Sibyl Service

Diogenes the dog is an exclusive interview with the 5th-century cynic who lived in a barrel (sorry, wine casket.)

I ask him a plethora of questions, such as "why did you remain single by choice?" and "what's up with you masturbating and defecating in public?"

Adored by Alexander the Great and hated by Plato, this man will shock and baffle you. 

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How does the etymology of avocado relate to the word protestant? What do the words genetics, genesis, and genuine all share in common? Does crocodile mean a pebble worm, and squirrel the 'shadow-tailed' and why?

Plenty more of this available right here, right now.

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This episode is fact and fun-fueled. 

Pt 1 - The rip-roaring Romans popping off after winning the euros, followed by a quick sidetrack of a history of parks from Ancient Rome to Mussolini’s fascist regime.

Pt 2 - The Circus Maximus - what raucous activities went down here then?

Pt 3 - An interview with Aldo Giannotti - the curator of the exhibition “Safe and sound” in the Mambo Art museum. The exhibition explores surveillance. Why do we feel safe with cameras watching us?

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They say curiosity killed the cat, and that’s why Advice from Aristotle Pt.2 is back.

Aristotle gets a bad rep, but maybe his 'reason conquering all' is a useful logic to bring to the table?

Why did Aristotle the investigator say “You can find beauty in the tiniest, ugliest thing?”

So what’s up with moths the size of birds? What animals do you intuitively dislike?

Who would you rather sit down for a meal with, Plato or Aristotle?

Why do journalists do courses on Aristotle? Can Aristotle cancel “cancel” culture?

How fine a line it is between patriotism and nationalism?

Listen to the whole spectrum with me and the fantastic Olivia Fane.

What’s the difference between Plebeians and Patricians? Was emperor Claudius the first pro-immigration leader? Did dolphins disrupt fishing? Who are those fellas, Romulus and Remus then? Was Cicero such the cream of the crop?

All these questions are answered and discussed walking around the ancient site of Ostia Antica.

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Did Aristotle think women need to have orgasms to get pregnant? Or that masters can be more 'slavish' than their own slave? Does Aristotle like 'ugly' animals?

There is no ancient thinker who can speak more directly to the concerns and anxieties of contemporary life than can Aristotle.

Olivia Fane and I deliberate Aristotle’s approach to slavery, women, and animals. We chat about how his advice teaches us not to compare ourselves to others, to train ourselves to be good people and to have the different parts of our soul in harmony. 

Paris the Pacifist? Paris just stressed, depressed and Helen obsessed? Paris the love warrior?

This interview with Paris of Troy really changed my perspective on the man. He is more than the cowardly home wrecker that meets the eye. Ipso facto, Paris has some inspiring insights on women in the Homeric Age of Greece, on the gods' intervention in war, imperialism, and the greed of men.

You can listen and decide for yourself whether he wanted to liberate Helen from the shackles of Menelaus and what society expected of her. Or whether he wanted the most beautiful woman in the world as his own property.

He is entering the studio, I repeat, he is entering the studio…

Apart from sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Victor Principe and I compare and contrast religion and plagues in Ancient and Modern Rome.

Ever wondered about the transition from Paganism to Christianity in the Roman Empire? Ever wondered how the Ancient Romans dealt with their equivalent of Covid-19? Ever wondered about religious practices in the Roman Empire?

Then we are your gateway to that knowledge.

'Therapy with Frida' delves under the skin of the iconic painter. The Daughter of the Mexican revolution.

We discuss her self-portraits, her relationships with Diego Rivera and Trotsky, her communism, and the fatal moments that led to her famous quote “Doctor, if you let me drink this tequila, I promise I won’t drink at my funeral.”

She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio…

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Most people know her as the wife of Oscar Wilde, but Constance was a phenomenon in her own right.

She wrote many of Oscar's plays (classic,) campaigned for women's rights, and pioneered fashion designs, even inventing the divided skirt.

This episode explores Constance, as an individual, and investigates why she stayed so loyal to Oscar despite his public affairs and exile from society.

She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio...