112 - The Korinthian War

 

In this episode, we discuss the first three years of the Korinthian War from 395-393 BC

Primary Sources:

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 3)

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 4)

Xenophon's Agesilaos

Plutarch's Life of Agesilaos

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 14)

Hellenica Oxyrhynchia

111 - The Spartan Hegemony

In this episode, we discuss Spartan imperial policy at home and abroad in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War at Sparta from 404-396 BC, including their war with Elis, the imperial ambitions of Lysander and the ascension of Agesilaos, Kinadon's foiled socio-political revolution, and Sparta's invasion of Persia to "free" the Eastern Greeks

Primary Sources:

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 3)

Xenophon's Agesilaos

Plutarch's Life of Lysander

Plutarch's Life of Agesilaos

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 14)

110 - Xenophon and "The Ten Thousand"

In this episode, we discuss the life, influences, drawbacks, and positives of the Athenian military leader, philosopher, and historian--Xenophon (ca. 430-354 BC)--who was one of Sokrates' more famous pupils; and the post-Peloponnesian war Panhellenic campaign into the heart of the Persian Empire that he made famous through his writings (the Anabasis)

Primary Sources:

109 - Sokrates

In this episode, we discuss the life and death of Sokrates (ca. 470-399 BC), who is widely considered to be the father of western philosophy, with in-depth overviews of Aristophanes' Clouds and Plato's dialogue Euphyro, Apologia, Krito, and Phaido.

Primary Sources:

108 - The Thirty Tyrants

In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War at Athens, including the reign of the Thirty Tyrants, the Athenian civil war, and the restoration of the democracy

Primary Sources:

Lysias' Against Eratosthenes

Lysias' Against Agoratus

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 2)

Plato's Seventh Letter

Aristotle's Constitution of the Athenians
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades

Plutarch's Life of Lysander

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 14)

107 - Sparta Triumphant

In this episode, we discuss the final two years of the Peloponnesian War (405-404 BC), including the comedic play "The Frogs" by Aristophanes; Lysander's elevation to Persian satrap, his rebuilding of the Peloponnesian fleet, his tactical moves in the Hellespont, and his crushing victory over the Athenians at Aegospotami; the besiegement and blockade of Athens; and the Athenians' surrender and the terms of the peace treaty

Primary Sources:

Aristophanes' Frogs

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 2)

Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades

Plutarch's Life of Lysander

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

106 - Frustrations and Poor Decisions (Part II)

In this episode, we discuss the years 409-406 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the Athenians’ achieving control in the Hellespont and Bosporus, Alcibiades’ triumphant return to Athens, the ascension of Lysander and his bromance with Cyrus, the Athenian defeat at Notium and the disgrace of Alcibiades, Kallikratidas victory over Konon at Mytilene, and the subsequent Battle of Arginusae with its disastrous consequences for the Athenians

Primary Sources:

Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 1)

Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades

Plutarch's Life of Lysander

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

***Special Guest Episode on Classics and White Supremacy w/Curtis Dozier***

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by Dr Curtis Dozier, Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies at Vassar College. He is the producer and host of The Mirror of Antiquity, a podcast featuring classical scholars discussing the intersections of their resharch, the contemporary world, and their own lives. More importantly to our discussion, He is also the director of Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics, a website devoted to documenting and responding to appropriations of Ancient Greece and Rome by hate groups online. We discuss some of the reasons how, as well as why, various white supremacist groups have taken to coopting Classical imagery to support their twisted world views.


Dr Curtis Dozier
Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies at Vassar College
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtisDozier and https://twitter.com/pharosclassics

Related Articles:
"Doing Justice to the Classics: Introducing Pharos"
"Claiming the Classical: The Greco-Roman World in Contemporary Discourse"

Related Podcast Episodes:
"Special Guest Episode on Classics and Misogyny w/Donna Zuckerberg"
"Special Guest Episode on Classics and Race/Ethnicity w/Rebecca Futo Kennedy"
"Special Guest Episode on Race, Antiquity, and Its Legacy w/Denise McCoskey"
"'Us' & 'Them' in the Ancient & Anglo-Saxon Worlds"
"Race and Racism in Ancient and Medieval Studies, Part 1: The Problem"
"Race and Racism in Ancient and Medieval Studies, Part 2: The Response"

**Special Guest Episode on Race, Antiquity, and Its Legacy w/Denise McCoskey**

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by Dr Denise Eileen McCoskey, Professor of Classics and affiliate of Black World Studies at Miami (OH) University. She has written extensively on the politics of race and gender in antiquity and is currently at work on a project examining the role of eugenics in early twentieth-century classical scholarship. In 2012, she published her book Race: Antiquity & Its Legacy, which will be the topic of today’s conversation. It accounts for the various ways in which ancient cultures thought about race (including race as social practice and racial representations). We also dig a bit into "Black Athena", a controversial book by Martin Bernal (published in three volumes in 1987, 1991, and 2006) proposing an alternative hypothesis on the origins of ancient Greek civilization, and why the field of Classics handled it so poorly.

Dr Denise Eileen McCoskey

Professor of Classics at Miami (OH) University

Twitter: https://twitter.com/miamiohclassics

Related Articles:

"Bad to the Bone: The Racist Application of DNA Science to Classical Antiquity"

"Black Athena, White Power: Are We Paying the Price for Classics’ Response to Bernal?"
"What Would James Baldwin Do? Classics and the Dream of White Europe"

"Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts: How Neo-Nazis and Ancient Greeks Met in Charlottesville"

Related Podcast Episodes:

"Special Guest Episode on Classics and Race/Ethnicity w/Rebecca Futo Kennedy"
"'Us' & 'Them' in the Ancient & Anglo-Saxon Worlds"
"Race and Racism in Ancient and Medieval Studies, Part 1: The Problem"
"Race and Racism in Ancient and Medieval Studies, Part 2: The Response"

105 - Carthage Enters the War

In this episode, we discuss the Second Greco-Punic War (410-404 BC), as hostilities between Segesta and Selinus draw both Carthage to Sicily and the Syracusan fleet back from the eastern Aegean and the Hellespont, including Hannibal Mago's first invasion of Sicily and the destruction of Selinus and Himera, the rebellion of the previously exiled Hermocrates, the rise of Dionysius as tyrant of Syracuse, Hannibal Mago's second invasion of Sicily and the destruction of Akragas and Gela, and finally, the war’s ceasefire which would see Carthage and Syracuse (under Dionysius) as the dual hegemons of Sicily

Primary Sources:

Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

104 - The Democratic Empire Strikes Back

In this episode, we discuss the years 411-410 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the shifting of the naval war to the Hellespont, the vigor that the Athenian democracy at Samos showed in carrying on the war effort against Sparta and Pharnabazos with victories at Cynossema and Cyzicus, the re-establishment of the radical democracy at Athens, and the transition from the historical account of Thucydides into that of Xenophon's Hellenica

Primary Sources:
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 8)
Xenophon's Hellenica (Book 1)

Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

**Special Guest Episode on Greek Naval Warfare w/Marc DeSantis**

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by military historian Marc DeSantis. He is the author of Rome Seizes the Trident, a book about the rise of Republican Rome's naval forces, as well as over 200 published scholarly articles that have appeared in a wide range of international publications including MHQ, Military History, Ancient Warfare, Military History Monthly, History of War, and Ancient History Magazine. In addition to his historical writings, Marc is the author of The Memnon War, a series of science fiction novels, and he teaches English at Saint Peter’s University. 

Marc’s most recent book, "A Naval History of the Peloponnesian War: Ships, Men and Money in the War at Sea, 431-404 BC” will be the topic at hand today. In particular, we talk about ship designs, naval combat, and the financial burden of navies during the Peloponnesian War, as well as the overall war strategies of both sides.

