Interviews – Bull City Coordinators – A Duke Football and Roman History Blog

Sidequest 28 – Labor Movements in Ancient Rome with Dr. Sarah Bond

Dr. Sarah Bond, Roanoke, Virginia native and author of the hit book Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire, stopped by the podcast to talk about how people engaged in collective action in Antiquity. In addition to discussing how Roman workers engaged in actions that are similar to the modern labor movement, such as by forming collegia of various types, we cover a lot of topics including why Roanoke is so great, how we should approach the study of history and the power that laborers have. Another topic we get into is how the Roman state restricted collegia and why Christians were persecuted. And if that weren’t enough, we also discuss the Mint Strike during Aurelian’s reign. Not to give away the ending, but as Omar warned us, “You come at the king, you best not miss.”

Your reading assignments include The Great Leveler and Surviving Rome.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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 Bluesky, on Mastodon, on Reddit, or on Instagram.

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

Sidequest 27 – Magic and Early Christianity with Dr. Shaily Patel

In response to a suggestion from Dr. Rhiannon Garth Jones, I reached out to Dr. Shaily Patel at Virginia Tech (GO HOKIES!) to see if she would come on the podcast. Turns out she was willing to do so and this led to a discussion about the complex relationship between early Christianity and magic. This includes how early Christians employed heresy to attack and marginalize non-Christian practitioners of magic (looking at you, Augustine). Dr. Patel has covered this topic thoroughly and written a book about it that is very, very good. Please check out the book. You will enjoy it.

In addition to covering the complex role that early Christianity and Christians had with magic, we discuss the state of higher education, how we should discuss history and the complexities involved in putting together historical narratives, the D.C. Comics character John Constantine, the brilliant TV show Grimm and The Dresden Files. Don’t judge us.

Your reading assignments include the Scholomance series and Things Unseen.

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

Sidequest 26 – Drinking in Ancient Greece with Dr. Amy Pistone

Our friend Amy Pistone returns to the podcast to educate us on drinking habits in Ancient Greece. During this episode, we’ll hear about the current climate in higher education and discuss the uncertainty professors have. We will also cover what would go down at a symposium and how people in Antiquity knew how to play drinking games. And, if that weren’t enough, we answer a question that has stumped scholars for centuries – was Odysseus a woo girl, or did he just keep it real? Listen and find out.

Your reading assignments include Glorious Exploits and Sarah Bond’s Strike. Given the number of times that Strike has been suggested as a book to read, isn’t it time for Dr. Bond to come on the podcast? I think so.

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

Sidequest 25 – Ben and Victor Review Troy: The Director’s Cut

Victor returns to the podcast to discuss 2004’s Troy. But not just Troy. No, we skip the theatrical release version and go straight into the 196 minute (not a typo) director’s cut. Why did we do this? Good question.

Anyway, we take some time to figure out what went wrong with this movie, what good parts it had and, of course, we talk about Deep Blue Sea (there’s a connection here, trust me). We also point out that the ending sequence for the Trojans in this movie was really, really idiotic. Most important, we raise a significant issue that should be studied by film historians – does throwing in an exploding volcano make a movie better? Listen and find out.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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.

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

Sidequest 24 – Antiquity on Screen Part II: Those About to Die and The Odyssey with Monica Cyrino

Our friend Monica Cyrino returned to the podcast to discuss Those About to Die and the upcoming Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey. Those About to Die is a Peacock series which is set in the Flavian dynasty. It’s an ambitious project that has some good parts and some not so good parts. If we were to give it one of our movie review ratings, I’d give it a Probus. It is worth watching as there are some good moments that are historically accurate. There are some other moments that are … not.

We also get into the futures game and play a version of conference realignment talk by discussing what shape The Odyssey may take. It’s an ambitious project and, to be honest, I’m not sure I see a movie in the source material absent extensive editing and rewrites. And, if that happens, I’m certain the notoriously happy OnlineClassics folks will react with calm, quiet reflection. Narrator: They won’t.

We conclude the podcast by talking about a few projects that Dr. Cyrino is working on which I highly recommend.

Your reading assignment is Judy Dench’s Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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.

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

Interview – 2025 Season Prediction Episode with Lee Rodio

Our old friend Lee Rodio returns to the podcast for another schedule breakdown. As we go through each game, you’ll see that both me and Lee are pretty high on Duke this year, although Lee is a little higher on the Blue Devils than I am. If either of our predictions are close to right, it’ll be a fun year in Durham.

