Ancient Office Hours

Dr. Gareth Williams, a professor of Classics at Columbia University, joins Lexie to discuss his fascination with poetry and theme of social reflection in Ovid, whether the Aeneid is original or simply a copy of Homer’s works, the process of writing his new book, and making ancient material understandable to modern audiences. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exci...

Dr. Jonathan Hall, a professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss how PhD programs in the US/UK have changed, why people have historically thought race & ethnicity are the same thing, whether the Dorian invasion was a real historical event, and navigating different research methodologies. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s excitin...

Dr. Christopher Celenza, Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and professor of Classics and History at Johns Hopkins University, joins Lexie to discuss how he got to study and conduct research in the Vatican library, how to successfully cross and mix disciplinary boundaries, the process of surviving 2 PhD programs at the same time, and break down what Renaissance studies are beyond the...

Dr. Barry Strauss, a professor of Classics and military & naval historian at Cornell, joins Lexie to discuss why Julius Caesar is his favourite ancient military leader, what it means to be a global citizen by comparing differences between EU-US systems, and look at accuracy or inaccuracy of adaptations of ancient battles in film & tv. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Trans...

Dr. Catherine Kearns, a professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss why she chose to specialize in the Iron Age, how looking at ancient environmental changes can help us better understand history, and why humans are so curious about environmental apocalypse collapse narratives in the media. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting...

Dr. Yannis Hamilakis, a professor of Archaeology and Modern Greek Studies at Brown University, joins Lexie to discuss how the materiality of antiquity in Greece impacted him growing up, how he came to study the archaeology of food & drink, his new book on archaeology and nationalism, and whether he believes nationalism existed in the ancient world. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme...

Dr. Glenn Schwartz, a professor of Near Eastern archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, joins Lexie to discuss defining the study of urban societies and development of cities in Syria and the Ancient Near East, different approaches to and definitions of chronology, the Uruk expansion, and the popularity of Egypt rather than Mesopotamia in the media. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Tr...

Dr. Sturt Manning, a professor of classical archaeology at Cornell University, joins Lexie to discuss the benefits of Australia’s interdisciplinary scholarship model, approaches to the study of climate archaeology and how they affect us today, and explore the timeline of traumatic climate disasters like the volcanic explosion on Santorini. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for t...

This special release is a recording from December 2022 with Dr. Nandini Pandey's class at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). In the episode, you'll hear Lexie and Dan discuss with the class their preconceived notions before the course, things they wish they could tell future students, (de)constructing classics, perspectives on how the ancient world intersects with their modern interests, and of cours...

Dr. Sarah Nooter, a professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss how being forced into Classics affected her career trajectory, look at course offering expansion issues at universities, and ponder how to make office hours more appealing and accessible to students. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to fo...

Dr. Nandini Pandey, a professor of Classics at Johns Hopkins University, joins Lexie to discuss how Classics provided a point of connection to her community, how Latin poetry impacted and shaped her as a scholar, and her thoughts on how we continue to grow and improve reception studies and open Classics up to a wider audience. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s ex...

Dr. Benjamin Anderson, a professor of Classics and History of Art at Cornell University, joins Lexie to chat about his decision process for picking an era & culture to specialize in, his thoughts on whether the study of archaeology is more the study of history or material culture, and whether all Byzantinists are obsessed with Hagia Sophia. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit...

Dr. Theodore “Ted” Tarkow, a professor emeritus of Classics at the University of Missouri, joins Lexie to discuss how advising conversations differ when serving as a Dean rather than regular faculty, his philosophy behind the college “sophomore slump”, and his thoughts on the greatest future struggles for Classics & humanities. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week...

Joe Goodkin, a singer/songwriter and trained classicist, joins Lexie to discuss his innovative work in combining Classical stories and music into his own show, which other ancient stories would be fun to adapt into live music, and the challenges and advantages of taking his show virtual during the pandemic. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don'...

World renowned Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney, a professor of Egyptian Art & Architecture at UCLA, Dr. Rachel Finnell, an assistant professor of Political Science at Bethany College, and Ozymandias Project leader & Ancient Office Hours Podcast host Lexie Henning come together to discuss the evolution of authoritarianism from the ancient to the modern world. So tuck in your togas and hop aboa...

The Partial Historians (Drs. Greenfield & Radford), educators and Roman history podcasters, join Lexie to chat about how the pandemic helped renew interest in Classics, differences between the Aussie/US educational systems and specializations, and behind the scenes of starting the Partial Historians podcast & what inspires them. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this...

Dr. Christina Hotalen, a Social Media Manager for Invicta History (YouTube), joins Lexie to discuss how growing up in a Greek-American environment influenced her path into Classics and History, the difficulties of doing public outreach while working a full time job, and the pleasure of watching ancient film adaptations with a buddy. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this wee...

Dr. Hamish Cameron, a lecturer in Classics at Victoria University of Wellington, joins Lexie to discuss how to be a Classicist and game designer, the differences between the US/NZ academic systems, and share thoughts on anachronistic adaptations of ancient material vs. hyper accurate depictions. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to...

Dr. Victoria Austen, a postdoctoral fellow at Carleton College, joins Lexie to discuss her decision to drop Latin before pursuing a Classics degree, her interest in literary gardens and liminal spaces rather than physical ones, and her thoughts on statues and the meaning of monumentality. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to fo...

Dr. Amy Pistone, a professor of Classics at Gonzaga University, joins Lexie to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of heavily favouring one ancient culture, the opposition to scholars comparing the ancient and modern world, her love for ancient tragedies, and why the Pax Americana is the new Ozymandias. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey!&nbs...

Dr. Debra Trusty, a lecturer in Classics at the University of Iowa, joins Lexie to discuss how being a foodie led to specializing in ancient cooking ware, about the need for an ancient version of the “Great British Baking Show”, debate whether arts or science developed first, and how she got science funding for the humanities. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s ex...

Dr. Caitlín Barrett, an archaeologist and professor of Classics at Cornell University, joins Lexie to discuss how deciding to study Hellenistic Egypt didn’t force her to choose between Greece and Egypt, defining the household in ancient times, how we compare ancient religions, and what new historical HBO series she’d like to create. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this wee...

Julie Levy, an independent scholar and the Program Coordinator for the Save Ancient Studies Alliance, joins Lexie to chat about their interest in learning Japanese and in becoming a polyglot, the hidden struggles of grad students, learning to be ok with leaving academia behind and discovering new passions. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! ...

Dr. Colin Shelton, a language program coordinator for Latin and Greek at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss the difference between learning vs. acquiring languages, challenges to learning a foreign/ancient language, and making video games a medium to encourage linguistic study. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget t...

Jordan Galczynski, an Egyptology PhD candidate at UCLA and co-host of Afterlives podcast, joins Lexie to discuss examining Ancient Egyptian fashion as a dissertation topic, whether having a famous academic advisor is more advantage or challenge, and what a Sims game set in Ancient Egypt would look like. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don...