The Endless Knot

The Endless Knot episodes:

• 03.31.2024

  Episode 121: The Vesuvius Challenge, with Stephen Parsons

  Buried deep under volcanic ash lie hundreds of burnt scrolls containing texts from the first century. A new project is driving the work to try to read these chunks of carbon, to uncover new works and open new doors into...

  
• 02.29.2024

  Episode 120: Swimming in History, with Karen Carr

  We talked to Dr. Karen Carr about the global history of swimming — in myth, folktale, and history. Who swam, who didn’t, and how do the stories different cultures told reflect these patterns? We also talked a bit about Dr....

  
• 01.31.2024

  Episode 119: An Ecological Chain

  We discuss the language and history of the ecological sciences, all the way back to the ancient Greeks, and the development of the food chain and food web models of ecological systems. And apologies for the unscheduled hiatus!

  
• 08.31.2023

  Episode 118: A Crisis of Masculinity, with Melanie Racette-Campbell

  We talk to Melanie Racette-Campbell about her new book, “The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus”, and discuss why Roman elite men were particularly vulnerable to a societal transformation that changed their role in the state. What did...

  
• 07.04.2023

  Episode 117: A Brief History of Misogyny

  The word “chauvinism” is an unlikely eponym, but it turns out that the story behind it has all sorts of interesting connections. And our discussion of those connections also leads us into the long history of misogyny in the western...

  
• 05.30.2023

  Episode 116: A Quiverful of Time Arrows

  We look at the history of English’s conceptualization of time, and update Mark’s research on spatiotemporal metaphor. Also, words for arrows, the surprising origin of ‘toxic’, and a bit of Latin poetry!Blue Arrow cocktailBow and Arrow cocktailTranscript of this episodeThis...

  
• 04.25.2023

  Episode 115: Like, Literally, Dude! with Valerie Fridland

  We spoke to Dr. Valerie Fridland about her new book, “Like, Literally, Dude!” and talked about the fascinating role that many ‘errors’ in English speech actually play in communication. We discuss the never-ending changes that English has gone through,...

  
• 04.04.2023

  Episode 114a: The XYZ’s of Spelling

  It’s Part 2 of our mega-episode on spelling! This time, we get into some of the notorious mismatches between English spelling and modern English pronunciation. Explaining them takes us all the way back to Phoenician — several times — but...

  
• 03.28.2023

  Episode 114: The ABC’s of Spelling

  We’re wading into the messy world of English spelling in this episode — the first of two, since we couldn’t fit all of the ‘quirks’ of the language into one episode. The history of orthography in English is all tangled...

  
• 02.28.2023

  Bonus: Livestream Q&A from LingFest23

  In this bonus episode, we answer questions from viewers and listeners during a livestream on our YouTube channel, as part of #LingFest23. Apologies for the sound quality, which isn’t great.Also, sorry that we didn’t manage a regular episode in February,...

  
• 02.09.2023

  Announcement: LingFest23 Q&A Livestream

  Just a reminder that we’ll be doing a Q&A; livestream on our YouTube channel as part of LingFest in connection to the LingComm23 Conference on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern. Please leave us your questions on this website,...

  
• 01.31.2023

  Episode 113: Ovid's Metamorphoses in the 21st Century

  In this episode we talk to the authors of two new books on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Latin epic poem he wrote in 8 CE. Stephanie McCarter has published a new translation of the poem, and Gareth Williams has written a...

  
• 12.29.2022

  Episode 112: The Bellini, Art, and Patronage

  As we get ready to mark the new year, it seems a good time to talk about a classic cocktail made with sparkling wine: the Bellini. Our conversation takes us to Italy, in the 20th century, the 15th century, and...

  
• 11.29.2022

  Episode 111: Haggard Hawks, back again!

  We welcome back Paul Anthony Jones, of Haggard Hawks fame, to ell us about his new book “Why Is This a Question?”. We talk about how his experience of social media has changed since we last interviewed him in 2016,...

  
• 10.29.2022

  Episode 110: Music and Language

  We talk about the origins of music, its connection (both etymological and scientific) with the mind, how language is used to describe and teach music, the Muses, and the Museum of Alexandria. Also featuring brief cameos from music YouTuber 12Tone.Monk’s...

  
• 09.13.2022

  Episode 109: Endangered Alphabets, with Tim Brookes

  We spoke with Tim Brooks of the Endangered Alphabets project about the cultural importance of scripts, the pressures on marginalized and isolated scripts, his beautiful wood carvings, and the various initiatives he and his group have been working on to...

  
• 08.10.2022

  Episode 108: Widows, Indian Independence, and Partition

  Commemorating the 6th anniversary of the death of Mark’s father, and the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, this episode connects widows and partition, and while also touching on the legacy of Alexander the Great, the origins of badminton and tennis,...

