The Hellenistic Age Podcast

23/07/2024

“Reginam odi”
“I hate the Queen.”

- Marcus Tullius Cicero, writing about Cleopatra VII in June, 44 B.C.

(Letters to Atticus, 15.15)

18/07/2024

I got my hands on a copy of the new translation of Strabo’s “Geography” by Sarah Pothecary, which was made possible by the generous donations of listeners.

This book is massive, and is likely the closest we will get to a Landmark edition. Super helpful!

15/07/2024

In another meeting of the minds, Trevor over at the excellent History of Persia podcast invited me on the show to discuss all things related to Alexander and the Hellenistic period:

A distinctly Greek-style coin of King Diodotos of Bactria, c.245 BCE via Wikimedia Commons I sat down for a chat with Derek from the Hellenistic Age Podcast () so he could explain th…

09/07/2024

The village of Litochoro, gateway to Mt. Olympus.

📸 Litochoro, Greece (3/2024)

02/07/2024

I hope you’ve enjoyed our recent episode!

Next time we will bring our discussion on Hellenistic science to a close with a focus on Astronomy and Geography. This includes Eratosthenes’ calculation of the circumference of a round Earth, Aristarchus’ radical heliocentric theory, and the Antikythera Mechanism, the oldest known analog computer. Stay tuned!

01/07/2024

098: Hellenistic Science - Mechanics, Engineering, and Technology

The developments in theoretical mathematics were also translated into practical (and sometimes impractical) applications during the Hellenistic period. New weapons of war like torsion catapults and enormous ships found their way on the battlefield, and this love for all things big extended to Rhodian architects who constructed their famous Colossus. Under the Alexandrian inventors Ctesibius and Hero, the rise of pneumatics saw the the creation of the earliest known robots (automatons) and the predecessor of the steam engine that continues to amaze viewers down to the present day.

The developments in theoretical mathematics were also translated into practical (and sometimes impractical) applications during the Hellenistic period. New weapons of war like torsion catapults and…

23/06/2024

In one of the earliest examples of anti-ballistic armor, Plutarch claims that Demetrius I Poliorcetes was crafted an iron breastplate weighing 40lbs, and was strong enough to resist a direct catapult shot from 50 feet away with only a light scratch on the surface. The bulkiest of his officers Alcimus of Epirus was apparently given one that weighed 100lbs. These would have been used during his many sieges rather than active combat, but I would hate to imagine how uncomfortable they would have been.

Source: Plutarch, Life of Demetrius, 21.3-4

17/06/2024

This unique limestone statue is of a male warrior from Cyprus. Despite dating to the Hellenistic period, actually carries many traits associated with Persian art, such as his long chain mail tunic, dagger, and necklace.

📸 6/2024, Ringling Museum of Art

15/06/2024

Now reading:
“Antony and Cleopatra” by Adrian Goldsworthy

I know quite a bit about Cleopatra now, but I have yet to form a proper opinion about Mark Antony. I’ve read his Caesar and Augustus, but I’m excited for this one.

05/06/2024

With only two episodes left on Hellenistic sciences, the rest of the year will cover the following
- Episode 100 Q&A #2
- The final years of the Antigonid dynasty and the Roman conquest of Macedonia
- The quiet reign of Seleucus IV (187-175) and the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, known also as “Epimanes” (“the Mad”) and “The Abomination of Desolation”

03/06/2024

With theoretical mathematics out of the way, episode 098 will focus on its practical applications. Siege warfare, hydraulics, automatons, colossi and more will be covered, so stay tuned!

02/06/2024

Now reading:
“Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History” by T. Bryce

31/05/2024

097: Hellenistic Science - Mathematics

The third century B.C. witnessed the greatest outburst of Greco-Roman mathematics in the entirety of antiquity. Euclid of Alexandria’s “Elements” served as *the* textbook in the study of geometry for over two thousand years, and the archetypal mad scientist Archimedes of Syracuse allegedly was so fond of mathematical inquiries that it lead to his own demise. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here, as we look at the theoretical developments pioneered by the Hellenistic mathematicians.

