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by Ad Navseam
The Ad Navseam podcast, where Classical gourmands everywhere can finally get their fill. Join hosts Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle for a lively discussion of Greco-Roman civilization stretching from the Minoans and Mycenaeans, through the Renaissance, and right down to the present.
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- 3 days ago1h 4m
Fleece is the Word: The Argonautica of Apollonius, Part III (Ad Navseam, Episode 224)
If you're Jason, and you need to find that golden fleece in order to escape the curse of the man with the one sandal, and then get back to your hometown of Iolcus to reclaim the throne from Uncle Stealy, don't let some six-armed heaving monsters, midnight mistaken identity, and the loss of Superman (Heracles) slow you down. This week Jeff and Dave resume their voyage through the story of the Argonauts by polishing off the adventures of Book I. But has any epic hero lacked more luster than this guy? When Hercules goes off to find something to replace his now toothpicked oar, and his trustee squire Hylas gets nymphnapped, the hulking brute is off the boat from grief and on the hunt for the ensnared lad. This is the perfect time for Jason to step up, act like Achilles, Aeneas, or at least Odysseus. Instead, the whole nested tale has more than a Whiff of Elpenor™ quality to it, and Jason sits brooding, quietly. Tune in to take a deeper look into this Hellenistic epic. Is it big book, big problem, à la Callimachus, or does Apollonius win this round?
- 3 weeks ago25 min
Strangely Familiar: When is a word? Who is a dictionary? (Ad Navseam, Gurgle 10)
Catch a quick bite of the Classics this week courtesy of 'Doug' at Etymonline. On the menu is a discussion of the first English dictionary, the Latinate tome of Henry Cockeram, 1623. Jeff and Dave also stratuminate your path toward the labors of Sir Thomas Elyot, another aspiring neologist who sought to beef up the paucity of the English verbalate with some gems exveined of Latin. The question is, does English with its popping and snapping monosyllables really have room for meridiation ("a sleeping at noone-tide"), desipiate ("to wax foolish"), and galluate ("beginne to have a big voice")? Hard to say, but we advise that you just morigerate ("do as commanded"), stop secubating ("lying about by one's selfe"), and knock off any desire to bubulcitate ("cry like a cowboy"). Rather, transliminate the vomitorium with us! It'll be persebonate, and we make that claim with all bellitude.
- 4 weeks ago1h 5m
Hypsipyle Don't Lie: The Argonautica of Apollonius, Part II (Ad Navseam, Episode 223)
Welcome to stop number two on the guys' journey from Iolcus to Colchis (and back!). With preliminaries covered, this week Dave and Jeff drfit through Book 1 of Apollonius’ Argonautica and continue to puzzle over Jason’s milquetoast administrative style. Is this meant to be reflective of an Athenian democratic ideal, as though Homeric arete has hit a sunset clause? And what is up with Heracles? Gone is the baudy, brawling, wine-binging, lion-wrestler. In his place we get deference, restrained statemanship, a level head, and...coach seating? But we know you all are eager to get out to sea, so first stop Lemnos where we learn that while it’s always good to pack extra Speed Stick, you don’t always need it. And, tune in for the drawing of our free Hackett title, a copy of the Berg & Parker translation of Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies.
- Jun 19, 20261h 8m
A Sandal in the Wind: The Argonautica of Apollonius, Part I (Ad Navseam, Episode 222)
Crashing rocks, a golden fleece, the smelly women of Lemnos, a lost waterboy, fraternal murder, potions, and Jason, the very unheroic lead...ready for another epic? Join Dave and Jeff as they climb aboard the Argo with a roster of heroes from the days before the Trojan war. The Hellenistic poet Apollonius of Rhodes (d. circa 215 B.C.) takes us on a four-book, seafaring journey from distant and exotic Colchis all the way back to Thessalian Iolcus. Can Jason reclaim the throne from his wicked uncle Pelias by himself, or does he need the sorceress Medea, granddaughter of the sun, to make up for his many heroic deficiencies? What does the prophecy of the "man with one sandal" have to do with the tale, and does Apollonius' epic really fit Hellenistic sensibilities of "big book, big problem"? Or, is there something else involved? Tune in to find out, and don't miss your final chance to catch the secret code word and enter to win a free copy of the Berg & Parker translation of Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies, courtesy of Hackett.
- Jun 9, 202621 min
Mass Crucifixion of the House of Lucius Pedanius Secundus (Ad Navseam, Gurgle 9)
Tune in this week for a quick eructation as Jeff and Dave review the disturbing story of Lucius Pedanius Secundus, Roman aristocrat, who in A.D. 61 was murdered by one of his household slaves. The aftermath of this violent act was notoriously brutal: Tacitus tells us all 400 other slaves in Pedanius' house, whether implicated in the crime or ignorant of it, including women and infants, were scheduled for crucifixion. Tacitus also records that a mob of Roman citizens rioted and stormed the senate building, seeking to prevent the enforcement of the ancient law. Drawing from Annales XIV.42-45, the hosts look at arguments for and against the justice of such an act, the constraints of mos maiorum, and the final outcome of the whole nasty affair, because of Nero's intervention. Grim, yes, but history, as Edward Gibbon says, "...is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind."
- Jun 2, 202629 min
Homer's Odyssey Three Ways: Recent Translations by Anthony Verity, Emily Wilson, and Peter Green (Gurgle 8)
Join the guys this week for a quick takedown of three recent translations of Homer's Odyssey, courtesy of Prof. Richard Whitaker of the University of Cape Town (Acta Classica, 2020). In six weeks, the Christopher Nolan adaptation of the Odyssey will hit the big screen, based on Emily Wilson's translation. But does this new rendition of the epic have sufficient gravitas, not to mention accuracy, to carry the story? Dave and Jeff look at this question from as many angles as a 30-minute episode will allow, including: style, word choice, faithfulness to Homer's moral vision, and more. There is also a quick take on the Anthony Verity and Peter Green versions, with their respective strengths. So grab some Classics on the go (take them in kinda between meals) and keep them down! You'll be gurgling all the way to greater Classical profundity. And don't miss secret code words like braggart, and fantastic summer sales, AESTAS15!
- May 28, 20261h 9m
H.I. Marrou’s A History of Education in Antiquity, Part XXII (Ad Navseam, Episode 221)
"Greece, though beat, then caught her captor fast; and into boorish Latium brought cultured life at last." So says Horace in Epistle II.156-157. This week Jeff and Dave return to Marrou, Part III, ch. 2, to examine the much discussed but ever fresh question of the Hellenization of Roman culture. When exactly did the toga clad race turn her gaze east to try to learn art, sculpture, music, and poetry? Is there a good explanation for the famous Roman inconsistency and feeling of cultural inferiority? For example, the Roman aristocracy loved to watch sports, but not to participate. Athletes had to be foreigners or low class people. And, the Romans had the most elaborate bathing complexes, but these did not serve the cause of athletics. Those of Caracalla, Diocletian, and others seemed only aimed at clubby networking. You sweat a little, then bathe alot, but only to nail down a corn law, cut a real estate deal, or promote your favorite politician. It has nothing to do with the glory of sport or notching PR's on the deadlift. This and much more is in store as the show continues its way through the classic text. Also, be sure to listen for the secret code word so you can win a free copy of the Berg & Parker translation of Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies, courtesy of Hackett. Finally, behold, a new coupon code for a limited-time offer on Dave's starter Latin course: AESTAS15.
- May 19, 20261h 2m
Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight: Miles Gloriosus, Part II (Ad Navseam, Episode 220)
Will the clever slave Dexter (Palaestrio) succeed in outsmarting the self-absorbed, narcissistic, self-proclaimed war hero Major Blowhard (Pyrgopolynices), so that the mostly incompetent, lovable, lovelorn young man Nauticles (Pleusicles) can rescue the young girl he loves, Convivia (Philocomasium), from the Major's lecherous clutches in time, and spirit her back to Athens with possessions secured? Or, will it all fall apart due to a mere meddling monkey (Monkey) running along a rooftop, who gets spotted by dunderbrain Haplus (Sceledrus)? As the guys wrap up their first foray into Plautine comedy, tune in and find out. And, be sure to listen for the secret code word so you can win a free copy of the Berg & Parker translation of Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies, courtesy of Hackett, and thus grow your libaby. There's something for everyone!
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About Ad Navseam
The Ad Navseam podcast, where Classical gourmands everywhere can finally get their fill. Join hosts Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle for a lively discussion of Greco-Roman civilization stretching from the Minoans and Mycenaeans, through the Renaissance, and right down to the present.
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