Classical Wisdom Speaks

What can Aristotle tell us about how we should live today? What are the ancient secrets to a flourishing life? 

And what is 'the art of the interesting?' 

Today Anya is joined by Lorraine Besser to discuss the ways Aristotle has influenced modern psychology, and how the path towards a richer life is always within us... 

Lorraine Besser is professor of philosophy at Middlebury College. She was a founding investigator on the r...

She was one of the most powerful women of the ancient world…

Once mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Cleopatra and Helen of Troy. 

Yet today she is largely forgotten. Why did this happen?  

Today Anya is joined by award-winning novelist Costanza Casati to discuss the ancient Assyrian queen, Semiramis, and the blurry boundary between history and myth.

Constanza Casati is the author of th...

What is the key to happiness? It turns out, the Stoics might just have the answer… 

Today Anya is joined by Christopher Gill to discuss ancient Stoic understandings of happiness, how some modern interpretations of Stoicism get it wrong, and what exactly fate has to do with it all.

Christopher Gill is a British philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter. 

He is author...

It’s no secret that the American Founding Fathers were deeply inspired by the Classics. The words of the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers suffuse the original documents and ideas that built America.

Today Anya is joined by Jeffery Rosen to talk about how ancient ideas of virtue inspired these pivotal figures in American history.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, ...

There is a place, a narrow strip of land, where bravery and sacrifice became legendary... where the famed ‘300’ laid down their lives to save Hellas in 480 BC...

But that is not the only battle in which blood was shed at Thermopylae...

Dr. Michael Livingston and Myke Cole discuss their recently released book "The Killing Ground: A Biography of Thermopylae" and discover the chilling stories found on this particular field...

W...

From Penelope to Fulvia and beyond, discover the lives of ancient women. 

Today Anya is joined by Dr. Daisy Dunn, to discuss the ‘missing thread’ of ancient history: the often-overlooked women who helped shape civilizations. 

Dr Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and the author of several books, including The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World through the Women Who Shaped It.

You can buy it here: https://geni.us...

Discover the woman who brought Greek mythology to America… 

Today Anya is joined by Victoria Houseman to discuss the life and legacy of Edith Hamilton, the American Classicist who brought Greek mythology and ancient cultures to a vast new audience.

Her books remain beloved classics in their own right, and illuminate not only the Greeks and Romans, but also how the ancients can help us understand the tumultuous twe...

While Stoicism is currently all the rage -and for good reason- it isn’t the only philosophy to address some of life’s toughest questions. 

From dealing with uncertainty, stress, grief and more, we have a wonderful toolbox of wisdom at our disposal, if only we know where to look.

Renowned Stoics and philosophers, Massimo Pigliucci, Donald Robertson and John Sellars, take the lessons of Stoicism... and beyond... to see how we can appro...

How did two different philosophies - that have seen a resurgence of interest in the Western world - both arrive at such similar conclusions for how to live a happy life?

Despite being separated by hundreds of years and thousands of miles, Stoicism and Buddhism have striking similarities...so much so some have wondered if there was some exchange of ideas between the forefathers of each ideology.

But how exactly are these philosophies ...

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&apos...

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental disorders. Considered pathology, it is the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders... but what if it isn't always or only a medical condition?

From Greek tragedies and Buddhism to actual practices from famous doctors like Galen, there are a myriad of important lessons about anxiety that can be gleaned from the past. Indeed the ancients had a lot ...

Discover how the best physician is also a philosopher… 

From the gladiators’ arena to the imperial court, the life and career of the ancient doctor Galen is among the most extraordinary in the ancient world.

A Greek, a Roman, a doctor, and a thinker, Galen was also one of the most prolific of all ancient writers, having written ten per cent of all ancient texts from before 350CE.

Today, Anya is joined by KATHERINE D. VAN SCHAIK, herse...

It’s philosophy’s ultimate dinner party… and you’re invited.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Alex Priou to discuss Plato’s most joyful and playful work, The Symposium.

Discover how taking an unconventional approach to Plato can illuminate both this ancient text and how we live today.

ALEX PRIOU is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin. He is the author of many books, in...

Discover the ancient nomadic tribe that helped inspire the myth of the Amazons… and their legacy in the world today.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Christopher Beckwith, an expert on the mysterious and compelling Scythians.

Join them as they discuss the secrets of this influential yet overlooked people, their vanished empire, how Herodotus is a very reliable source after all. 

You can purchase ‘The Scy...

They say all philosophy is but a series of footnotes to Plato. Yet the remarkable story of the great philosopher’s life has remained untold—until now.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by independent scholar and translator Robin Waterfield to discuss his latest book ‘Plato of Athens’, the first ever full-length biography of Plato.

Separate fact from fiction and discover if Plato really died from n...

Take a deep dive into three of ancient Greece's most fascinating women - both historical and mythological.  What can we discover about Sappho, Medea and Antigone by studying the original texts?

Join Diane Rayor, an extremely talented and engaged translator as she takes you 'behind the scenes' of some of the most powerful works from the ancient world.

DIANE J. RAYOR is Professor Emerita of Classics...

In a world brimming with information and rapidly shifting beliefs, the lessons from Socrates resonate more than ever.

How do we seek knowledge in an age of uncertainty? How can we engage in meaningful dialogue that encourages critical thinking? What can his ideas teach us about social justice, politics, education and our own minds?

Enjoy this interdisciplinary discussion, looking at the relevance of Socrates today...

The ancients had plenty of thoughts about animals... but are their insights helpful to us now? How did they treat animals? What did they think of them? And should we eat meat?

Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Mark Usher, the Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a member of the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont. With his wife, he also built, own...

Everyone knows Athens and Sparta...and yet, THEBES is not the common household name it should be.

From its captivating mythology to its fantastic history, we’ll look at the archeology, the military, the legends and the truth of this essential city state.

Featuring Paul Cartledge of Cambridge University, James Romm of Bard College, Stephen Dando-Collins of Turner Publishing, Stephanie Larson of Bucknell University,...