Books of All Time

Year two begins with a two-part summary episode! Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c. 484 - 425 BCE) wrote his epic history of the Greco-Persian wars and was an instant sensation. The Histories ("history" in those days meaning an inquiry or research) cover the rise of the Persians, the customs of all the peoples with whom they fought, architecture, geography, animals, religious practices, and smutty court gossip. This episode covers the first five books of The Histories, and (trigger warning) also mentions Dick Van Dyke.Want a transcript? Click here. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating or review!

Fasting, abstaining from sex, risking the literal wrath of god - today's method actors have nothing on the pioneers of ancient Athenian drama. Following on from our episode about Aeschylus's Oresteia, this episode offers an overview of Greek tragedy and the theater - how it evolved from ritual, what actors and chorus members did on stage, and how an awful lot of the surrounding pageantry reminds our host Rose of the NFL.Want to read a transcript or check out Rose's reading list for this episode? Click here. Don't forget to leave us a rating or review (and share us on your socials). Thanks for listening!

Cycles of violence. Legacies handed from famous fathers to uncertain sons. The trajectory of a society moving from retribution to democracy and justice. Robert F. Kennedy probably did not have all these things in mind on April 4, 1968 when he announced the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. to a crowd in Indianapolis. But he brought them to the surface nevertheless by quoting the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus, father of tragedy in his successful attempt to keep the city at peace on that terrible night: "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."It was a scene worthy of Aeschylus himself. This week, walk through the plot of the Oresteia, the only complete triology of Aeschylus's we still have. It tells the story of a family laboring under a curse, and how that curse came to be lifted.To read the transcript of this play or browse our reading list and reference links, please click here. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe us!

Looking for some divine assistance on a tough decision? Have you considered shooting some arrows? Dropping oil in water? What about sacrificing a sheep? This week's episode uses the Book of Isaiah, the first work of prophecy on our reading list, as a springboard for looking at divination, magic, and prophecy in the ancient world.Need a transcript or want to check out the references Rose used to write this episode? Click here to visit our website. Don't forget to rate and review us or share us on your socials!

For episode 24, we return to the Hebrew Bible. By itself, the Book of Isaiah is one of humanity's most influential works of spiritual literature. In addition to laying the foundations of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity, Isaiah has contributed dozens of phrases into our language, such as "swords into plowshares", "a little child shall lead them," and, of course, "a voice in the wilderness." Follow along with Rose Judson as she walks through it, talking you through the historical context, theories about how and where it was written, and, well, a few euphemisms for bodily functions.Apologies for the sound quality in this episode: we had to re-record at short notice.Want to read the transcript? This link will take you straight to it, and to this episode's reading list. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us! You can also follow us on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. Thanks for listening!

Snarky, satirical, scatological - how did the original Aesop's Fables wind up getting sanitized for children? This week's episode follows the thread through two thousand years of interpretation and adaptation, from Roman villas to medieval scriptoria to French drawing rooms.Want to read a transcript? Here you go! Don't forget to rate and review us on your podcast app of choice - it really helps people find the show.