In order to prepare for the SCS’s upcoming sesquicentennial at the annual meeting in San Diego from January 3–6, 2019, the SCS blog is highlighting panels, keynotes, and workshops from the schedule. This week we are focusing on the Podcasting the Classics panel (8:00am–10:30am on Saturday, Jan. 5) by pointing to some resources for those who want to explore the medium more fully.
Today we feature a set of podcasts in which the host(s) interview guest classicists to discuss their work, their insights into the ancient world and its relevance for modernity, and their personal and professional experiences.
Ancient Greece Declassified (w/ Vanya Visnjic)
Explicitly aiming to demystify and to share scholarship on ancient Greece with the non-specialist public, this podcast explores Greek literature, history, philosophy and connects them to modern issues and interests (e.g., the possible causes of the Bronze Age collapse, how Athens dealt with demagogues, what makes Homer’s Odyssey great story-telling).
Classics Confidential (w/ The Open University’s Department of Classical Studies)
https://classicsconfidential.co.uk
Originally centered on video interviews, this collaborative podcast effort by members of The Open University’s Department of Classical Studies (Jessica Hughes, Elton Barker, Anastasia Bakogianni, Henry Stead, Helen King) now features audio episodes with multiple interviewees speaking on a common theme (e.g., on weaving and textile production, classical traditions in East Africa, Star Wars and classical reception, etc).
Itinera (w/ Scott Lepisto)
http://itinerapodcast.libsyn.com
Discussions of classical teachers’ and scholars’ paths to and through the field touching on the professional (the role of the SCS, Latin pedagogy, teaching at a women’s college) and personal (Dollywood, education in Japan, confronting chauvinism), with particular interest in sharing insights on the intersection of the two.
The Jouk Box (w/ Karl Krusell and Ciara Hayden)
https://soundcloud.com/user-252048082
A podcast from Brown University's Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World featuring conversations with archaeologists and ancient historians about what inspires their work and their experiences in the field, including fights with Egyptian police on archaeological digs, ideas for—and challenges in—engaging with the public, and raising children as an archaeologist parent.
The Mirror of Antiquity (w/ Curtis Dozier)
http://www.mirrorofantiquity.com
Features interviews with classical scholars about how their work helps them better understand the contemporary world and their own lives, combining storytelling and academic research. The topics and voices are eclectic, ranging over night-time bike rides and crowd-sourced translation, modern political activism informed by Thucydides, and how students find meaning in their readings of the past.
Coffee and Circuses (w/ David Walsh)
https://audioboom.com/channels/4977031
A series of wide-ranging conversations with classical scholars about their current research, what drew them to it, and personal and professional issues related to the field and the world at large.
Header Image: Marble portrait of Marciana, sister of the emperor Trajan (130-138 CE, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Image under a CC0 License).
