Ancient Office Hours

In this first “Odysseason” panel, a group of classics scholars discuss Christopher Nolan’s new “Odyssey” film as a modern reinterpretation rather than Homer, focusing on war trauma in Odysseus, parallels to Bronze Age collapse, and a rules-based order undermined from within, including a reveal that the feared invaders are the Greeks. Participants critique the film’s heavy-handedness, reduced meta-storytelling, altered roles of gods (largely absent), and major omissions (e.g., Nestor, Phaeacians), while noting changes such as the Trojan horse being recast as a source of guilt and an allegory for technology in warfare. They debate audience reception across generations, rewatch value, and how adaptations shape popular views. The discussion turns to ethical and political responsibilities around diverse casting, portrayal of Helen, filming in Western Sahara, IMAX exclusivity, and limited Greek participation and promotion. Originally recorded August 12, 2026.Panelists: Dr. Joel Christensen (Prof of Classics, CUNY - Graduate Center)https://www.gc.cuny.edu/people/joel-p-christensenDr. Curtis Dozier (Prof of Greek and Roman Studies, Vassar College) https://www.vassar.edu/faculty/cudozierDr. Suzanne Lye (Prof of Classics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) https://classics.unc.edu/people-3/faculty-2-2/suzanne-lye/Dr. Richard Cole (Lecturer in Classics/Digital Futures, University of Bristol) https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Richard-Cole-a6cef367-12cb-4fce-841d-3fbd60f5fbc6/Aristotle Koskinas (Archaeologist, re-enactor, and official Greek tourist guide) https://aristotleguide.wordpress.com/about/ Lexie Henning (University of Bristol Classics PhD student, host and moderator) https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Lexie-Henning-771d72b2-fe81-48e0-94b1-a3135ee2a618/ Want more Odyssey material? Check out The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer’s Odyssey (which was edited by Joel Christensen): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-critical-guide-to-homers-odyssey-9780198985099?cc=gb&lang=en&Check out an article where Suzanne talks about the ancient concept of Xenia: https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a73170278/the-odyssey-movie-zeus-law-explained/Check out The White Pedestal (by Curtis Dozier) as a companion to thinking about Nolan’s Odyssey and Homer in 2026: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300272734/the-white-pedestal/ 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.

Dr. Catherine Bonesho, a professor of Early Judaism at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss enjoying ancient languages as a grammar puzzle, identifying as a scholar of ancient Judaism in the Greek and Roman periods rather than simply “biblical studies,” her “Intro to Judaism” course spanning from Tanakh to contemporary media and Los Angeles practices, and reflections from UCLA’s 2025 Bible conference centered Esther and Daniel. 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 August 28, 2025. Learn more about Dr. Bonesho: https://nelc.ucla.edu/person/catherine-bonesho/Check out her Legacies of Ancient Persia episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Rgdpp4r9R3EDGwXBgrLcV Check out the recorded lectures from UCLA’s 2025 Bible Conference: https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/video-library/?sort=dateDesc&view=list&event=097e12dd-2069-4264-bf09-2d63c6bf6062 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.

Returning guest, Dr. David Schenker, a professor of classics at Mizzou, returns for a 6-year catch up! At the time of this recording, he had just taught his final formal class after 35 years at the University of Missouri. Luckily, he will continue working through delivering occasional lectures, committee work, and Greek reading. In today’s episode, he discusses shifting from “Classical Tradition” to “Classical Reception,” and updates us on his cross-listed course, “Black Dionysus: Greek Tragedy in Africa and the African Diaspora.” The conversation also covers curriculum debates, Emily Wilson’s campus visit to Mizzou, reactions to Christopher Nolan’s new Odyssey trailer, AI in teaching, and department restructuring. Lastly, he provided insight into the “Schenkerthon” retirement event held in honour of his retirement and his hopes for his departmental legacy and other retirement plans. 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 May 7, 2026.Learn more about Dr. Schenker: https://car.missouri.edu/people/schenker Listen to his first AOH episode: https://www.ozymandiasproject.com/podcast/episode/37933cbe/episode-2-dr-david-schenker 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.

Dr. Salima Ikram, a Distinguished Professor and the Amelia Peabody Chair in Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, joins Lexie to discuss her interests in preservation and mummification, revitalizing an Egyptian Museum animal mummy room, shifting her toward funerary and animal-mummy research while remaining “food obsessed,” and the practical logistics of temple offerings, disease and hygiene, beer and water, and teases a short introductory food book currently in progress. 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 August 19, 2025. Learn more about Dr. Ikram: https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/salima-ikram Follow her public Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SlIkram Find her publications on Academia: https://aucegypt.academia.edu/SalimaIkram 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.

Dr. Petra Creamer, an Assyriologist, archaeologist, and professor of the Ancient Near East at Emory University, joins Lexie to discuss focusing on the Assyrian Empire to understand how non-elites experienced state power, Assyrian deportation as a labor and control strategy that often moved families and aimed to resettle people as productive “Assyrians,” and conducting fieldwork at Katrash near Erbil, an unexpected rural Neo-Assyrian administrative/storage center likely tied to agricultural extraction and imperial bureaucracy. 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 July 31, 2025. Learn more about Dr. Creamer: https://mesas.emory.edu/people/biographies/Creamer-Petra.htmlFollow her on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/petramcreamer.bsky.social Follow her research on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Petra-CreamerFind her publications on Academia: https://emory.academia.edu/PetraCreamerCustom 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.

Dr. Jeffrey Newman, an Egyptologist and a research associate at UCLA's Pourdavoud Institute, joins Lexie to discuss his dissertation, which examines ritual performance and the origins of Egyptian bureaucracy and state formation, Predynastic and Early Dynastic chronologies, addresses First Dynasty human sacrifice, and his cultural heritage photography & photogrammetry experiences. 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 July 22, 2025. Learn more about Dr. Newman: https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/people/jeffrey-newman/  Follow his work on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeffrey-Newman-5Read his dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/docview/3180856129 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.

Dr. Curtis Dozier, an associate professor of Classics at Vassar College, joins Lexie to discuss entering classics through Latin in public high school, founding Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics to document how white nationalist and antisemitic movements use Greco-Roman antiquity to legitimize politics, his new book The White Pedestal, and how “historical accuracy” rhetoric often masks racism and misogyny. 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 July 14, 2025. Learn more about Dr. Dozier: https://www.vassar.edu/faculty/cudozier Follow him on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/curtisdozier.bsky.socialCheck out his publications on Academia: https://vassar.academia.edu/CurtisDozier Check out his latest book “The White Pedestal”: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272734/the-white-pedestal/Check out Pharos: https://pharos.vassarspaces.net/ 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.

Jonathan Todd Ross, a voice actor and writer (the voice of Marik Ishtar & Yami Marik in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series), joins Lexie to discuss getting into acting and studying at NYU, stumbling into voice work via an urgent Ultraman audition that led to Yu-Gi-Oh!, and ultimately audiobooks, and why the original Yu-Gi-Oh! dub endures—universal themes, mythic battles, and inner duality. 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 July 8, 2025. Learn more about Jonathan: https://www.jonathantoddross.com/ Check out his IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1475002/ Follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathantoddross Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtoddross Follow him on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathanross8102 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.