Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

We are finally at the end of book 2 of Herodotus' Histories!! Yaayy!! Go us, it took us a bit, but it was such a fun little journey full of insanity and hippos that are definitly not hippos and perhaps just a horse chillin in the lake but no I need to let this go. It's too much. Thank you all for joining me on another adventure into the world of Herodotus! Can't wait to share more with you when I do.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: Herodotus The Histories translated by Tom Holland.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv and Michaela sit down with past episode guest Alex Wells, host of The Drumbeat Forever After podcast, all about women and their work in ancient Sumeria and Mesopotamia. We love talking with guests that know more about other regions of the Mediterranean (and possibly other parts of the world?) and are so pleased to get these perspectives so we can get a fuller understanding of the ancient world, and not just Greece and Rome.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hermes here! Sorry for the re-air but unfortunately life got in the way. Today we will go back in time to 2022 with this episode with Dr. Ryan Denson all about sea monsters. Hope you enjoy, and I will be back with the end of book 2 of Herodotus next week.Liv speaks with Ryan Denson who studies ancient SEA MONSTERS... Ketos and beyond, sharks, whales, and everything in between. It's possible Liv feels too strongly about ocean life...Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv reads Homer's Odyssey, translated by Ian Johnston. This modern translation is used with immense gratitude to translator Ian Johnston and Vancouver Island University. Submit questions and prompts for future Odyssey readings at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We continue on in our Egyptian adventures with Book 2 of Herodotus' Histories! We finish up looking at the customs of the Egyptians, and start with the history of the region as understood by Herodotus. There's lots of fun little stories and things that make absolutely no sense, but at least this time there's no hippo nonsense.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: Herodotus The Histories translated by Tom Holland.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with Dr Gillian Glass about the history of ancient Jewish travel narratives and the beautiful multiplicity of the ancient world. Learn more about Gillian's work here, and the ANINAN project here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Herodotus continues on his narrative about Egypt talking now about the Egyptian people, priesthoods, oracles, and then animals. It's certainly a fascinating narrative, with lots of interesting information that is...completely believable? You never know, but hey it's entertaining and fun to read so let's get into it.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: Herodotus The Histories translated by Tom Holland.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired in May 2022. Herodotus was an incredibly influential ancient figure... And he also wrote a lot of bizarre stuff. Liv is joined by Kate Minniti who shares all the weird and wonderful things Herodotus "saw" and "learned" in Egypt. Plus, AC Odyssey talk, obviously. Follow Kate on Twitter and catch her streaming lots of Archaeo-gaming content on the Save Ancient Studies Alliance Twitch account!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back to Herodotus folks, and here we enter the wonderful work of Egypt as understood by him. How's he gonna do? Who knows, we shall find out. Enjoy me struggling to be a person while recovering from an ailment, attempting to drink tea, and understand what this man is going on about concerning the Nile River.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter our podcast guest form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: Herodotus The Histories translated by Tom Holland.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources (via the Partial Historians): Flower, H. 2020. ‘Augustus, Tiberius, and the End of the Roman Triumph’ Classical Antiquity 39.1, pp 1-28; Armstrong, J. (2013); Claiming Victory: The Early Roman Triumph. In J. Armstrong & A. Spalinger (Eds.), Rituals of Triumph in the Mediterranean World (Vol. 63, pp. 7–21); BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004251175_003; Beard, M. (2007). The Roman Triumph. Harvard University Press,. http://dx.doi.org/10.4159/9780674020597; Kallis, A. (2014). The Third Rome, 1922-43 : The Making of the Fascist Capital (1st ed. 2014.). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137314031; Popkin, M. L. (2016). The Architecture of the Roman Triumph: Monuments, Memory, and Identity. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316217283; Popkin, M. L. (2016). Victory Monuments Built along the Triumphal Route during the Punic Wars: Topography, Dating, and History. In The Architecture of the Roman Triumph (pp. 187–196). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316217283.007; Scobie, A., & American Council of Learned Societies. (1990); Hitler’s state architecture : the impact of classical antiquity. Published for the College Art Association of America by the Pennsylvania State University Press.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired as part of the Spartan Mirage series, in January 2023. It's time we listen and learn (again). Liv speaks with Stephen Hodkinson, expert in all things Sparta. They discuss Sparta throughout history including its use in politics from the founding of the USA to Nazi Germany to modern day misuses of Spartan culture and history. Read more about Sparta and the Capitol insurrection (and so much more Sparta content!) here. Read the book, Classical Controversies, for free here. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content!CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with classicist, author, and veteran, Joshua Cannon about the Iliad, warfare in the ancient Mediterranean, and how War is Bad, Actually. This episode was recorded in October 2025. Learn more about Joshua and his book Fatal Second Helen here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with classicist Curtis Dozier about the troubling (and tragically unsurprising) connections between the world's worst people (white supremacists) and ancient Greece and Rome. Learn more about the White Pedestal book and the Classical Controversies book mentioned. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv answers all your burning questions (and some notably less urgent as well!). Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired in January 2023. Not at all a children's author... We're talking ancient Aesop and his oh so famous fables.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Sources: Aesop, the Complete Fables, translated by Olivia and Robert Temple; Aesop's Fables, translated by George Fyler Townsend.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv and Michaela come together for the third (?) annual Battle of the Bas--no wait that's actually the Battle of the Bad B*tches. Helen and Clytemnestra come together and we chat about everything that those two wonderful women were up to in the ancient sources. It's beautiful, it's amazing, and we support all their wonderful ways.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv reads the final book of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The brothers of Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices, are dead. Their wives and sisters want to bury them, but (unfortunately!) they need the king of Athens, Theseus, to make it happen. Submit to the Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Latin names and who they generally refer to in the Greek, visit: mythsbaby.com/names Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday we looked at Cleopatra Selene (aka Cleopatra Jr, Cleopatra VIII), so it's only fitting to revisit an old (and very fun!) episode with the amazing Partial Historians about Cleopatra Selene's far more famous mother, Cleopatra VII (aka THAT Cleopatra... Find more from the Partial Historians here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with Jane Draycott again this week about her book Cleopatra's Daughter: Egyptian Princess, Roman Prisoner, African Queen. Jane Draycott is an amazing scholar who has done phenomenal work on Roman women who often are left without a voice or are given a much lesser reputation than they deserve. Cleopatra Selene is a delightful character to give to the world, and to share her life with the rest of the world. Plus, Jane has a magnificent Norwegian Forest cat who makes himself known!Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back with the Wars of the Diadochi and finally Ptolemy gets his proper introduction. Join me today to see what goes on after the Lamian War, see who takes what sides, and who does or does not die.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: The Library by Diodorus of Sicily translated by Robin Waterfield, Alexander's Heirs: the age of the successors by Edward Anson.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.