The third century B.C. witnessed the greatest outburst of Greco-Roman mathematics in the entirety of antiquity. Euclid of Alexandria’s “Elements” served as *the* textbook in the s…

29/05/2024

Finished reading:
“Classical Art: From Greece to Rome” by M. Beard and J. Henderson

A genuinely engaging and insightful book. I wish I could have read this before my visit to Italy, but it still was helpful information after the fact.

Additionally, my apologies for the delay on the episode everyone, I got hit with the flu last week so I spent a few days in bed recovering. However, ep. 97 is recorded and nearly finished editing, so it should be out within the next few days. I've already been writing ep. 98 as well.

24/05/2024

The Hellenistic monarchies inherited a love for the “paradeisos” from the Persians, as both Alexandria and Antioch possessed magnificent gardens. This fresco from the Villa of the Empress Livia may be an attempt to recreate their natural beauty for the domestic setting, but with an Italian twist.

📸 Palazzo Massimo, Rome (9/2022)

14/05/2024

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Greek Reporter on podcasting, the Hellenistic period, and the intersection of history and public engagement. Please check out the article below!

Greek Reporter caught up with The Hellenistic Age Podcast host, who explained why the period is so fascinating to him.

08/05/2024

What does my summer reading list look like? Well let’s just say that the Maccabees are on the horizon, as are my episodes on the Jews living in both Judea and the wider Hellenistic world from Alexander to Antiochus. There is more to come over the next several months.

07/05/2024

“Geometry was in high esteem with [the Greeks], therefore none were more honorable than mathematicians. But [we Romans] have confined this art to bare measuring and calculating."
- Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, 1.5

03/05/2024

Looking to spice up your copy of Polybius or Livy and show off your new reading digs on the beach? Well look no further than to my Etsy page for Hellenistic-themed bookmarks. All proceeds support the show!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod

02/05/2024

I hope you all enjoyed our recent episode.

Next time, we will delve into the wonderful world of mathematics, as those like Euclid (the Father of Geometry) and the famed Archimedes would radically contribute to our understanding of my worst subject in school. Stay tuned!

01/05/2024

The ruins of ancient Amphipolis: located on the acropolis near the modern settlement of Amfipoli, this was a former Athenian colony conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 357 B.C. During the Wars of the Diadochi, it served as the prison for Alexander the Great’s wife Roxana and their son Alexander IV, and both were eventually murdered on the orders of Cassander. The Roman conquest of Macedonia in 168 turned it into one of the four administrative capitals of the former kingdom. Much of what remains on the acropolis dates to Late Antiquity.

📸 Amfípoli, Greece (3/2024)

29/04/2024

With episode 100 on the horizon, I am officially opening up the floodgates for the Hellenistic Age Podcast's second Q&A session.

It has been just under four years since episode 50 and the last Q&A, so if you have questions regarding show production, recommendations, retrospectives, historical topics, and anything that comes to mind, feel free to drop it in the comments below or you can email me directly at hellenisticagepodcast @ gmail.com.

29/04/2024

096: Hellenistic Science - Medicine and the Healing Arts

As the first episode in our series on science and technology, we begin by looking at the advancements in medicine during the Hellenistic Age. In Alexandria, Herophilus and Erasistratus became the first doctors to practice human dissections in any significant capacity until the Middle Ages, greatly improving our understanding of anatomy and physiology. Developments in pharmacology followed the botanical work of Theophrastus, while Mithridates VI of Pontus performed diabolical experiments with poisons and antidotes. From OBGYN to trepanation, there is bound to be something in here that will make you squeamish.

A floor mosaic showing the healer god Asclepius (middle) landing on the island of Cos, and greeted by Hippocrates (on the left). The Archaeological Museum of Cos, photo taken from Wikimedia Commons…

28/04/2024

A gilded life-sized bronze statue of Heracles found in the Forum Boarium in Rome. Dating to the second century B.C., it was likely commissioned by either Scipio Aemilianus (the conqueror of Carthage) or Aemilius Paulus (the conqueror of Macedonia) and placed in the Temple of Heracles.

