Ad Navseam

Writing Imperial History: Tacitus from Agricola to Annales with Bram ten Berge (Ad Navseam, Episode 178)

The guys are excited this week to welcome into the studio (via Zoom) their colleague from Hope College Dr. Bram ten Berge. After coming close to a career in professional tennis (more on that in the show), Bram finished his B.A. in Classics at U. Miss and matriculated through U. Mich, graduating with the PhD in 2016. In this episode, we get to ask Bram, a topshelf scholar of Roman history and a specialist in Tacitus (c. 55-120 A.D.), all manner of recondite questions. Bram helps us sort through Tacitus' political consistency, his historiographical program, relevance to contemporary politics, and questions of Latin style. Based on his outstanding 2023 book Writing Imperial History: Tacitus from Agricola to Annales, Bram's acute expertise and conversational style are sure to appeal to aficionados of Roman history. If you like Tacitus and the writing of res gestae, this episode is game : set : match!

"Women of Trachis": Sophocles' Forgotten Play, Part II (Ad Navseam, Episode 177)

Jeff and Dave wrap up their look at Sophocles' Trachiniae this week, guided along by the inisghts of scholars such as Edwin Carawan and Charles Segal, whom you may remember from such things as what they wrote! Here's the crux of the matter: is the heroine Deianeira just a dopey, duped wallflower, innocently distributing hydra-soaked cardigans to kith and kin? The wronged party, seeking to salvage the remnants of a once healthy marriage? Or, is she actually a calculating, Machiavellian murderess, plotting all along against her rival Iole, more in the mold of Euripides' Medea or Phaedra? And what do we think about Heracles? Villain, hero, both? Along the way, have your imagination stimulated by frequent comparisons to the dynamics of Odysseus' family, the occasional snackish twang, and some free onomastic pointers. And, it's not too late to use coupon code PATRICKS17 or 10plus on the latinperdiem.com site to start your Greek or Latin journey.

"Women of Trachis": Sophocles' Forgotten Play, Part I (Ad Navseam, Episode 176)

This week the guys begin their look at Sophocles' "Women of Trachis", the one play among the surviving Sophoclean tragedies that scholars have scratched their heads over. The general feeling is that it's underdeveloped, lacking central themes, and  just a mish-mash of other traditions. But is this true? Dave and Jeff explore the play's Herculean mythic background, and some Sophoclean tweaks to see if there might just be some hidden gems here. Note the empathy and heartache of Deianira, balanced by the coldness and suspicion of Heracles. Could it be that the academics were wrong about this one? Shocking, we know. 

The Milkman Goeth: Lactantius, Christian Cicero Part II (Ad Navseam, Episode 175)

This week Jeff and Dave are back in the studio to discuss the leading light of early fourth-century Christian rhetoric. 'No whey', you say? Yes, it's true. The guys again take a look at the North African rhetorical tradition that produced such greats of Christian apologetics as Minucius Felix, Tertullian, Cyprian of Carthage, and Arnobius of Sicca. What should we make of Lactantius' accomplishment? Is he really the crème de la crème, or merely pushed forward by inevitable social forces, not an instance of the 'great man theory'? And what about his rhetorical feats in the grisly Deaths of the Persecutors, Divine Institutes, God's Workmanship, and more? Was Pico della Mirandola correct that Lactantius "equalled Cicero, or maybe even surpassed him in eloquence"? Come along for the ride as we wrap up this two-parter on the man who was well suited to his times, interacting with the cabbage-loving Diocletian, a host of enemies of the Christian faith, and even the big guy, Constantine. And bee sure to check out Dave's free Latin lessons here:
Deaths of the Persecturors
Epitome of the Divine Institutes
 

The Milkman Cometh: Lactantius, Christian Cicero Part I (Ad Navseam, Episode 174)

This week the guys teeter on the edge of Late Antiquity, caught in that liminal space between pagan and Christian, west and east, Latin and Greek. And what better guide through it than Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (the "Milkman"), the early Christian apologist who converted to the faith during Diocletian's persecution and ended up working for Constantine? Dave and Jeff spend the hour trying to assemble the threadbare, but fascinating biography of the man, all the while investigating such questions as: where does Lactantius stand in the larger picture of apologetics? What was his career like before his conversion? What does it mean to call him the "Christian Cicero"? And what's with all these North Africans punching above their weight? Is there something in that Carthaginian coffee? Lastly, speaking of coffee, if you're out driving and the brew in your tumbler is less than ideal, just try to keep 'er steady, ok? (Don't ask, just tune in).

The Golden Age of the Classics in America by Carl Richard, Part V (Ad Navseam, Episode 173)

This week Jeff and Dave leave aside that French guy (H.I. Marsomething) and go back to their OTHER book series, Carl Richard. What was happening in the early 19th century after the American founding? Pastoralism! Oh, the idyllic life of lounging with livestock, as the kine low loudly through the meadows. But there is also the counterattack of utilitarianism. After all, the business of America is business. So which view is going to dominate American culture? Will it be the Jeffersonian gentleman farmer, with his 40 acres, picturesque outhouses and a landscape larded with Roman villas (paging Wendell Berry)? Or will it be a Hamiltonian mercantile paradise, with everyone trading with their neighbor? And where do the Classics fit in all this? Come along as we take a Thoreau look at this question, complete with the Yale Report of Jeremiah Day, the full-scale assult on Classical languages, the counter-attack, and the daring denouement. You won't wanna miss this one. Listen up, or go barbarian.

