Shows
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasSPECIAL: Classicism & Chronopolitics: Sasha-Mae Eccleston's EPIC EVENTSSasha-Mae Eccleston joins me in the Lesche to discuss classicizing and chronopolitics in the contemporary United States. And yes, we talk about that Virgil quotation.Ancient textsHomer, Iliad Euripides & Seneca, MedeaVirgil, Aeneid 9.447 (nulla dies umquam memori uos eximet aeuo)Also mentioned (selection)Modern creative worksEric Fischl, "Tumbling Woman" (2001) (sculpture)Ben Lerner, Angle of Yaw (2006)Adrienne Rich, Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems, 2007-2010 (2011), esp. "Reading the Iliad as if it were the first time" and "Don't flinch"Juliana Spahr, The Connection between Everything with Lu...2025-05-071h 06
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe Case for Global Ancient HistoryBuckle your seatbelt and prepare to clutch your pearls! Walter Scheidel joins me in the Lesche to discuss his case for globalizing the study of ancient history -- and for killing off Classics as we know it. Scheidel is the author of What is Ancient History?, a new manifesto published by Princeton University Press.MentionedSheldon Pollock, "Future Philology? The Fate of a Soft Science in a Hard World," Critical Inquiry, Vol. 35, No. 4, The Fate of Disciplines, edd. James Chandler and Arnold I. Davidson (Summer 2009), pp. 931-961The Herodotus HelplineEidolon articles about reshaping the f...2025-04-301h 02
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasHerodotus and the PresocraticsScarlett Kingsley joins me in the Lesche to discuss Herodotus' place in the intellectual milieu of the fifth century, the subject of her book Herodotus and the Presocratics: Inquiry and Intellectual Culture in the Fifth Century BCE.If you enjoy this episode, you might also like Episode 11 on The Sophists, with Josh Billings and Christopher Moore.Ancient textsHerodotus, Histories (especially the meeting between Solon and Croesus at 1.30-33, and the Constitutional Debate set in Persia at 3.80-82)Aristophanes, CloudsEuripides, PhoenissaeThucydides, History of the Peloponnesian WarHippias, Synagoge (non-extant)Dissoi logoiScattered references to...2025-04-161h 00
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasTranslating the Odyssey, with Daniel MendelsohnDaniel Mendelsohn joins me in the Lesche to discuss his new translation of Homer's Odyssey, out on April 9 with the University of Chicago Press. Daniel Mendelsohn's websiteAncient textsHomer, Iliad and OdysseyAlso mentionedPrevious translations of the Odyssey by Richmond Lattimore, Robert Fitzgerald, and Emily Wilson (and Alexander Pope); also Caroline Alexander's Iliad.Previous books by Daniel Mendelsohn: An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic (Knopf 2017), The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million (Harper 2006), The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the R...2025-04-021h 00
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe Small Cycladic Islands ProjectAlex Knodell, co-director of the Small Cycladic Islands Project (SCIP), joins me in the Lesche to reflect on this amazing six-season survey project, which wrapped up last summer. Alex's co-directors on the project were Demetrios Athanasoulis (Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades) and Žarko Tankosić (University of Bergen).Works mentionedSCIP publicationsChristy Constantakopoulou, The Dance of the Islands (Cambridge 2007). NB: Christy was a featured guest on the second(!) episode of Lesche ("Subject Communities of the Athenian Empire," with Leah Lazar)The Mazi Archaeological Project (MAP)Scott M Fitzpatrick, Victor D Thompson, Aaron S P...2025-03-1954 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasMyths of Kingship in Greece and the Near EastChristopher Metcalf joins me in the Lesche to discuss his new book Three Myths of Kingship in Early Greece and the Ancient Near East, as well as the potential that Ancient Near Eastern texts and literary traditions have to shed light on early Greek ones -- and vice versa. Ancient textsGilgameshThe Hebrew BibleVarious Sumerian and Akkadian texts about Sargon, Dumuzi/Tammuz, and InannaIliad, esp. Book 1Homeric Hymn to AphroditeHerodotus Book 1, esp. on Gyges and Cyrus the GreatCtesias, PersikaSophocles, Oedipus RexEuripides, IonThe BM text on Inanna that Christopher edited is:...2025-03-0551 min
Byzantium & Friends130. A conversation with Johanna Hanink on Greek literature, on publishing in a new field, and on podcastingA conversation with Johanna Hanink (Brown University) on Greek literature (ancient, modern, and in-between), on publishing outside one's main area of academic expertise, and on podcasting. Johanna is a classics professor who has also written on modern Greek culture and literature, and is the host of the new academic podcast Lesche: Ancient Greece, New Ideas. She recently translated Andreas Karkavitsas' The Archaeologist and Select Sea Stories (Penguin Books 2021). Her personal website is here, where you can find links to her many projects and interests.
