PODCAST · history
Ancient Greece Declassified
by Dr. Lantern Jack
The podcast that transports you to the ancient world and back, with some good conversation along the way. It's not just about ancient Greece. It's about a huge chunk of human history that the Greek texts give us access to: from Egypt and Babylon, to Persia, to Carthage and Rome, we'll sail the wine-dark sea of history with some expert guides at the helm. Topics will include archaeology, literature, and philosophy. New episode every month.
Episodes
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66 Did Odysseus Discover America?
Could the Odyssey preserve echoes of a long-lost voyage beyond the Mediterranean—perhaps even across the Atlantic? A speculative discussion informed by Homeric scholarship, archaeology, and ancient literature. ------------------ To support this show and our mission to bring the classics to the...
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65 From Vengeance to Justice: The Genius of Aeschylus' ORESTEIA w/ Doug Metzger
Aeschylus' "Oresteia" is one of the most extraordinary works of literature to have come from Ancient Greece. It's a story about murder, revenge, and the birth of justice itself. We are joined by Doug Metzger, host of the "Literature and History" podcast to explore how the ancient Athenian…
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64 Plato's Republic: Full Summary and Explanation w/ Gina White
Plato's Republic isn't just a cornerstone of Western thought—it's a mirror reflecting the challenges of our own time. In this episode of Ancient Greece Declassified, host Lantern Jack teams up with scholar Gina White to deliver a one-stop, accessible guide to this timeless work—exploring its big...
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63 The Spartan Strategy for Acquiring and Wielding Power w/ Eric Robinson
How did Sparta—a mere city-state with an agrarian economy and barely any economic growth to speak of—rise to become the supreme power in ancient Greece? We investigate in conversation with renowned historian Eric W. Robinson, author of the forthcoming book "Spartan Legend." ------------------...
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62 Marcus Aurelius and the Kingdom of Gold w/ Judith Stove
Marcus Aurelius became emperor of Rome in 161 AD and went on to win several wars against the northern barbarians. But it wasn't his military exploits that earned him everlasting fame. Rather, it was his philosophical mind and the writings he left behind. In this episode, we are joined by author…
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Announcements: Next Tour, Seeking Video Editor, Connect on Social Media, Patreon update
Some announcements for those of you who care about what's happening at AGD behind the scenes...
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61 Who is Lantern Jack? (Doug Interviews Me)
I chat with friend and fellow podcaster Doug Metzger about how I first became fascinated with the ancient world and share some of the adventures I had on the way to getting a PhD in Classical Philosophy. ------------------ Support AGD on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast ------------------...
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60 The Rise of Athens (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 3)
During the Persian Wars, the city of Athens was completely razed to the ground by the Persian army. And yet, from its ashes, a new Athens was born, more powerful and magnificent than any other city in the Mediterranean. How did the Athenians pull that off? In this finale to our Persian Wars saga,...
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59 The Ancient Novels w/ Doug Metzger (Apuleius, Lucian, Chariton, Heliodorus, Petronius, Achilles Tatius)
Unveiling the wild world of ancient Greek and Roman novels with Doug Metzger, host of the "Literature and History Podcast." ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast ------------------ Contents of the episode, with timestamps: 04:22 When did…
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58 What Did the World's First Pop Star Sound like? | Euripides and Ancient Music w/ Claire Catenaccio
What did ancient music sound like? In this episode, you will hear three songs that are over 2000 years old! Few people in the world today know more about ancient music than our guest in this episode. Claire Catenaccio is an assistant professor of classics at Georgetown University who specializes…
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57 The Life of Plato w/ Robin Waterfield
Even after thousands of years of supposed progress in philosophy, there are still some who maintain that the entire history of western philosophy consists of footnotes to Plato. But who was Plato the man? If there is anyone who can answer that question, it's our guest in this episode. Robin...
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56 The Man Who Defeated the Persian Empire (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 2)
In 480BC the Persian Empire invaded Greece with the largest military force the world had ever seen. Meanwhile in Athens, a man named Themistocles had spent the last ten years preparing for this moment. He had come up with a plan to defeat Persia, but it would require a mix of strategy, intrigue,...
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55 Fire in the Cradle of Democracy (The Persian Wars, Part 1)
The three decades from 508-478BC were possibly the most consequential in all of ancient history. In this episode and the next, we tell the story of the Greco-Persian Wars through the eyes of Themistocles, the Athenian mastermind who guided the Greeks to victory. Contents of the episode, with...
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AGD "Persian Wars" Tour in Greece! Jan. 3-11, 2025
AGD is going back to Greece this January 3-11 for another epic adventure! This time we'll be exploring the Persian Wars and the profound effect they had on Greek civilization. We will visit all the major focal points of the Greco-Persian showdown (Marathon, the Acropolis, Eretria, Salamis,...
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54 Were the Spartans Proto-Fascist Losers? w/ Bret Devereaux
Bret Devereux is a military historian at North Carolina State University and author of the recent viral article "Spartans Were Losers: The US Military's Admiration of a Proto-Fascist City-State is Based on Bad History." He joins us to explain why he thinks that the traditional image of Sparta as…
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53 Why Platonism and Stoicism Are Going Viral w/ John Vervaeke
As our world becomes increasingly hi-tech, more and more people have been turning to ancient wisdom traditions in search of meaning. There are two schools of ancient philosophy in particular that have seen a meteoric revival in recent years: Platonism and Stoicism. Cognitive scientist John…
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"Enemies of Athens" Tour Announcement Oct. 11-19, 2023
AGD is going back to Greece this fall (Oct. 11-19) for another epic adventure! This time we'll be exploring areas that in ancient times lay in the shadow of – or in direct conflict with – the Athenian hegemony. Check out our video from the first tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-w7u6aQz0…
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52 A New Theory of Democracy's Origins (It Wasn't Greece) w/ David Stasavage
This time we're taking a little break from Greece to explore the broader history of democracy. Was democracy really a Greek invention? Historian David Stasavage, author of The Decline and Rise of Democracy, thinks it was not. And in today's episode he explains why. --------------- Support Ancient...
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51 Anacyclosis – Polybius' Grand Unified Theory of History
Polybius' theory of anacyclosis is the most sophisticated theory of political (r)evolution to have emerged from ancient Greek and Roman political thought. ------------------ To watch the highlight real from the last AGD tour in Greece, click here. ------------------ To read the passage in…
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Announcing the "Mountains and Oracles" Tour in Greece! Jan. 3-11
AGD is going back to Greece this winter (Jan. 3-11) for an epic tour of Greece's northern regions, focusing on mountains and oracles. For more information or to reserve your spot, email us at [email protected]
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R8 Does Democracy Lead to Tyranny? | Plato's Republic, book 8
Plato argued that the inevitable next step in political evolution after democracy is tyranny. Many political thinkers throughout history agreed with him. Were they right? ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast Or make a one-time donation:...
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49 When a Philosopher Ruled the World | Marcus Aurelius w/ Donald Robertson
Was Marcus Aurelius really the enlightened ruler that history books and modern movies portray him as? And is his brand of Stoic philosophy applicable to the modern world? With us to discuss these and other questions is Donald Robertson, a psychotherapist and the author of How to Think Like and...
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AGD Tour Update – Only a Few Spots Left!
An update on the AGD Tour happening in Greece from August 16-24 For an outline of the itinerary click here.
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48 Time Traveling to the Ancient World
Thirty three scholars, philosophers, and archaeologists answer the question: If you could time travel to the ancient world, who would you want to meet? Scholars featured + the timestamps when they appear: 2:10 Edith Hall 3:36 Eric Cline 4:30 Andromache Karanika 5:45 Josiah Ober 6:48 Rush Rehm…
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R7.5 The Forms, the Matrix, and AI w/ John Vervaeke
Philosophers today often dismiss Plato's Theory of Forms as an outdated and failed attempt by a pre-modern thinker to explain knowledge. However, cognitive scientist John Vervaeke offers a radically different take on Plato's theory and how it ties in with recent debates about the nature of...
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AGD Trip to Greece! August 16–24
An announcement about the upcoming Ancient Greece Declassified tour in Greece this summer.
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R7 The Cave | Plato's Republic, book 7 w/ Ben Morison
The cave analogy, which takes up the majority of book 7 of the Republic, is one of the most famous passages in all of western philosophy. In this episode, we are joined by Ben Morison, professor of philosophy at Princeton, to dive deep into the allegory and unpack its various levels of meaning.
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R6.5 Why People Hate Plato
Plato is at once the most loved and possibly the most hated philosopher of all time. This episode explores five reasons why he drives some people mad. Contents of the episode, with timestamps: Reason 1: Who should rule? [7:30] Reason 2: What political system is best? [12:20] The Ship of State...
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44 The Invention of Duty
Where does the notion of 'moral duty' come from? In this conversation with Simon E. Drew we dive deep into the history of the concept and discuss my recent book The Invention of Duty. This episode was originally published on The Walled Garden podcast and is here republished as a crosscast.
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R6 The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful | Plato's Republic, book 6 w/ Gabriel Richardson Lear
Book 6 of the Republic is the work's core section where Plato lays out his metaphysics. Appealing to his signature Theory of Forms, Plato offers a transcendent vision of the Good as the ultimate source of human knowledge. Joining us to help us unpack this theory is Gabriel Richardson Lear,...
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42 The Hittite-Homer Connection? w/ Mary Bachvarova
Was Homer was influenced by the stories of civilizations to the east of Greece? Joining us to discuss the Hittites and their potential (direct and indirect) influences on the Greek epic tradition is Mary Bachvarova, professor of classics at Willamette University and author of From Hittite to…
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R5 Philosopher Queens | Plato's Republic, book 5 w/ Mary Townsend
The most controversial part of Plato's Republic is its fifth book, wherein Socrates argues for the political equality of men and women, the abolition of the nuclear family, a strange eugenics program, and the idea that philosophers kings and philosopher queens should be put in charge of political...
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R4.5 Anatomy of the Soul | Plato's Republic, book 4 w/ Jonathan Lear
In book 4 of the Republic, Plato sets forth perhaps the most famous psychological theory from Greco-Roman antiquity: the tripartite model of the human soul. But how good of a model is it? How does it hold up from the perspective of modern psychology? With us to discuss these questions and more is...
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R4 Hogwarts and Kallipolis | Plato's Republic, book 4
What do Plato's Republic, Sigmund Freud, and the Harry Potter saga have in common? Find out in this episode, which offers an exploration of book 4 of Plato's Republic and its many parallels in modern literature and psychology.
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38 Alexander the Great: Inherited Glory w/ Adrian Goldsworthy
Was Alexander the Great really that *great* on his own? Or did he owe much of his success to the work of his father Philip II of Macedonia? Joining us to discuss the matter is Adrian Goldsworthy, military historian and author of the new book Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. A video...
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R3.5 Food for the Soul | Plato's Republic, book 3 w/ Angie Hobbs (pt. 2)
In the second half of book 3 of the Republic, Plato lays out the controversial theory of mimesis, which states that all art, man-made objects, and cultural products in our environment have profound effects on the health of our souls. With us to help us unpack, analyze, and evaluate Plato's...
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R3 Who Guards the Guardians? | Plato's Republic, book 3 w/ Angie Hobbs
Following Socrates' claim that the ideal republic should be ruled by a class of "guardians," the question naturally arises: Who or what will keep these guardians in check? How do you prevent the government from becoming an unaccountable and oppressive regime? Our exploration of Plato's Republic...
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R3 Who Guards the Guardians? | Plato's Republic, book 3 w/ Angie Hobbs
Following Socrates' claim that the ideal republic should be ruled by a class of "guardians," the question naturally arises: Who or what will keep these guardians in check? How do you prevent the government from becoming an unaccountable and oppressive regime? Our exploration of Plato's Republic...
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35 Stoic Duty: The Formula for Living Well
This episode is a crosscast in collaboration with the Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast. Anya Leonard, host of that pod and founder of classicalwisdom.com, interviews me about my new book The Invention of Duty: Stoicism as Deontology.
