Podcasts about Iliad

With the recent release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and buzz around Emily Wilson's translation of Homer, we thought we would unlock this special Stop! Homer Time episode originally released to Patreon supporters in early 2024.In November 2023, the acclaimed translator returned to the show to chat with us as we embarked upon our Iliad read. She spoke with us about her process, what it was like to have an audience clamoring for her translation, and what happens when the muses make you forget how to play guitar. For more information on longreads series like Stop! Homer Time, please head to patreon.com/overduepod.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.Follow @overduepod on Instagram and BlueskyAdvertise on OverdueSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

n this special episode we're joined by Josh Cannon who holds a PhD in near eastern languages and civilizations from the University of Chicago. Prior to this, Josh was a member of the US Marine Corps and served in two tours of Iraq as an Arabic cryptologic linguist. We sat down with Josh to chat about his book Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran's Iliad which brings together his lived experience of military service with the ideas that emerge from Homer's epic poem.Things to listen out forModern versus ancient conceptions of gloryThe power of translation to inspireConnections between near eastern mythology and Homer's IliadThe shared stories of the Hittites and the Ionian GreeksThe way the consequences of modern warfare can help us understand the depictions of warfare in the ancient world betterBooks and scholars mentioned in this interviewEpic of Gilgamesh - There are many translations of this epic, one of the most recent is that of Simon ArmitageTranslations of Homer's Iliad and OdysseyRobert Fagles - The Iliad (1998) Robert Fagles - The Odyssey (1996) Richard Lattimore - The Iliad Stanley Lombardo - The Iliad (1997) Emily Wilson - The Odyssey (2017) Emily Wilson - The Iliad (2023)Spartan poet TyrtaeusBachvarova, M. R., From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic (2016, Cambridge University Press)Carolina López-Ruiz, When the Gods Were Born: Greek Cosmogonies and the Near East (Harvard University Press, 2010)Patrick Shaw-Stewart's untitled poem “I saw a man this morning”Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam: combat trauma and the undoing of character (2004, Scribner)Martin West, The East Face of Helicon: West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth (1999, Oxford University Press)For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/Support the showPatreonKo-FiRead our booksRex: The Seven Kings of RomeYour Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's all about famous actors roles and appearances! This episode's topic: NAME THAT ACTOR Love trivia battles? Try Learn Clash! http://learnclash.com/budds Fact of the Day: Alexander the Great carried an annotated copy of The Iliad on his campaigns, reportedly keeping it beneath his pillow beside his dagger. He called it a "handbook of the military art" and modeled himself after Achilles. Triple Connections: Brim, Lime, Rhine THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 01:19 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $3 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW! GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES: Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music: "Laser Groove" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://TriviaWithBudds.comhttp://Facebook.com/TriviaWithBudds http://Instagram.com/ryanbudds Book a party, corporate event, or fundraiser anytime by emailing ryanbudds@gmail.com or use the contact form here: https://www.triviawithbudds.com/contact SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY AMAZING PATREON SUBSCRIBERS, INCLUDING: Samantha Wheeler Boomer Cates Mark Kloppenburg Cadi Snow-Brine Amber Shiels Alan Kreisel Rich Sommer Joe Heiman Waqas Ali Logan Booker Bringeka Sam Nathan Stenstrom Brooks Martin Robyn Price Gee Brian Clough Charles Glanville IV Lauren Schuette Evan Lemons AnneMarie Mattacchione Yves Bouyssounouse Kenny Zail York yates Gay Geek Fabulous Mollie Dominic Nathalie Avelar Natasha raina leslie gerhardt Diane White Youngblood Trophy Husband Trivia Lynnette Keel Lillian Campbell Jerry Loven Jamie Greig Gail Lancman Jeremy Yoder Adam Jacoby rondell Adam Suzan Tiffany Poplin Bill Bavar Sarah Daniel Hoisington Keith Martin Sue First Steve Hoeker Jessica Allen Lauren Glassman Brian Williams Brett Livaudais Linda Elswick Carter A. Fourqurean Justly Maya Brandon Lavin Kathy McHale Chuck Nealen Courtney French Nikki Long Mark Zarate Laura Palmer  JT Dean Bratton Kristy Erin Burgess Trenton Sullivan Jen and Nic Michael Redman Timothy Heavner Jeff Foust Richard Lefdal Myles Bagby Jenna Leatherman Vernon Heagy Albert Thomas Kimberly Brown Tracy Oldaker Sara Zimmerman Madeleine Garvey Jenni Yetter Patrick Leahy Dillon Enderby James Brown Christy Shipley Clayton Polizzi Alexander Calder Ricky Carney Paul McLaughlin Willy Powell Robert Casey Matthew Frost Brian Salyer Greg Bristow Megan Donnelly Jim Fields Mo Martinez Luke Mckay Simon Time Feana Nevel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Exploring The Odyssey with Dr. Emily Hauser | Homer, Emily Wilson, Greek Mythology & the Humanities Few books have shaped Western literature more profoundly than Homer's The Odyssey. Nearly 3,000 years after it was composed, readers are still asking the same questions Homer posed: What makes a hero? What does it truly mean to find home? How much of our lives is shaped by fate, choice, and the stories we tell ourselves? In this episode of Reality Raincheck, we're joined by ancient historian and classicist Dr. Emily Hauser for an in-depth discussion of one of history's greatest epics. Together we explore Homer's world, the remarkable staying power of The Odyssey, the challenges of translating ancient Greek into modern English, and why Emily Wilson's acclaimed translation has introduced a new generation of readers to this timeless masterpiece. We also discuss some of the most fascinating questions surrounding The Odyssey: Who was Homer, and did he really write The Odyssey? Why is The Odyssey still taught in schools and universities around the world? How does Emily Wilson's translation differ from earlier translations? What role do Athena and the Greek gods play in Odysseus's journey? What does the poem teach us about heroism, family, identity, and home? What can modern readers still learn from an ancient epic? One of the themes that stayed with me after this conversation is the importance of the humanities. Great literature doesn't simply entertain us—it teaches us to think carefully, wrestle with difficult ideas, understand cultures beyond our own, and appreciate the experiences of people separated from us by centuries. Those are skills worth preserving. As colleges and universities continue to reduce or eliminate humanities programs, I believe we should make a conscious effort to support them. The study of literature, history, philosophy, languages, and the arts helps shape thoughtful, curious, compassionate people. If you believe these disciplines matter, I encourage you to learn more about organizations like the National Humanities Alliance and the work they're doing to advocate for humanities education. If you enjoyed today's conversation, I highly recommend Dr. Hauser's bestselling book, Mythica: A New History of Homer's World, Through the Women Written Out of It. It offers a fascinating look at the women, history, archaeology, and culture that shaped the world behind The Iliad and The Odyssey. Learn More Dr. Emily Hauser Website: https://www.emilyhauser.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyhauserauthor/?hl=en Mythica (Penelope's Bones in the U.S.) Penelope's Bones by Emily Hauser Support the Humanities National Humanities Alliance: https://nhalliance.org/