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Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasPlato and AthensCarol Atack joins me in the Lesche to discuss Plato's civic entanglements (and disenchantments) with his native Athens. Carol is the author of a new biography of Plato titled Plato: A Civic Life (Reaktion Books/University of Chicago Press 2024). The book is the second in a new series, Great Lives of the Ancient World, edited by Paul Cartledge. Ancient textsPlato: lots and lotsXenophon's Socratic worksIsocrates, Against the sophistsAbout our guestCarol Atack is a fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. H...2025-02-1957 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe SophistsJosh Billings and Christopher Moore join me in the Lesche to discuss the fifth-century BCE 'sophists', the subject of their new edited volume The Cambridge Companion to the Sophists.Works and fragments of the 'sophists' are most easily accessible in:André Laks, Glenn W. Most, Early Greek Philosophy. 9 volumes. Loeb Classical Library, 524-532. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press, 2016.Primary textsLots, but especiallyWorks of the Presocratic philosophersGorgias, Encomium of Helen and Defense of PalamedesWorks of PlatoThucydides, History of the Peloponnnesian WarPlays of EuripidesAlso menti...2025-02-0555 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasWedding Poetics in Early Greek LiteratureAndromache Karanika joins me in the Lesche to discuss how we can detect traces of wedding poetics in early Greek literature, especially poetry (hexamter and lyric). Andromache is the author of Wedding, Gender, and Performance in Ancient Greek Poetry (OUP 2024).Primary textsIliad, esp. the Teikhoskopeia (Book 3) and the Deception of Zeus (Book 14)Odyssey, esp. the start of Book 6Homeric Hymn to DemeterSappho 21 (virginity poem), 44 (Wedding of Hector and Andromache)Pollux 9, on the "tortoise game"The ballad of the 'bride who suffered misfortune' (της νύφης που κακοτύχησε/κακοπάθησε, Modern Greek folk song)Also mentionedM. Alexiou, The Ritual Lament...2025-01-2256 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe Cambridge Greek LexiconJames Diggle joins me in the Lesche to discuss the 2021 Cambridge Greek Lexicon (2 vols.) of which he was editor-and-chief. We discuss why it was time for this sort of thing (and why it took 24 years to complete), how to use it, and why it improves on LSJ ... plus, how the team approached translating some of the naughtier words. Some links'Liddell and Scott' poem by Thomas Hardy (1843)Cambridge Greek Lexicon project page, where you'll also find a video of the Faculty of Classics' publication celebration.Alison Flood's review in The Guardian: English dictionary of...2025-01-0853 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe Longue Durée of the Greek PolisJohn Ma joins me in the Lesche to discuss the longue durée of the Greek polis. John is the author of the new, monumental, and much anticipated book Polis: A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State from the Early Iron Age to the End of Antiquity (Princeton 2024). Happy Holidays!About our guestJohn Ma was born in New York of Chinese parents. He grew up in Geneva, where he studied Greek and Latin at school and outside school. He went on to study Classics, then ancient history at Oxford. He h...2024-12-2559 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasSPECIAL: Pasolini's THE RETURN, with Homerist Barbara Graziosi(Spoiler alert! This episode is jam-packed with plot spoilers for THE RETURN.) Homeric scholar Barbara Graziosi joins me in the Lesche to discuss Umberto Pasolini's THE RETURN, a film adaptation of the second half of the Odyssey starring Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope.About our guestBarbara Graziosi is Department Chair and Professor of Classical Studies at Princeton, holding the C. Ewing Chair of ancient Greek. Graziosi attended Oxford University (Corpus Christi College B.A. and MSt in Classics) and Cambridge University (Ph.D. in Classics) and taught...2024-12-1346 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New Ideas(Imperial) Greek EpicEmma Greensmith and Tim Whitmarsh join me in the Lesche to discuss how Imperial Greek epic fits into our understanding of Ancient Greek epic as a whole. Emma has just edited the Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Epic, and she was also a member of the research project Greek Epic of the Roman Empire: A Cultural History, which Tim directed. About our guestsEmma Greensmith is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St John’s College. She is the editor of Omnibus and an associate edi...2024-12-1155 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasTranslating the Iliad, with Emily WilsonEmily Wilson, acclaimed translator, joins me in the Lesche to discuss the challenges and pleasures of translating the Iliad. We discuss the Greek of two passages in detail: Book 6 lines 482-502 and Book 22 lines 199-204 (lines as in the OCT).Ancient textsHomer's Iliad and OdysseyPlato, Hippias MinorLonginus, On the Sublime (ch. 9) Also mentionedKaren Emmerich, Literary Translation and the Making of Originals. Bloomsbury 2017. "Munro's Law", i.e., D. B. Munro's observation that there is no overlap in the content of the Iliad and the Odyssey (more in...2024-11-2758 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe Athenian Funeral OrationDavid M. Pritchard joins me in the Lesche to discuss what appears to have been, in Nicole Loraux's famous words, a "very Athenian invention": the epitaphios logos, or funeral oration given over the war dead at their public burial. Both the Athenian funeral oration and the legacy of Nicole Loraux's pioneering study of it are the subjects of David's new edited volume The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux. About our guestDavid M. Pritchard is Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Queensland in Australia. He is well known internationally f...2024-11-131h 01
