Tag: rome

Sidequest 16 – Dr. Robyn Le Blanc and Ancient Coins

Those of us who are casual fans of Antiquity spend a lot of time talking about our favorite emperors and kings, in addition to discussing specific battles of significance along with myths and legends. One thing we probably don’t spend enough time talking about is ancient currency and the various purposes coins were used for during Antiquity. To remedy that, Dr. Robyn Le Blanc hopped on the pod to discuss numismatics (the study of coins and other units of currency). Turns out that coins were used for a lot more than just purchasing things and paying the soldiers.

During this episode, we cover the renaming of Dr. Le Blanc’s academic department, sources other than coins themselves which shed light on these ancient artifacts, whether ancient coins belong in a museum (don’t take a drink every time I reference Indiana Jones), how coins were made and distributed and how important it was to sack cities so you could make the money necessary to pay your soldiers. And we also learn about an early Robin Hood figure who lived during the reign of Septimius Severus. How cool is that?

We also discuss one famous coin that sold for more than FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. This is serious stuff, folks!

Your reading assignments are Moneta and When Money Talks: A History of Coins and Numismatics.

The theme music is from Brent Arehart. 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.

Sidequest 11 – Jeremy Swist on Late Antiquity

Dr. Jeremy Swist, a professor at Grand Valley State University, stopped by to discuss the historical period of time known as “Late Antiquity“. This is an era of time I know very, very little about, so I enjoyed the introduction to what is a fascinating area of study. It turns out that this is an evolving field that covers a period of transition for the Roman Empire from generally 200 CE to 700 CE (the precise time is open for debate). As the focus moves away from the Italian Peninsula, the Roman state evolved and changed. This set the stage, to some extent, for the next era of the Empire. I’m sure this is somewhat of an oversimplification, but it’s how I conceptualize it my mind.

During the interview, we discuss philosophy, how Late Antiquity as a concept came to be, what Late Antiquity means and the arbitrary nature of classifying historical periods. Dividing up history into specific areas of time naturally creates problems and creates incomplete or misleading narratives which includes terms like “Classical Antiquity”. Late Antiquity breathes life into what was previously thought of as a period of decline and reexamines this period. We also discuss the evolution of religious practices that a saw move towards Christianity from “Paganism” that occurred during this era. And, hey, there’s some new tribal / social / ethnic groups that arrive during Late Antiquity. There’s a lot to unpack here, folks.

Your reading assignments include The World of Late Antiquity by Peter Brown, A Companion to Late Antiquity and Anthony Kaldellis’ The New Roman Empire (one of these authors may be a guest in an upcoming episode).

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 4 – Dr. Gerrish on Augustus (and a lot more)

Our friend Dr. Gerrish stopped by the podcast to discuss the first Roman Emperor (or Princeps, if you will), Augustus. We cover how he managed to seize (and consolidate) power and overcome his rivals, the different names he went by, his legacy as an administrator and the importance of his First Lieutenant, Marcus Agrippa. We also discuss whether Augustus could be considered a tyrant and spend a good deal of time talking about two Roman TV shows – the BBC production of “I, Claudius” and HBO’s “Rome“.

Oh, and we unravel a mystery about Dido, the legendary Carthaginian queen who features prominently in The Aeneid. This is brilliant scholarship, folks! (At least I think it is. I wouldn’t necessarily say everyone else would agree.)

If that weren’t enough, we take a few sidequests into some serious nerd stuff. I’m talking Star Trek: TOS, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the brilliance of DS9, the unequaled evil that is Gul Dukat and, of course, Fringe. After noting the Marcus Aurelius quote in one episode of the series, I detour into one of the greatest episodes of television episode ever – Fringe’s White Tulip. I can’t explain any part of the plot because it would give away too much.

To get better educated on the time period, check out The Roman Revolution, a book detailing the final years of the Roman Republic. To get better educated on “I, Claudius”, check out “I, Podius“, a podcast hosted by John Hodgman and Elliott Kalan. Give it a listen. It gets stronger as it goes on, much like the show it’s about.

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.

Interview – Jennifer Gerrish, Ph. D. talks Roman History

Dr. Jennifer Gerrish, Classics professor at the College of Charleston (Go Cougs!), stopped by to talk about one of my favorite topics, Ancient Rome. During our almost hour long conversation, we learn about Dr. Gerrish’s Ancient Rome origin story, cover the problems inherent in studying Antiquity and spend a lot of time going over the political genius, yet completely destructive force, that was Julius Caesar. SPOILER ALERT – he gets assassinated. Dr. Gerrish provides the greatest characterization of Caesar I’ve ever come across. You’ll love it. We also spend a fair amount of time talking about why governments fall and what appears to be the unchanging pattern of human nature.

If you want to learn more about Roman history and read some of Dr. Gerrish’s writings, check out the below –

Dr. Gerrish’s books:

Recommended reading list:

I’d also check out Emma Southon‘s book on Aggripina because she is a fascinating character and that era of the Empire is always worth your time.

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.