The Classical Antiquity Sidequest

#classics #whitenationalists #whitenationalism #rome #greece #ancientrome #ancientgreece #history #theclassicsI've been a fan of Dr. Curtis Dozier for a while. I stumbled on his podcast, The Mirror of Antiquity, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I then came across his website, Pharos, where he chronicles (mostly horrible and some who are only somewhat horrible but still horrible) people invoking the Classics to justify their horrible beliefs. When I reached out to Dr. Dozier to see if he would come on the podcast, not only did he say yes, but he told me about his current book which is now available for purchase - The White Pedestal: How White Nationalists Use Ancient Greece and Rome to Justify Hate. Naturally, this book which is now available for purchase, is the topic of the episode.In Dr. Dozier's book, which I read and highly recommend, he outlines the goals of white nationalists and where in the Classics white nationalists look to find support for their horrible beliefs. It turns out that they aren't necessarily misrepresenting history to support their hate-filled, racist and reprehensible beliefs. Rather, such hatred, bigotry and racist beliefs are common and permeate our entire historical and philosophical narrative. And that is the key part of Dr. Dozier's book - he isn't just exposing the logical fallacies of white nationalists, he's exposing the problems inherent with our historical narratives upon which white nationalists rely.And it's understanding that issue which makes the discussion we need to have about history so important. Put simply, if we're going to have a discussion about white nationalists co-opting the Classics, we need to have a discussion about what the Classics are, what they aren't and our obligations as students and teachers to telling an accurate and complete narrative about the past and how that reflects on the present. We have to stop idolizing the subject matter and be honest about it. Look, folks, if there's one theme of this podcast, it's that history is messy. And this episode returns to that theme again and again and again. There's nothing perfect about the past. The folks who preceded us weren't saints. They were people, and people are imperfect. So, let's stop putting the past on a pedestal and get to work making our present and our future a better place.While I often kick around politics and current events, this is one of the few episodes that covers both in detail. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed participating in the discussion.Your reading assignment is Empire of Ruin.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.

#ancientrome #romanempire #romanantiquity #labormovements #strike #unions #union #unionmovement #classicalantiquity #antiquityDr. 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.

#magic #christianity #history #religion #religioushistory #antiquity #rome #romanhistory #romanempireIn 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.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.

#highereducation #highered #historiography #ancientgreece #drinkinggames #odysseus #theodyssey #antiquity #classicalantiquity 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.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.

#troy #bradpitt #movie #moviereviews #antiquity #ancientgreece #history #movies 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.

#theodyssey #thoseabouttodie #christophernolan #chariots #antiquity #antiquityonscreen #ancientrome #antiquity #classicalantiquity #chariotraces 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.

#rome #ancientrome #romanhistory #allroadsleadtorome #romanempire #classicalantiquity #antiquity #historyAs 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.

#caesar #juliuscaesar #rome #romanrepublic #ancientrome #romanhistory #civilwar #civilwars 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.

#ancientrome #romanrepublic #rome #romanempire #constitution #constitutionalcrisis #romanhistory #ancientrome #antiquity #classicalantiquityAfter our episode with Dr. Nat Katz on Roman regime change, I wanted to learn more about the Roman state's governmental structures. That led me to an excellent article by Dr. Benjamin Straumann about whether Rome had a constitution. After reading it, I reached out to Dr. Straumann to see if he would be willing to discuss the idea of Rome's constitution and, fortunately, he agreed to. The result is an episode covering whether Rome had a constitution, the ways in which Rome's leaders expressed constitutional norms and how the framework of Rome's constitution came into existence.We also discuss the concept of a "constitutional crisis", which is a term that is used a lot but is probably not well-defined and is imprecisely utilized. Turns out Dr. Straumann wrote a book on the subject which I would recommend to you.Your reading assignments include The Constitution of the Roman Republic and The Roman Republic in Political Thought (Millar).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.

#byzantine #theodora #byzantineempire #ancientrome #romanempire #classicalantiquity #antiquity #justinian #justinianthegreatIn an effort to help bridge the gap between "Byzantine" and Roman history, I reached out to Madeleine Duperouzel to see if she'd be interested in talking about Empress Theodora. Madeleine was more than happy to, so the result is an outstanding episode regarding a legendary figure in Roman history. After briefly covering finicky weather patterns, we discuss Theodora's life, her historical significance and how she has been treated by her contemporaries and by later historians. This naturally involves a discussion about the historical inkblot that is The Secret History (I explain the inkblot reference in the episode, but if you search for "Bork 9th Amendment inkblot", you'll find what I'm talking about). We also cover the general hostility that a specific group of men felt towards Theodora and the unique control over her life that she possessed.To get more updates on history from Madeleine, please check subscribe to her Substack, The Empress of Byzantium. It's really good!Your reading assignments include The Alexiad, Doppelgänger and The Name of the Rose.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.

