How Did Ancient Civilizations Rebuild?

How Did Ancient Civilizations Rebuild?

Author: Classical Wisdom April 3, 2025 Duration: 39:30
What happens AFTER an apocalypse? How did ancient societies rebuild after catastrophic events… and what can that teach us about our world now? Today, Anya is joined by DR ERIC H. CLINE, author of the bestselling history book 1177 B.C and its recent sequel, After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations. They’ll be discussing what to do if your society collapses… and why the ancient 'dark ages' weren't so dark. Dr. Cline is Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Anthrop...

There's a quiet conversation happening across the centuries, and tuning into Classical Wisdom Speaks lets you overhear it. This isn't a dry lecture series, but a place where the vivid stories, enduring philosophies, and complex lives of the ancient world are examined for what they can tell us today. Each episode, brought to you by Classical Wisdom, feels like a thoughtful discussion with experts who are passionate about making these ideas accessible and relevant. You'll hear about the strategic dilemmas faced by Athenian generals, the poetic insights of Sappho, or the ethical questions posed by Stoic thinkers, all framed in a way that connects directly to contemporary life. The goal is to listen to these foundational voices not as historical artifacts, but as active participants in our own modern dilemmas. This history podcast thrives on the belief that the struggles for meaning, justice, and a good life are timeless, and that the ancients still have a lot to say if we know how to listen. The dialogue between past and present is surprisingly lively, and each episode invites you to join in, finding unexpected guidance and perspective from some of history's most profound minds.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Classical Wisdom Speaks
Podcast Episodes
#17 - Stoicism and Catastrophe with Professor A.A. Long [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:26
How can ancient philosophy help us deal with natural disasters? Are we too reliant on technology? And can anyone truly understand stoicism without suffering? These are the questions we discuss with this week's special gu…
#16 - Xenophon: The Historian Everyone at West Point Knows... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:19
He is required reading at West Point, and yet less known outside the Military world... In today's Podcast with Emily Baragwanath, the Associate Professor of Classics at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill we di…
#15 - Was Cyrus the Great so Great? Stephen Dando-Collins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:12
Cyrus the Great is considered the "Anointed One", the originator of human rights, and ruthless conqueror. Find out the true story of the founder of the Persian Empire in this week's Classical Wisdom Speaks Episode with S…
#14 - Michael Fontaine: Mental Illness in the Ancient World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:43
Was there Mental Illness in the ancient world? What did people think about Suicide or Schizophrenia? How did the philosophies of Epicurus or Hippocrates help? And what can this teach us about Mental Illness today? Michae…
#13 - Anya and Alex: What makes you YOU? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:00
Anya Leonard and Alex Barrientos discuss the Paradox of Theseus' Ship. It is an ancient riddle that asks if every part of the ship is eventually replaced, is Theseus' Ship still the same ship? We can then apply this to o…
#12 - Victor Davis Hanson: Was there an Ancient Cancel Culture? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:29
Victor Davis Hanson, an American classicist and military historian, discusses ancient parallels to cancel culture and monument removals. Victor explains why he feels that the American president Trump is a tragic Greek he…
#11 - Stephen Dando-Collins: Is Caligula All That Bad? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:32
Stephen Dando-Collins, the award-winning author of 40 books, including Rise of an Empire, on which the major motion picture 300: Rise of an Empire was based, delves into the history of the notorious Roman emperor, Caligu…
#10 - Anya and Ben: Why is the Odyssey Relevant Today? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:36
Why should we care about Homer's Odyssey? What lessons can it teach us for our modern world? Should we like Odysseus? Or do we want to see him fail? In this funny Classical Wisdom Speaks episode, Anya Leonard and Ben Pot…
# 9 - Dr. David Lewis: Slavery in Ancient Greece [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:52
David Lewis, Lecturer of Greek History and Culture at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland discusses ancient bondage. How did slavery work in the ancient Greek world? Who were the slaves and what do we really know about…