Classical Antiquity – Page 3 – Bull City Coordinators – A Duke Football and Roman History Blog

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 8 – Trauma in The Aeneid with Dr. Helen Lovatt

The Aeneid is one of the most popular and significant works of literature. It is an amazing story that serves as the origin story for Rome, but, more than that, it tells a story of coping with trauma. In fact, trauma permeates practically every character from Aeneas, who may suffer from PTSD, dealing with the loss of his homeland and countrymen to Dido and her tragic life to the Italians who find themselves engulfed in war when the Trojans arrive. Through The Aeneid, Virgil attempts to make sense of the changing Roman society.

Our guide for our discussion is Dr. Helen Lovatt, a professor at University of Nottingham. Dr. Lovatt is an expert not only on The Aeneid, but also at communicating just how meaningful of a work it is. She brings the text during life during our discussion and serves as the perfect narrator to bring this ancient poem to life. While she may not agree with my “Dido is a redhead” theory, her expertise permeates this interview and is something we all benefit from. Further, listening to her recount how she became interested in trauma in The Aeneid ought to inspire us all. It’s a powerful story.

Our reading assignment after this episode includes The Epic Successors of Virgil and Oppian’s Halieutica.

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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 7 – Dr. David Walsh on the Cult of Mithras

In this Sidequest, we cover the ancient Cult of Mithras with the expert on the subject matter, Dr. David Walsh. This cult spread pretty widely throughout the Roman Empire and has remained a topic of interest for historians, archaeologists and people with passing interest in Roman history (like me!). During our talk, we cover many topics including the pronunciation of Mithras (no agreed way!), how the cult spread throughout the Empire, how widespread it became, the causes of its decline, what our sources of the cult’s information are and we dispel some myths about the cult including whether we should call it “Mithraism”. We also cover the locations where you can see the remains of Mithraic Temples. Turns out that Dr. Walsh is an expert not just on the Cult of Mithras, but the London Mithraeum itself! If you are ever in London, you have to stop by if it’s open. It’s such a cool place.

While I enjoyed the entire interview, I found the reasons for the Cult’s decline to be of particular interest. I think you will, too. And Rudyard Kipling wrote about Mithras. What else can you ask for? I mean, aside from me forgetting to mention the great John Huston movie, “The Man Who Would Be King“. That film has a John Huston ending (an ending in which all the characters get exactly what they deserve) that is arguably one of his best. And that’s saying something.

As for this episode’s reading assignment, check out “Pantheon” which covers ancient Roman religious practices.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 6 – Ben and Victor Review 300

Before we get started, please say a prayer for former Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk. His family is going through a tough time at the moment and they need your support.

In our first movie review episode, our old friend Victor Lamas stops by to give us his thoughts on the Zack Snyder epic 300. It takes us a while to say “This is Sparta!” but we get there. Eventually.

During the review, we cover a lot of topics in this review including the miscasting of Dominic West (Jimmy McNulty from The Wire) as Theron as opposed to a soldier, coin the term “McNulty Subplot”, cover what the film got right and scratch our heads over why Hollywood feels the need to add ahistorical events to what are already awesome stories. We (read Victor) also provide a good historical backdrop on why the Persians and Spartans were fighting in the first place. Another topic we cover is how Zack Snyder did the Persians dirty in this movie – the portrayal of the Persians was just awful (albeit not as bad as in the sequel which is just flaming garbage). Seriously, Snyder dropped the ball here and could’ve been much less jingoistic in his portrayal of the Spartans compared to the Persians. This is especially true given that the Spartans were no lovers of freedom which we fully discuss.

If you want to read more about the 300 and The Battle of Thermopylae, read Gates of Fire and Herodotus’ account of it. Those are very, very good.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 5 – Dr. Amy Pistone on Sports in Ancient Greece

Dr. Amy Pistone from basketball powerhouse Gonzaga stopped by to talk about sports in Ancient Greece. Before we delve into Antiquity, we cover Dr. Pistone’s background, her ties to new ACC member Cal, her career as a football and basketball official and her experience running marathons. As you might guess, we take a number of sidequests including one about The Aeneid. If you’re bothered by our detours, remember that the name of the podcast includes “SIDEQUEST”, so, let me just say, “Sorry, not sorry.” In all seriousness, this was a lot of fun.

In regard to Ancient Greek sports specifically, we cover how ancient Greeks competed in the Olympics in the nude and learn that women weren’t allowed to participate in the Olympic Games with the exception of owning horses in carriage races. Women did have separate games they could participate in, however. The Greeks also had a form of MMA.

Given Dr. Pistone’s connections The ACC, I’m cross-posting this on the Bull City Coordinators podcast. So, let me just say, as always, Go Duke!

Returning to Classical Antiquity, if you want to learn more about Dr. Pistone’s work, check out her website which includes links to a lot of other podcasts she’s been on. Those are very informative and I recommend them to you.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 4 – Dr. Gerrish on Augustus (and a lot more)

Our friend Dr. Gerrish stopped by the podcast to discuss the first Roman Emperor (or Princeps, if you will), Augustus. We cover how he managed to seize (and consolidate) power and overcome his rivals, the different names he went by, his legacy as an administrator and the importance of his First Lieutenant, Marcus Agrippa. We also discuss whether Augustus could be considered a tyrant and spend a good deal of time talking about two Roman TV shows – the BBC production of “I, Claudius” and HBO’s “Rome“.

Oh, and we unravel a mystery about Dido, the legendary Carthaginian queen who features prominently in The Aeneid. This is brilliant scholarship, folks! (At least I think it is. I wouldn’t necessarily say everyone else would agree.)

If that weren’t enough, we take a few sidequests into some serious nerd stuff. I’m talking Star Trek: TOS, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the brilliance of DS9, the unequaled evil that is Gul Dukat and, of course, Fringe. After noting the Marcus Aurelius quote in one episode of the series, I detour into one of the greatest episodes of television episode ever – Fringe’s White Tulip. I can’t explain any part of the plot because it would give away too much.

To get better educated on the time period, check out The Roman Revolution, a book detailing the final years of the Roman Republic. To get better educated on “I, Claudius”, check out “I, Podius“, a podcast hosted by John Hodgman and Elliott Kalan. Give it a listen. It gets stronger as it goes on, much like the show it’s about.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 3 – Scotland, the Romans and Walls

Our third sidequest takes us to Roman Scotland, or “Barbaricum” (The Land of the Barbarians) as it was known back in Antiquity. Dr. Andrew Tibbs is our guide on this quest. During our interview, we discuss the Roman invasions of Scotland, the native tribes, the incomplete historical narrative we have and the famous walls the Romans constructed. We also discuss how the Romans and the Scots interacted with another another. And, so you know, it turns out that archeology is critical to understanding Roman Scotland. So, if you want to become an expert, you’ll need to turn into Indiana Jones. Plus, I make a reference to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance!

Dr. Tibbs has written a number of books on Roman Scotland which you can find here. He also runs the popular Roman Scotland account on Twitter. Follow him there to learn more about an underappreciated historical era. You can also monitor his Academia page to keep up with his scholarly work.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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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.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 2 – Belisarius and the Byzantines

Listen here.

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!):
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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.

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!):
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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 – 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!

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: