Classical Wisdom Speaks

What Can Ancient Epics Teach Us About Death? | Homer, Lost Classics & Greek Tragedy

What can the greatest stories of ancient Greece teach us about death, and how to live?

Thousands of years ago, Greek poets and playwrights were exploring questions we still struggle with today.

Is a short life of glory better than a long, ordinary one? What do we owe the dead? And how do we make sense of grief, loss, and mortality?

In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, host Anya Leonard welcomes Classical Wisdom's resident classicist Ben Potter...

How much of what we think we know about Cleopatra comes from history? 

And how much was created by Roman propaganda, Shakespeare, and centuries of storytelling?

In this fascinating episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, host Anya Leonard speaks with international bestselling author Natasha Solomons about her novel I Am Cleopatra, the extraordinary life of Egypt's last pharaoh, and the challenge of separating the historical Cleopatra from the myths that surround her.

For more than 2,000 years, Cleopatra VII has captivated historians, writers, artists and audiences. Yet her story is so often told through the m...

What Counts as Classical? | Dan-El Padilla Peralta on the Future of Classics

Why do we call ancient Greece and Rome “classical”? And who decided that their literature, art and philosophy should hold such a privileged place in our understanding of history?

Is there a difference between studying the ancient world and treating it as uniquely authoritative?

In this thought-provoking episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, host Anya Leonard speaks with Dan-El Padilla Peralta, Professor of Classics at Princeton University, about the history of classical studies, the politics of cultural value and the future of the...

What Can Greek Myth Teach Us About Being Human? | Why Myth Matters

Why have stories of gods, monsters, heroes and tragedy survived for thousands of years?

For the ancient Greeks, myth wasn't simply entertainment. It helped people understand the gods, society, suffering, morality and the unpredictability of human life.

In this special extended Classical Wisdom event, Why Myth Matters, Anya Leonard is joined by Natalie Haynes, Sarah Iles Johnston, Jeremy McInerney, Helene Foley, James Romm and Agnes Callard to explore what mythology meant in the ancient world, and why these stories still matter...

Have We Misunderstood the Women of Ancient Athens? | Katherine Backler on Their Forgotten Lives

Were women in ancient Athens simply wives and mothers, largely confined to the home? Or does the surviving evidence reveal a much richer picture?

In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard speaks with ancient historian Katherine Backler, author of Athena’s Sisters: Reclaiming the Women of Classical Athens, to uncover the lives, work, friendships and identities of women too often missing from our picture of ancient Athens.

Watch the FULL, EXTENDED EPISODE by becoming a Classical Wisdom Me...

Where Should You Go in Greece for Ancient History? | Aristotle Koskinas on Hidden Gems & Must-See Sites

Planning a trip to Greece? Some of its greatest archaeological treasures are hiding in plain sight—and even at famous sites like Delphi, visitors can walk straight past monuments that changed Greek history.

So where should an ancient history lover actually go?

In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard speaks with archaeologist and veteran tourist guide Aristotle Koskinas for an insider's journey through Greece—from Olympia, Delphi and Thermopylae to Naxos, Santorini, Rhodes and remarkable site...

How Do You Cope When Everything Falls Apart? | Philip Freeman on Boethius & Ancient Wisdom

What can philosophy do for you when you have lost everything—your power, your freedom, your friends, and perhaps even your life?

In this live episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard speaks with classical scholar and award-winning translator Philip Freeman about one of antiquity's most extraordinary works: Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy and Freeman's new book, How to Cope: An Ancient Guide to Enduring Hardship.

Boethius had reached the heights of Roman society. A brilliant scholar and powerful st...

Why Is Marcus Aurelius Still So Powerful Today? | Aaron Poochigian on Stoicism & Meditations

Nearly 2,000 years after his death, Marcus Aurelius still speaks directly to millions of readers. But why?

In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard sits down with poet, classics scholar and translator Aaron Poochigian to explore his new translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations—and discover the complicated, vulnerable and surprisingly relatable man behind one of history's most influential works of philosophy.

Poochigian wanted to restore the Meditations to “living color,” moving away from translations that can make Marcus sound distan...

Can Ancient Philosophy Teach Us How to Succeed? | Tom Morris on Aristotle, Stoicism & Living Well

What does it actually mean to succeed in life? And could Aristotle, the Stoics and other ancient thinkers have better answers than our modern obsession with money, status and achievement?