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasAlexander in the EastRachel Kousser joins me in the Lesche to discuss Alexander III of Macedon's post-Persepolis campaigns in Asia (330-323 BCE), the subject of her recent book Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great.About our guestRachel Kousser writes and teaches about Alexander the Great, the destruction of monuments in ancient Greece, and the representation of gender and power in the Mediterranean world. For her work, she has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Humanities, the Getty Research Institute, and the Center for the...2024-10-2349 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasAthenian Drama in Sicily (Ferdia Lennon, GLORIOUS EXPLOITS)Ferdia Lennon joins me in the Lesche to discuss his award-winning and bestselling novel, Glorious Exploits (UK Penguin Fig Tree/US Macmillan 2024), which is set in Syracuse in the aftermath of the Athenian invasion of Sicily during the Peloponnesian War.About our guestFerdia Lennon was born and raised in Dublin. He holds a BA in History and Classics from University College Dublin and an MA in Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia. Glorious Exploits is his first novel. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as a Book at Bedtime, was...2024-10-0948 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasSPECIAL: Netflix's KAOS, with creator Charlie CovellCharlie Covell joins me in the Lesche to discuss their hit Netflix show KAOS, a modern, dark dramedic take on Ancient Greek mythology. The show, set in something like modern-day Crete (and on Olympus and in Hades), interweaves stories of Prometheus, the Olympian gods, Orpheus and Eurydice, Minos/Ariadne/Theseus/the Minotaur, and Caeneis.Special thanks on this one to Mike Farah & Jess Sze. About our guestBritish creator-writer Charlie Covell (pronouns: they/them) recently created the Netflix original series “Kaos” starring Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer, Nabhaan Rizwan, David Thewlis, and D...2024-10-0353 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasSubject Communities of the Athenian EmpireLeah Lazar and Christy Constantakopoulou join me in the Lesche to discuss their work on the relationship between Athens and its subject communities (the "allies") during the fifth-century Athenian "empire" (ἀρχή). Leah has a new book out on the subject, Athens and Power in the Fifth Century BC; Christy’s monograph Dance of the Islands (a favorite of my Classical Greek History students) opened up new ways of thinking about the interconnectivity of the empire’s communities when it came out in 2007.About our guestsLeah Lazar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for the S...2024-09-2559 min
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasThe New Euripides PapyrusYvona Trnka-Amrhein and John Gibert join me in the Lesche to discuss their editio princeps of a newly-discovered papyrus (P.Phil.Nec. 23) containing lines from two of Euripides' fragmentary plays, Ino and Poluidos. The publication, in ZPE, is currently only available in print. The ToC for the issue in which it appears is available here.Information about the conference on 'The New Euripides' held at the Center for Hellenic Studies this past June is available here. Pre-prints based on the speakers' presentations are available here. During the episode, there's mention of an upcoming...2024-09-111h 11Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasIntroducing Lesche: Ancient Greece, New IdeasWelcome to Lesche, a podcast on new books and ideas in the field of Ancient Greek Studies. In each episode, we'll be talking to classicists about their latest contributions to the field.We’re going to start by releasing two episodes each month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. The first episode will debut on Wednesday, September 11.You can find us on Instagram, @leschepodcast, or send us an email at leschepodcast@gmail.com If you have an idea for a new book or topic you think would make for...2024-08-2802 min
Classical Wisdom SpeaksThucydides, Power and Modern Politics with Johanna HaninkWhat is the nature of Power? How is it demonstrated in the ancient world? Can we learn from History’s examples of war, peace, and plague? And what relevancy does Thucydides' speeches have in the here and now?This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks episode is with Dr. Johanna Hanink, Associate Professor of Classics at Brown University about her recent translation of Thucydides.You can get Johanna’s latest book, "How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy", Here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691190150/how-to-think-about-warFor those interested in the E...2021-01-1015 min
Classical Wisdom Speaks#24 - Thucydides, Power and Modern Politics with Johanna HaninkWhat is the nature of Power? How is it demonstrated in the ancient world? Can we learn from History’s examples of war, peace, and plague? And what relevancy does Thucydides' speeches have in the here and now?This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks episode is with Dr. Johanna Hanink, Associate Professor of Classics at Brown University about her recent translation of Thucydides.You can get Johanna’s latest book, "How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy", Here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691190150/how-to-think-about-warFor those interested in the E...2021-01-1015 min
Give and TakeEpisode 188: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy, with Johanna HaninkMy guest is Johanna Hanink. Her newest book How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy is an accessible modern translation of essential speeches from Thucydides’s History that takes readers to the heart of his profound insights on diplomacy, foreign policy, and war.
Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insi...2019-10-1739 min
Hopkins Press Podcasts1.31 Johanna Hanink & Antonis Ellinas on taking over editorship of Journal of Modern Greek StudiesThe Journal of Modern Greek Studies has a new editorial team. Johanna Hanink from Brown University is the Arts & Humanities Editor while Antonis Ellinas from the University of Cyprus is the Social Sciences Editor. They joined us to talk about their path to the masthead and future plans for the journal.2019-08-1608 min
The History of Ancient Greece***Special Guest Episode on Translating Thucydides’ Speeches w/Johanna Hanink***In this special guest episode, Dr Johanna Hanink and I discuss her most recent book, How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy (Princeton University Press, 2019), what it was like to translate Thucydides, and the deeper meaning behind many of his speeches Show Notes: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2019/06/special-guest-episode-on-translating.html Dr Johanna Hanink Associate Professor of Classics at Brown University Website: https://www.johannahanink.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johannahanink/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/johannahan 2019-06-241h 15
Find Best-Selling Full Audiobooks in History, WorldHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171 to listen full audiobooks. Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy Author: Thucydides Narrator: David De Vries Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 59 minutes Release date: March 19, 2019 Genres: World Publisher's Summary: Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of...2019-03-1930 min
Find Best-Selling Full Audiobooks in History, WorldHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171to listen full audiobooks.
Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy
Author: Thucydides
Narrator: David De Vries
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 2 hours 59 minutes
Release date: March 19, 2019
Genres: World
Publisher's Summary:
Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of people...2019-03-192h 59
Access Must-Have Full Audiobooks in History, Ancient CivilizationsHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171 to listen full audiobooks. Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy Author: Thucydides Narrator: David De Vries Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 59 minutes Release date: March 19, 2019 Genres: Ancient Civilizations Publisher's Summary: Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior...2019-03-1930 minAccess Must-Have Full Audiobooks in History, Ancient CivilizationsHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171to listen full audiobooks.
Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy
Author: Thucydides
Narrator: David De Vries
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 2 hours 59 minutes
Release date: March 19, 2019
Genres: Ancient Civilizations
Publisher's Summary:
Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of...2019-03-192h 59
Access Top-Rated Full Audiobooks in History, MilitaryHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171 to listen full audiobooks. Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy Author: Thucydides Narrator: David De Vries Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 2 hours 59 minutes Release date: March 19, 2019 Genres: Military Publisher's Summary: Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of...2019-03-1930 minAccess Top-Rated Full Audiobooks in History, MilitaryHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy by ThucydidesPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/375171to listen full audiobooks.
Title: How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy
Author: Thucydides
Narrator: David De Vries
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 2 hours 59 minutes
Release date: March 19, 2019
Genres: Military
Publisher's Summary:
Why do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of people...2019-03-192h 59
Carnegie Council PodcastsHow to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy, with Johanna HaninkWhy has there been a sudden interest in Thucydides, especially in the U.S.? Johanna Hanink discusses her new book of translations and introductions to key speeches from his "History of the Peloponnesian War," and the importance of the classics in general. "The book is of special interest to us here at Carnegie for its focus on ethics, democracy, and world affairs, all of which seem to be under stress these days," says Joel Rosenthal.2019-02-2540 min