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R2.5 The Justice Loophole | Plato's Republic, book 2 w/ Rachel Barney
Our exploration of Plato's Republic continues with this discussion of book 2 with philosopher Rachel Barney. Is the fear of God necessary for morality? How can you educate people so that they value and practice justice? Rachel Barney is professor of classics and ancient philosophy at the…
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R2 All Men Would Be Tyrants | Plato's Republic, book 2
The third installment in our ongoing series on Plato's Republic. Use the following timestamps for easier navigation: 2:40 Introduction to book 2 11:35 Glaucon's speech in favor of injustice 20:00 Adeimantus' speech on the weakness of pro-justice arguments 26:30 Socrates reply; the city-soul…
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R1 The Hunt for Justice | Plato's Republic, book 1
The second installment in our 11-part series on Plato's Republic. Use the following timestamps for easier navigation: 0:22 Introduction: virtues vs values 7:10 The beginning of the Republic 13:50 Cephalus' "definition" of justice 15:10 Polemarchus tries to define justice 29:30 Thrasymachus...
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R0 Plato's Republic, or: How to Stop a Civil War
A foundational text in both ethics and political thought, the Republic was shaped by Plato's traumatic experiences as a young man witnessing civil war and the collapse of Athenian democracy. This is the first installment in an 11-part series on this classic work. The episode has four parts,...
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30 Rome's Most Lethal Weapon w/ Steele Brand
Rome conquered the Mediterranean world without a professional army, relying instead on its citizens to take up arms when necessary. How did these part-time soldiers defeat all the great powers of the ancient Mediterranean? Our guest Steele Brand offers an original answer to this question in his…
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29 Penelope: Weaver of Fate w/ Olga Levaniouk
Penelope is one of the most compelling characters from ancient Greek mythology. And yet her intelligence and agency in Homer's Odyssey is seldom appreciated. Towards the end of the epic, Penelope comes face-to-face with Odysseus, who has finally returned home disguised as a beggar. After they...
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28 Thucydides: A Historian for Our Time? w/ Emily Greenwood
The Athenian historian Thucydides observed and chronicled the greatest military conflict of his day: the epic contest between Athens and Sparta known as the Peloponnesian War (431-404BC). Much more than just a straightforward history, his work is a study of the struggle between democracy and...
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27 Oligarchy, Part 2: Nemesis w/ Matt Simonton
What methods and institutions do oligarchic regimes use to maintain their power? How do they fend off the threat of democratic revolution? What happened to the many oligarchies of the ancient Mediterranean? All of these questions and more are explored in this second part of our conversation with...
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26 Oligarchy, Part 1: Genesis w/ Matt Simonton
How do ancient oligarchies compare with modern authoritarian regimes? How did civil war in oligarchies differ from civil war in democracies? What does the age-old ideological struggle between democracy and oligarchy imply about our future? These are just a few of the questions we discuss on this...
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25 The Origins of Philosophy w/ André Laks (Presocratics, Parmenides, Heraclitus)
According to the historical evidence, the first stirrings of philosophical inquiry began 2600 years ago in ancient Greece with a group of thinkers known as the Presocratics (or pre-Socratics). In this episode we try to shed light on these early pioneers of philosophy. Our guest is André Laks,...
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24 A History of Inequality w/ Walter Scheidel
We live at a time of increasing economic inequality worldwide. What is driving this trend? And what are the factors that can stabilize or even reduce levels of inequality? Answering this question empirically would require a deep dive into the archives of history. One would have to sift through...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The podcast that transports you to the ancient world and back, with some good conversation along the way. It's not just about ancient Greece. It's about a huge chunk of human history that the Greek texts give us access to: from Egypt and Babylon, to Persia, to Carthage and Rome, we'll sail the wine-dark sea of history with some expert guides at the helm. Topics will include archaeology, literature, and philosophy. New episode every month.
HOSTED BY
Dr. Lantern Jack
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How many episodes does Ancient Greece Declassified have?
Ancient Greece Declassified currently has 74 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ancient Greece Declassified about?
The podcast that transports you to the ancient world and back, with some good conversation along the way. It's not just about ancient Greece. It's about a huge chunk of human history that the Greek texts give us access to: from Egypt and Babylon, to Persia, to Carthage and Rome, we'll sail the...
How often does Ancient Greece Declassified release new episodes?
Ancient Greece Declassified has 74 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Ancient Greece Declassified on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ancient Greece Declassified?
Ancient Greece Declassified is created and hosted by Dr. Lantern Jack.
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