Podcast appearances and mentions of Edith M Bowmar

As a Professor of History and Classics and the Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, Barry Strauss is a recognized authority on leadership and the lessons of the great political and military leaders of the ancient world. He has authored eight books on ancient history, painting a fascinating portrayal of momentous events from assassination of Caesar to the Trojan War. His books have been translated into 14 languages, from French to Korean. His book, The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination, (Simon & Schuster, March 2015) was hailed as “engrossing, exhaustive yet surprisingly easy to read” by Barron’s. With host Greg Wool, Barry discusses his approach towards bringing historical figures to life and navigating the balance between providing historical fact and entertainment through his books. Along the way, Barry clears up popular misconceptions in historical events, such as the assassination of Caesar, and provides clarity to lesser-known battles that altered the course of history, such as the Battle of Salamis. Focusing on Alexander, Caesar and Hannibal, Barry highlights leadership qualities that are fascinating in both a historical and contemporary context. He then moves on to discuss the significant roles that women played in shaping ancient history and how they are viewed today. Finally, he discusses the importance of studying history to contextualize modern events and how the academic community can continue to foster interest in the discipline. As a former director of Cornell’s Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Professor Strauss is also an expert on military strategy and studied modern engagements from Bosnia to Iraq and from Afghanistan to the streets of Europe. He holds a B.A. (1974) from Cornell University and a M.A. and Ph.D. (1979) from Yale University. Links from the Episode at presentvaluepodcast.com Website: Barry Strauss Faculty Page: Barry Strauss LinkedIn: Barry Strauss

In 9CE three Roman legions were walking through Germany when they were ambushed in what would become one of the most notorious defeats throughout Rome’s history. The loss of the legions were a crippling blow to Rome’s plans of expansion, and redrew the borders in the province. Guest: Barry Strauss (Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, author of Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors From Augustus to Constantine).

How many of you request feedback in order to learn and improve, or benefit from a 360 evaluation? This past week, at Cornell University, we went back a bit further and explored Leonidas I, the legendary warrior-king of the Greek city-state of Sparta. Most of us know of Leonidas I by way of Steven Pressfield’s wonderful book Gates of Fire. Or, we may have seen the movie 300. Both showcase the famous Battle of Thermopylae which pitted 300 Spartans against Persian King Xerxes’ army of hundreds of thousands. What did we learn from the past? What leadership lessons did we discuss? Actually, quite a few. Barry Strauss, Professor of History and Classics, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies, presented questions for me, that we could share with his students for group discussion. Why is Leonidas an admired figure in modern culture? And why are we fascinated with Sparta, yet no so much democratic Athens? It seems today, as much as in 480 B.C. we are drawn to leaders who have a strong sense of purpose, who serve a cause greater than themselves. Think about our cherished stories of the proverbial entrepreneurs launching a new venture in a garage with nothing then creating something amazing that changes our lives. We spoke about the differences between leadership and authority, and what makes a good leader. Repeatedly, the concept of leading by example, or leading from the front surfaced. All of these reasons attract us to Leonidas, as well as contemporary leaders and heroes. When Strauss asked what kind of leader Leonidas was, Professor Sidney Finkelstein’s book Superbosses came to mind, and his three archetypes: • Iconoclasts, or artistic types such as Miles Davis, who want to be the best in their field • Glorious Bastards, who just care about winning, such as Larry Ellison of Oracle, or • Nurturers, who guide and teach their protégées, such as Bill Walsh, legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Many of us found Leonidas a combination of a nurturer, who cared for his solders, who easily was a glorious bastard in battle. In short, there was a lot to learn thinking about and discussing Leonidas. Both about leadership and about history. We even discussed whether or not Leonidas had a Personal Leadership Philosophy. Look for a future choinquecast of the entire session. What lessons do you learn? Do you request feedback? How does that affect your leadership philosophy? Leaders Learn From the Past.

In our continuing series on great historians we come, inevitably, to the Greek historian Thucydides. Sometimes it seems as if you have to pick a side: Which do you prefer, Thucydides or his predecessor Herodotus? Critics of Thucydides say that his history of the Peloponnesian War focuses too much on politics and war. Some have charged that he built  "Thucydides' Tower," a kind of prison in which historians were confined in front of a window from which they could only see politics and war, and the actions of so-called great men; until a jailbreak was staged by Jacob Burckhardt in 1860, or the Annalistes in 1929, or the social historians in 1971 (opinions vary on the convicts' leader and the date). Our guest today, Barry Strauss, doesn't believe you have to choose between the two; he also thinks that there is a lot more in Thucydides than politics and battles. Last heard on Episode 11 of Historically Thinking discussing his book The Death of Caesar. He is the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, and a prolific author on classical history. Among his many notable books are The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece—and Western Civilization, and The Spartacus War. (And, at the risk of sounding odd, if your significant other loves a good murder mystery, then Death of Caesar would make the perfect Valentine's Day gift. Really.) Enjoy! For Further Investigation The Death of Caesar Essay on Thucydides from the great Perseus Digital Library An excellent edition of Thucydides' history–The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War