It could be argued that Christopher Nolan has been remaking the Odyssey for his whole career, and his latest film revisits many of the themes of his earlier movies, as once again a male protagonist embarks on a desperate quest to recover a female love object. But, as Emily Wilson argues, while Homer's Odyssey might seem the perfect source material for Nolan, the ancient Greek poem also excels at many things the director isn't so good at, not least dialogue and characterisation. Wilson, who has translated both the Odyssey and the Iliad, joins Thomas Jones to talk through the new adaptation, discussing its echoes of Nolan's earlier films and his use of the Trojan Horse as a parable about wars built on lies. They also look at the compositional history of Homer's poem and consider why this archetypal journey narrative is also a story about stasis and the desire to resist time. Listen to Emily and Tom's Close Readings episode on the Odyssey here: Apple: https://lrb.me/odysseyapple Spotify: https://lrb.me/odysseyspotify LRB website: https://lrb.me/odysseyweb GET 50% OFF a 12-month Close Readings subscription with the code 'SUMMER50' when you sign up here: https://lrb.me/atasummer50 Read Emily Wilson on Nolan's ‘Odyssey' in the LRB: https://lrb.me/wilsonodysseypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The walls didn't fall from a fight. They fell from praise — and the praise came first, not after the win. Click here to read the sermon “Until the Walls Fall Down” Joshua 6:1–21 Oh, thank you, Brother Watson. That was so, so good. Friends, we are in the third and final week of this three-week series we have been in called Onward: Moving Toward the Uncharted. In this series, we have been looking at the story of Joshua's leadership of the people of Israel as they step into new ground, as they step into a brand new season, as they cross over the Jordan River into new lands the Lord has given them but of which they have not yet taken possession. There is a promise God has made to His people, but the people have not yet fully stepped into the promise. Two weeks ago, we saw this picture: that God had confirmed this promise, but it wasn't just a promise — it was a principle. And a principle is a promise that is user dependent, meaning the promise God makes to Joshua is, “I have given you every place the sole of your foot treads” (cf. Josh 1:3, HCSB) [see “A New Dawn, A New Day,” July 12, 2026]. Now that's a beautiful promise, but it also means that if Joshua and the people of Israel stay where they are on the eastern side of the Jordan River, that's all they get. But if they take steps of obedience, if they take steps of faith into a new land, if they follow a new journey and a new path to this new destination, God will be true to His promise to them. So we see it's not just a promise, but a principle — a user dependent promise. And last week, we saw this picture: how the people, after forty years wandering in the wilderness, had finally crossed the Jordan River (cf. Josh 3–4) [see “Walk This Way,” July 19, 2026]. They finally had crossed, and the Jordan River is not a huge river, but the Jordan River was an obstacle in the way of the promise. It was an obstacle in the way of stepping into the fullness of who God had called them to be. And so He gave very specific instructions as to how they were to cross the river, so that God would be praised and the generations to come would know that God is mighty, and He would be teaching the people to walk in wisdom. And so as we conclude today, we're going to do so with a message I have titled “Until the Walls Fall Down.” Until the walls fall down. Shock of all shocks, we're going to be looking at Joshua chapter six and the Battle of Jericho. Now, how many of you grew up in VBS, and you know the Joshua and the Battle of Jericho song? Come on: “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” [Congregation sings along.] I want to write each and every one of your names up on the chalkboard and give check marks next to you. I don't think that means anything in heaven, but that's how proud of you I am that you all knew that song so well. Now, here's the thing. Many of us have heard the story of the Battle of Jericho in Sunday school and VBS growing up. But here are some of the things we may not have thought about when we were children hearing this story. Jericho is not a big city. Jericho was actually a relatively small town during this period of time. What Jericho had was two very important things, and in order to demonstrate those things, I need all of my youth in Passport shirts to come back up. I need all of your help. So youth and adults — if you're an adult here in a Passport shirt, I need you too. You are my wall. I need you all right here, right across the front. And by the way, I do want to see that special high five y'all worked on together. All right, so here we go — I've got my Passport teens and adults. This is my wall. Now, here's what's true about having a wall in front of you: I feel a whole lot braver with them in front of me, right? Because you can't get me — I've got the wall in front of me. Now, a wall is really great, but here's the problem: if I've got the wall in front of me and you are the encroaching army, you outnumber me, but I've got a wall, so I can just wait you out. But in order for me to wait you out — the same problem siege warfare has had for thousands of years is this: if you are the larger army and we've got a big wall, you don't have to tear down the wall. You just have to prevent anything I need from coming into the city. So the longer you surround the city, the more trouble I'm in. But Jericho had one thing going for it: Jericho had a spring in the middle of the city. So Jericho had fresh water and a wall. And if you've got fresh water and a wall, you don't need much else, because you can't get past my wall. And as long as I've got some animals and maybe some farming and fresh water, you can just keep hanging out out there — you don't bother me one bit. So, how many of you — raise your hands real quick, and then I'm going to dismiss the wall — how many of you have seen The Odyssey already? How many of you went to the theaters and saw the new Odyssey? Yes, excellent, you get it. So of course it's a bunch of men — Nolan made a new movie — that's how it goes. So here's the beauty of The Odyssey: The Odyssey is what happens after Homer's The Iliad, right? It's what happens after the Battle of Troy. And Troy was a walled city with a spring inside.1 So Troy could just wait out the opposing army — which is where the story comes from of the Trojan horse, because that was the only way you had to get someone to bring something into the city of their own accord. Otherwise, the people would just continue to wait and wait and wait — years waiting — because there was a spring and a wall. Y'all give it up for my wall! We're going to go ahead and let the wall fall down. Y'all can head back. “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” But anytime you have siege warfare, the goal is to wait out the people inside. In fact, there are a lot of stories of siege warfare throughout history where no battle was ever actually fought — the people inside the city simply ran out of resources and ultimately died without a battle ever occurring. Jericho was not a large city. Jericho was a well-defended city. So we're going to read in Joshua chapter six, verses one and two — we'll go back, please: Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites — no one leaving or entering. And the LORD said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its fighting men over to you.” (Josh 6:1–2, HCSB) Now, they've always had a big wall, but it's “fortified,” meaning they are in a defensive posture. And the reason they're in defensive posture is that suddenly that eighty thousand to a quarter million people — the Israelites who crossed the river — suddenly that group is now surrounding them. So the people of Jericho are shut up inside. No one's entering, no one's leaving. And the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king and its fighting men over to you.” And if you're Joshua in that moment, you're thinking, “Not really — they seem to be doing just fine inside their walled city. They seem to be doing okay, God. You say You've delivered them to us, but here we are just hanging out outside. It doesn't look like we've been delivered much.” But this is why it's so important to remember that Jericho was not a big or powerful city — it was just well fortified. It's not a big or powerful city. It's just well fortified. And so this is our first point today that I want you to grab hold of: often in life, our obstacles are not large — they just appear insurmountable. Often our obstacles are not large. Often the obstacles you are facing are not crazy, they're not scary — you've just accepted that you can't do anything about them. Maybe that's where we are today as the church. It's easy to be the church in the world right now and look around and go, “Man, every church is declining.” It's easy to go, “It's not looking good.” And we're not quitting — but we've kind of thrown in the towel on going further. We're still going to show up, we're still going to be faithful, but if we're honest, we've lost a little bit of hope that there's more to come. We've lost a little bit of hope that the best is yet to come. We've lost a little bit of hope that the next generation is going to go further than we ever thought possible. It's not because it's big or scary — we're just looking around at the trends, and it feels insurmountable. But this is why what God says to Joshua next is so important. If we continue reading, we read these words: March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. (Josh 6:3–4, HCSB) You know, I should have asked about this before — I don't think we have a trumpet here, do we? We have the players, but not the horns. If there are any trumpet players in the room, I want to give you a moment to practice. Will you give me the sound you'd need to create the trumpet sound? Let me hear it — all the trumpet players in the room, any horn players in the room, let me hear it. There we go — it sounds a little bit like an elephant, doesn't it? Sounds a little bit like an elephant. Now here's the thing: I want you to imagine seven of those going off nonstop as an entire army marches around a city seven times. That's big, and it's loud, and it's scary. We continue reading: When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear it sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. (Josh 6:5, HCSB) Let's practice our mighty shout. Here we go — three, two, one. [Congregation shouts.] You scared me! Let's