Legacies of Ancient Persia
Legacies of Ancient Persia explores the multiplicity of legacies left by ancient Persia through interviews and round-table discussions with leading scholars and experts to discuss the impact ancient Iranian civilization has had on other ancient cultures and modern global patrimony. Legacies of Ancient Persia is brought to you by the UCLA Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World. The show is hosted and produced by Lexie Henning and features original music by Brent Arehart.
Episodes
October 8, 2026 • 82 mins
Dr. Alexiana Fry, a guest researcher at the University of Copenhagen, and Dr. Esther Brownsmith, an assistant professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Dayton are interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a PhD candidate in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss trauma theory/trauma hermeneutics, fan fiction theory as a lens for ancient rewriting, “feminist killjoys” and “affect aliens,” an...
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June 18, 2026 • 60 mins
Dr. James Howard-Johnston, an Emeritus Fellow at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, joins Lexie to discuss his research on the Byzantine army, interests in Sasanian Iran through teaching and conferences on Roman–Persian relations, his interests in Sasanian silver coins, minting, and iconography, and he outlines the chronology and sources for Rome–Sasanian conflict. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if...
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May 21, 2026 • 82 mins
Dr. Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo, an Associate Professor of Ancient Archaeology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a 4th year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss scholarly “eunuch phobia,” gender bias, and resistance to translating terms without explicit mention of castration as well as dehumanizing modern language; using diverse evi...
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April 23, 2026 • 57 mins
Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom, a professor of Ancient History at Washington State University, returns to the podcast to discuss his new book, "The Parthians at War: Combat Logistics, Reputation, and the First War with Rome," which examines Parthian militarism beyond tactics to include logistics, reputation, and interpreting Parthians through Greek and Roman sources while seeking their agency; a two-week teaching module on Parthians for wor...
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March 26, 2026 • 58 mins
Dr. Deirdre Klokow, an assistant professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, joins Lexie to discuss Seleucid coin iconography, who used coins alongside fiscal crisis and devaluation, the limits of evidence for women’s economic activity, her research on Laodike, and her forthcoming book, The Seleucids and Their Land. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a 5-star ra...
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February 26, 2026 • 67 mins
Dr. Jennifer Finn, an ancient historian and chair of the Department of Classics at Loyola University, joins Lexie to discuss her research focus on Alexander the Great's military strategies and the cultural exchanges between Greeks and Persians, exploring the complexities of learning ancient languages like Akkadian and Sumerian and reflections on the challenges of studying Persian history through limited source material, and insight...
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January 29, 2026 • 58 mins
Dr. Konrad Schmid, a professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism at the University of Zurich, joins Lexie to discuss the historical and cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, its formation, the polytheistic to monotheistic transition, and its interactions with ancient Near Eastern empires including Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, and the impact of Persian governance and tolerance on Hebrew thought and texts. We hope you enjoy this e...
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January 1, 2026 • 51 mins
Dr. Simone Oppen, a professor of Classical & Near Eastern Religions and Cultures at the University of Minnesota, joins Lexie to discuss how her high school Italian course blossomed into a passion for ancient Greece, Latin, and Greek, her current work on Persian respect for Greek sacred spaces during Xerxes’ reign, exploring how this respect is depicted in ancient Greek texts and supported by comparative archaeological evi...
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December 4, 2025 • 57 mins
Dr. Olga Davidson, a research fellow with the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations at Boston University, joins Lexie to discuss her serendipitous steps towards specializing in Persian epic literature, particularly the Shahnameh, and its comparative significance alongside Greek classics, discusses the rich cross-cultural connections that shape her research, the importance of the Shahnameh, and provides an up...
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November 6, 2025
Dr. Catherine Bonesho, an Assistant Professor of Early Judaism at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss her interest in the field of ancient Judaism and in ancient Jewish communities during the Second Temple period (spanning from the Persian to the Roman Empire), her focus primarily on interpretations of various empires' influences on Jewish communities and the study of Aramaic dialects, her role in co-organizing UCLA’s Bible conferen...
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October 9, 2025 • 60 mins
Dr. Margaret Cool Root, a Professor Emerita of Iranian Studies at the University of Michigan, joins Lexie to discuss her academic journey from Classical and Near Eastern archaeology to Persian studies, highlighting key influences and interests in representational iconography, how Persian art differs from other ancient cultures, notably through its depictions of peace and cooperation rather than war, and the unique aspects of seals ...
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May 29, 2025 • 52 mins
Dr. Jeffrey Spier, a former Senior Curator of Antiquities at the Getty Villa, joins Lexie to discuss the intricacies of museum work, particularly the challenges of displaying small artifacts such as coins and gems, the impact of the Getty’s 2022 exhibition 'Ancient Iran in the Classical World', the role of artifacts in understanding historical interactions between cultures, and the evolving field of museum curation. We hope y...
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May 8, 2025 • 66 mins
Dr. Jenny Rose, a former professor of Ancient Iranian Studies at Claremont Graduate University, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a 3rd year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss the historical and contemporary significance of Zoroastrianism, including its underrepresentation in popular culture and scholarship, the evolving role of women and gender dynamics within Zoroastrianism, and the rece...
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April 17, 2025 • 47 mins
Dr. Elizabeth Carter, professor emerita of Iranian Archaeology at UCLA, joins Lexie to discuss how backyard digs sparked her early love for archaeology, her experience working in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, the intricacies of understanding the cultural significance of artifacts, and the difficulties young scholars face today due to the political restrictions on archaeological fieldwork in Iran. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if yo...
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March 27, 2025 • 65 mins
Marco Ferrario, an ancient historian specializing in the longue durée of the Eastern Iranian world, joins Lexie to discuss how influential mentors and serendipitous opportunities pushed his interests from Classics into studying Ancient Persia and Central Asia, Bactria’s rich history and the challenges of studying the region, and the importance of interdisciplinary research to gain a more wholistic appreciation of antiquity. W...
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March 6, 2025 • 59 mins
Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom, a professor of Ancient History at Washington State University, joins Lexie to discuss the significance of Parthian warfare, the strategic use of cavalry and the logistical challenges of utilizing war elephants, and examining Parthian interactions with the Greco-Roman world to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the ancient Mediterranean world. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you he...
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February 13, 2025 • 52 mins
Dr. Jason BeDuhn, a professor of Religious Studies at Northern Arizona University, joins Lexie to discuss the history of Manichaeism, exploring its dualistic cosmology and its connections to various religious traditions, including Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Platonism, the challenges Manichaeism faced, including its eventual decline due to persecution in both the West and East, and archaeological discoveries related to Manich...
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January 23, 2025 • 63 mins
Dr. Rolf Strootman, a professor of Ancient History at the University of Utrecht, joins Lexie to discuss the complexities surrounding the Persian identity after Alexander the Great's conquests, Alexander's unique approach to governance and cultural integration, particularly through his marriages to Persian women, the role of women in his life, and the aftermath of Alexander's death. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like wh...
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January 2, 2025 • 60 mins
Dr. Eve MacDonald, an ancient historian and archaeologist at Cardiff University, joins Lexie to discuss the often-overlooked technological advancements of the Carthaginians and the importance of understanding their narrative beyond the Roman perspective, her work on the Sasanian Empire and the significance of borderlands and how local identities evolved in response to the shifting powers of the time, and the role of monumental stru...
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December 12, 2024 • 90 mins
Dr. Neville McFerrin, a professor of Art History at the University of North Texas, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a 2nd year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss the connections between dress, ornamentation, and architecture, particularly in the context of research on Pompeii and Persepolis, the concept of proprioception and how ancient peoples understood their environments and interactio...
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