It’s philosophy’s ultimate dinner party… and you’re invited.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Alex Priou to discuss Plato’s most joyful and playful work, The Symposium.

Discover how taking an unconventional approach to Plato can illuminate both this ancient text and how we live today.

ALEX PRIOU is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin. He is the author of many books, including 'Musings on Plato’s Symposium', as well as a number of articles on the history of philosophy. He is also the co-host of a philosophy podcast, The New Thinkery. You can listen here: https://thenewthinkery.com/

You can purchase ‘Musings on Plato’s Symposium” by Alex Priou here: https://www.amazon.com/Musings-Platos-Symposium-Alex-Priou-ebook/dp/B0CHZ3WS69/

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/

Discover the ancient nomadic tribe that helped inspire the myth of the Amazons… and their legacy in the world today.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Christopher Beckwith, an expert on the mysterious and compelling Scythians.

Join them as they discuss the secrets of this influential yet overlooked people, their vanished empire, how Herodotus is a very reliable source after all. 

You can purchase ‘The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China’ by Christopher Beckwith here:

https://www.amazon.com/Scythian-Empire-Central-Eurasia-Classical/dp/0691240531

Christopher I. Beckwith is an American philologist and distinguished professor in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana.

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 say all philosophy is but a series of footnotes to Plato. Yet the remarkable story of the great philosopher’s life has remained untold—until now.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by independent scholar and translator Robin Waterfield to discuss his latest book ‘Plato of Athens’, the first ever full-length biography of Plato.

Separate fact from fiction and discover if Plato really died from not knowing a riddle, whether the so-called letters of Plato are authentic or not… and how Plato was like Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien.

You can purchase ‘Plato of Athens’ by Robin Waterfield here.

ROBIN WATERFIELD is the author of many books, including ‘Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy’, as well as ‘Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations: The Annotated Edition’.

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/

Take a deep dive into three of ancient Greece's most fascinating women - both historical and mythological.  What can we discover about Sappho, Medea and Antigone by studying the original texts?

Join Diane Rayor, an extremely talented and engaged translator as she takes you 'behind the scenes' of some of the most powerful works from the ancient world.

DIANE J. RAYOR is Professor Emerita of Classics at Grand Valley State University, Michigan. She has published six book translations of ancient Greek poetry and drama: Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works (Cambridge University Press, paperback 2nd edition Feb.

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/

In a world brimming with information and rapidly shifting beliefs, the lessons from Socrates resonate more than ever.

How do we seek knowledge in an age of uncertainty? How can we engage in meaningful dialogue that encourages critical thinking? What can his ideas teach us about social justice, politics, education and our own minds?

Enjoy this interdisciplinary discussion, looking at the relevance of Socrates today, drawing on the perspectives of classics, history, philosophy, and psychology and discover the life and legacy of one of history's most influential thinkers and why his ideas continue to inspire and provoke us today.

Featuring prominent professors and renowned authors including: Armand D’Angour, Donald Robertson, Angie Hobbs and Massimo Pigliucci. Moderated and hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom.

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/

The ancients had plenty of thoughts about animals... but are their insights helpful to us now? How did they treat animals? What did they think of them? And should we eat meat?

Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Mark Usher, the Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a member of the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont. With his wife, he also built, owns, and operates Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Today we’ll be talking about his most recent book, How to Care About Animals: An Ancient Guide to Creatures Great and Small.

You can purchase his book here

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

Everyone knows Athens and Sparta...and yet, THEBES is not the common household name it should be.

From its captivating mythology to its fantastic history, we’ll look at the archeology, the military, the legends and the truth of this essential city state.

Featuring Paul Cartledge of Cambridge University, James Romm of Bard College, Stephen Dando-Collins of Turner Publishing, Stephanie Larson of Bucknell University, Joel Christensen of Brandeis University and Elton Barker of The Open University. 

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Should Ivanka Trump and Hunter Biden marry? Well, Plato might think that was a good idea... 

Today’’s Classical Wisdom speaks podcast is with Melissa Lane, the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and a faculty member of the Program in Classical Philosophy at Princeton University. She is author of many books, including most recently, “Of Rule and Office: Plato's Ideas of the Political.”

We discuss Juvenal's conundrum, Plato’s political views of rulers and the nature of rule and ask: did Plato believe in ancient Checks and Balances? 

You can find Professor Lane's book, “Of Rule and Office: Plato's Ideas of the Political.” here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691192154/of-rule-and-office

If you are interested in learning more about ancient Philosophy specifically and the Classics in general, check out Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

In the boom time in Roman Britain, 3rd century AD, one Roman Emperor made his mark on the chaotic island before he was canceled in his own time... and afterwards. But was the treatment of Magnus Maximus unfair? Was he just a usurper? Or absolutely pivotal in the history and mythology of Britain?

Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Maxwell Craven, historian, archaeologist, and author of several books, including his most recent: "Magnus Maximus: The Neglected Roman Emperor and his British Legacy", of which we speak about today.

You can buy Max's book on Magnus Maximus here.

If you are interested in learning more about history specifically and the Classics in general, check out Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

What do the ancient Greek goddesses reveal about ancient Greek culture? Why did people craft such immoral and often unlikeable gods? And what should we really think about Hera?

Today's Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with  NATALIE HAYNES, author of several books, including Pandora’s Jar, Stone Blind and A Thousand Ships, which was a national bestseller and shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction.  Natalie is a comedian— as well as a broadcaster for the BBC, and she has written for The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, and The Observer. Today we'll talk about her most recent book, Divine Might.

You can also buy Divine Might here: https://www.amazon.com/DIVINE-MIGHT-author/dp/1529089484

If you are interested in learning more about mythology specifically and the Classics in general, check out Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/