In this episode, Anya Leonard speaks with Tom Morris, public philosopher, former Notre Dame professor and bestselling author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors. Together they explore what happens when ancient philosophy leaves the classroom and enters everyday life: from business and leadership to personal success, politics and the search...

How Did Beliefs Really Work in the Ancient World?| Michael Satlow on Ancient Religion & Ritual

For people in Late Antiquity, gods, spirits and invisible forces weren't simply matters of faith: they were part of everyday reality. 

What would life feel like if gods, spirits, demons and other invisible beings were as real to you as the people around you? Professor Michael Satlow explores the enchanted world of Late Antiquity, and what it can teach us about our increasingly secular lives…

In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya speaks with Michael Satlow, Professor of...

What Did Roman Houses Reveal About the People Who Lived Inside Them? | Ancient Architecture & Morality

Roman houses were more than places to live—they were reflections of identity, values, status, and ideas about how to live a good life.

In this fascinating conversation, Marden Nicholls explores what ancient Roman homes can teach us about architecture, morality, social values, and the relationship between our surroundings and ourselves. Discover how Roman writers viewed the house as a mirror of character, why design choices mattered, and what ancient ideas about sustainable building and meaningful spaces can teach us to...

Do we truly have free will, or are our choices shaped by biology, habits, and unconscious forces? 

This fascinating panel explores one of humanity's oldest and most important questions.

Join philosopher Tamar Gendler, psychologist Jeffrey Schaler, and classicist Michael Fontaine as they debate free will, consciousness, Aristotle, and what ancient wisdom can teach us about making better decisions today. 

Whether you're interested in philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, ethics, or personal development, this conversation offers thought-provoking insights into how we become the people we choose to be.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
What free wi...

Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World | The Ancient Civilization That Still Shapes Your Life

Mesopotamia changed the world.

Many of the systems you use every day began thousands of years ago between the Tigris and Euphrates.

Assyriologist Selena Wisnom explains why Mesopotamia was far more than the "cradle of civilization." Discover how cuneiform writing, libraries, mathematics, literature, timekeeping, and the Epic of Gilgamesh helped shape the modern world. 

If you're interested in ancient history, archaeology, ancient literature, or the origins of human civilization, this episode reveals why Mesopotamia remains o...

The Amarna Letters: Love, War & Diplomacy in the Bronze Age World | Eric Cline

What can 3,400-year-old diplomatic letters teach us about international politics, trade, misinformation, and human nature?

Archaeologist and historian Eric Cline reveals the extraordinary story of the Amarna Letters: hundreds of clay tablets that uncovered a thriving, interconnected Bronze Age world. From royal marriages and diplomatic rivalries to trade networks, proxy wars, and political intrigue, these ancient letters offer a rare window into life before the collapse of the Late Bronze Age.

If you're fascinated by ancient history, Egypt, the Bronze...

What can Homer's Odyssey teach us about resilience, trauma, grief, purpose, and living a meaningful life in the modern world?

Clinical psychologist Dr. Sam Akbar joins Classical Wisdom Speaks to explore why The Odyssey remains one of the most powerful guides to human psychology ever written. Drawing on her work with trauma survivors and refugees, she reveals how Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus offer timeless lessons on resilience, emotional growth, identity, belonging, and finding your way home, both literally and psychologically.

Whether you're interested in Greek mythology, psychology, mental health, personal growth, Stoicism, or Homer's epic...

Intellectual Slaves in Ancient Rome: The Hidden Minds Behind Roman Literature & Power

What is an intellectual slave, and why did some of the most educated people in ancient Rome live in bondage?

In this fascinating conversation, Princeton classics professor Harriet Flower reveals the overlooked world of learned slaves and educated freedmen in Republican Rome. Discover how enslaved scholars, poets, editors, teachers, and philosophers helped shape Roman culture, literature, politics, and intellectual life, and why some were worth fortunes to Rome’s elite.

If you're interested in Roman history, slavery in the ancient world, cl...

Why Did Ancient Civilizations Worship Bulls?

From the Minotaur to Taurus, explore how bull symbolism shaped mythology, religion, power, and identity across the ancient world.

This episode is for anyone fascinated by ancient mythology, symbolism, religion, and the hidden meanings behind ancient cultures.

Author and researcher Stephen Palmer explores the history of bull worship in the ancient world, from prehistoric cave art and fertility rituals to Greek mythology, and the enduring cultural power of the bull. 

