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Was King Arthur real? What can his story tells us about British history and identity? And what exactly happened to Britain after the Romans left?  Today Anya is joined by Murray Dahm, an independent academic researcher and freelance historian based in Sydney, Australia.  Discover how the era of post-Roman Britain is both a beginning and an ending, the thin line between history and myth, and how the dark age was MUCH shorter than commonly thought.  Murray Dahm is the author of several books, including Finis Britanniae: A Military History of Late Roman Britain and the Saxon Conquest. You can buy it HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Finis-Britanniae-Military-History-Conquest/dp/1398118273  Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/  An extended version of this podcast is available to Members of Classical Wisdom. This can be found here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/roman-britain-origin-or-decline 

How is Odysseus like the heroes of Indian literature? And how did two cultures, separated by vast time and distances, come to have such remarkably similar stories? Today Anya is joined by Roberto Morales to discuss the parallels between ancient Greek, Roman, and Indian literature. They discuss what caused these parallels, and what we can learn from them today... Roberto Morales is Associate Professor of Sanskrit and Head of the Department of Classical Philology at the University of Costa Rica, and author of The Embassy, the Ambush, and the Ogre, which they discuss. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Embassy-Ambush-Ogre-Greco-Roman-Influence/dp/1805113615 Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What can Seneca, the Roman statesman and Stoic, teach us about life today?  And how can we teach ourselves to do the right thing?  Today Anya is joined by Robert Kaster, Emeritus Professor of Classics at Princeton to discuss the complex and rewarding legacy of Seneca’s Stoicism. He is the author of many books including his most recent, How to Do the Right Thing: An Ancient Guide to Treating People Fairly, which is drawn from the writings of Seneca.  You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Do-Right-Thing-Treating/dp/0691238642  Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ 

How did ancient Greek culture accomplish so much?  Especially across so many different fields, and in such a comparatively short period of time? It turns out, having a good debate every now and then is VERY important. Today Anya is joined by Reviel Netz, the Patrick Suppes Professor of Greek Mathematics and Astronomy in the Department of Classics at Stanford University. He is the author of many celebrated books, including the bestselling The Archimedes Codex: Revealing the Secret of the World's Greatest Palimpsest, The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics, as well as his most recent,Why the Ancient Greeks Matter: The Problematic Miracle that was Greece.  You can buy it here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/why-the-ancient-greeks-matter/6C08DD345E62246E02BC0AAD89C3D37C Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

The West’s greatest peril is forgetfulness, its loss of cultural memory. Without knowing where we came from, how can we know what to defend, or even what to value? In an age when history itself is contested...when the past is either dismissed or distorted...The Golden Thread reminds us why the study of civilization matters. Drawing on nearly three millennia of art, philosophy, politics, and faith, Hankins weaves the story of how our ideas of law, liberty, and virtue emerged...and why they still matter in the modern world. In this conversation, James Hankins of Harvard and Michael Fontaine of Cornell delve into the urgent question of understanding our history and inheritance, to determine what traditions of the West should be kept... or discarded. We ask: Was Alexander Great because he attempted to bridge the West and the East? Should armies have foreign soldiers? What happens when there is a breakdown in trust in the judicial system? How has the Islamic world shaped the western tradition? And is religion and spirituality necessary to revive Classics?  You can find James Hankins' book, The Golden Thread, Here. Michael Fontaine's latest book, How to Have Willpower, can be found here. This discussion was hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Who were the women of the Odyssey? How have they been understood (and misunderstood) by history? And what is the secret of Calypso’s sail? Today Anya is joined by Emily Hauser, to discuss both the famous and the overlooked women of Homer's epics. Emily Hauser, an award-winning ancient historian and author, and world-leading voice in rediscovering the women of Greek myth. She studied at Harvard, Yale and Cambridge, where she won the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal for Classical Proficiency. She is the author of acclaimed novels rewriting Greek mythical women, including For the Most Beautiful, as well as her most recent book, Mythica: A New History of Homer’s World, Through the Women Written Out of It, of which we speak about today. You can buy Mythica: A New History of Homer’s World, Through the Women Written Out of It, HERE:  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457730/mythica-by-hauser-emily/978152993248 Mythica was published under the title Penelope's Bones in the US, and is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Penelopes-Bones-History-through-Written/dp/0226839680 Hosted by Anya Leonard. This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds.  To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to : https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Bridging the ancient and the urgent, historian James Romm and acclaimed author and translator Daniel Mendelsohn dive into the dramatic story behind Plato and the Tyrant.  This is not the Plato of abstract thought, but a man deeply entangled in the brutal politics of his time...a philosopher who sought to reshape power itself. Romm and Mendelsohn explore how Plato’s real-world entanglements with tyrants and revolutionaries in Syracuse directly influenced his philosophical masterpiece, Republic, and how the ideal of the philosopher-king emerged from a world teetering on the edge of chaos. With Mendelsohn’s signature insight and Romm’s vivid storytelling, this event is a dynamic exploration of one of history’s greatest minds, revealing a Plato who was ambitious, politically engaged, and profoundly shaped by personal and political crisis.  You can find James’ recently released book,Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece, here. https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-G...  Also make sure to check out Daniel’s acclaimed new translation of the Odyssey here. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/...  Hosted by Anya Leonard. This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to : https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Sometimes stories have a life of their own... literally. Today Anya is joined by Joel Christensen to discuss how mythology acts as a living being in itself.  Discover how stories shape the world around us... and why the movie versions never feel the same as the books. Joel Christensen is Professor in the Department of Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of many books, including Storylife: On Epic, Narrative, and Living Things. You can buy Storylife here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0300269234 This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