try it again — three, two, one. [Congregation shouts again.] Okay, okay, all right. Now imagine that you are somewhere between fifty thousand and a hundred fifty thousand strong. Imagine that sound. Now, I'm from Florida — we have really great college football teams in Florida, and so that fifty to a hundred fifty thousand people screaming, I've heard a lot of that. Now here in Durham, I imagine we have to associate it more with college basketball — but imagine you're inside Cameron during Duke-UNC. It's tied with three seconds left. Can you imagine what it sounds like in that building? Can you imagine how loud it sounds? There's power in that. But here's what's interesting in God's command here in Joshua 6:3–5: nowhere is there a command to grab a weapon. Nowhere. God doesn't say, “Here's what I want you to do — I want you to spend some time, I want you to build the trebuchet, we're going to take that wall down.” He doesn't say, “I want you to get all the horses you can find, or the chariots you can find” — there's nothing military-related to what we're hearing. It's: walk around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, walk around the city seven times. And what's going to happen? They're going to blow horns. Now, for the people of Israel, blowing horns was part of a celebration — it was part of praise to God. In fact, if you go through the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, you're going to find specific instructions for the horns that are supposed to be played during different parts of the worship service and the tabernacle. You're going to find different examples of how you are to worship and praise God.2 God does not command the people of Israel to pick up weapons of violence. He has them pick up weapons of praise. So we're going to skip ahead to verse twelve, and we're going to find out what Joshua does in response to God's command. “Joshua got up early the next morning” (Josh 6:12, HCSB). By the way, notice this in your Bible — whenever you're reading, especially in the Old Testament, you're going to find a continual pattern: when God gives a command to one of His people, the people who are our models of obedience tend to do this — they get up early the next morning. They get up early the next morning. Now, I don't know about you, but I like sleep. I really do — I love sleep. But on days when I'm really excited about something, on days when I know something good is going to happen, I'm that person who can't even stay asleep through my alarm. I'm up an hour earlier. There's so much energy, so much excitement — I'm so ready for what's about to happen. And we see this continually in Scripture: when people are excited about obedience, when they're excited about what God is about to do in their life, they get up early the next morning. They are preparing themselves to experience all that God intends. So Joshua got up early the next morning; the priests took the ark of the LORD, and the seven priests carrying seven trumpets marched in front of the ark of the LORD. And while the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the LORD (cf. Josh 6:13, HCSB). On the second day, they marched around the city once and returned to the camp, and they did this for six days. Now imagine — you're the people of Israel. Joshua's received this command from God, Joshua has relayed this command to you, the people. And here you are, day after day, just going for a walk around the city. And you know God has commanded this, but let's be honest — you don't really understand it. And I can't be the only person in the room who has been led by God to do something that didn't really make sense to me. I can't be the only person in the room who has found themselves in a situation where obedience to God seems ridiculous in the face of whatever's going on in your life. And if we're honest, if we're real with one another, I think many of us have come face to face with that struggle. God is asking for obedience, and you're looking at the situation — you're looking at your bank account, you're looking at your relationships, you're looking at your marriage, you're looking at your kids — and you're going, “God, that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. God, I know You're calling me to be obedient here, but I'm struggling to get it.” And this whole series, this whole three weeks, has really been about the idea that God is calling us into a new land. God is calling us into a new territory. God is calling us into something we did not think was possible before. And so, in order for us to reach that new land, in order for us to reach that new destination, it's going to require some different things from us. And I think, first and foremost, it's going to require a different kind of faith — maybe than we've had before. It's going to require a faith that is deeper, a faith that trusts more. And another way to say that would be a faith that risks more — the kind of faith that says, “If You don't show up here, then I don't have any other options. You've called me into the kind of faith, God, where either You are who You say You are, or I've got nothing.” And if we want to reach a new destination, if we want to be a people who are following a new path, it will require of us a new kind of faith — because following a new path will require a new kind of faith. We've got to trust God enough to continue down a new path toward a new destination, even when it doesn't always make sense to us. In those moments, we've got to trust: God, You know what You're doing. God, You know what You're doing. Because if we're real — and I'm just being honest — I've been in ministry for twenty years, and I'm just telling you what I have experienced: most of the time, my faith looks like one foot in and one foot out. Most of the time, my faith looks like, “God, I'm really hoping You're going to come through, but I've also got a backup plan. God, I'm really trusting that You're going to come through, but please don't ask me to risk too much, or give too much, or do too much. God, don't ask me to take on a position that is outside of my comfort zone. God, don't lead me to volunteer for a ministry where I don't really know what I'm doing.” For most of us, faith looks like, “God, I really, really believe You about sixty percent of the time.” And that's not — please, please don't hear a judgment in that. Please don't hear me say you've only got sixty percent faith. I'm saying I'm there with you. I'm a pastor, and I'm there with you. But what I also know from my own testimony, what I also know from your life, is that the moments your faith has deepened the most have been the moments where you have trusted God in such a way that there was no Plan B. There was no backup. It's “God, I am one hundred percent all in with You. God, I'm not holding anything back. I'm not being careful about what I'm going to do if this doesn't work out. God, I am believing that Your way is the best way. So I'm going to live in such a way that the whole world will know: he really believes that God is faithful.” That's not what my life looks like most of the time. But I know that when God has moved the most powerfully, those are the moments I have trusted Him fully. There's a pastor who passed a few years ago — I mean, we could talk about his influence on my entire generation of Christians. His name was Dr. Charles Stanley. And Dr. Charles Stanley said these words, and I love them: God will take full responsibility of the life fully entrusted to Him.3 And I know in my life, those rare moments — those rare moments where I've had a new kind of faith, those rare moments where I say, “God, I am trusting You fully” — I have seen Him take full responsibility and do more than I ever thought was possible. Church, if we want to reach a new destination, if we want to follow a new path, it will require from us a new kind of faith. As we continue reading, we're going to read verses fifteen and sixteen, and then we're going to skip to twenty: Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priest blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.” (Josh 6:15–16, HCSB) So, church — one more time. We've made our way around this city seven times. The priests have blown the trumpets. Let me be Joshua for a moment, and you be the people of Israel: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!” [Congregation responds.] The Lord has given you the fortified city. Let's try it again: “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!” [Congregation shouts.] So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. (Josh 6:20, HCSB) Now: seven times around the city, trumpet blasts, the people shout. Trumpet blast, the people shout — and then what happens? “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.” Now here — Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho? The walls didn't come down because of a fight. The walls came down because of praise. You see, praise — the praise preceded the victory. The praise preceded the victory. And let's be honest — come on — how many of us are waiting for the victory to give the praise? How many of us, time and time again, in every circumstance and situation we face in life, we're waiting for the victory? “God, once You bring me the victory, I'll give You the praise. God, once we have won, I'll give You the praise.” That's not how the