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No, Thucydides did not say that! Historian Neville Morley explores the origins and significance of Thucydidean misquotations and misattributions.... more
FAQs about Thucydiocy:How many episodes does Thucydiocy have?The podcast currently has 10 episodes available.
June 09, 2023Thucydiocy Episode 10: Vines, Olives, Barbarism and Civilisation"The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine." Well, it could have come from Thucydides' account of the early development of Greece, but it doesn't; why do all the wine writers think it does, then?...more27minPlay
September 21, 2022Thucydiocy Episode 9:Keeping Feasts and Reprimanding FriendsWho knew that Thucydides had wise words to say about the duty to call out your friends when they're out of order, or to support the Christian condemnation of public festivals?...more34minPlay
June 28, 2022Thucydiocy Episode 8: The Tyranny Athens imposed......on others, it eventually imposed on itself." A key quote for journalist Chris Hedges in analysing the present state of the USA - but if it's not actually Thucydides (who never wrote about the rule of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens), who was it?...more35minPlay
May 13, 2022Thucydiocy Episode 7: Punish False Accusers..."You should punish those who commit crimes in the same manner as those who accuse falsely" - which doesn't actually make much sense if you think about it, quite apart from the fact that there's no trace of this idea in Thucydides....more34minPlay
March 24, 2022Thucydiocy Episode 6: Justice will not come to Athens......until those who are not injured are as outraged as those who are. Thucydides? Ben Franklin? Socrates? No, it's someone much more interesting: the sixth-century BCE Athenian poet and statesman Solon. Never heard of him? This is why you should......more31minPlay
March 20, 2020Thucydiocy Episode 5: Hope is Expensive"Hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared." A topical quote for a time of global pandemic - and at least half of it is genuine Thucydides. The other half is arguably more interesting......more17minPlay
August 30, 2019Thucydiocy Episode 4: Teaching by Examples"History is philosophy teaching by examples." The good news: it's a genuinely ancient line, rather than a modern quote that's been misattributed to Thucydides. The bad news: it's still a misattribution......more34minPlay
July 23, 2019Thucydiocy Episode 3: Manifestations of Power"Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most": not Thucydides, whatever Colin Powell thought - but was it Menander, Quintilian, Proverbs, or the Swami Vivekananda..?...more26minPlay
July 01, 2019Thucydiocy Episode 2: Peace and War'Peace is only an armistice in an endless war.' It's just SO Thucydides, isn't it? Certainly the writers of Wonder Woman thought so, as did Graham Allison, of 'Thucydides Trap' fame. But it isn't......more30minPlay
June 13, 2019Thucydiocy Episode 1: Scholars and Warriors'The society that separates its scholars from its warriors...' - not Thucydides, as is often claimed on Twitter, but who is it? Neville Morley investigates, with occasional interruptions from his cats....more30minPlay
FAQs about Thucydiocy:How many episodes does Thucydiocy have?The podcast currently has 10 episodes available.