Bridging the ancient and the urgent, historian James Romm and acclaimed author and translator Daniel Mendelsohn dive into the dramatic story behind Plato and the Tyrant. 

This is not the Plato of abstract thought, but a man deeply entangled in the brutal politics of his time...a philosopher who sought to reshape power itself. Romm and Mendelsohn explore how Plato’s real-world entanglements with tyrants and revolutionaries in Syracuse directly influenced his philosophical masterpiece, Republic, and how the ideal of the philosopher-king emerged from a world teetering on the edge of chaos.

With Mendelsohn’s signature insight and Romm’s vivid storytelling, this event is a dynamic exploration of one of history’s greatest minds, revealing a Plato who was ambitious, politically engaged, and profoundly shaped by personal and political crisis. 

You can find James’ recently released book,Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece, here. https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-G... 

Also make sure to check out Daniel’s acclaimed new translation of the Odyssey here. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/... 

Hosted by Anya Leonard. This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to : https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Sometimes stories have a life of their own... literally.

Today Anya is joined by Joel Christensen to discuss how mythology acts as a living being in itself. 

Discover how stories shape the world around us... and why the movie versions never feel the same as the books.

Joel Christensen is Professor in the Department of Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of many books, including Storylife: On Epic, Narrative, and Living Things.

You can buy Storylife here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0300269234

This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

From specific dietary instructions to detailed systems to categorize foods and their health effects, ancient Greeks and Romans tried to optimize their health and well being through their diet. 

But what can we learn from their efforts? What foods were considered instrumental for good living, and likewise what should we avoid? 

Featuring Claire Bubb, Assistant Professor of Classical Literature and Science at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University and author of How to Eat to discover ancient ways for modern health. 

You can buy How to Eat here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Ancient-Healthy-Readers/dp/0691256993

This discussion is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter, go to : https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Tell me about a complicated culture…

From the Peloponnesian War to the women of ancient mythology, today Anya is joined by Jennifer T. Roberts to talk about the rich, complex, and contradictory nature of ancient Greek culture…

Jennifer T. Roberts is Professor of Classics and History at the City College of New York and the City University of New York Graduate Center. She is author of many books, including most recently, Out of One, Many: Ancient Greek Ways of Thought and Culture.

You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Out-One-Many-Ancient-Thought/dp/0691181470

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Centaurs, Snake-kings, Griffins, and Gorgons... ancient Greek mythology is filled with haunting hybrids. But how did these horrific monsters evolve? What is their purpose? And most intriguing of all...what do they reveal about ancient Greek history?

Featuring Jeremy McInerney, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

They were two of Rome's most famous and powerful men.

Both were respected statesmen and feared generals. Both were crucial figures in the final years of the Roman Republic.

But you might not have heard of one of them...

Today Anya is joined by Stephen Dando-Collins to discuss the complex rivalry between Julius Caesar and Pompey. 

Allies turned enemies, their battles would ultimately usher in the age of the Roman Empire. But why have their legacies so sharply diverged?

Stephen Dando-Collins is the author of dozens of books on ancient history, including Caesar Versus Pompey: Determining Rome’s Greatest General, Statesman & Nation-Builder.

You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Caesar-Versus-Pompey-Determining-Nation-Builder/dp/1684428955/

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What can Aristotle tell us about how we should live today? What are the ancient secrets to a flourishing life? 

And what is 'the art of the interesting?' 

Today Anya is joined by Lorraine Besser to discuss the ways Aristotle has influenced modern psychology, and how the path towards a richer life is always within us... 

Lorraine Besser is professor of philosophy at Middlebury College. She was a founding investigator on the research team studying psychological richness, and is the author of many books, including The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It. 

You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Interesting-What-Pursuit-Cultivate/dp/1538743205/

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ 

She was one of the most powerful women of the ancient world…

Once mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Cleopatra and Helen of Troy. 

Yet today she is largely forgotten. Why did this happen?  

Today Anya is joined by award-winning novelist Costanza Casati to discuss the ancient Assyrian queen, Semiramis, and the blurry boundary between history and myth.

Constanza Casati is the author of the award-winning novel Clytemnestra, as well as her second novel Babylonia, which in inspired by the life of Semiramis. She also works as a screenwriter and freelance journalist.

You can buy Babylonia by Constanza Casati here: https://www.amazon.com/Babylonia-Novel-Costanza-Casati-ebook/dp/B0CYKVCRP3

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What is the key to happiness? It turns out, the Stoics might just have the answer… 

Today Anya is joined by Christopher Gill to discuss ancient Stoic understandings of happiness, how some modern interpretations of Stoicism get it wrong, and what exactly fate has to do with it all.

Christopher Gill is a British philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter. 

He is author of many books, including Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and its Modern Significance, and most recently Stoic Ethic: The Basics, with Brittany Polat. You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Stoic-Ethics-Basics-Christopher-Gill/dp/1032813598

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

It’s no secret that the American Founding Fathers were deeply inspired by the Classics. The words of the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers suffuse the original documents and ideas that built America.

Today Anya is joined by Jeffery Rosen to talk about how ancient ideas of virtue inspired these pivotal figures in American history.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Right now at Classical Wisdom, we’re celebrating the 4th of July holiday with a special Founding Members deal: Founding Members can now receive our stunning 644 page hardback anthology, The Essential Classics, collecting the greatest ancient works in one beautiful new edition.

Founding Members can read and be inspired by the very texts that moved and motivated the Founding Fathers. And to commemorate the occasion, you can now become a Founding Member for $50 OFF.

So, take advantage of our special Founding Fathers, Founding Members Sale before this Monday to enjoy $50 off and to receive your own hardback Essential Classics anthology… Also, there is free shipping to anywhere in the world!

Click here to become a Founding Member: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/subscribe

***Important: The Essential Classics hardback is NOT available for the regular annual or monthly memberships. It is ONLY for Founding Members.***

Jeffery Rosen is an American legal scholar who serves as the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He has written frequently about the U.S. Supreme Court and is author of several books, including his most recent: The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America.