Battle of Jericho goes. Praise precedes the victory. Praise precedes the victory. What would your life look like if you brought to mind the biggest obstacle you're facing — if you brought to mind the biggest battle that's ahead of you, if you brought to mind the biggest fear, the biggest anxiety, the biggest worry you have — bring that to the forefront of your mind. And what would happen if right now, here in this place, you said, “God, I'm not waiting for the victory to give You praise. I'm not waiting for the win to declare Your glory. God, I'm not waiting until this church is overflowing with people and we're doing four services — I'm not waiting for that to give You praise right now.” Let's be honest, church, I know where you're at. How about, “God, I'm not waiting until we have it all figured out and all the answers to give You praise.” What would it look like? What would it look like for you to say here and now, “God, You get every bit of my praise. You get every bit of my praise, You get it here and now. I'm not waiting for the victory to give You praise.” Because here's what's true — here's what's true. No matter what battle you are facing in this life, no matter what circumstance you are coming up against, what is true is that death has already been defeated. Sin has already been defeated. The blood of Jesus has already purified you from all unrighteousness. You are covered in the grace of God before a bit of victory has been given in the circumstance you're facing in this moment. You've already got more victory than you could ever ask or imagine. You have already won. So yeah — you might be facing some confusion about what comes next for you as a church. You may be facing some tough decisions in your personal life regarding your finances. You may be battling — I mean, man, at this point, you can be battling just by ordering a salad. It's bad out there, y'all. Whatever battle you are facing — you've already won. Church, hear me when I say this: you've already won. You've already got the victory. Yes, there are situations in your life that you're afraid of. Yes, there are situations in your life you're nervous about. There are circumstances going on in your friends and in your family that you are worried about. But I want to let you know: in the middle of that anxiety, in the middle of that worry, in the middle of the unknowns for what comes next, we can praise God right now — because praise precedes the victory. Praise precedes the victory. And here's what the enemy wants for you: the enemy wants you to forget that you've already won. The enemy wants you to forget you've already been victorious. The enemy wants you to forget what God has already done for you — and to get you so wrapped up with the thing that is five feet in front of you that you become blinded to everything else. That's all the enemy wants. But church — what would happen? What would happen in your life if you said, “I've already won. I am praising God”? And victory may or may not come in this situation, but I'm praising God either way, because I'm already victorious. Church, are you willing? Are you willing to give your praise before the victory? Are you willing to give your praise before the victory? And here's the thing that I don't understand — there's so much in Scripture that I don't get. I don't understand how, in God's economy, ninety percent goes further than a hundred percent. I don't understand how, in God's economy, six days goes further than seven. I don't understand how it is that in God's economy, sometimes when we praise, victory follows. It's backwards to the way the world works. Church, God has called you to be a different kind of people, following a different kind of path, with a different kind of faith. Church, are you willing to give your praise before the victory? Because I believe — I believe for Yates Baptist Church, and I believe for every man, woman, and child in this room right now — I believe if you will give your praise, you have no idea what God will do next. If you will give your praise, I believe there is a victory headed your way, church. I don't want you to miss it. I don't want you to miss it. I don't want you to miss out on the destination. I don't want you to miss out on the new lands. I don't want you to miss out on the life that is ahead of you if you're willing to give your praise first. If you're willing to be a people of praise, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstance, I believe that victory comes quickly on its heels. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, Jesus — we give You praise in this place. We give You honor and glory in this place. God, we're going to hear music in this place. God, we're going to sing songs of praise in this place. And so, God, we're not holding back. God, we're going to give You praise today like victory is dependent upon it. We're going to give You praise today as a people who have already won. We're going to give You praise today like a people who know that if we praise until the walls fall down, we will see Your victory. We will experience Your grace and Your mercy and Your goodness. Jesus, we want a taste of Your victory, and so we give You praise here and now. We don't know what the future holds, but You do. We don't know what the next step is, God, but You do. So God, would You give us the kind of faith that praises You before the victory? Would You give us the kind of faith that is obedient in such a way that if You don't come through, God, we have no hope? Would You give us the kind of faith that fully entrusts our lives to You, believing that You will take full responsibility of that life? Jesus, we pray this in Your name. Amen. Endnotes 1 The image of “a spring in the middle of the city” draws loosely on Homer's description of twin springs feeding the Scamander near Troy's walls (Iliad 22.147–152: “κρουνὼ δ' ἵκανον καλλιρρόω· ἔνθα δὲ πηγαὶ / δοιαὶ ἀναΐσσουσι Σκαμάνδρου δινήεντος,” “they came to the two fair-flowing fountains, where well up the two springs that feed eddying Scamander”). Homer locates these springs outside the city walls, on the plain, not within the citadel, and describes two springs (one warm, one cold) rather than one. Archaeological excavation at Hisarlık, the site identified with ancient Troy, has not confirmed a spring inside the fortified citadel matching this Homeric image. Excavated water features there consist chiefly of cisterns and a rock-cut channel rather than a documented intramural spring. 2 The trumpet/horn vocabulary sits in three Pentateuchal locations: Numbers 10:1–10, where the instrument is חֲצוֹצְרָה (chatzotzerah, “[silver] trumpet”) and the war-signal is תְּרוּעָה (teru'ah, “shout, alarm-blast,” Num 10:9); and Leviticus 23:24 and 25:9, where the instrument is שׁוֹפָר (shofar, “ram's horn”), again paired with teru'ah. Joshua 6 itself uses shofar for the priests' horns (שׁוֹפְרוֹת הַיּוֹבְלִים, shofrot ha-yovlim, “ram's-horn trumpets,” 6:4) and teru'ah for the people's shout (תְּרוּעָה גְדוֹלָה, teru'ah gedolah, “a great shout,” 6:5, 20). This is Leviticus's pairing, and the same shofar/teru'ah pairing recurs as a holy-war type-scene in Judges: Ehud sounds the shofar to muster Israel (וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר, Judg 3:27); Gideon does the same to summon his army (Judg 6:34), and; At the battle against Midian the shofar blast and accompanying cry again precede the enemy's collapse rather than follow it (Judg 7:16–22) The repeated formula forms the same liturgical praise-before-victory pattern the preacher interprets from Jericho. 3 The challenging line, “God will take full responsibility of the life fully entrusted to Him,” conflates language from two sources rather than quoting either: Andrew Murray (“God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him”), commonly attributed to Murray in devotional compilations though without a confirmed primary-text citation, and Charles Stanley's Life Principle 11 (“God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him”), as taught through In Touch Ministries. A third variant, “God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him,” also circulates under Stanley's name in popular quotation collections. Rendered in the body as the preacher's own synthesis of these related sayings. Works Cited AZQuotes. “God Takes Full Responsibility for the Life Wholly Devoted to Him.” AZQuotes, https://www.azquotes.com/quote/735429. Accessed 26 July 2026. Bible Apologetics. “Andrew Murray – Quotes for a Deeper Walk with Jesus.” Bible Apologetics, 23 Sept. 2024, https://bibleapologetics.org/andrew-murray-quotes-for-a-deeper-walk-with-jesus/. Accessed 26 July 2026. The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible. Holman Bible Publishers, 2004. Homer. The Iliad. Translated by A. T. Murray, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1924. The Odyssey. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Universal Pictures, 2026. Stanley, Charles F. “Life Principle 11: His Promise to Provide.” In Touch Ministries, https://www.intouch.org/watch/sermons/life-principle-11-his-promise-to-provide. Accessed 26 July 2026. “Troy: New Data from Old Excavations.” Archaeological Institute of America, 9 Nov. 2023, https://www.archaeological.org/troy-new-data-from-old-excavations/. Accessed 26 July 2026. © 2026 Rob Stone. All rights reserved.