#moviereview #romanhistory #ancientrome #antiquity #classicalantiquity #thelastlegion #centurionFirst, apologies for my audio at times in the podcast. I'm not sure what happened. Second, apologies for the two movies we're about to review. While the Centurion squandered a chance to be good, The Last Legion is just awful. As we discuss these movies, we reference the brilliant Black Zeus X and then try to figure out what it is that Hollywood gets wrong when it makes movies "based on" Antiquity. We also discuss how great actors are constantly wasted in these movies and resurrect the term "McNulty Subplot".Our next movie review episode will combine Troy and Helen of Troy.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.

#stoicism #stoic #stoicphilosophy #seneca #philosophy #ancientrome #ancientgreece #classicalantiquity #antiquityAs I mentioned on an earlier episode, I've been wanting to put together a series of episodes about what we collectively consider to be significant works from Antiquity. One such work is Seneca's Letters. Fortunately, I was able to find Dr. Liz Gloyn who is an expert on Seneca. She stopped by to talk about Seneca's letters, his Stoic origin story and how he ended up in the proximity of the imperial court. Dr. Gloyn also covers some of Seneca's other writings which we should all take a look at and we discuss her upcoming project. (Don't forget to check out her book which I linked to above!)Your reading assignments include Love At First Spite and Spoiler Alert.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.

#coins #coincollecting #numismatics #ancientcoins #antiquity #ancientgree #ancientrome #romanhistory #greekhistoryAs a companion to our recent episode with Dr. Le Blanc, I thought it would be interesting to do an episode about collecting ancient coins. I reached out to Kinzer Coins and the result is this episode with Dean and Josh. After discussing their origin stories, Dean and Josh tell us what collectors should know when they start collecting, where to buy coins, how to store coins and grail pieces. I hope you all learn something from this and are more informed if you decide to start a coin collection.Please check out their podcast to learn more information about their work and this interesting, and potentially not too expensive, hobby. You can also check out their respective sites to see if they have any coins you may want to buy.Your reading assignments include Archaic and Classical Greek Coins and The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators (49-27 BC).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.

#ancientcoins #romancoins #greekcoins #antiquity #classicalantiquity #coinsThose of us who are casual fans of Antiquity spend a lot of time talking about our favorite emperors and kings, in addition to discussing specific battles of significance along with myths and legends. One thing we probably don't spend enough time talking about is ancient currency and the various purposes coins were used for during Antiquity. To remedy that,Dr. Robyn Le Blanc hopped on the pod to discuss numismatics (the study of coins and other units of currency). Turns out that coins were used for a lot more than just purchasing things and paying the soldiers.During this episode, we cover the renaming of Dr. Le Blanc's academic department, sources other than coins themselves which shed light on these ancient artifacts, whether ancient coins belong in a museum (don't take a drink every time I reference Indiana Jones), how coins were made and distributed and how important it was to sack cities so you could make the money necessary to pay your soldiers. And we also learn about an earlyRobin Hood figure who lived during the reign of Septimius Severus. How cool is that?We also discuss one famous coin that sold for more thanFOUR MILLION DOLLARS. This is serious stuff, folks!Your reading assignments areMoneta andWhen Money Talks: A History of Coins and Numismatics.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.

#ancientrome #romanempire #romanemperors #romanhistory #antiquityIn follow up to a suggestion by Dr. Kaldellis as to future podcast episodes, I reached toDr. Nat Katz at Arizona to discuss how the Roman state handled transitions of power. During our discussion, we delve into general types of imperial transitions and the risks associated with such events. This includes detailing risks to those who chose the ultimate losing side in a power struggle, risks to those outside the walls of power and whether the Roman bureaucracy continued to function when a power vacuum opened up. It turns out the state generally functioned smoothly even during power disputes. We also cover how emperors portrayed themselves as deserving of power given the lack of formal rules regarding who could be emperor.Dr. Katz also provides us with examples of what we could consider "good", or generally smooth, transitions as well as ones that just didn't go that well. We also make some solid references to Dennis Reynolds from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which I know you all will appreciate.Your reading assignment isKill Caesar!: Assassination in the Early Roman Empire by Mary Sheldon.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.

#ancientrome #ancientgreece #ancienthistory #apollonius #pagan #jesus #religioushistory #classics #classicalantiquity #antiquity #dccomics 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-roundLicense 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.

#theeagle #theeaglemovie #moviereview #romaneagle #romanscotland #romanbritain #channingtatum #donaldsutherland #kevinmacdonald #ancientrome #rome #romanempire #romanhistory #antiquity #classicalantiquity 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-roundLicense 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.

#byzantineempire #byzantium #byzantines #romanempire #rome #romans #ancientrome #ancientgreece #classics #antiquity #classicalantiquity #ancienthistory 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-roundLicense 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.

#lateantiquity #paganism #pagans #rome #ancientrome #earlychristianity #antiquity #julian #juliantheapostate 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-roundLicense 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.

#elagabalus #romanhistory #romanempire #ancientrome #rome #antiquity #classicalantiquity 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-roundLicense 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.