From specific dietary instructions to detailed systems to categorize foods and their health effects, ancient Greeks and Romans tried to optimize their health and well being through their diet.  But what can we learn from their efforts? What foods were considered instrumental for good living, and likewise what should we avoid?  Featuring Claire Bubb, Assistant Professor of Classical Literature and Science at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University and author of How to Eat to discover ancient ways for modern health.  You can buy How to Eat here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Ancient-Healthy-Readers/dp/0691256993 This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to : https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Tell me about a complicated culture… From the Peloponnesian War to the women of ancient mythology, today Anya is joined by Jennifer T. Roberts to talk about the rich, complex, and contradictory nature of ancient Greek culture… Jennifer T. Roberts is Professor of Classics and History at the City College of New York and the City University of New York Graduate Center. She is author of many books, including most recently, Out of One, Many: Ancient Greek Ways of Thought and Culture. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Out-One-Many-Ancient-Thought/dp/0691181470 Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Centaurs, Snake-kings, Griffins, and Gorgons... ancient Greek mythology is filled with haunting hybrids. But how did these horrific monsters evolve? What is their purpose? And most intriguing of all...what do they reveal about ancient Greek history? Featuring Jeremy McInerney, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination. Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

They were two of Rome's most famous and powerful men. Both were respected statesmen and feared generals. Both were crucial figures in the final years of the Roman Republic. But you might not have heard of one of them... Today Anya is joined by Stephen Dando-Collins to discuss the complex rivalry between Julius Caesar and Pompey.  Allies turned enemies, their battles would ultimately usher in the age of the Roman Empire. But why have their legacies so sharply diverged? Stephen Dando-Collins is the author of dozens of books on ancient history, including Caesar Versus Pompey: Determining Rome’s Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Caesar-Versus-Pompey-Determining-Nation-Builder/dp/1684428955/ Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What can Aristotle tell us about how we should live today? What are the ancient secrets to a flourishing life?  And what is 'the art of the interesting?'  Today Anya is joined by Lorraine Besser to discuss the ways Aristotle has influenced modern psychology, and how the path towards a richer life is always within us...  Lorraine Besser is professor of philosophy at Middlebury College. She was a founding investigator on the research team studying psychological richness, and is the author of many books, including The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It.  You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Interesting-What-Pursuit-Cultivate/dp/1538743205/ Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ 

She was one of the most powerful women of the ancient world… Once mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Cleopatra and Helen of Troy.  Yet today she is largely forgotten. Why did this happen?   Today Anya is joined by award-winning novelist Costanza Casati to discuss the ancient Assyrian queen, Semiramis, and the blurry boundary between history and myth. Constanza Casati is the author of the award-winning novel Clytemnestra, as well as her second novel Babylonia, which in inspired by the life of Semiramis. She also works as a screenwriter and freelance journalist. You can buy Babylonia by Constanza Casati here: https://www.amazon.com/Babylonia-Novel-Costanza-Casati-ebook/dp/B0CYKVCRP3 Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What is the key to happiness? It turns out, the Stoics might just have the answer…  Today Anya is joined by Christopher Gill to discuss ancient Stoic understandings of happiness, how some modern interpretations of Stoicism get it wrong, and what exactly fate has to do with it all. Christopher Gill is a British philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter.  He is author of many books, including Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and its Modern Significance, and most recently Stoic Ethic: The Basics, with Brittany Polat. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Stoic-Ethics-Basics-Christopher-Gill/dp/1032813598 Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/