This week Jeff and Dave tag along with Cicero to sunny Tuscany where they find Cato Uticensis knee-deep in a pile of books on Stoicism. Gorging on books (helluari libris) and literary addiction (aviditas legendi) is our theme as we share favorite authors and works from the ancient and modern worlds.  First up is a primo piatto of Plato, followed by savory servings of Sophocles, and Apuleian “afters.”  If you still have room for more, stroll out with Jeff and Kazantzakis for a nightcap on Crete, and join Dave as he doles out cigars and Scotch to C.S. Lewis and Thomas Sowell.  Which books have you feasted on recently?

This week Dave and Jeff access a Pylon and head back to the beginning—Hesiod’s Theogony (c. 700 BC), the closest thing we get to a canonical creation myth for the ancient Greeks.  In between aggressive sickle-wielding, “foam births”, and largely pointless references to ‘90s movies, we find out where both the gods and the physical universe come from and why, in the end, Zeus does it best.  If that’s not enough, tune in to witness Dave actually letting Jeff recite some Greek for once, two Aphrodites for the price of one, and big daddy Kronos angling for a guest-spot.

Jeff and Dave get into the dirt with the archaic Greek poet Hesiod (c. 700 B.C.) and his seminal poem Works and Days. Is this near contemporary a match for Homer or does he deserve his (well-cultivated) second banana status? What should we think about the justice of Zeus, two kinds of competition (was Hesiod a capitalist?), fire-stealing, the myth of Pandora, and whether might makes right? Don't miss the five ages of mankind, from Golden right down through the Iron(ic), Age of Ultron in which we live. And one more thing--if you're not buying your fennel by the stalk, are you doing it right?

Jeff and Dave lead you on a tour down into the Scavi below St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. We take a look at some of the historical and archaeological evidence for the martyrdom and burial of the Apostle Peter. Did Peter die in Rome? Was he buried there? What is the long history of this site, from the reign of Nero, Constantine the Great, and Pope Julius II, right down to the mysteries and intrigue of Pope Pius XII and the brilliant Italian archaeologist Margherita Guarducci? What is so important about the 'graffiti wall'? Also, tune in for the special coupon code from our fabulous new sponsor, Hackett Publishing. 

Dave and Jeff serve up some Northern Renaissance art with a close look at Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s mysterious and haunting take on the Daedalus and Icarus myth. Is it a response to Ovid’s version of the tale or something else altogether? Jean Claude VanDamme stops by with a waffle sampler, and don’t miss: fat man on the menu. We also get at the lingering question, “Will Dave ever reveal his high school nickname?” Tune in and make sure to click on “Show Notes” for useful visuals.

This week Jeff and Dave take a close look at the Roman poet Ovid's (43 B.C. - 18 A.D.) first public work, Amores I.1. We cover such important literary notions as recusatio, ἀδύνατον, and what it must be like to live in Des Moines, IA. Come for the literature, stay for the measured mayhem. Apollo at war, Mars playing rhythm guitar, Venus with sword and helmet, and Athena fanning love's flames. It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world.

This week Dave and Jeff watch—sometimes through their fingers—Wolfgang Petersen’s sweaty, beardy epic, Troy (2004). Come along as we revisit the film after several years of peaceful forgetfulness. Was it as bad as we thought? More fit for a shampoo commercial than a tour-de-force of bravado aristeia? Some highlights: a) musing over whether the film embodies a “Homeric Spirit” b) the “Tiresias” award for most obnoxious performance (Orlando, we’re looking at you), and c) the real question, better with the gods or without? Don’t be a heel—tune in.

Is the Homeric world make-believe, or is there a juicy, historical core at the center of these exciting adventure stories? We discuss some of the archaeological, geographical, and linguistic evidence for the truth behind the legend. Boar's-tusk helmets, Nestor's cup, elaborate burials, a catalog of ships, Hansel and Gretel, casserole - this episode has it all.

Dave and Jeff finish off their tour through some of the narrative and aesthetic aspects of Homer's first epic, the Iliad. Death on all sides, as Patroclus and Hector bite the dust, plus greaves, shields, and the Superman paradox. Come for the appetizers, stay through dessert.