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Mist Opportunities: Aeneid Book I, Part 2 (Ad Navseam, Episode 84)

Don't you just hate it when all you want is to have a nice visit with your mom, share some tea and a huggable portion or two, but then she decides to trick you by showing up as the goddess Artemis or some lace-booted Thracian huntress? Personally, I know that I've had it with that and in this episode Aeneas has too. We pick up the story where Aeneas and a few comrades are washed up on strange Libyan shores convinced they've lost most of their fleet and friends. But wait!  Venus appears in disguise and nudges her son and his disheveled band toward the rising city of Carthage just over that hill there. We get some intriguing backstory on Dido (Carthage's plucky queen), too, including what seems to be evidence for Aeneas' and Dido's perfect Tinder match--tragic loss of spouse? Check. Destined to found a new empire in the West? Check. Years of storm-tossed sea wanderings? Check. Let's get these kids together! But before that can happen a few matters need to be resolved: can dull, duty-bound Aeneas make an attractive impression on the queen? Can he get over his obvious "wall envy"? Will Dave ever find his way out of fog-bound Edinburgh? Bodotria!
 

Girl Juno it’s True: Aeneid I and the Causes of Juno’s Wrath (Ad Navseam, Episode 83)

Well we have finally arrived at the full-scale treatment of the Aeneid. In this episode we take a close look at the first half of Book 1, the causes of the storm with King Aeolus, Roman pietas, and all that goes into Vergil's brilliant, epic tour de force. What made the gods so angry? Why did Paris choose Venus instead of Juno? What kind of a bribe will lull Aeolus out of his breezy cavern to stir up the placid sea? And what kind of a hero is Aeneas? Is he pale, wan, and uninspiring, or is there some divine purpose lurking beneath? Be sure to tune in for our brand-new, hot-popping sponsor, and make sure your floors are epoxied.

The Alexamenos Graffito and Roman Persecution of Christians (Gvrgle 2)

In this burst of classical interest, Dave and Jeff discuss the graffito discovered on the Palatine Hill in 1857. Does it depict Christ Jesus crucified, mocked in the shape of a donkey? What is onolatry? Who was Alexamenos and why is he being ridiculed? What about the early evidence from apologists Tertullian and Minucius Felix? What can they tell us about how the Romans viewed their Christian and Jewish neighbors? Tune in as we discuss these questions and more, and don't forget to check the link for the image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexamenos_graffito

A Refugee from Fate: Vergil’s Aeneid 1.1-7 (Gvrgle 1)

In this surprise premier, Jeff and Dave plow new ground with a 15 minute huggable portion, a bite-sized podcast for those on the go. Here's your chance to wolf down some Classics in a short, digestible format. In this episode we take apart the first seven lines of the Vergilian classic. So tuck in your napkin, pull up a chair, take out your fork - nah, forget it. Just shove your whole mouth in the dip and enjoy!

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.