Cost of Glory

A winter message from Plutarch

Plutarch on what the octopus, and the mythic figure Proteus (who King Menelaus met on his way back from Troy) can tell us about friendship.

Coming back to Plutarch's essay on having many friends, with remarks from Zeuxis, Chilon, and Thucydides

A quote and meditation from Plutarch's On Having Many Friends. Sign up for our email list at ancientlifecoach.com ! 

Merry Christmas (etc.) from Ancient Life Coach.  The historical aftermath of Pyrrhus' death, and some thoughts on gift giving. In this episode: The fate of Pyrrhus' kingdom Pyrrhus's role in the outbreak of the great Punic Wars? Merry Christmas (or Saturnalia) to all!

Antigonus was famously once asked, “who is the greatest General of our day?” to which he replied, “Pyrrhus, if he lives to be old.” This is the third and final installment of The Life of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus.   [Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis. See Ilias' work on Facebook , or Instagram ( @ilias_markantonis )] Pyrrhus takes opportunity...

“Pyrrhus… saw clearly what great happiness he was leaving behind him. But he just couldn’t renounce his hopes of obtaining what he eagerly desired.” We can think of many ambitious leaders or groups who made a big dent in the world by smashing through boundaries: The Mongols, The British East India Company, Moses and Joshua taking the promised land.  But many dreamed big and failed to deliver: Napo...

Pyrrhus, the Warrior King.  Father of the "Pyrrhic Victory."  Smuggled out of the palace at two years old.  Raised in exile by Illyrians.  Pyrrhus grew to be the "greatest commander of his day" according to observers like Hannibal and Antigonus. [Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis. See Ilias' work on Facebook , or Instagram ( @ilias_markanton...

"Satisfy your souls on Plutarch, and dare to believe in yourselves when you believe in his heroes" - Nietzsche **PYRRHUS ARRIVES NEXT WEEK** Friedrich Nietzsche: Greek Scholar, Plutarch fan, student of history, incisive critic of history nerds such as your host. How does history help us, actually? Is it in the ways we think? Listen to this episode for encouragement if you feel woefully ignorant ab...

Plato spent time around some bad people.  But he had a way of trying to stay at the top of his virtue game despite the many bad influences he was around.  You can use it too. Links to Lysias' Against Eratosthenes (Lysias 12), mentioned in the episode: A PDF (It's public domain): https://ryanfb.github.io/loebolus-data/L244.pdf Perseus (Annoying interface, but convenient): https://www.perseus.tufts....

How enemies can be more useful than Reason itself.  Anecdotes from Chilon of Sparta, Scipio Nasica. From Plutarch's treatise How to Profit from your Enemies.   His treatise was addressed to Cornelius Pulcher, of Epidaurus, custodian of the cult of Asclepius.

In the Parallel Lives , the philosopher Plutarch pairs individual Greeks and Romans with each other, comparing their lives. In the last few episodes of The Cost of Glory we’ve shared Plutarch’s stories about the lives of Eumenes of Kardia and Sertorius of Rome, pulling out key lessons for modern leaders.  In this comparison episode, we’re joined by guest narrator Stephen Blackwell, President of Ra...

What happened to Alexander's kingdom after the death of Eumenes? In this episode:  -The end of the Eumenes Story -The age of warring successors begins.  -What is special about Eumenes?

In this final part of his Life, Eumenes’ loyalty to the legacy of Alexander is put to the ultimate test.  He faces off against Antigonus, on behalf of Queen Olympias, over rulership of the kingdom and the regency of the kings. A notable historian, A.B. Bosworth, remarks that the struggle between Eumenes and Antigonus “Did more than anything to determine the shape the Hellenistic world.” Our guest...

What would you do if your closest friend died unexpectedly, leaving an incredible legacy, and an infant son. How far would you go to defend his rights? Would you give your life?  In this episode Eumenes emerges onto the world stage as one of antiquity’s brilliant generals. What is it like to believe in a divine kingship?  Or, at least, to act as though you do believe? Eumenes fought rebel Persian...

As the Royal Secretary to Alexander the Great, Eumenes of Kardia had a front row seat to Alexander bringing his impossible dream crashing into the real world.  As a young man, Eumenes couldn’t possibly have known that the Mediterranean world he lived in was on the cusp of the most dramatic political and cultural shift in its recorded history, up to that point. And that he would be at the very cent...

Plutarch in On Tranquillity of Mind discusses a way to use the famous phrase Know Thyself. Some Figures mentioned: Sertorius Eumenes,  Philip II of Macedon Alexander the Great Dionysius I, Tyrant of Syracuse Philoxenus the Poet Pindar Empedocles Plato Democritus Ismenias, wealthy citizen of Thebes Epaminondas, Theban general Euripides Quotes: "Know Thyself" "Rule the Sparta you got"

How do you keep a positive frame of mind in challenging circumstances?  Troubles with loved ones, at work, with poverty, business?  Try this tool, drawn from a passage of Plutarch's moral writings (Moralia). Treatise mentioned: On Tranquility of Mind (from the Moralia) People Mentioned: Paccius - a Roman senator, not known outside of Plutarch's works.  Possibly a friend or acquaintance of Pliny th...

This episode provides a brief summary of the life of Sertorius (spoiler alert), recounts events at Rome after his death, and offers a few practical takeaways. Go deeper! Sign up for Ancient Life Emails at ancientlifecoach.com.  Life of Sertorius Cheat Sheet - ancientlifecoach.com/quintussertorius (To skip the summary, go to 6:00)  There is some closure to the story - the wicked are punished, at le...

How do you fight off the greatest military machine the world had ever produced? How do you take back an empire?   In his quest to win a better life for himself and the men he led, Sertorius shows what talented and determined people can do when they justly feel they have been wronged and have been given no recourse.  He makes allies with unexpected leaders, he mentors those beneath him, and inspire...

Alexander Hamilton - future founder and lawgiver - was just a young aide of General George Washington in the American Revolutionary war. This was much like Sertorius’ role under Gaius Marius in the last episode. Very few Camp Aides go on to great things, like becoming General. If you want to be one of those people, the ones who make the most of the opportunity to level up, what do you do? Hamilton...

Sertorius - the greatest Roman rebel - was a commander whose story inspired both Beethoven and Machiavelli. As Beethoven realised he was going deaf, he turned to the ancient philosopher, Plutarch, and his work, Parallel Lives , for inspiration. Plutarch’s biographies gave Beethoven the strength and determination to carry on, to cope, to overcome his aural tragedy and go on to become one of the gre...

Introducing The Cost of Glory, launching August 2021. For more information, visit https://ancientlifecoach.com