58 What Did the World's First Pop Star Sound like? | Euripides and Ancient Music w/ Claire Catenaccio
Release Date: 01/31/2025
60 The Rise of Athens (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 3)
Ancient Greece Declassified
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, we explore the final battles of the conflict and the clever machinations of Themistocles—one of the chief masterminds and architects of Athenian power. Contents of the episode, with timestamps: [05:35] Aftermath of Salamis [15:50] Xerxes Goes Home [23:20] The Final Battles...
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59 The Ancient Novels w/ Doug Metzger (Apuleius, Lucian, Chariton, Heliodorus, Petronius, Achilles Tatius)
Ancient Greece Declassified
Unveiling the wild world of ancient Greek and Roman novels with Doug Metzger, host of the "." ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: ------------------ Contents of the episode, with timestamps: 04:22 When did novels first arise? 09:12 The four genres of ancient novels 11:39 The typical plot (Callirhoe) 17:55 Daphnis and Chloe 21:10 Euripides' romances 28:17 Narrative in the Bible 32:43 Evolution of the ancient novel 34:27 Leucippe and Clitophon 35:47 Heliodorus' Aethiopica 37:35 Lucian and the influence on modernity 43:08 The Second Sophistic 47:14 Greek...
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58 What Did the World's First Pop Star Sound like? | Euripides and Ancient Music w/ Claire Catenaccio
Ancient Greece Declassified
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 in the study of ancient drama and its modern reception. Her recent book "Monody in Euripides" explores monody – namely solo actor's song – in the tragedies of Euripides. Her scholarship is informed by her experience as a director and historical consultant in many modern productions of ancient Greek...
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57 The Life of Plato w/ Robin Waterfield
Ancient Greece Declassified
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 Waterfield is a renowned scholar of antiquity who has written the first ever full biography of the ancient philosopher in English. Check out the book . Contents of the episode, with timestamps: [04:10] Plato's early life [06:46] Relationship to Socrates [12:27] Philosophical method [14:53] Theory of Forms...
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56 The Man Who Defeated the Persian Empire (Themistocles and the Persian Wars, Part 2)
Ancient Greece Declassified
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, deception, and plain old good luck... Contents of the episode, with timestamps: [05:45] How to Win Friends and Influence People [13:10] The Mines of Laurion [19:30] Athens VS Aegina [25:10] Battle of Thermopylae [32:00] Battle of Artemisium [40:10] The Wooden Wall [49:55] The Battle of...
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55 Fire in the Cradle of Democracy (The Persian Wars, Part 1)
Ancient Greece Declassified
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 timestamps: [04:50] Themistocles' Childhood and the Athenian Revolution [10:40] Democracy's Early Challenges [16:10] The Demagogue [26:35] The Ionian Revolt [31:25] Marathon [43:05] "Rejoice! We Are Victorious!" ------------------ Find out more about the upcoming AGD...
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AGD "Persian Wars" Tour in Greece! Jan. 3-11, 2025
Ancient Greece Declassified
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, Thermopylae, Plataea, and Delphi) as well as a wide variety of other fascinating historical sites. Check out our highlight reel from the first tour: To reserve your spot, email us at For the itinerary visit
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54 Were the Spartans Proto-Fascist Losers? w/ Bret Devereaux
Ancient Greece Declassified
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 an egalitarian society of warrior badasses is a lie. You can find his blog, where he writes extensively on Sparta, here: ------------------ This episode is available in video format on the Lantern Jack YouTube channel: ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: Or make a...
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53 Why Platonism and Stoicism Are Going Viral w/ John Vervaeke
Ancient Greece Declassified
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 Vervaeke joins us to explore why this is happening. ------------------ Join the upcoming AGD Tour in Greece: ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: Or make a one-time donation:
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"Enemies of Athens" Tour Announcement Oct. 11-19, 2023
Ancient Greece Declassified
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: To reserve your spot, email us at For the itinerary visit
info_outlineWhat 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 in the study of ancient drama and its modern reception. Her recent book "Monody in Euripides" explores monody – namely solo actor's song – in the tragedies of Euripides. Her scholarship is informed by her experience as a director and historical consultant in many modern productions of ancient Greek theater plays.
Contents of the episode, with timestamps:
[02:07] What evidence do we have for ancient music?
[13:05] What kind of musical notation did the ancient Greeks use?
[13:51] The Song of Seikilos (oldest surviving song with musical score)
[20:30] What the aulos (the main musical instrument on stage) sounded like
[23:21] The origins of music in Greek tragedy
[31:30] Cash prizes and the professionalization of acting/singing
[34:45] The incredible popularity of Euripides' new music
[37:20] How and Why Euripides' "Orestes" completely rewrites Aeschylus' "Eumenides"
[52:30] What Euripides' songs sounded like (Electra's monody from Euripides' "Orestes")
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