  
• 07.12.2022

  Episode 107: Polar Regions, Comics, and Classics, with Natalie Swain

  We have a very fun conversation with Dr. Natalie Swain about her work on classical reception and the polar regions — the Arctic and Antarctic — science fiction, and comics. And Natalie and Mark find lots of overlaps and connections...

  
• 06.07.2022

  Episode 106: Future in the Past?

  We’re talking all about the future in this episode — and if we even have one (in English). This is a topic near and dear to Mark’s heart, and in part the subject of his dissertation! We get into the...

  
• 05.03.2022

  Episode 105: Dionysus, Translation, & Queering Greek Drama with Emma Pauly

  This episode we have a fascinating conversation with classicist, dramatug, and translator Emma Pauly about all things Dionysian, Greek tragedy, and their translation of Euripides’ Bacchae. We explore how Emma brings their experience with acting and directing to translating and...

  
• 04.12.2022

  Episode 104: Words the Vikings Gave Us, with Grace Tierney

  It’s time for some Old Norse, sagas, and daring Viking explorers! In this episode we talk to author Grace Tierney about her newest book, Words the Vikings Gave Us. We had a ton of fun in this conversation, and we’re...

  
• 04.01.2022

  Bonus: Karaoke April Fools!

  It’s April Fool’s Day, and time for the annual Podcast Switcheroo, where podcasters trade episodes to give their audience something a little different and introduce them to a new show. This year we’ve got an episode from “The Greatest Song...

  
• 03.15.2022

  Episode 103: Potatoes for Saint Patrick

  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! In this episode we talk about the saint’s history, then dig into the potato — its etymology, its history, and how it’s changed the world. With some tangents about batteries, famines, and travel in the Roman...

  
• 02.22.2022

  Episode 102: Baking Greek Bread, with Josh Nudell

  We’re talking about bread again! This time, about ancient Greek bread — its vocabulary, the many types of bread and how they were made, and the economic aspects of bread production. Josh shares his practical experiences of baking along with...

  
• 01.31.2022

  Episode 101: Not Your Average Podcast

  We start off the new year with a three-part discussion of statistics, insurance, stocks, astrologers, coffee, and more. We also trace some of the vocabulary that has come to English from Arabic, along with important mathematical concepts.Podcast recommendation: Khameleon Classics...

  
• 12.09.2021

  Episode 100: Celebrating Connections

  Our hundredth episode! We’re celebrating reaching three digits — and more than 6 years — with a whole bunch of our podcasting friends! These are just some of the amazing creators who make the independent podcasting world so wonderful, and...

  
• 11.15.2021

  Episode 99: Heavy Metal Music and Antiquity, with Jeremy Swist

  We talked to Jeremy Swist about his work on the reception of antiquity in heavy metal music. He discussed the ways the genre looks to the past for stories and imagery, and the many fantastic songs and albums that have...

  
• 10.27.2021

  Episode 98: The Monster Episode of Monsters

  It’s Halloween, and the monsters are out! In this episode we tackle Monster Theory (as formulated by J.J. Cohen) , examine the linguistic and cultural origins of a range of Classical and classic movie monsters, look at how they connect...

  
• 09.28.2021

  Episode 97: Aegyptiaca Romana, with Bet Hucks

  We speak to Bet Hucks about Roman importation and love of Egyptian art and other cultural material, the importance of thinking about material remains in assemblages and considering the contexts in which they were displayed, and some innovative ways of...

  
• 09.06.2021

  Episode 96: What's the Earliest English Word?

  What do you think the earliest English word was? How could we possibly look for such a thing, and what do the possible options tell us about early English history and the movement of peoples in the early medieval period?...

  
• 08.17.2021

  Episode 95: Reckonings, with Stephen Chrisomalis

  It’s time for a reckoning! Or, to be more accurate, a number of reckonings. We talk to Dr. Stephen Chrisomalis, a linguistic anthropologist who specializes in the anthropology of mathematics and the interaction of language, cognition, and culture, about his...

  
• 07.27.2021

  Episode 94: Catullus & Shibari, with Isobel Williams

  We talked to Isobel Williams about her fascinating and illuminating new translation of selected poems of Catullus, illustrated with her drawings of the Japanese art of rope binding, shibari. Our discussion ranges over the connections between the world of shibari...

  
• 07.05.2021

  Episode 93: The Americano, the Negroni, America, and Rome

  A day after Independence Day in the US, we investigate the history of the name “America” and two related cocktails, with some side trips into the sack of Rome in 410 CE and the use of the Fall of Rome...

