Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

This episode originally aired in January 2023. Not at all a children's author... We're talking ancient Aesop and his oh so famous fables.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Sources: Aesop, the Complete Fables, translated by Olivia and Robert Temple; Aesop's Fables, translated by George Fyler Townsend.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Hauser, a distinguished Classics scholar and author, shares her insights on women in Greek literature and gender history. She discusses her book, How Women Became Poets, highlighting the absence of a feminine term for 'poet' and the cultural silencing of figures like Sappho. Emily explores how male poetic identity has overshadowed women's voices and the strategies women employed to embed their perspectives in ancient texts. She critiques misogyny in poetry and provides a sneak peek into her upcoming work, Mythica/Penelope's Bones, focusing on Bronze Age women.

Liv and Michaela come together for the third (?) annual Battle of the Bas--no wait that's actually the Battle of the Bad B*tches. Helen and Clytemnestra come together and we chat about everything that those two wonderful women were up to in the ancient sources. It's beautiful, it's amazing, and we support all their wonderful ways.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv reads the final book of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The brothers of Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices, are dead. Their wives and sisters want to bury them, but (unfortunately!) they need the king of Athens, Theseus, to make it happen. Submit to the Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Latin names and who they generally refer to in the Greek, visit: mythsbaby.com/names Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday we looked at Cleopatra Selene (aka Cleopatra Jr, Cleopatra VIII), so it's only fitting to revisit an old (and very fun!) episode with the amazing Partial Historians about Cleopatra Selene's far more famous mother, Cleopatra VII (aka THAT Cleopatra... Find more from the Partial Historians here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Draycott, a historian and author specializing in Roman-era women, discusses Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII. She highlights how scholarship often overlooks Selene despite her compelling story. The conversation explores Selene's life as a Roman prisoner, her strategic marriage to Juba II, and her influence on Mauritania's culture. Draycott also reflects on the politics of her time, the dynamics of power in Augustus' household, and the tendency for women's quiet successes to be forgotten in history.

Dive into the chaotic aftermath of Alexander's reign! Discover the power struggles of the Diadochi as Ptolemy rises in Egypt. Witness shocking betrayals, failed marriages, and a friendship that shatters among former companions. Experience Eumenes' strategic challenges and the drama of mutinies leading to Perdiccas's downfall. This tumultuous period reveals a bizarre mix of ambition, betrayal, and the tragic fate of some legendary figures in ancient history!

Liv and Michaela speak with Dr. Talia Prussin about the Seleucid empire and the Hellenistic Period generally. Much shenanigans went down, and many discussions on which little guy is everyone's favourite.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some more fun history time for you all! This time we are diving into the Wars of the Diadochi, well more like Alex dying and all the Greek rebellions and the Lamian War in this episode. Starting off a new subsection of episodes based on the Hellenistic series, because we all need some more Hellenistic lore in our lives! Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Sources: The Library by Diodorus of Sicily translated by Robin Waterfield, Alexander's Heirs: the age of the successors by Edward Anson.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with returning guest Owen Rees about his new book looking at the fringes of ancient empire... From Egypt to Greece to Rome and China. Learn more about Owen's book, Bad Ancient, and Substack. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.Learn more about Liv's next group trip, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Pre-order Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.