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Whaddya Noah?: Deucalion, Pyrrha, and the Flood in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Ad Navseam, Episode 82)

Many civilizations around the world have traditions in which the gods get upset with mankind and water the world back to square one. The Greeks and Romans were no exceptions. This week the guys wade into Ovid’s take on all this with a look at the Greco-Roman “Noah figures” Deucalion and Pyrrha. After humanity Teen Wolfs its way into Zeus’ disfavor, the couple find themselves on a skiff headed for a sea-swamped Parnassus. And even when they hit dry land they have to solve a riddle to repopulate the earth. Why?  Well, Themis the breaks, I’m afraid. So how do Deucalion’s and Pyrrha’s titanic parentage foreshadow the action? What does this story have to say about Roman views of human nature? Why so much rock chucking? And also stay tuned for Ad Navseam’s new coming attraction: “Gvrgle”!
 
 
 
 

No Meat, Please, We’re Pythagoreans!: Pythagoras in Book 15 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Ad Navseam, Episode 81)

It’s back to Ovid this week and you’d best hold on to your hypotenuse. Join us for a deep dive into Book 15 of the Metamorphoses where, after a quick “Hello, Numa”, it’s on to a lengthy lecture by Pythagoras (of triangle fame) regarding the dos and (mainly) don’ts of what humans should glut their gobs with. In a word—put down that cheeseburger, because it just might be your uncle Jimmy! What was Numa, the 2nd king of Rome, supposed to learn from this? Is there wisdom here or was Pythagoras just some kind of metempsycho? Would a modern vegan or vegetarian agree with his take? In the meantime, tune in, go easy on the beans and if you encounter a bar on your way to this episode, consider walking around it. Also, Guacaroni and Cheese.

What’s a Motto You, Two? University and College Mottoes (Ad Navseam, Episode 80)

This week the guys are back with more mottos, from the muddled to the magnificent, from bland to grand. But this time they have their sights set on the apophthegms of colleges and universities around the globe. And it is a roller coaster—which ones make the cut? Which make no sense at all? Which ones could use some spicing up? And what’s with those prone ursines lazing about in the American southwest? So come join in the fun, whether or not you agree that Sparty needs a serious makeover or you are a proud alum of UdoU. Quaecumque, ὤνθρωπε.

Ides, Ides, Baby!: Caesar’s Assassination in the Roman Historians (Ad Navseam, Episode 79)

Well, the Ides of March may have already come and gone, but the guys are determined to jump headlong into one of the most famous dates and deaths in world history. C’mon, you might say, we all had to suffer through that Shakespeare play in 10th grade, right? Haven’t we all heard this one before? Well, let us ask you—have you heard it involving a close comparison of the existing ancient accounts, on-the-fly translation improvements, the lurid umbra of res flagitiosa, that kid from Spider-man, and Jeff carping about an unsolicited “Senior Discount”? Methinks (as old Willy S. might say) not. So don’t be a Brute--take a stab at this one, hear all the gory details, and even Google Map your way through Rome to the feline sanctuary where the deed went down.

Clever Jokes for Clever Folks: Robert Mac and Aristotle’s Lost Treatise on Comedy (Ad Navseam, Episode 78)

Dave and Jeff were searching in vain for Aristotle's lost treatise on comedy when they stumbled across veteran stand-up comedian Robert Mac (from robertmac.com); and, frankly, who needs Aristotle when you have this guy? Come along as we listen to several clips from Robert's killer set interspersed with a lively discussion regarding how he builds his bits, what makes a joke work, what just might get him cancelled these days! Did the Greeks anticipate a lot of this stuff? Is there a kind of universal formula for humor? Stay sharp, listener, or you just might find yourself baffled by the barrage of antanaklasis and paraprosdokian. Plato's Republic would probably have banished Mr. Mac but we'd like to think that Plato himself -- ye old stick in the mud -- would at least have cracked a wry smile at this episode.
 