103 - An Oligarchic Coup

In this episode, we discuss the years 411-410 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the third and final treaty between the Spartans and Tissaphernes; the comedic plays "Lysistrata" and "Thesmophoriazusai" by Aristophanes; how the Athenians succumbed to civil war for the first time in nearly a century and saw an overthrow of their democracy by what is known as the 400; the vicissitudes of this new oligarchic government; and how factionalism between extremists and moderates led to its downfall

Primary Sources:
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 8)

Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusai

Aristophanes' Lysistrata

Aristotle's Constitution of the Athenians
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

102 - Livin' on a (Persian) Prayer

In this episode, we discuss the years 413-412 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the Athenian response at home to the Sicilian Disaster, the Spartan and Theban devastation of Attic agriculture and commerce from Decelea, the dissolution of the "friendship" between Athens and Persia, the Spartans' building up of a navy and encouraging of revolts of Athenian subject-allies, the shifting of the war to the eastern Aegean, and a series of treaties are made between Sparta and the Persian satrap Tissaphernes

Primary Sources:
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 8)
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

**Special Guest Episode on 'Ovid and the Art of Love' w/Esme von Hoffman**

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by director and screenwriter Esme von Hoffman (Festival of Cinema NYC 2019 Winner for Best Director) for her film, Ovid and the Art of Love. Esme and I discuss her background with Classics and Roman history, what drew her to make a film about the life of Ovid, her artistic vision in adapting the film to a modern audience, and some of the decisions that she made in writing its script. 

Synopsis: "A young man, Ovid (Corbin Bleu), finds his life in danger when he writes a provocative guide to love and tangles with the brutal emperor Augustus (John Savage). Based on the life of the famous Roman poet Ovid, this fun, classic story full of adventure, romance, and intrigue gets a modern twist. Set in a mash-up world of contemporary Detroit complete with togas, sneakers, hip-hop, oration, and poetry slams and filmed amidst the Motor City’s classical ruins, graffiti, and burgeoning art scene, Ovid and the Art of Love is cinematically beautiful, engaging, and uncannily relevant."

***The film is available to stream on all major platforms on May 19th 2020***

Website: https://www.ovidandtheartoflove.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ovidandtheartoflove

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OvidLove

Esme von Hoffman (Screenwriter / Director)

Corbin Bleu (Ovid)

John Savage (Augustus)

Tamara Feldman (Julia the Younger)

Tara Summers (Julia the Elder)

**Special Guest Episode on Greek Land Warfare w/Owen Rees**

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by Dr Owen Rees, a freelance historian, writer and researcher. He studied Ancient History at the University of Reading and History (Research) at the University of Nottingham. He is an assistant editor to “Sparta: Journal of Ancient Spartan and Greek History” and a regular contributor to Ancient Warfare Magazine. He also has published two books on the topic of ancient Greek warfare: Great Battles of the Classical Greek World, and Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World.

On episode 13 of THOAG we previously covered hoplite warfare, but that was four years ago and when I first started the podcast. With four years of experience under my belt and with a bit of hindsight, I don’t feel as if I did the topic it's due (and you will hear why later), and so one day I plan to redo it. Until then, Dr Rees was kind enough to come on to discuss ancient Greek warfare more generally, though we focus specifically on land warfare here, as there will be a future special guest episode just on naval. We go into lengthy discussions on the definition of a hoplite, its socio-political importance, and the problems surrounding its chronology and historiographic tradition. We also discuss the problems with the traditional reconstructive models of ancient Greek battles; the important role of cavalry and light infantry, particularly in the Peloponnesian War onwards; and why the concept of an “honorable western way of war” which seeks its origins in ancient Greek warfare is bogus and hyped up in modern ideology. There are also lots of digression on logistics, slaves, baggage trains, training, the Spartan mirage, the brutal experience of war, the fear that it instilled, and the war dead. Finally, Dr Rees discusses his most recent research (and the topic of his next book) which involves the transition of soldiers from civilian life to the battlefield and back again, including all the psychological and sociological problems that arise from this.

Dr Owen Rees

Website: http://owenrees.co.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reeshistory

101 - Disaster in Sicily

In this episode, we discuss the year 413 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the rise of Archelaus to the Macedonian throne, the Spartan establishment of Decelea, the defeats by the Athenian army and navy at Syracuse, and the retreat and ultimate surrender of the Athenians, which brought the Sicilian Expedition to an end

Primary Sources: 
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 7)
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

100 - A Sicilian Stalemate

In this episode, we discuss the years 415-414 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the Athenian attempt at blockading Syracuse, the death of Lamachos, the tactical blunders of Nikias, the arrival of Gylippus, and the "Birds" of Aristophanes

Primary Sources: 
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 6)
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 7)
Aristophanes' The Birds
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