Send us comments, suggestions and ideas here! In this week's episode we invite our friend Julian the Philosopher back on the show to discuss the mythic source material from which Christopher Nolan's new film is based: The Odyssey. We discuss not just Nolan's new film, but Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, quite a bit of the historical context around these works of epic poetry, how these stories were thought of initially, criticized by Plato, recontextualized by Virgil, translated countless times and transformed into Nolan's new blockbuster film. As part of our larger conversation, we discuss the dichotomy between the Homeric hero and the Platonic Hero of the mind, considering how each incarnation of the story fits into this framework or not. Thank you and enjoy the show :) Check out Julian the Philosopher here:https://www.youtube.com/@JulianSoloninkahttps://medium.com/@jsolonin In this week's episode we discuss:-The Homeric Hero-Nolan's Odysseus-The Emily Wilson Translation -The Presence / Absence of Gods-Hanging of the Servants-The Life and Times of Homer -The People From the Sea-Achilles and the Ethiopian FleetIn the extended episode available at www.patreon.com/TheWholeRabbit we go off script to discuss: -Virgil's Aeneid-The Telegony-Rome, Ancestors of Troy -The Christianization of The Odyssey-The Boatman Charon-John the Baptist-The Sirens-Philip K. Dick, Christ and the SacramentsThis discussion was impelled by the research and study of Julian Soloninka with additional contributions made by Luke Madrid, Heka Astra, Mari Sama and Tim Hacker. Recorded in unscripted, Socratic discussion style.I did have notes ready but I did not use them. They are available for our rabbit tier. Good stuff in there. We just didn't talk about it! Where to find The Whole Rabbit:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0AnJZhmPzaby04afmEWOAVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_whole_rabbitTwitter: https://twitter.com/1WholeRabbitOrder Stickers: https://www.stickermule.com/thewholerabbitOther Merchandise: https://thewholerabbit.myspreadshop.com/Music By Spirit Travel Plaza:https://open.spotify.com/artist/30dW3WB1sYofnow7y3V0YoSupport the show

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by historian Dr Emily Hauser and comedian and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about the epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey. Traditionally attributed to the poet Homer, these works tell parts of a legend that has fascinated us for centuries: the story of the Trojan War. Featuring a cast of unforgettable characters – Achilles, Odysseus, Paris, Helen, Hector and Agamemnon – the war between ancient Greece and Troy has inspired writers, artists and filmmakers for over a millennium. But the Iliad and Odyssey only recount episodes of this much bigger story. The Iliad, focusing on the hero Achilles, takes place in the closing stretches of the war. And the Odyssey tells the tale of Odysseus's perilous voyage home after the Greeks have triumphed. In this episode, we trace the origins of the poems in the 8th century BCE, looking at whether Homer really wrote them and how these originally oral tales came to be written down, before exploring the fantastical tales they tell. Along the way, we also look at whether or not the Trojan war really happened, how the ancient Greeks defined heroism, and examine the role of gods and monsters in the poems and the lives of their heroes.If you're a fan of fantastical myths and legends, heroes behaving badly, and ancient Greek culture, you'll love our episode on the Iliad and Odyssey.If you want more from Kiell Smith-Bynoe, listen to our episode on Viking explorer Leif Erikson. And for more historical epics, check out our episodes on the Legends of King Arthur, and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh.You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Auréliane Perrin Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

The wrap up of things unearthed in the second quarter of 2026 includes the potpourri category, lots of books and letters, shipwrecks, and neanderthals. Research: Addley, Esther. “Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists.” The Guardian. 6/17/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/18/solstice-aligned-monument-archaeology-wiltshire-stonehenge-prototype Anderson, Sonja. “These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant.” Smithsonian. 5/29/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-600-year-old-chinese-surgical-instruments-are-coated-in-an-early-local-anestheticcarefully-extracted-from-a-poisonous-plant-180988865/ Archaeology Magazine. “Copper Part From Illicit 19th Century Still Discovered in Scotland.” 5/12/2026. https://archaeology.org/news/2026/05/12/copper-part-from-illicit-19th-century-still-discovered-in-scotland/ Associated Press Copenhagen. “Archaeologists discover wreck of Danish warship sunk by Nelson 225 years ago.” The Guardian. 4/2/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/02/archaeologists-discover-wreck-danish-warship-sunk-admiral-nelson Bassi, Margherita. “After Nearly 80 Years of Doubt, Scientists Say a Spear Lodged Between Elephant Ribs Offers Evidence That Neanderthals Hunted Big Game.” Smithsonian. 4/10/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/ Baum, Stephanie and Robert Egan. “Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization.” EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bolivian-mummy-rewrites-scarlet-fever.html Blackwood, Emma. “Baby fossils reveal link between human and Neanderthal development.” University of Queensland. Via EurekAlert. 6/19/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1132850 Blair, Elizabeth. “Decades-old, newly restored Smithsonian carousel reopens — to children’s delight.” WAMU. 4/25/2026. https://wamu.org/story/26/04/25/decades-old-newly-restored-smithsonian-carousel-reopens-to-childrens-delight/ Blake, Elissa. “New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, along the Darling (Baaka) River in Australia.” University of Sydney. Via EurekAlert. 5/18/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1128408 Cerino, Marco. “Appeals court clears Trump's path to alter Philadelphia slavery exhibit at historic site.” Philadelphia Tribune. 6/18/2026. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/appeals-court-clears-trumps-path-to-alter-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit-at-historic-site/article_8ac83e65-6a6d-4db1-91c4-074f98c96a74.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share Clark, Gaby. “Climate and competition alone cannot explain Neanderthal extinction, study finds.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-climate-competition-neanderthal-extinction.html Clark, Gaby. “Did Neanderthals use rhinoceros teeth as tools?” Phys.org. 6/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-neanderthals-rhinoceros-teeth-tools.html Clark, Gaby. “Nondestructive DNA sampling reveals 1,300 years of secrets in historic parchments.” Phys.org. 5/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nondestructive-dna-sampling-reveals-years.html Clark, Gaby. “Surprising diversity found among Europe's last Neanderthals.” Leiden University. Via Phys.org. 6/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diversity-europe-neanderthals.html Cummings, Mike. “Medici brothers' remains reveal Renaissance-era malaria strains, closing the book on a murder mystery.” Phys.org. 6/30/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medici-brothers-reveal-renaissance-era.html Defranceschi, Laura. “Ötzi and his microbiome: a 5,300-year-old relationship.” Eurac Research. Via EurekAlert. 6/2/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129908 Dungate, Joanna. “Shakespeare’s ‘missing’ London house mapped with new discovery.” Kings College London. Via EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123989 Egan, Robert. “Neanderthal dentists used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago, ancient molar suggests.” Phys.org. 5/13/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Egan, Robert. “Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study.” Curtin University. Via Phys.org. 6/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stonehenge-altar-stone-epic-ancient.html Ellenby, Danielle. “Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather.” EurekAlert. 4/9/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008 Forbes, Ellie. “Archaeologists discover unexploded mortar shell at Culloden Battlefield.” Scottish Field. 4/14/2026. https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/news/archaeologists-discover-unexploded-mortar-shell-at-culloden-battlefield/ Harley, Sadie and Robert Egan. “Ancient chicken bones reveal human management in Korea 2,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 4/22/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-chicken-bones-reveal-human.html Jones, Sam. “Hidden treasures: Spanish archaeologists discover trove of ancient shipwrecks in Bay of Gibraltar.” The Guardian. 4/15/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/15/hidden-treasures-spanish-archaeologists-discover-trove-of-ancient-shipwrecks-in-bay-of-gibraltar Kuta, Sarah. “A Shipwreck, but Make It Fashion: Researchers Transformed Wooden Fragments From a 17th-Century Shipwreck Into a Pair of Stylish Maxi Dresses.” Smithsonian. 5/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-shipwreck-but-make-it-fashion-researchers-transformed-wooden-fragments-from-a-17th-century-shipwreck-into-a-pair-of-stylish-maxi-dresses-180988825/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Discover Evidence That a Wooden Prototype for Stonehenge May Have Aligned With the Solstice 500 Years Before the Stone Circle.” Smithsonian. 