Classical Wisdom Speaks

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, Prof...

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 theolo...

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...

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 th...

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 Profes...

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...

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 ce...

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,...

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 Harvar...

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 ty...

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 auth...

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...

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, in...

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 G...

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...

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. Sh...

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...

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 i...

It’s no secret that the American Founding Fathers were deeply inspired by the Classics. The words of the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers suffuse the original documents and ideas that built America. Today Anya is joined by Jeffery Rosen to talk about how ancient ideas of virtue inspired these pivotal figures in American history. Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about C...

There is a place, a narrow strip of land, where bravery and sacrifice became legendary... where the famed ‘300’ laid down their lives to save Hellas in 480 BC... But that is not the only battle in which blood was shed at Thermopylae... Dr. Michael Livingston and Myke Cole discuss their recently released book "The Killing Ground: A Biography of Thermopylae" and discover the chilling stori...

From Penelope to Fulvia and beyond, discover the lives of ancient women.  Today Anya is joined by Dr. Daisy Dunn, to discuss the ‘missing thread’ of ancient history: the often-overlooked women who helped shape civilizations.  Dr Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and the author of several books, including The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World through the Women Who Shaped It...

Discover the woman who brought Greek mythology to America…  Today Anya is joined by Victoria Houseman to discuss the life and legacy of Edith Hamilton, the American Classicist who brought Greek mythology and ancient cultures to a vast new audience. Her books remain beloved classics in their own right, and illuminate not only the Greeks and Romans, but also how the ancients can help us understand t...

While Stoicism is currently all the rage -and for good reason- it isn’t the only philosophy to address some of life’s toughest questions.  From dealing with uncertainty, stress, grief and more, we have a wonderful toolbox of wisdom at our disposal, if only we know where to look. Renowned Stoics and philosophers, Massimo Pigliucci, Donald Robertson and John Sellars, take the lessons of Stoicism......

How did two different philosophies - that have seen a resurgence of interest in the Western world - both arrive at such similar conclusions for how to live a happy life? Despite being separated by hundreds of years and thousands of miles, Stoicism and Buddhism have striking similarities...so much so some have wondered if there was some exchange of ideas between the forefathers of each ideology. Bu...

What happens AFTER an apocalypse? How did ancient societies rebuild after catastrophic events… and what can that teach us about our world now? Today, Anya is joined by DR ERIC H. CLINE, author of the bestselling history book 1177 B.C and its recent sequel, After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations. They’ll be discussing what to do if your society collapses… and why the ancient 'dark ages...