The John Batchelor Show

12:40

S8 Ep268: ETRUSCANS AND THE WOMEN OF EARLY ROME...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

ETRUSCANS AND THE WOMEN OF EARLY ROME Colleague Daisy Dunn. Dunn discusses the Etruscans, noting their advanced dentistry and the shock Greeks felt at Etruscan men and women dining together openly. Transitioning to Rome, they recount the violent founding myth of the Rape of the Sabine Women. The segment details the tragedy of Lucretia, whose rape and subsequent suicide led Brutus to overthrow the monarchy and establish the Roman Republic, making her a paragon of virtue. NUMBER 11 1600 RAPE OF THE

en

8:05

S8 Ep268: SAPPHO OF LESBOS Colleague Daisy Dunn. Dunn...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

SAPPHO OF LESBOS Colleague Daisy Dunn. Dunn explores the life of Sappho, debunking myths about her appearance and suicide. She explains that Sappho was exiled due to her family's aristocratic background during a time of political revolution. The conversation covers Sappho's disapproval of her brother's relationship with the courtesan Doricha and her professional jealousy when students left her school for rivals. Weaving is presented as a metaphor for women shaping fate. NUMBER 10 896 SAPPHO AND HER

en

9:44

S8 Ep268: FEMALE AUTHORSHIP AND THE TROJAN WOMEN...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

FEMALE AUTHORSHIP AND THE TROJAN WOMEN Colleague Daisy Dunn. Daisy Dunn discusses the legend of Phantasia, a rumored female source for Homer, and the myth of Leda and the Swan. She argues that the Trojan Warlikely reflects real historical conflicts at the site of Hisarlik. The segment highlights key female figures: Andromache, who offers military advice to Hector, and Briseis, the enslaved woman central to the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles, illustrating the centrality of women to the epic

en

7:00

S8 Ep268: GRIEF, GAMES, AND ACCEPTANCE Colleague...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

GRIEF, GAMES, AND ACCEPTANCE Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. After Hector's death, Achilles finds a form of healing through funeral games, which offer a non-lethal model of competition. He even awards Agamemnon a prize without a contest, possibly as a slight. The poem concludes not with victory, but with a "humanitarian pause" for Hector's funeral. Wilson notes the ending focuses on women's lamentations, emphasizing the Iliad's enduring lesson on the struggle to accept human mortality. NUMBER

en

12:40

S8 Ep268: THE DEATH OF PATROCLUS AND HECTOR Colleague...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

THE DEATH OF PATROCLUS AND HECTOR Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. The tragedy culminates with Patroclus ignoring Achilles' warning, leading to his death by Hector and the loss of Achilles' armor. Wilson describes Achilles' terrifying return to battle, equipped with new armor from Hephaestus, and his slaughter of Trojans. The segment covers the final confrontation where Achilles kills Hector and, driven by vengeance, drags his body behind a chariot, denying him burial rights and intending to

en

7:15

S8 Ep268: THE GORE AND GLORY OF BATTLE Colleague...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

THE GORE AND GLORY OF BATTLE Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. Wilson discusses translating the Iliad'svivid violence, drawing on insights from combat veterans regarding the trauma of battlefield death. A central theme is the treatment of corpses; possessing and stripping a dead enemy's armor is the ultimate sign of dominance. The conversation touches on the physical nature of the gods, who bleed "ichor" when wounded, and Poseidon's support for the Greeks in contrast to his brother Zeus. NUMBER

en

10:34

S8 Ep268: AGAMEMNON'S FAILURE AND DIVINE POLITICS...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

AGAMEMNON'S FAILURE AND DIVINE POLITICS Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. This segment details the plot's catalyst: Agamemnon seizing Briseis from Achilles, causing the hero to withdraw from battle. Wilson explains the divine politics, including Hera trading three Greek cities to Zeus to ensure Troy's destruction. They analyze Agamemnon's flawed leadership; while he blames Zeus for his bad decisions, the poem portrays the immense difficulty of holding a disparate army together, leading to

en

7:20

S8 Ep268: APHRODITE, PATROCLUS, AND TROPHY WOMEN...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

APHRODITE, PATROCLUS, AND TROPHY WOMEN Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. Wilson examines Aphrodite's intervention on the battlefield and her representation of baser instincts like lust. The discussion shifts to Briseis, a "trophy" of war, and her relationship with Patroclus, whom Wilson refuses to classify as a "beta male" despite his kindness. Patroclus is described as a brutal killer and Achilles' closest companion. The segment highlights the emotional depth of Achilles, who displays immense

en

12:25

S8 Ep268: TRAGIC COUPLES AND DIVINE INTERVENTION...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

TRAGIC COUPLES AND DIVINE INTERVENTION Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. The segment explores key character pairings, starting with Helen's complex view of Paris and her weaving as a metaphor for the story. Wilsonanalyzes the tragic relationship between Hector and Andromache, emphasizing Hector's choice of duty over family. They discuss the gods' roles, particularly Thetis's prayer to Zeus which seals Achilles' fate, and Hera's bargaining with Zeus to ensure Troy's destruction, highlighting the

en

8:25

S8 Ep268: HOMER'S NARRATIVE CHOICES AND ORAL...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

HOMER'S NARRATIVE CHOICES AND ORAL TRADITION Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. Wilsondiscusses the "Homeric Question," noting that oral stories existed for centuries before the alphabet arrived in the 8th century BCE. She highlights the Iliad's sophisticated narrative structure, which omits famous events like the Apple of Discord and the Trojan Horse to focus intensely on a specific period of the war. The conversation compares the Iliad'sfocus on Greek infighting with Virgil's Aeneid, noting the

en

9:24

S8 Ep268: TRANSLATION AND THE SEARCH FOR TROY...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/31