6/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-a-wooden-prototype-for-stonehenge-may-have-aligned-with-the-solstice-500-years-before-the-stone-circle-180988988/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Potatoes Didn’t Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People’s DNA.” Smithsonain. 5/12/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/ Kuta, Sarah. “This American Submarine Lost During WWII—Along With 83 Crew Members—Has Been Discovered in the Pacific Ocean.” Smithsonian. 6/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-submarine-USS-Herring-lost-during-WWII-along-with-83-crew-members-has-been-discovered-in-the-pacific-ocean-180988895/ Kuta, Sarah. “Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prize.” Smithsonian. 4/15/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/ Kuta, Sarah. “What Killed the Neanderthals? New Research Suggests a Lack of Genetic Diversity May Be Partially to Blame.” Smithsonian. 4/24/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/ Lakowski, Amy. “Digging for Remnants of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” Bostonia. Boston University’s Alumni Magazine. 6/22/2026. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/digging-for-remnants-battle-of-bunker-hill/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “The Sagrada Familia Will Finally Be Completed in 2026. The Last Challenge? Demolishing the Homes of Some 3,000 Local Residents.” ArtNet. 2/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sagrada-familia-2026-local-residents-2254826 Lock, Lisa and Robert Egan. “Ancient curse tablet bears rare Greek inscription with binding spell intended to harm enemies.” Phys.org. 6/17/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-curse-tablet-rare-greek.html Lu, Donna. “Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines.” The Guardian. 5/18/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/19/dingo-burial-site-first-nations-people-relationship-to-animals net. “Lost Writings of Saint Augustine Found in Medieval Manuscript.” 6/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/06/lost-writings-of-saint-augustine-found-in-medieval-manuscript/ net. “Secret Letter Detailing Late Medieval Britain Fully Decoded.” https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/secret-letter-detailing-late-medieval-britain-fully-decoded/ Mehrtens, Michelle. “A Young Black Girl Was the First to Desegregate a Maryland Carousel in the 1960s. Now, the Historic Merry-Go-Round Will Entertain Visitors on the National Mall.” Smithsonian. 4/22/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-young-black-girl-was-the-first-to-desegregate-a-maryland-carousel-in-the-1960s-now-the-historic-merry-go-round-will-entertain-visitors-on-the-national-mall-180988596/ Mondal, Sanjukta. “Scraped from ancient Roman toilets, these crusted remains expose a pathogen found far earlier than expected.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-roman-toilets-crusted-expose.html Moreau, Didier and Julie Louis. “Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo.” University of Liege. Via EurekAlert. 4/1/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122449 Mosquera, Pau. “Sagrada Família’s 144-year journey nears its end with the Tower of Jesus Christ.” CNN. 6/8/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/style/sagrada-familia-barcelona-tower-jesus-christ-intl Nicholls, Catherine and Taylor Nicioli. “Papyrus scroll burnt to a crisp during Vesuvius eruption deciphered with help of AI.” CNN. 6/26/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/science/papyrus-scroll-vesuvius-ai-scli-intl Oster, Sandee et al. “Rare 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes unearthed at Inca coastal site.” Phys.org. 6/14/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-year-dried-potatoes-unearthed.html Oster, Sandee. “A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain.” Phys.org. 5/31/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-kohl-bottle-york-hint-ancient.html Oster, Sandee. “Lavatory shaft reveals the cost of 17th‑century vanity in Germany.” Phys.org. 6/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lavatory-shaft-reveals-17thcentury-vanity.html Oster, Sandee. “Mummified dogs reveal Tiwanaku people buried companions beside homes long before they became status symbols.” Phys.org. 6/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mummified-dogs-reveal-tiwanaku-people.html Randolph, Mary. “A Man and His Dog Discovered a 3,400-Year-Old Ax Head While Out for a Walk in One of England’s Ancient Forests.” Smithsonian. 4/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-and-his-dog-accidentally-discovered-a-3400-year-old-ax-head-while-out-for-a-walk-in-one-of-englands-ancient-forests-180988649/ Randolph, Mary. “After a Poet’s Love Story Was Cut Short, His Letters Mysteriously Disappeared—Until Rare Book Dealers Acted on a Hunch.” Smithsonian. 4/21/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-john-keats-love-story-was-cut-short-his-letters-mysteriously-disappeared-until-rare-book-dealers-acted-on-a-hunch-180988585/ Science in Poland. “Ancient ‘beer’ traces found in 4,500-year-old vessels in Northeastern Poland.” 5/17/2026. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C112850%2Cancient-beer-traces-found-4500-year-old-vessels-northeastern-poland.html Solly, Meilan. “A 13-Year-Old Boy Found This Bronze Coin in a Field. It Turned Out to Be the First Ancient Greek Artifact Discovered in Berlin.” Smithsonian. 8/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-13-year-old-boy-found-this-bronze-coin-in-a-field-it-turned-out-to-be-the-first-ancient-greek-artifact-discovered-in-berlin-180988627/ Solly, Meilan. “New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historians.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/ Solly, Meilan. “These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement.” Smithsonian. 6/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-italian-teenagers-stayed-overnight-at-their-school-they-found-ancient-roman-ruins-hidden-in-the-basement-180988917/ The History Blog. “1,500-year-old kitchen knife set found in Hadrianopolis.” 4/22/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75890 The History Blog. “11th c. sword found in Warta River in Poland.” 6/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76308 The History Blog. “Charred loaf of bread found at Roman military camp.” 4/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75904 The History Blog. “First-grader on field trip finds 1,300-year-old sword.” 5/13/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76055 The History Blog. “Matching fragments of Silla stele reunited.” 4/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75837 Thorsberg, Christian. “A Hiker in Norway Found an Elite Warrior’s Golden Sword Ornament. It Was Likely a Sacrifice to the Gods Made During a Time of Turmoil.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hiker-in-norway-found-an-elite-warriors-golden-sword-ornament-it-was-likely-a-sacrifice-to-the-gods-made-during-a-time-of-turmoil-180988707/ University of Copenhagen. "4,000-year-old tablets reveal magic spells, kings feared, and a beer receipt." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260504023848.htm. University of Iowa Health Care. "Ancient DNA shared with Neanderthals may explain human language." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260611024612.htm University of York. “Ancient DNA from Tuscan Wells Reveal Origins of Modern Wine.” 5/12/2026. https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/ancient-dna-tuscan-wells-origins-wine/ Wexler, Ellen. “Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy.” Smithsonian. 4/23/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-papyrus-fragment-from-the-iliad-tucked-inside-the-wrappings-of-a-1600-year-old-egyptian-mummy-180988603/ Wexler, Ellen. “Divers Discover the Shipwreck of a World War I-Era Coast Guard Cutter, Which Vanished With 131 Sailors on Board in 1918.” Smithsonian. 5/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/divers-discover-the-shipwreck-of-a-world-war-i-era-coast-guard-cutter-which-vanished-with-131-sailors-on-board-in-1918-180988676/ Wexler, Ellen. “Why Did the Handwriting in This 248-Year-Old Notebook Look Familiar? It Turned Out to Be a Forgotten Mozart Manuscript.” Smithsonian. 6/25/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-handwriting-in-this-248-year-old-notebook-look-familiar-it-turned-out-to-be-a-forgotten-mozart-manuscript-180989017/ Whiddington, Richard. “Newly Recovered Love Letters by John Keats Could Net $2 Million at Auction.” ArtNet. 5/12/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-keats-love-letters-sothebys-auction-2772300 Whiddington, Richard. “Rare Centuries-Old Notebook Discovered in Medieval Latrine.” ArtNet. 5/18/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/notebook-medieval-latrine-2774230 Whiddington, Richard. “Shakespeare’s London Home Finally Located After Centuries of Mystery.” ArtNet. 4/17/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shakespeare-london-home-site-found-2766154 Widdington, Richard. “Lost Copy of Earliest-Known English Poem Found in Roman Library.” ArtNet. 5/10/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/caedmon-hymn-copy-rome-library-trinity-college-2771600 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we explore the epic tragedy of the Iliad—from the oral traditions of Homer and the discovery of the real Troy to the legendary duel between Achilles and Hector and the poems that followed. Welcome to History Camp!

