Ancient Art Podcast (audio)

Raise your glass to the most incredible chalice from antiquity. The Lycurgus Cup in the British Museum is truly exceptional for its exquisite beauty, delicate craftsmanship, magnificent detail, and a seemingly magical ability to transform colors before your very eyes. Discover the myth of the doomed Thracian king, Lycurgus, driven mad by Dionysus and ensnared by the wine god's creeping vines. Explore the wondrous curiosity of Roman cage cups found in collections across the world, including the Corning Museum of Glass and the Cologne Cup in the Römisch Germanisches Museum. http://ancientartpodcast.org/58. Connect at http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast and http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston.

Episode 57 of the Ancient Art Podcast builds on what we learned in episode 53 about the mythology and artistry of the creepy creature of chaos, the Gorgon Medusa. This episode delves deeper into her primal lair. We confront her petrifying gaze while closely examining a few famous works of ancient art exploring Medusa’s roots, influences, and evolutions. Included are the Bronze Age Minoan "Snake Goddesses," the Polyphemus Amphora, the Nessos Amphora, the Temple of Artemis at Corfu, kylix eye-cups, and the Egyptian god Bes. Most images are of works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. http://ancientartpodcast.org/56. Connect at http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast and http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston.

This episode of the Ancient Art Podcast is a journey in music, imagery, and text. There is no vocal component. Please visit http://ancientartpodcast.org/56 or subscribe to the video podcast to watch episode 56. In the epic journey of homebrewing, episode 56 of the Ancient Art Podcast takes you behind the scenes in "Build a Beer: Krampuslauf, Ein Holiday Ale hit Horns." From high in the snow-capped Alpine peaks comes a powerfully spiced beer brewed in the tradition of German & Austrian Glühwein. Watch the beer take shape before your very eyes as the curtain is pulled on the home brewing process. Krampuslauf rewards good little boys and girls with treats of citrus, anise, cinnamon, and clove, while naughty children get flogged with a switch of birch and stuffed into Krampus's scratchy sack. The rich crimson hue and herby, earthy notes will surely bring you back for another toast to Krampus the Christmas Devil! http://ancientartpodcast.org/56. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

Music credits:

Földhullám by Grizzly616, ccmixter.org

Hillbilly Anarchy by Jeris, ccmixter.org

Dragonfly by Brian Boyko, freepd.com

Jump in for a VIP visit to the Art Institute of Chicago's new Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art. Quadruple in size from the museum's earlier ancient art galleries, the new vista boasts a massive display of 550 ancient treasures from the Art Institute and collections around the world, including the British Museum, Getty Villa, Oriental Institute, Field Museum, and more. In this episode, we explore the aesthetics and merits of the new gallery design, point out some pitfalls, see old friends in a new light, and get close and personal with a few new kids on the block. We also explore the Art Institute's new interactive multimedia iPad app, LaunchPad. Also mentioned: Lycurgus Cup, Projecta Casket, Cycladic Female Figurines, Proto-Elamite/Mesopotamian Statuette of a Striding Figure, Roman mosaics, conservation, Kulapat Yantrasast, wHY Architecture, Etruscans, Sardinia, Getty Villa, British Museum, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, Joan Miro, Apple iPad. Explore the image gallery, credits, transcript, and more at http://ancientartpodcast.org/55. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

He's knows when you are sleeping.

He knows when you're awake.

He knows when you've been bad or good,

So be good, for YOUR LIFE'S AT STAKE!

