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PODCAST

Classical Wisdom Speaks

Classical Wisdom

A Podcast dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. This podcast is provided by Classical Wisdom, to learn more check out www.classicalwisdom.com

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All Episodes

79:20

The Misunderstood Myth: Persephone, Hades & Demeter

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/04/23

What does the story of Demeter really tell us about loss, power, and the human experience? In this episode, renowned translator and classicist Diane Rayor unpacks the Homeric Hymn to Demeter: one of the most powerful and enduring myths from ancient Greece. Far more than just a story about gods, this hymn explores grief, motherhood, identity, and the fragile balance between life and death. Diane Rayor brings her deep expertise and fresh translation work to the conversation, reveali...

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27:15

Mary Beard: Why You Should Argue With the Ancients

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/04/17

What is the point of studying Classics today? Mary Beard explains why the ancient world still shocks, challenges, and reshapes how we think. Discover how Greek and Roman history can change your perspective, without offering easy answers. In this conversation, renowned classicist Mary Beard explores how ancient Greece and Rome remain deeply relevant today, not as a guidebook for life, but as a way to see modern problems differently. You’ll learn how to approach classical history wi...

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36:59

Rebellions Against Rome: The Jewish Revolts

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/04/09

An age of apocalyptic thinking, a clash of empires, and a legacy that still shapes the world today... Today Anya is joined by Professor Barry Strauss to discuss the Jewish Revolts against the Roman Empire. Discover what fueled these uprisings, and how their dramatic outcome has shaped centuries. Barry Strauss is the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University as well as the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at C...

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54:03

Natalie Haynes on Medea: Greek Tragedy's Most...

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/04/02

Barbarian, witch, murderer… and mother. Today Anya is joined by author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes to discuss one of Greek mythology’s most famous and dramatic characters, Medea. Discover the complex legends and legacy of Medea, from her daring love story with Jason to its dark aftermath… and how the Greek tragedian Euripides transformed her how her story is told, forever. Natalie Haynes is the author of several acclaimed books about women in Greek mythology, including Divine Might, ...

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38:21

The Roman Guide to War

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/03/26

What were the secrets of Roman warfare? What is the best way to defeat an enemy… and what does all this have to do with aqueducts? Today Anya is joined by George Thomas to discuss the life of Frontinus, an ancient Roman general and governor of Roman Britain. In particular, they’re looking at Stratagems, his manual for war, which looked to ancient history to distil key lessons in military strategy and leadership. George Thomas, also known by his pen name, Quintus Curtius, is an acclaimed...

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81:38

What Can Ancient History Tell Us About Revolutions?

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/03/12

Long before crowds stormed Bastille or Winter Palace, Greek thinkers treated revolution as the ultimate civic nightmare. So how did an existential danger morph into a promise of liberation—and what happens when that promise curdles into violence? In this dynamic online forum, Dan Edelstein, Professor of French at Stanford University, is joined by classical-political heavyweights Josiah Ober, Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University, and Melissa Lane, Professors...

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41:34

Slave of God: Should We Rethink St. Augustine?

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/02/26

Existing at the very edge of the Classical world, in both time and geography, Saint Augustine has proven to be immensely influential on the modern world… but not always in a good way. Today Anya is joined by Tony Alimi to discuss the life and philosophy of Saint Augustine, how he was influenced by Roman philosophers, and the ‘entanglements’ that complicate his legacy. In particular, how his theology was used to justify slavery. Discover how philosophy has been abused by history, and why...

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47:58

How Plato Explains the Modern World

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/02/12

What can Plato tell us about life TODAY? Quite a lot, it turns out… Today Anya is joined by Professor Angie Hobbs to discuss the essential and enduringly relevant nature of Plato’s ideas. Discover how they are infused in our modern world, in everything from politics to our personal lives. Angie Hobbs is Professor Emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield and author of Plato and the Hero, Plato’s Republic: A Ladybird Expert Book, and most recently, Why ...

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49:56

Man or Myth? King Arthur and Rome's Legacy in Britain

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/02/01

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 s...

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32:20

Echoes in Ancient Texts: India and Ancient Greece

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/01/15

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 R...

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36:50

The Life-Changing Lessons of Stoicism

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2026/01/03

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:/...

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38:22

How Ancient Greece Revolutionized Thought

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/12/19

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 ...

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99:15

Have We Broken the Golden Thread? Why the West’s...

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/12/05

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 st...

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32:28

Homer's Forgotten Women

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/11/25

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. ...

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61:34

Plato and the Tyrant: What Inspired Philosophy's...

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/11/06

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, Rep...

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50:00

The Life of Stories

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/10/23

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 bu...

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71:12

The Ancient Secrets to a Healthy Diet

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/10/09

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 an...

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29:05

They Contain Multitudes: The Contradictions of the...

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/09/25

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 i...

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83:17

The Meaning of Monsters in Greek Mythology

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/09/11

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 Wisd...

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50:33

Rome's Greatest Rivalry?

Classical Wisdom Speaks ·

2025/08/28

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-...

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103 results

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