The Odyssey - Ep. 405 The journey home begins! This week the Normies set sail into the epic world of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, tackling Homer's timeless tale through the lens of one of modern cinema's most ambitious filmmakers. From breathtaking practical spectacle and mythic monsters to Nolan's signature twists of time, memory, and destiny, the hosts break down how this legendary voyage was reimagined for the big screen. Did the film live up to its monumental expectations? Which performances stole the show? And where does The Odyssey rank among Nolan's incredible filmography? Hoist the sails, beware the Cyclops, and chart a course for adventure as we journey across the wine-dark sea with The Odyssey—only on Normies Like Us! Insta @Normies_Like_Us https://www.instagram.com/normies_like_us/ @_j__a___c___o__b_ https://www.instagram.com/_j__a___c___o__b_/ @Mike_Has_Insta https://www.instagram.com/mike_has_insta/ https://letterboxd.com/BabblingBrooksy/ https://letterboxd.com/hobbes72/ https://letterboxd.com/mikejromans/

A Roman mummy from the fabulously named site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt has tested positive for the Iliad. But why put a snippet of Homer's tale on a mummy, especially a fairly dull list of ships and places? Maybe it was to audition for a Christopher Nolan movie?

Part one of the mid-year coverage of things literally and figuratively unearthed in the last quarter includes updates, more updates, animals, edibles and potables, and accidental finds. Research: Addley, Esther. “Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument ‘once in a lifetime find’, say archaeologists.” The Guardian. 6/17/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/18/solstice-aligned-monument-archaeology-wiltshire-stonehenge-prototype Anderson, Sonja. “These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant.” Smithsonian. 5/29/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-600-year-old-chinese-surgical-instruments-are-coated-in-an-early-local-anestheticcarefully-extracted-from-a-poisonous-plant-180988865/ Archaeology Magazine. “Copper Part From Illicit 19th Century Still Discovered in Scotland.” 5/12/2026. https://archaeology.org/news/2026/05/12/copper-part-from-illicit-19th-century-still-discovered-in-scotland/ Associated Press Copenhagen. “Archaeologists discover wreck of Danish warship sunk by Nelson 225 years ago.” The Guardian. 4/2/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/02/archaeologists-discover-wreck-danish-warship-sunk-admiral-nelson Bassi, Margherita. “After Nearly 80 Years of Doubt, Scientists Say a Spear Lodged Between Elephant Ribs Offers Evidence That Neanderthals Hunted Big Game.” Smithsonian. 4/10/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/ Baum, Stephanie and Robert Egan. “Bolivian mummy rewrites scarlet fever's past, suggesting killer bacterium circulated centuries before colonization.” EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bolivian-mummy-rewrites-scarlet-fever.html Blackwood, Emma. “Baby fossils reveal link between human and Neanderthal development.” University of Queensland. Via EurekAlert. 6/19/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1132850 Blair, Elizabeth. “Decades-old, newly restored Smithsonian carousel reopens — to children’s delight.” WAMU. 4/25/2026. https://wamu.org/story/26/04/25/decades-old-newly-restored-smithsonian-carousel-reopens-to-childrens-delight/ Blake, Elissa. “New evidence reveals a millennium-old dingo was ritually buried, and cared for, along the Darling (Baaka) River in Australia.” University of Sydney. Via EurekAlert. 5/18/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1128408 Cerino, Marco. “Appeals court clears Trump's path to alter Philadelphia slavery exhibit at historic site.” Philadelphia Tribune. 6/18/2026. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/appeals-court-clears-trumps-path-to-alter-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit-at-historic-site/article_8ac83e65-6a6d-4db1-91c4-074f98c96a74.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share Clark, Gaby. “Climate and competition alone cannot explain Neanderthal extinction, study finds.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-climate-competition-neanderthal-extinction.html Clark, Gaby. “Did Neanderthals use rhinoceros teeth as tools?” Phys.org. 6/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-neanderthals-rhinoceros-teeth-tools.html Clark, Gaby. “Nondestructive DNA sampling reveals 1,300 years of secrets in historic parchments.” Phys.org. 5/18/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nondestructive-dna-sampling-reveals-years.html Clark, Gaby. “Surprising diversity found among Europe's last Neanderthals.” Leiden University. Via Phys.org. 6/24/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diversity-europe-neanderthals.html Cummings, Mike. “Medici brothers' remains reveal Renaissance-era malaria strains, closing the book on a murder mystery.” Phys.org. 6/30/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medici-brothers-reveal-renaissance-era.html Defranceschi, Laura. “Ötzi and his microbiome: a 5,300-year-old relationship.” Eurac Research. Via EurekAlert. 6/2/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129908 Dungate, Joanna. “Shakespeare’s ‘missing’ London house mapped with new discovery.” Kings College London. Via EurekAlert. 4/15/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123989 Egan, Robert. “Neanderthal dentists used stone drills to treat cavities nearly 60,000 years ago, ancient molar suggests.” Phys.org. 5/13/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-neanderthal-dentists-stone-drills-cavities.html Egan, Robert. “Stonehenge Altar Stone's epic transportation across ancient Britain detailed in new study.” Curtin University. Via Phys.org. 6/4/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stonehenge-altar-stone-epic-ancient.html Ellenby, Danielle. “Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather.” EurekAlert. 4/9/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123008 Forbes, Ellie. “Archaeologists discover unexploded mortar shell at Culloden Battlefield.” Scottish Field. 4/14/2026. https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/news/archaeologists-discover-unexploded-mortar-shell-at-culloden-battlefield/ Harley, Sadie and Robert Egan. “Ancient chicken bones reveal human management in Korea 2,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 4/22/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-chicken-bones-reveal-human.html Jones, Sam. “Hidden treasures: Spanish archaeologists discover trove of ancient shipwrecks in Bay of Gibraltar.” The Guardian. 4/15/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/15/hidden-treasures-spanish-archaeologists-discover-trove-of-ancient-shipwrecks-in-bay-of-gibraltar Kuta, Sarah. “A Shipwreck, but Make It Fashion: Researchers Transformed Wooden Fragments From a 17th-Century Shipwreck Into a Pair of Stylish Maxi Dresses.” Smithsonian. 5/26/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-shipwreck-but-make-it-fashion-researchers-transformed-wooden-fragments-from-a-17th-century-shipwreck-into-a-pair-of-stylish-maxi-dresses-180988825/ Kuta, Sarah. “Archaeologists Discover Evidence That a Wooden Prototype for Stonehenge May Have Aligned With the Solstice 500 Years Before the Stone Circle.” Smithsonian. 6/19/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-evidence-a-wooden-prototype-for-stonehenge-may-have-aligned-with-the-solstice-500-years-before-the-stone-circle-180988988/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Did Homo Sapiens Really Outsmart Neanderthals? Different Skull Shapes Didn’t Necessarily Mean Unequal Brain Capacity, New Research Shows.” Smithsonian. 5/13/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/ Kuta, Sarah. “Potatoes Didn’t Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People’s DNA.” Smithsonain. 5/12/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/ Kuta, Sarah. “This American Submarine Lost During WWII—Along With 83 Crew Members—Has Been Discovered in the Pacific Ocean.” Smithsonian. 6/3/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-submarine-USS-Herring-lost-during-WWII-along-with-83-crew-members-has-been-discovered-in-the-pacific-ocean-180988895/ Kuta, Sarah. “Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prize.” Smithsonian. 4/15/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/ Kuta, Sarah. “What Killed the Neanderthals? New Research Suggests a Lack of Genetic Diversity May Be Partially to Blame.” Smithsonian. 4/24/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/ Lakowski, Amy. “Digging for Remnants of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” Bostonia. Boston University’s Alumni Magazine. 