Greek History – Page 2 – The Classical Antiquity Sidequest

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 6 – Ben and Victor Review 300

In our first movie review episode, our old friend Victor Lamas stops by to give us his thoughts on the Zack Snyder epic 300. It takes us a while to say “This is Sparta!” but we get there. Eventually.

During the review, we cover a lot of topics in this review including the miscasting of Dominic West (Jimmy McNulty from The Wire) as Theron as opposed to a soldier, coin the term “McNulty Subplot”, cover what the film got right and scratch our heads over why Hollywood feels the need to add ahistorical events to what are already awesome stories. We (read Victor) also provide a good historical backdrop on why the Persians and Spartans were fighting in the first place. Another topic we cover is how Zack Snyder did the Persians dirty in this movie – the portrayal of the Persians was just awful (albeit not as bad as in the sequel which is just flaming garbage). Seriously, Snyder dropped the ball here and could’ve been much less jingoistic in his portrayal of the Spartans compared to the Persians. This is especially true given that the Spartans were no lovers of freedom which we fully discuss.

If you want to read more about the 300 and The Battle of Thermopylae, read Gates of Fire and Herodotus’ account of it. Those are very, very good.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Bluesky, on Mastodon, on Reddit, or on Instagram.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 5 – Dr. Amy Pistone on Sports in Ancient Greece

Dr. Amy Pistone from basketball powerhouse Gonzaga stopped by to talk about sports in Ancient Greece. Before we delve into Antiquity, we cover Dr. Pistone’s background, her ties to new ACC member Cal, her career as a football and basketball official and her experience running marathons. As you might guess, we take a number of sidequests including one about The Aeneid. If you’re bothered by our detours, remember that the name of the podcast includes “SIDEQUEST”, so, let me just say, “Sorry, not sorry.” In all seriousness, this was a lot of fun.

In regard to Ancient Greek sports specifically, we cover how ancient Greeks competed in the Olympics in the nude and learn that women weren’t allowed to participate in the Olympic Games with the exception of owning horses in carriage races. Women did have separate games they could participate in, however. The Greeks also had a form of MMA.

Given Dr. Pistone’s connections The ACC, I’m cross-posting this on the Bull City Coordinators podcast. So, let me just say, as always, Go Duke!

Returning to Classical Antiquity, if you want to learn more about Dr. Pistone’s work, check out her website which includes links to a lot of other podcasts she’s been on. Those are very informative and I recommend them to you.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 1 – Alexander the Great with Victor Lamas

We’re kicking off the Classical Antiquity Sidequest podcast with an episode about the ultimate historical figure from Antiquity – Alexander the Great! My friend Victor Lamas stopped by the podcast to talk about one of the most studied and most influential historical figures. Topics of discussion include how Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, his skill on the battlefield (the dude never lost a battle!), his successes as a diplomat and the movies that have been made about Alexander. We also delve into a sidequest about the 1970 masterpiece Waterloo. Highly recommend that to all. I think it’s on YouTube.

In addition to talking to about Alexander, we discuss Phillip of Macedon, Alexander’s father. He’s a very important historical figure who set the stage for Alexander to succeed and is worthy of your time and attention.

For further reading on Alexander the Great, check out the following –

Generalship of Alexander the Great

The Nature of Alexander

Alexander of Macedon

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Bluesky, on Mastodon, on Reddit, or on Instagram.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Interview – Christina Salowey, Ph. D., talks Ancient Greece

We hope you’re ready for another installment of The Classical Antiquity Podcast! This time we’re hoping in The Wayback Machine to visit Ancient Greece. Our guest is Christina Salowey, Ph. D., who teaches at Hollins University here in the Roanoke area. We discuss Dr. Salowey’s area of research which includes, primarily, the intersection of environmental history and mythology. Folks, this is fascinating stuff.

Also, in order to avoid my daughter getting angry at me, we have a long discussion on Athena and her role in Greek mythology and culture as well as her influence on Star Wars. We also relive the wonderful memories that the sinkhole in our old neighbor’s yard created for us. Good times!

If you’re interested in Greek Antiquity, here is a good place to start – https://www.theoi.com/. If you’d like some books on the topic, Dr. Salowey suggested reading Stephen Frey’s books.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Bluesky, on Mastodon, on Reddit, or on Instagram.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.