ones we’re talking about). Somewhat unexpectedly, we talk a lot about Ridley Scott movies which isn’t a bad thing, I just didn’t see that coming.

We also cover the negatives associated with more Antiquity content which, in the case of Troy, turned out to be racist online trolls. It’s unfortunate that those trolls had such a negative effect on what is a very good show that I came across on Netflix. The fact that a Black person was cast as Achilles shouldn’t bother anyone and if you’re going to spend your efforts trolling the show on the internet, maybe you need to get a hobby.

But enough about Antiquity. Dr. Cyrino consulted on one of the best television shows ever made, Better Call Saul. During our interview, she discusses how she got involved in the first episode and what her work consisted of. It turns out there’s a reason behind Chuck McGill’s choice of Latin pronunciation.

If you want to read some of Dr. Cyrino’s work, check out her book “Big Screen Rome“.

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.