 
 

Dr. Amphibolus, I Presume?: Erasmus as Translator of the Classics (Ad Navseam, Episode 77)

This week we're going toe-to-toe with the "Prince of the Humanists" himself, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam. With the guidance of scholar and novelist (and all-around Erasmus junkie) Erika Rummel, we wander along with the great man on his itinerant life and eavesdrop on his irascible contrariness. Gape in wonder as Erasmus applies his philological fury to a 1,000-year overdue update of Jerome! Gasp as Erasmus and Luther trade rap-battle, Marvel super-villain insults! Scratch your head as Dave offers opinions on levitating swimming pools! That may just be some folly worth praising. 
 
 
 

A Visit to the Roman Catacombs (Ad Navseam, Episode 76)

This week the guys welcome back to the studio esteemed friend and mentor Dr. Ken Bratt. You may remember him from such episodes as "From there We Travelled to Philippi" (AN46). An expert in material culture, Ken leads us on an historical and archaeological tour of the catacombs around Rome. We stop off at San Callisto, San Sebastian, and touch on a few of the lesser-known spots as we learn of pagan, Jewish, and Christian burial. Did Christians really worship in these catacombs with Judah Ben Hur, or is that simply more Hollywood folderol? What about the adaptation of pagan art forms for Christian burials, mastedons and mammoths, and the veracity of relics? Along the way we learn how St. Sebastian, though perforated like a pincushion, headed back to rebuke Diocletian (Die Hardest?). And your intestinal fortitude will be tested once again by one's of Dave's most egregious puns.

’Beware of Falling Turtles!’ and other Strange Tales: Death Stories of famous Greeks and Romans” (Ad Navseam, Episode 75)

There seems to be a universal archetype wherein a famous person dies or utters last words befitting the life she lived. The Greeks and Romans were no different, but why are so many of these stories so odd? Aeschylus: terminated by a tortoise; Euripides: devastated by dogs. And Sophocles? graped in the glottis. Is there any truth to these tales or is this just another episode of When Hubris Met Nemesis? As always, pick up lots of practical advice along the way, such as--choose  walnut to avoid getting venus flytrapped by an oak. And if a friend while on his deathbed asks you to burn his literary masterpiece, the answer is always "NO."

Cad to the Bone: Alcibiades and Asebeia in 415 BC (Ad Navseam, Episode 74)

It’s the summer of 415 BC and the Athenians (in the middle of a devastating war with Sparta) are debating whether to launch a naval expedition against colonies in Sicily. General Nicias says “no”, but here comes wonder boy Alcibiades who makes the assembly swoon, what with his silver tongue, chariot laurels, wavy hair, and chiseled abs, and it’s off to Sicily we go. But wait! On the night before departure somebody mutilates a bunch of herms in the city and maybe even performs a drunken satire of sacred mysteries! Questions invite questions: was it Alcibiades? If so, does he deserve the death penalty? Why would you want one of those scurrilous statues on your street corner? And don’t miss the following defections, deflections, and rejections.  Pull up a chair, check your emergency umlaut supply, and crack open a case of Löwenbräu. You can’t make this stuff up.

But you Cotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith: Cicero’s De Natura Deorum, Part 3 (Ad Navseam, Episode 73)

The guys wrap up their three-part dive into De Natura Deorum, and this time it is Cotta the Academic’s turn up at the plate. Where will Cotta (our stand-in for Cicero himself here) land on all this? Does he just want some friendly clarification of earlier arguments or is he out to fully dismantle both Velleius and Balbus (see previous two episodes)? Or is this dialogue's most important feature what it reveals about the differences between Greek and Roman philosophy? Even a skeptic like Cotta has a place in his heart for reading birds' signs and sheep livers, and Numa's capeduncula. But why? Be sure to stick around for some ramen noodles and a twist ending that would have even The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense doing a slow, golf clap.