Ancient Office Hours

Dr. Constantine Karathanasis, a professor of classics at Texas A&M, joins Lexie to discuss the role of national mythologies about antiquity, EU debates that separate “ancient” from “modern” Greece, developing an interdisciplinary project linking comedy’s frequent money references to Athenian democratic incentives and behavioral economics, “accuracy” debates in reception, and pop-culture portrayals of ancient economy. 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 November 24, 2025.

Learn more about Dr. Karathanasis: https://artsci.tamu.edu/global-lang-cultures/contact/profiles/constantine-karathanasis.html

Check out his publications on Academia: https://tamu.academia.edu/KonstantinosKarathanasis

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 second “Odysseason” panel, another group of classicists discuss Christopher Nolan’s new “Odyssey” film and the major changes made in his adaptation and what those changes enable, including: a traumatized, guilt-ridden Odysseus; the Aeneid-derived character Sinon reframed as Odysseus’s victim; an expanded, emotional focus on Argos and a merged Argos/Telemachus recognition scene. Panelists critique the film’s persistent visual and aural darkness, the diminished role of gods and humor, omissions like the Phaeacians and Penelope’s bed recognition, and Nolan’s war-movie/PTSD framing with parallels to Oppenheimer and Interstellar. They debate whether the Odyssey “belongs” to Greece, note Greek and Greek American reactions (including promotional and casting concerns), and consider scholarly responsibilities regarding political/ethical production issues. They emphasize using the film’s popularity to spur reading Homer, teaching critical reception, supporting new adaptations, and encouraging creative retellings, including Odyssey Day on Oct. 15.

Originally recorded August 14, 2026.

Panelists:

Dr. Melissa Funke (Prof of Classics, University of Winnipeg)
https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/classics/faculty/melissa-funke.html

Dr. Deb Trusty (Prof of Classics, University of Iowa)
https://interdisciplinaryprograms.uiowa.edu/people/debra-trusty

Dr. Justin Arft (Prof of Classics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
https://classics.utk.edu/people/justin-arft/

Dr. Rachel Lesser (Prof of Greek and Roman Studies, Gettysburg College)
https://www.gettysburg.edu/academic-programs/classics/faculty/employee_detail.dot?empId=010208999320013288&pageTitle=Rachel+Lesser

Dr. Christie Vogler (Co-host of the Movies We Dig podcast)
https://shows.acast.com/movies-we-dig/about

Dr. Suzanne Lye (Prof of Classics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
https://classics.unc.edu/people-3/faculty-2-2/suzanne-lye/

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/

For more Homer content check out Justin’s book Arete which was mentioned in the episode: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/arete-and-the-odysseys-poetics-of-interrogation-9780192847805?cc=gb&lang=en&

Listen to the Movies We Dig Odyssey panel: https://shows.acast.com/movies-we-dig/episodes/the-odyssey-2026-reception-battle-part-1-with-joel-christens

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.

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.