099 - Frustrations and Poor Decisions

In this episode, we discuss the years 417-415 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the ostracism of Hyperbolus, the rivalry of Nikias and Alcibiades, the siege of Melos, the lead up and first year of the Sicilian Expedition, and the prosecutions for the Hermai and Eleusinian Mysteries scandals

Primary Sources: 
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 5)
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 6)
Andocides' On The Mysteries
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 12)
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 13)

098 - The Peace Unravels

In this episode, we discuss the years 421-418 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the breakdowns of the Peace of Nikias; the rise of Alcibiades to prominence at Athens; the differences that arose between Sparta and some of their dissident allies; the diplomatic maneuverings that resulted in the quadruple alliance between Athens, Argos, Mantinea, and Elis; and the decisive Spartan victory at the Battle of Mantinea

Primary Sources: 
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 5)
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 12)

**Special Guest Episode on Mesopotamian Medicine w/Moudhy Al-Rashid**

In today's special guest episode, I am joined by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, Post-Doc at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Her current research focuses on the use of metaphor in descriptions of mental distress in cuneiform medical texts, and she teaches classes on the Akkadian language and the history of science and medicine in ancient Mesopotamia.

Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid
Post-Doc at Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Moudhy

Recommended Articles

"How my journey with depression goes back thousands of years"

"What did the ancient Mesopotamians ever do for us?"

**Special Guest Episode on Classical Monsters and Popular Culture w/Liz Gloyn**

    

In this special guest episode, I am joined by Dr. Liz Gloyn, Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, in the United Kingdom. Her primary teaching and research areas focus on the intersections between Roman social history, Latin literature, and ancient philosophy (particularly Seneca the younger and his approach to Stoicism and the family unit). This research led her to publish her book, The Ethics of the Family in Seneca. But Dr. Gloyn also has a strong interest in classical reception, particularly the history of women as professional academic classicists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as the classics in popular media, such as film, television, and young adult fiction. 

It’s that last bit that will be the focus of today’s episode, as Dr. Gloyn and I discuss her forthcoming book, Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019). This work is the first in-depth study on classical reception and monsters in Anglo-American popular culture from the 1950s to the present day. Throughout the book, Dr. Gloyn reveals the trends behind how we have used the monsters, and develops a broad theory of the ancient monster and its life after antiquity, investigating its relation to gender, genre and space to explore what it is that keeps drawing us back to these mythical beasts and why they have remained such a powerful presence in our shared cultural imagination. Specifically, her book takes us through a comprehensive tour of monsters on film and television, from the much-loved creations of Ray Harryhausen in Clash of the Titans to the monster of the week in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, before examining in detail the post-classical afterlives of the two most popular monsters, the Medusa and the Minotaur. 

Dr. Liz Gloyn
Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London
Website: https://lizgloyn.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizgloyn

***You can order Dr. Gloyn's new book here (Bloomsbury Publishing or Amazon)***

097 - The Road to Peace

In this episode, we discuss the years 423-421 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the death of Artaxerxes and the succession struggle that ends with Darius II on the Persian throne; the continuation of Brasidas' Thracian and Macedonian campaign; the ‘Wasps’ and ‘Peace’ by Aristophanes; and the deaths of Brasidas and Kleon during the second battle of Amphipolis, culminating in the “Peace of Nikias” and the end of the Archidamian War

Primary Sources: 
Aristophanes' The Wasps
Aristophanes' Peace
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 5)
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 12)

096 - Athens on the Offensive

In this episode, we discuss the years 425 and 424 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the conclusion of the First Sicilian Expedition and the Congress of Gela, the Athenian seizure of Kythera, the battles of Megara and Delium, and the beginning of Brasidas' Thracian campaign

Primary Sources: 
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 4)
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 12)

095 - The Greek World Turned Upside Down

In this episode, we discuss the years 426 and 425 BC of the Peloponnesian War, including the current nature of Athenian politics as dominated by Kleon the anti-aristocratic demagogue, his feud with Aristophanes as seen in the comedic plays "The Acharnians" and "The Knights", the Battles of Pylos and Sphacteria that turned the Greek world upside down, and the brutal conclusion to the Corcyraean civil war

Primary Sources: 
Aristophanes' The Acharnians
Aristophanes' The Knights
Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book 4)
Plutarch's Life of Nikias
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History (Book 12)