📸 Capitoline Museum, Rome (9/2022)

23/04/2024

For a brief period in time, Human dissection was legally practiced in Alexandria during the mid-third century BC. While the contributions of the leading anatomists Herophilus and Erasistratus were immense, the practice remained largely taboo (or outright illegal) until the Renaissance.

Find out more about the Alexandrian anatomists in our upcoming episode on Hellenistic medicine!

17/04/2024

The remains of weapons, used by Macedonian warriors during the campaigns of Alexander and the Hellenistic period, and later buried with them in their tombs. These include bronze spearheads from the sarissae wielded by the pike phalanx, along with different sword types like the xiphos and kopis.

📸 The Polycentric Museum of Aigai, 3/2024

12/04/2024

Newly acquired:
“Corpus of Ptolemaic Inscriptions, Volume 1: Alexandria and the Delta”

Thank you very much to my listeners who donated via Patreon and Ko-Fi, allowing me to acquire this immensely valuable reference book.

10/04/2024

Pompeii and Herculaneum have provided some of the most beautiful and well-preserved frescoes of the Greco-Roman tradition. Yet there exists a remarkable find that predates them by 300 years.

Let me tell you about my visit to the Macedonian Tomb of Agios Athanasios:

Located ~20 kilometers west of Thessaloniki, the village of Agios Athanasios is your typical sleepy rural town. What is unique are two large mounds, one of them covered in pine trees and foliage. In 1994, a farmer discovered that they contained ancient tombs.

After an official excavation, it was determined that they both dated to the late fourth/early third century BC, typical burial types of the Macedonian nobility, most famously like that of Philip II at Aigai (Vergina). As they descended into larger tomb, already looted millennia earlier, they found a magnificent treasure: a series of splendid frescoes adorning its façade in an almost perfect state of preservation.

On each side of the doorway are two large guards wearing the traditional outfit of the Macedonians: a military cloak ("chlamys") and the distinctive broad-brimmed "kausia", along with the long spear (sarissa). Notice they appear in a state of mourning and eternal vigilance.

The top right corner shows a procession of warriors. These are very likely members of the Macedonian nobility that were a part of the king's inner circle and court, either his Companions ("hetairoi") or even his bodyguards ("somatophylakes"). The top left frieze seems to show the same group of men on horseback (thus confirming their social rank), though in a more celebratory procession

Most curious is the middle frieze, which depicts a symposium: the nobles are gathered in a drinking party, and this is one of the few pieces of evidence showing domestic life like tables and couches, which otherwise have long decomposed

Who is the occupant of this tomb? Clearly they were a man of some means. If we look at each of the reliefs, one face is consistent, and is looking directly at the observer. This fellow must be the occupant, and likely served alongside Alexander the Great and/or the Diadochi.

I had the pleasure of visiting this tomb during my most recent trip to Greece, and if you are ever in Thessaloniki for an extended stay, I strongly encourage you to make a detour to here and see such an incredible collection of paintings up close and in their original context.

📸 Agios Athanasios, 3/2024

08/04/2024

The Agora of Thessaloniki: founded in 315 B.C. by King Cassander I of Macedon and named after his wife Queen Thessalonike, the city became an important metropolis in the Hellenistic and especially the later Roman world. Very little of the city’s original Hellenistic foundations remain, but it is now the second largest city in Greece.

📸 Thessaloniki, 3/2024

05/04/2024

The remains of the Via Egnatia: following the absorption of Macedonia as a Roman province in 146 BC, the proconsul Gnaeus Egnatius ordered the construction of a road stretching from the Adriatic to the Bosphorus, linking cities like Dyrrachium, Thessaloniki, and Byzantium. It also signified Greece’s incorporation into the Roman dominion.

📸 Philippi, 3/2024