The conversation dives into why bulls became such important symbols of strength, masculinity, divinity, sacrifice, a...

Should philosophy start in childhood?

Discover how philosophy for children can improve critical thinking, empathy, communication, and emotional resilience in the modern world.

This episode is for parents, teachers, students, and anyone interested in philosophy, education, psychology, and child development.

Dr. Maria Kasmirli explores why philosophy should be introduced to children from an early age—not as abstract academic theory, but as a way of encouraging curiosity, dialogue, reasoning, and deeper thinking. The conversation looks at how philosophical discussion helps children develop confidence, communication skills, empathy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate di...

What Is the Future of Ancient History? 

In this deep, thought-provoking discussion, leading historians and philosophers explore what “ancient history” really means, how it’s taught today, and why it matters more than ever. 

If you’re interested in history, philosophy, education, or the future of the humanities, this episode will challenge how you think about the ancient world—and your place in it. 

KEY TOPICS COVERED 

• What ancient history actually means (and what it doesn’t) 

• Why it’s not just about Greece and Rome 

• The global vs. local debate in...

What Did Ancient People Believe About Death and the Afterlife?

Robert Garland explores how Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and other ancient cultures understood death, grief, burial, and the afterlife. 

This episode is for anyone fascinated by ancient history, mythology, religion, and the human experience of death. 

Classicist Robert Garland discusses how ancient civilizations approached mortality: from Greek ideas of Hades and the afterlife to Egyptian burial practices, reincarnation, grief, cremation, and ritual. Drawing from his book What to Expect When You’re Dead, he reveals how ancient beliefs about death shaped culture, religion, and ever...

This episode is for anyone interested in ancient Greece, democracy, political history, and rhetoric, especially if you want to understand how the past connects to modern political challenges. 

You’ll learn who Demosthenes was, how he rose to power through oratory and persuasion, and why he became known as democracy’s defender during the rise of Macedon under Philip II. This conversation explores the fragility of democracy, the role of speech in politics, and the dangers of misinformation: issues that feel just as urgent today. 

If you want a deeper understanding of how **ancient political system...

What does the story of Demeter really tell us about loss, power, and the human experience? 

In this episode, renowned translator and classicist Diane Rayor unpacks the Homeric Hymn to Demeter: one of the most powerful and enduring myths from ancient Greece. 

Far more than just a story about gods, this hymn explores grief, motherhood, identity, and the fragile balance between life and death. Diane Rayor brings her deep expertise and fresh translation work to the conversation, revealing layers of meaning that are often missed in traditional readings. 

Together, we explore how this anc...

What is the point of studying Classics today? 

Mary Beard explains why the ancient world still shocks, challenges, and reshapes how we think. Discover how Greek and Roman history can change your perspective, without offering easy answers. 

In this conversation, renowned classicist Mary Beard explores how ancient Greece and Rome remain deeply relevant today, not as a guidebook for life, but as a way to see modern problems differently. You’ll learn how to approach classical history without intimidation, why “the shock of the old” still matters, and how anyone can join the conversation.

If you...

An age of apocalyptic thinking, a clash of empires, and a legacy that still shapes the world today... 

Today Anya is joined by Professor Barry Strauss to discuss the Jewish Revolts against the Roman Empire. Discover what fueled these uprisings, and how their dramatic outcome has shaped centuries. 

Barry Strauss is the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University as well as the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, where he is the former Chair of the Department of History as well as Pr...

Barbarian, witch, murderer… and mother.

Today Anya is joined by author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes to discuss one of Greek mythology’s most famous and dramatic characters, Medea. 

Discover the complex legends and legacy of Medea, from her daring love story with Jason to its dark aftermath… and how the Greek tragedian Euripides transformed her how her story is told, forever.

Natalie Haynes is the author of several acclaimed books about women in Greek mythology, including Divine Might, Stone Blind, and most recently No Friend to This House, her own much-anticipated retelling of the myt...

What were the secrets of Roman warfare?

What is the best way to defeat an enemy… and what does all this have to do with aqueducts?

Today Anya is joined by George Thomas to discuss the life of Frontinus, an ancient Roman general and governor of Roman Britain. In particular, they’re looking at Stratagems, his manual for war, which looked to ancient history to distil key lessons in military strategy and leadership. 

George Thomas, also known by his pen name, Quintus Curtius, is an acclaimed translator of ancient texts, including those by Cicer...

