Dr. Suzanne Lye, an Associate Professor of Classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses why she studies underworld/afterlife narratives across roughly 1,000 years, arguing they function as “bubbles” of internal commentary that reveal values, relationships, and hidden knowledge. She considers physical sites like necromanteia, the materiality of Greek underworlds, and the need to avoid flattening “Greek beliefs” across time and place. The conversation also touches on curse tablets, amulets, women’s anger and “magic” as unsanctioned religion. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey! Don't forget to follow us on Bluesky, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com!
Originally recorded June 17, 2026.
Learn more about Dr. Lye: https://classics.unc.edu/people-3/faculty-2-2/suzanne-lye/
Check out her publications on Academia: https://unc.academia.edu/SuzanneLye
Find her book Life/Afterlife: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/life--afterlife-9780197690208?cc=us&lang=en&
Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.
Want a transcript of the episode? Email us at theozymandiasprojectpodcast@gmail.com and we can provide one.
Ancient Office Hours is a proud member of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.
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