TRANSLATION AND THE SEARCH FOR TROY Colleague Professor Emily Wilson. John Batchelor interviews Professor Emily Wilson about her new iambic pentameter translation of the Iliad. They discuss the historical location of Troy in modern Turkey and the archaeological layers discovered by Schliemann, who wrongly believed he found Agamemnon's mask. Wilson explains that while the Greeks viewed the Iliad as partly historical, it is a poetic imagining composed centuries after the events, designed for oral

en

7:10

S8 Ep267: GEOENGINEERING, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, AND...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

GEOENGINEERING, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, AND DECOUPLING GROWTH FROM DESTRUCTION Colleague Gaia Vince. Vince outlines technological solutions for restoring the planet, such as ocean fertilization, which adds iron to oceans to boost algae growth and sequester carbon, mimicking natural cycles previously aided by whales. She also describes enhanced weathering, where specific rocks are distributed on land to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Addressing the economy, Vince argues against "negative

en

13:30

S8 Ep267: A UNITED NATIONS AGENCY FOR MIGRATION AND...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

A UNITED NATIONS AGENCY FOR MIGRATION AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD Colleague Gaia Vince. Batchelor and Vince discuss a vision for managed migration where a new United Nations agency allocates migrants to specific cities and industries based on labor needs. Vince suggests that migrants could initially work in essential sectors, such as green energy or care work, to foster social inclusion and economic contribution. The conversation shifts to food security, where Vince argues that the current food system

en

6:14

S8 Ep267: RETHINKING BORDERS AND THE ECONOMIC...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

RETHINKING BORDERS AND THE ECONOMIC NECESSITY OF HUMAN MOBILITY Colleague Gaia Vince. Vince argues that while humans have migrated for hundreds of thousands of years, modern borders currently restrict the world's most valuable economic resource: human labor. She suggests that removing these barriers could significantly boost global GDP, noting that current restrictions are ill-suited for a world facing climate catastrophe. As the Global North faces a demographic crisis with aging populations, Vince

en

9:20

S8 Ep267: THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE ANTHROPOCENE AND...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE ANTHROPOCENE AND THE INEVITABILITY OF CLIMATE MIGRATION Colleague Gaia Vince. John Batchelor and Gaia Vince discuss her book, Nomad Century, which argues that climate migration is already underway and inevitable. Vince illustrates this reality through Abel Cruz, a Peruvian farmer forced to migrate to a slum in Lima after drought destroyed his livelihood. She describes the forces driving this movement as the "four horsemen of the Anthropocene": fire, heat, flood, and

en

5:10

266: CLIMATE CHANGE, FIRE MANAGEMENT, AND THE FUTURE...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

CLIMATE CHANGE, FIRE MANAGEMENT, AND THE FUTURE OF ADAPTATION Colleague Danielle Clode. Looking toward the future, Clode warns that climate change and El Niño patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of fire seasons, threatening both wildlife and expanding urban populations in bushland interfaces. She contrasts fire management philosophies, noting that Australia utilizes preventative burning to reduce fuel loads—a lesson partially adapted from indigenous practices—whereas historical

en

14:30

S8 Ep266: HOME PREPAREDNESS AND SURVIVAL TACTICS...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

HOME PREPAREDNESS AND SURVIVAL TACTICS DURING WILDFIRES Colleague Danielle Clode. Clodedetails essential preparedness strategies for those living in fire-prone areas, emphasizing that home design features like sealed underfloor spaces are critical to prevent ignition from embers. She clarifies that ember attacks, described as "red rain," are often a greater threat to houses than direct flames and stresses the importance of making early "stay or go" decisions during high-risk weather. The

en

7:40

S8 Ep266: THE SCIENCE OF COMBUSTION AND FIRE-ADAPTED...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

THE SCIENCE OF COMBUSTION AND FIRE-ADAPTED VEGETATION Colleague Danielle Clode. The discussion turns to the science of combustion, focusing on fire-adapted vegetation like Eucalyptus and Mountain Ash, which rely on fierce fires and sunlight to regenerate. Clode addresses common misconceptions about ignition, stating that while arson accounts for some fires, natural causes like lightning and accidental faults often produce more dangerous blazes. She also warns that during drought conditions, even

en

10:10

S8 Ep266: INDIGENOUS FIRE MANAGEMENT AND THE HISTORY...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

INDIGENOUS FIRE MANAGEMENT AND THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRES Colleague Danielle Clode. In this interview, Danielle Clode discusses the historical context of Australian wildfires, noting that early European explorers like Captain Cook frequently observed fires along the coast, which they often viewed merely as signs of habitation. Clode explains that Indigenous Australians practiced "fire stick farming" for over 60,000 years, using fire as a sophisticated tool for hunting, signaling, and

en

6:06

S8 Ep265: SHOW 12-29-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/30

SHOW 12-29-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR UR THE PRINCESS'S MUSEUM AT THE DAWN OF HISTORY Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidintroduces Ennigaldi-Nanna, a princess and high priestess of the moon god in the ancient city of Ur. Excavators discovered a chamber in her palace containing carefully arranged artifacts from eras much older than her own, effectively serving as a museum. A clay cylinder found there acted as a museum label, preserving the history of ancient kings to lend

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

CapRadio: Latest News Podcast

CapRadio

Green News Report w/ Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

La Zanzara

Radio 24

Boletines RNE

RNE

English News - NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN

NHK WORLD-JAPAN