Long before crowds stormed Bastille or Winter Palace, Greek thinkers treated revolution as the ultimate civic nightmare. So how did an existential danger morph into a promise of liberation—and what happens when that promise curdles into violence? 

In this dynamic online forum, Dan Edelstein, Professor of French at Stanford University, is joined by classical-political heavyweights Josiah Ober, Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University, and Melissa Lane, Professorship of Politics at Princeton University, to excavate the deep past of an idea that still jolts headlines and rattles parliaments. 

Hosted by Anya Leonard. 

...

Existing at the very edge of the Classical world, in both time and geography, Saint Augustine has proven to be immensely influential on the modern world… but not always in a good way.

Today Anya is joined by Tony Alimi to discuss the life and philosophy of Saint Augustine, how he was influenced by Roman philosophers, and the ‘entanglements’ that complicate his legacy. In particular, how his theology was used to justify slavery. 

Discover how philosophy has been abused by history, and why Augustine still isn't through with us today... 

Tony Alimi is assistan...

What can Plato tell us about life TODAY?

Quite a lot, it turns out…

Today Anya is joined by Professor Angie Hobbs to discuss the essential and enduringly relevant nature of Plato’s ideas. Discover how they are infused in our modern world, in everything from politics to our personal lives.

Angie Hobbs is Professor Emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield and author of Plato and the Hero, Plato’s Republic: A Ladybird Expert Book, and most recently, Why Plato Matters Now.

You ca...

Was King Arthur real?

What can his story tells us about British history and identity? And what exactly happened to Britain after the Romans left? 

Today Anya is joined by Murray Dahm, an independent academic researcher and freelance historian based in Sydney, Australia. 

Discover how the era of post-Roman Britain is both a beginning and an ending, the thin line between history and myth, and how the dark age was MUCH shorter than commonly thought. 

Murray Dahm is the author of several books, including Finis Britanniae: A Military History of Late Rom...

How is Odysseus like the heroes of Indian literature?

And how did two cultures, separated by vast time and distances, come to have such remarkably similar stories?

Today Anya is joined by Roberto Morales to discuss the parallels between ancient Greek, Roman, and Indian literature. They discuss what caused these parallels, and what we can learn from them today...

Roberto Morales is Associate Professor of Sanskrit and Head of the Department of Classical Philology at the University of Costa Rica, and author of The Embassy, the Ambush, and the Ogre, which they discuss...

What can Seneca, the Roman statesman and Stoic, teach us about life today? 

And how can we teach ourselves to do the right thing? 

Today Anya is joined by Robert Kaster, Emeritus Professor of Classics at Princeton to discuss the complex and rewarding legacy of Seneca’s Stoicism.

He is the author of many books including his most recent, How to Do the Right Thing: An Ancient Guide to Treating People Fairly, which is drawn from the writings of Seneca. 

You can buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Do-Right-Thing-Treating/dp/0691238642 

H...

How did ancient Greek culture accomplish so much? 

Especially across so many different fields, and in such a comparatively short period of time?

It turns out, having a good debate every now and then is VERY important.

Today Anya is joined by Reviel Netz, the Patrick Suppes Professor of Greek Mathematics and Astronomy in the Department of Classics at Stanford University.

He is the author of many celebrated books, including the bestselling The Archimedes Codex: Revealing the Secret of the World's Greatest Palimpsest, The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics, as w...

The West’s greatest peril is forgetfulness, its loss of cultural memory. Without knowing where we came from, how can we know what to defend, or even what to value?

In an age when history itself is contested...when the past is either dismissed or distorted...The Golden Thread reminds us why the study of civilization matters. Drawing on nearly three millennia of art, philosophy, politics, and faith, Hankins weaves the story of how our ideas of law, liberty, and virtue emerged...and why they still matter in the modern world.

In this conversation, James Ha...

Who were the women of the Odyssey? How have they been understood (and misunderstood) by history?

And what is the secret of Calypso’s sail?

Today Anya is joined by Emily Hauser, to discuss both the famous and the overlooked women of Homer's epics.

Emily Hauser, an award-winning ancient historian and author, and world-leading voice in rediscovering the women of Greek myth. She studied at Harvard, Yale and Cambridge, where she won the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal for Classical Proficiency.

She is the author of acclaimed novels rewriting Greek mythical women, incl...

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 signa...

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 d...

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...

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

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/