Also, I got one voicemail that I play at the end of the episode. Who left the message? Why did that person call? What is the mysterious message contained in the voicemail? Listen to the entire episode and you’ll find out.

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, or on Bluesky.

As always, Go Duke!

Sidequest 23 – All Roads Lead to Rome with Dr. Rhiannon Garth Jones

As we all know, people spend a lot of time thinking about Rome. If you’ve ever wondered why that is, Dr. Rhiannon Garth Jones just published All Roads Lead to Rome, a book that attempts to answer and explain just why it is that so many of us think about Rome and why we’ve done it for so long. In addition to that, we cover a lot of topics including writing styles, an ongoing issue with historical cognitive dissonance when it comes to our understanding of Rome and some troubling and problematic invocations of Rome. We also cover a very interesting want to know more section of her book and how it incorporates new and emerging forms of scholarship.

Your reading assignments include Strike by Dr. Sarah E. Bond (who I would love to have on the pod one day) and Dr. Kaldellis’ The New Roman Empire.

And while you’re reading stuff, why don’t you pick up a copy of Dr. Garth Jones’ book? It’s pretty darned good.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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.

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

Interview – Steve Wiseman Previews Duke Football PLUS … Big Announcements

Our old friend Steve Wiseman stopped by to bring us up to speed on where Duke is at this point in “fall camp”. (I know you can’t call it a “summer camp”, but it’s August – let’s be serious.) Before we get into the Blue Devils, Steve talks about his recent promotion, how you can subscribe to Inside Sports and our kids and college tours. After that, Steve takes us through the position groups at Duke and what to expect from each this season. Sounds like there’s some depth at key spots which is a good thing. And we’ve got a new quarterback who may be pretty darned good.

After we wrap up the football talk, we cover how things fell apart for Duke in the Final Four. You’ve been warned. And if that weren’t enough, Steve makes a big announcement about a project he’s working on. And speaking of big announcements …

As I mentioned last year, I will be cutting back on podcast episodes. And while I planned to do fewer episodes this season than in the past seasons, I decided to cut back on them even more significantly. Doing a weekly podcast during football season, along with all the work associated with it by myself, takes up a lot of time. Between work and obligations to my children (they both play fall sports), I need to cut back. What that means for this season is that I’ll probably do a season prediction episode, another one around one of the bye weeks and then an end-of-year wrap-up episode. After that, I’m not sure. Doing this podcast has been a privilege and an honor. I appreciate the fans and friends of the pod I’ve made over the years. Thank you for your support and for your time. I can’t wait to see you guys at Wallace Wade this season.

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, or on Bluesky.

As always, Go Duke!

Sidequest 22 – Caesar’s Civil Wars with Jen Gerrish

Our old friend Dr. Gerrish returned to the podcast to explain how it is that Caesar’s Civil War happened. While we all may know that Caesar and Pompey ended up fighting, we would all probably struggle to explain why that happened. During our interview, Dr. Gerrish explains the factors that led to the war, who ended up on which side and what the result of the war was for the Roman state. We also cover how some Roman elites during this era relied on “the people” as a power base without actually caring about “the people”. Consistent with that, we talk about how Caesar committed lots of crimes and then toppled the Roman state to avoid prosecution for said crimes. Cheerful stuff. In addition, we discuss Dr. Gerrish’s books which I recommend to all of you.

And I also go full “Old Man Yells At Clouds” complaining about the problems created by the Social Media Age. To paraphrase Sideshow Bob, I’m aware of the irony of utilizing social media in order to decry it, so don’t bother pointing that out.

Your reading assignment is the Robin Waterfield translation of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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.

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

Interview – Conor O’Neill on What to Expect from Duke and Wake Forest

Our old friend Conor O’Neill stopped by to preview both Duke and Wake Forest. We cover strength of schedule issues, a new coach in Winston-Salem, and turnover in Durham. The Blue Devils get high marks from Conor, so we’re telling you there’s a chance. Also, don’t schedule weddings in the Fall people. Just don’t.

And we discuss the most painful Duke losses in the last twenty-five years. Which are your most painful Blue Devil losses?

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, or on Bluesky.

As always, Go Duke!