Tomb it May Concern: Manolis Andronikos and Philip II at Vergina (Ad Navseam, Episode 172)

On November 8th, 1977 archaeologist Manolis Andronikos made public one of the greatest finds of all time—the royal Macedonian tombs at Aigai (modern day Vergina), including what is likely the tomb of Philipp II himself. This week, the guys walk through this remarkable story and frame it within the chaotic historical context of the decline of Athens and the rise of Macedon in the 4th century BC. Using David Grant’s recent book, Unearthing the Family of Alexander the Great (Pen and Sword Military, 2019), Dave and Jeff address a number of the ongoing controversies surrounding the finds—why did these tombs survive while most others have been found looted? Is it really Philipp II in the larnax? If so, who is the mysterious “Scythian Queen” in the antechamber? Along the way, sample a bit of Demosthenes' Second Philippic, prepare yourself for Smarch weather, and soak up the inanities.
 

The Hunger Games' Swansong: Erisychthon and Cycnus in Two More Ovidian Vignettes (Ad Navseam, Episode 171)

This week Dave and Jeff are back to Ovid for a couple more vignettes! The guys start with the bizarre tale of Erysichthon (the "Earth-Ripper") who lives up to his name by lumberjacking a sacred grove of Ceres. But why? Is this a prescient Lorax pre-boot? A morality play about late-stage capitalism? Or ust a guy who desperately wanted that Rumpus Room house addition? We're starving for answers. Then it's on to Cycnus ("Swany") and his fateful encounter with Achilles on the plains of Troy. Has Achilles met his match with someone as nearly "invincible" as he is, and who talks as much smack? How does this "win" of Achilles set the stage for his own demise? Of the three Cynci known in myth, why is this li'l cygnet the only who gets the full-fledged Metamorphoses treatment? Also, don't miss guest spots by Swan Carlos, Mr. T, and Stuart Little. I pity the fool who doesn't tune in!
 

H.I. Marrou’s A History of Education in Antiquity, Part XV (Ad Navseam, Episode 170)

This week Jeff and Dave are back to H. I. Marrou and all things ancient education. At first, Jeff has some trouble seeing how Marrou isn't simply repeating himself, but after a good buddy talk, this chapter reveals some fascinating insights.  We see how formal education during the Hellenistic era (circa 336-31 B.C.) helped shape our definition of the "canon" of ancient works--a focus on foundational works, the primacy of Homer, and core representatives of poetry, drama, and rhetoric. You'll want to engage with Marrou's definition of Classical culture and the scale of values, and also have your fingers ready to count down the top 10 ancient poets, top 10 philosophers, top 10 artists, top 10 historians, etc. Come on, who doesn't love lists? Then cue the Stoic philosophers like Chrysippus to shake things up: what's more important, they ask, textual criticism, or teasing out deep and allegorical meanings even (or especially) when the text gets weird? And if the moral is not there, well then, you (or Bob Dylan) will just have to invent it yourself. Don't miss this one, and the secret Ratio 4 giveaway code word.

The New Old Way of Learning Languages: James Hamilton and his Interlinears (Ad Navseam, Episode 169)

This week Jeff and Dave pick up an article (linked below) from Ernest Blum in the American Scholar (September 2008) on the once hugely popular (and now wholly neglected) interlinear method of language learning. 19th century businessman and aspiring pedagogue James Hamilton (1769–1831) found the Greek and Latin instruction of his time hopelessly slow and backward: "How . . . is it possible that a child should be chained to the oar, seven, eight, or ten of the best years of his life, to get a language or two, which, I think, might be had at a great deal cheaper rate of pains and time, and be learned almost in playing?" In response, Jimbo developed a system of fitting the translation, in this case English, directly below the line, which privileged reading above all other forms of study as the sole and proper method of learning. Jim made some extravagant claims about the Hamiltonian method's prospects for success: "Reading is the only real, the only effectual source of instruction. It is the pure spring of nine-tenths of our intellectual enjoyments. . . . Neither should it be sacrificed to grammar or composition, nor to getting by heart any thing whatever, because these are utterly unobtainable before we have read a great deal.” But is he right? What about spoken language acquisition? What about images? Games? And what about Zipf's law?
The guys examine the article and Blum's claims in light of their own language acquisition and instruction, comparing the Hamiltonian system to Loebs, the finer elements of Greek and Latin syntax, and what'er else strikes their fancy. Be sure to tune in for this and more, especially the secret code word to win a premium Ratio 4 coffee maker.
https://theamericanscholar.org/the-new-old-way-of-learning-languages/