Classical Wisdom Speaks

#41 - Sex, Soldiers and Thebes with James Romm, Paul Cartledge and Helene Foley


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Formed in 379 BC to combat the Spartan threat...
Hailed by Plato as a force that could never be beaten...
The last hope to preserve the freedom of Greece...
Buried together on the spot they fell....
300 male lovers reveal a dramatic ancient tale whose story will leave you gripped into the end. 

James Romm of Bard College, and author of the Sacred Band, discusses Sex, Soldiers and Thebes with Cambridge Professor, Paul Cartledge, and Columbia Professor, Helene Foley. Moderated by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. 

They delve into the history of Thebes, the evolution of male eros and the essential role of the Sacred Band in fighting for Greek democracy. 

About the Speakers: 

James Romm is the James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College and specializes in ancient Greek and Roman culture and civilization.  Dr. Romm is author of several books, including Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero, Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and most recently, “The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers fighting to save Greek Freedom”. 

Paul Anthony Cartledge is the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Clare College. He has published extensively on Greek history over several decades, including The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past as well as Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece (2020) 

Helene P. Foley is Professor of Classical Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University and a member of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality at Columbia. She specialises in ancient Greek literature, women and gender in antiquity, and the reception of classical drama. Helene is author of many books, her most recent being Reimagining Greek Tragedy on the American Stag.

Anya Leonard, Founder and Director of Classical Wisdom, a platform dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to Modern Minds.   For more information about Classical Wisdom and Podcast Classical Wisdom Speaks, please check out our website at: http://classicalwisdom.com

You can buy the speakers' excellent books below:

The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers fighting to save Greek Freedom: 

Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece

Reimagining Greek Tragedy on the American Stag

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