  
• 06.28.2021

  Episode 92: Canuck, and Re-Thinking Canada's Story

  This episode is being released for Canada Day, but it’s not a celebration. This year, even more than most, we feel that this day needs to be one of reckoning with our past and trying to make a better present...

  
• 05.25.2021

  Episode 91: Roman Gardens, with Victoria Austen

  We talk to Dr. Victoria Austen about Roman gardens. What defines a garden? Where were the gardens at Rome, and what were they for? How did Romans think about gardens and gardening, and what roles did they play in literature,...

  
• 04.26.2021

  Episode 90: Unrolling Books and Evolving Words

  We talk about the history of the boo, the reading habits of the ancient Romans, the pliability of sheep skins, and the mechanisms of semantic change that cause words to evolve over time. Oh, and we discuss Charles Darwin’s own...

  
• 04.01.2021

  Switcheroo 2021!

  This year for April Fool's Day we're taking part in a podcast switcheroo where podcasters are trading episodes to introduce their audiences to other podcasts they think you might enjoy. So we're having the great folks from Bunny Trails, Shauna...

  
• 03.17.2021

  Episode 89: Horses in Antiquity, with Carolyn Willekes

  We speak to Dr. Carolyn Willekes about horses in antiquity: their development and domestication, their use in warfare, their training and breeding, and her many adventures riding horses across Greece, Turkey, Mongolia, and Canada.

  
• 02.27.2021

  Announcement: Online Course

  Aven: Hi everyone. This isn't a regular episode of the Endless Knot podcast. Just a quick announcement. Mark: I wanted to let you all know about something new that I'm doing: an online seminar series. It's basically a short course...

  
• 02.15.2021

  Episode 88: Meta-Etymology

  We talk about the etymology of “Etymology” itself, and then discuss the basics of historical linguistics, including Grimm’s Law, Verner’s Law, and more. We also talk about Isidore of Seville, the etymological puns of Latin poets, and the way Mark...

  
• 01.25.2021

  Episode 87: Alexander the Great, with Meg Finlayson

  This episode is all about Alexander the Great, and especially about his reception by later Greeks & Romans, the middle ages, and modern popular culture. We had the pleasure of interviewing Meg Finlayson who studies Alexander and his reception and...

  
• 12.26.2020

  Episode 86: Who's on Your Calendar?

  Happy holidays! In this seasonal episode we discuss the origins of the modern Western calendar, the names of the months and days of the week, and the sources we have for Roman calendars and Germanic gods. Happy new year, and...

  
• 11.03.2020

  Episode 85: Election Talk to Take Your Mind off the Election

  It’s election night 2020 in the US, and our video from 4 years ago about the language of politics is relevant once again. We discuss the changing vocabulary of democracy and what it can tell us about shifting attitudes towards...

  
• 10.11.2020

  Episode 84: Linoleum: It's Not As Boring As You Think!

  n this episode we go from the origin of the world to the many uses of olive oil, with discussions of Roman mosaics, and trademark law along the way. This is the third of our episodes on Intellectual Property, following...

  
• 08.06.2020

  Episode 83: Recipes and Authority, from Intelligent Speech

  Back in June we had the pleasure of being part of the Intelligent Speech Conference 2020 — this year, held entirely online. It was a day filled with amazing podcasters and great conversations, and in this short episode we’re sharing...

  
• 07.06.2020

  Episode 82: Plagues, with Moxie from Your Brain on Facts

  It’s time for us to talk about plagues — ancient, medieval, literary, etymological, and psychological! We’re joined by Moxie from Your Brain on Facts for a very fun — if slightly disturbing — discussion of many aspects of historical plagues.Transcript...

  
• 06.05.2020

  Episode 81: The Rise (and Fall) of Skywalker

  In an episode that was recorded in late May before the protests started, we took a break from COVID talk to give our thoughts on the final movie in the Star Wars saga. We discussed how it was similar to...

  
• 04.10.2020

  Episode 80: Runes and Early Writing Systems

  We take a look at the history of runes and their connection to early alphabets and Germanic culture. Then we take a trip back to the Phoenician and Egyptian origins of the modern English alphabet, and talk about some of...

  
• 02.11.2020

  Episode 79: Sex & Gender

  We trace the etymologies and development of the words “sex” and “gender”, as well as words for women and men in Greek, Latin, and English, touching on Roman, Greek, and medieval English ideas about gender. Then we discuss the grammatical...

  
• 12.17.2019

  Episode 78: An Etymological Holiday Feast

  This year’s holiday episode is all about festivals and feasts — and in particular, midwinter celebrations, the solstice, and the seasons. And we read a couple of Latin poems about drinking — and explore the odd connection between them and...