Ancient Office Hours

Ben Truska, an independent scholar and ancient Greek hoplite reenactor, joins Lexie to discuss shifting from history to a history/classics double major, citing favorite classes like Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Age of Augustus, pursuing an archaeological approach to warfare, developing a master’s thesis on the socioeconomic evolution of Greek arms and armor, and his interest in re-enactment and experimental archaeology debates, including testing the hoplite othismos or “push” theory. 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 6, 2026.

Check out his YouTube channel Historia Hellenike: https://www.youtube.com/@Historia-Hellenike

Find his article in Ancient Warfare Magazine (sadly it is paywalled): https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/en-gb/products/ancient-warfare-106?variant=54075847573833

Check out the Greek Phalanx re-enactment group: https://www.thegreekphalanx.org/

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-christensen

Dr. Curtis Dozier (Prof of Greek and Roman Studies, Vassar College)
https://www.vassar.edu/faculty/cudozier

Dr. 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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.