Who's that hiding behind Santa's jolly mask? Episode 54 of the Ancient Art Podcast takes a holiday to the Austrian Alps to discover the true meaning of Christmas and meet Santa's various spooky, sooty sidekicks! We lift the lid on the mysterious, fur-clad, horned, Yuletide devil, Krampus, exploring his origin in pagan myths, history throughout the ages, and modern permutations. We'll cross the globe to root out the tongue-lashing demon, and risk his whip's wrath in the Krampuslauf. Also meet jolly ole Saint Nick's other companions, including the Nordic Yule Goat, Belgium and the Netherlands' Black Peter (Zwarte Piet), the German Knecht Ruprecht, and Belsnickel/Pelznikel. And we thought keeping Santa's reindeer straight was hard enough! So, dive in and enjoy this spectacular nightmare before Christmas! Discover more at http://ancientartpodcast.org/krampus. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

In this spooktacular Halloween episode of the Ancient Art Podcast with monstrous fiends and tortured souls lurking about in dark shadows, we explore a mythic monster from the Classical world, the original femme-fatale, the slithering seductress, the Gorgon Medusa. From ancient poets Hesiod and Ovid, we discover the lineage, background, and tragic curse that damned this poor maiden, and reveal her "children," winged Pegasus and Chrysaor. We reveal the changing face of the obscured demoness in the history of ancient art, and discuss into the possible origins and influences that conjured such a fiend in the minds of the ancient Greeks. Do you dare meet Medusa's petrifying gaze in episode 53 of the Ancient Art Podcast!? Also included: Clash of the Titans, Perseus, Poseidon, Athena, Geryon, Wadjet, Eye of Horus, Pindar, Theogony. Explore the image gallery, credits, transcript, and more at http://ancientartpodcast.org/episode53. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

When equipping yourself for the afterlife, be sure to bring enough wine! Episode 52 of the Ancient Art Podcast is all about Wine in Ancient Egypt. There really was a King Scorpion and what did he drink? Ancient Egyptian Spring Break drunken orgies. Embarrassing yourself for all eternity well before the Facebook generation. What's it really mean when your god gets drunk? King Tut's "wishing cup," Nebamun's hoity-toity parties, Herodotus goes to Bubastis, Hatshepsut's porch of drunkenness, and Sekhmet gets drunk again. All that and more! See the footnotes at http://ancientartpodcast.org/blog/52. Explore more episodes, image galleries, credits, transcripts, and additional resources at http://ancientartpodcast.org. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

Episode 51 of the Ancient Art Podcast explores the art, culture, history, and mythology surrounding beer in Ancient Egypt. We'll look at the archaeological record to sort fact from fiction on the brewing process and dig up some modern attempts at recreating the ancient recipes for Egyptian beer. Chemical analysis of ancient beer residue paints a telling picture as funerary art and literary sources flesh out culture of some of the world's earliest brewers. Included in episode 51 are discussions of modern versus ancient brewing ingredients and techniques, Patrick McGovern's "Uncorking the Past," Dogfish Head's Ta Henket beer, the research of Delwen Samuel, the ancient "zeer pot" refrigerator (or nested pot-in-pot fridge), and the myth of the lioness goddess Sekhmet. See the footnotes at http://ancientartpodcast.org/blog/51. Explore more episodes, image galleries, credits, transcripts, and additional resources at http://ancientartpodcast.org. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

In some Buddhist traditions, people are encouraged to devote 100,000 miniature stupas, pagodas, or idols of Buddha as an act of extreme piety. Well, I'm not that pious. We celebrate 50 episodes of the Ancient Art Podcast with 50 images of Buddha. Enjoy this feast for the eyes of magnificent Buddhist treasures from the southern tip of India to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, from the lush Southeast Asian tropics, stately caves of China, and serene bamboo groves of Japan. Explore more episodes, image galleries, credits, transcripts, and additional resources at http://ancientartpodcast.org. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.

Episode 49 of the Ancient Art Podcast explores the ancient legends and origins of dragons, separating fact from fiction and good from evil. Dragons permeate our cultural heritage in many forms and fashions: as ferocious fire-breathing, flesh-eating monsters, noble emblems of honor, and peace-loving creatures of earth, air, and water. From the salty depths of the Mediterranean, across the sun-scorched deserts of Central Asia, to the misty mountains of China and Japan, where do dragons first take root? What are the ancient sources for our modern legends? Pack your bags, buy your spell components, and polish your long sword, because we're going dragon hunting! Explore more episodes, image galleries, credits, transcripts, and additional resources at http://ancientartpodcast.org. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.