6/22/2026. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/digging-for-remnants-battle-of-bunker-hill/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “The Sagrada Familia Will Finally Be Completed in 2026. The Last Challenge? Demolishing the Homes of Some 3,000 Local Residents.” ArtNet. 2/13/2023. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sagrada-familia-2026-local-residents-2254826 Lock, Lisa and Robert Egan. “Ancient curse tablet bears rare Greek inscription with binding spell intended to harm enemies.” Phys.org. 6/17/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-ancient-curse-tablet-rare-greek.html Lu, Donna. “Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines.” The Guardian. 5/18/2026. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/19/dingo-burial-site-first-nations-people-relationship-to-animals net. “Lost Writings of Saint Augustine Found in Medieval Manuscript.” 6/2026. https://www.medievalists.net/2026/06/lost-writings-of-saint-augustine-found-in-medieval-manuscript/ net. “Secret Letter Detailing Late Medieval Britain Fully Decoded.” https://www.medievalists.net/2026/04/secret-letter-detailing-late-medieval-britain-fully-decoded/ Mehrtens, Michelle. “A Young Black Girl Was the First to Desegregate a Maryland Carousel in the 1960s. Now, the Historic Merry-Go-Round Will Entertain Visitors on the National Mall.” Smithsonian. 4/22/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-young-black-girl-was-the-first-to-desegregate-a-maryland-carousel-in-the-1960s-now-the-historic-merry-go-round-will-entertain-visitors-on-the-national-mall-180988596/ Mondal, Sanjukta. “Scraped from ancient Roman toilets, these crusted remains expose a pathogen found far earlier than expected.” Phys.org. 4/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-roman-toilets-crusted-expose.html Moreau, Didier and Julie Louis. “Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo.” University of Liege. Via EurekAlert. 4/1/2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122449 Mosquera, Pau. “Sagrada Família’s 144-year journey nears its end with the Tower of Jesus Christ.” CNN. 6/8/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/style/sagrada-familia-barcelona-tower-jesus-christ-intl Nicholls, Catherine and Taylor Nicioli. “Papyrus scroll burnt to a crisp during Vesuvius eruption deciphered with help of AI.” CNN. 6/26/2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/science/papyrus-scroll-vesuvius-ai-scli-intl Oster, Sandee et al. “Rare 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes unearthed at Inca coastal site.” Phys.org. 6/14/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-rare-year-dried-potatoes-unearthed.html Oster, Sandee. “A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman-Britain.” Phys.org. 5/31/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-kohl-bottle-york-hint-ancient.html Oster, Sandee. “Lavatory shaft reveals the cost of 17th‑century vanity in Germany.” Phys.org. 6/23/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-lavatory-shaft-reveals-17thcentury-vanity.html Oster, Sandee. “Mummified dogs reveal Tiwanaku people buried companions beside homes long before they became status symbols.” Phys.org. 6/29/2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mummified-dogs-reveal-tiwanaku-people.html Randolph, Mary. “A Man and His Dog Discovered a 3,400-Year-Old Ax Head While Out for a Walk in One of England’s Ancient Forests.” Smithsonian. 4/30/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-and-his-dog-accidentally-discovered-a-3400-year-old-ax-head-while-out-for-a-walk-in-one-of-englands-ancient-forests-180988649/ Randolph, Mary. “After a Poet’s Love Story Was Cut Short, His Letters Mysteriously Disappeared—Until Rare Book Dealers Acted on a Hunch.” Smithsonian. 4/21/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-john-keats-love-story-was-cut-short-his-letters-mysteriously-disappeared-until-rare-book-dealers-acted-on-a-hunch-180988585/ Science in Poland. “Ancient ‘beer’ traces found in 4,500-year-old vessels in Northeastern Poland.” 5/17/2026. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C112850%2Cancient-beer-traces-found-4500-year-old-vessels-northeastern-poland.html Solly, Meilan. “A 13-Year-Old Boy Found This Bronze Coin in a Field. It Turned Out to Be the First Ancient Greek Artifact Discovered in Berlin.” Smithsonian. 8/28/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-13-year-old-boy-found-this-bronze-coin-in-a-field-it-turned-out-to-be-the-first-ancient-greek-artifact-discovered-in-berlin-180988627/ Solly, Meilan. “New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historians.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-franklin-expedition-officer-died-in-the-arctic-in-uniform-that-didnt-belong-to-him-now-dna-has-revealed-his-identity-180988702/ Solly, Meilan. “These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement.” Smithsonian. 6/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-italian-teenagers-stayed-overnight-at-their-school-they-found-ancient-roman-ruins-hidden-in-the-basement-180988917/ The History Blog. “1,500-year-old kitchen knife set found in Hadrianopolis.” 4/22/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75890 The History Blog. “11th c. sword found in Warta River in Poland.” 6/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76308 The History Blog. “Charred loaf of bread found at Roman military camp.” 4/24/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75904 The History Blog. “First-grader on field trip finds 1,300-year-old sword.” 5/13/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/76055 The History Blog. “Matching fragments of Silla stele reunited.” 4/15/2026. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75837 Thorsberg, Christian. “A Hiker in Norway Found an Elite Warrior’s Golden Sword Ornament. It Was Likely a Sacrifice to the Gods Made During a Time of Turmoil.” Smithsonian. 5/8/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hiker-in-norway-found-an-elite-warriors-golden-sword-ornament-it-was-likely-a-sacrifice-to-the-gods-made-during-a-time-of-turmoil-180988707/ University of Copenhagen. "4,000-year-old tablets reveal magic spells, kings feared, and a beer receipt." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260504023848.htm. University of Iowa Health Care. "Ancient DNA shared with Neanderthals may explain human language." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2026. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260611024612.htm University of York. “Ancient DNA from Tuscan Wells Reveal Origins of Modern Wine.” 5/12/2026. https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/ancient-dna-tuscan-wells-origins-wine/ Wexler, Ellen. “Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy.” Smithsonian. 4/23/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-papyrus-fragment-from-the-iliad-tucked-inside-the-wrappings-of-a-1600-year-old-egyptian-mummy-180988603/ Wexler, Ellen. “Divers Discover the Shipwreck of a World War I-Era Coast Guard Cutter, Which Vanished With 131 Sailors on Board in 1918.” Smithsonian. 5/7/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/divers-discover-the-shipwreck-of-a-world-war-i-era-coast-guard-cutter-which-vanished-with-131-sailors-on-board-in-1918-180988676/ Wexler, Ellen. “Why Did the Handwriting in This 248-Year-Old Notebook Look Familiar? It Turned Out to Be a Forgotten Mozart Manuscript.” Smithsonian. 6/25/2026. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-handwriting-in-this-248-year-old-notebook-look-familiar-it-turned-out-to-be-a-forgotten-mozart-manuscript-180989017/ Whiddington, Richard. “Newly Recovered Love Letters by John Keats Could Net $2 Million at Auction.” ArtNet. 5/12/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-keats-love-letters-sothebys-auction-2772300 Whiddington, Richard. “Rare Centuries-Old Notebook Discovered in Medieval Latrine.” ArtNet. 5/18/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/notebook-medieval-latrine-2774230 Whiddington, Richard. “Shakespeare’s London Home Finally Located After Centuries of Mystery.” ArtNet. 4/17/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shakespeare-london-home-site-found-2766154 Widdington, Richard. “Lost Copy of Earliest-Known English Poem Found in Roman Library.” ArtNet. 5/10/2026. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/caedmon-hymn-copy-rome-library-trinity-college-2771600 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a poet who survived prison sits down with the world's oldest war story--and reads it in three sleepless, wandering days? In this second episode of the EconTalk Book Club on the Iliad, Dwayne Betts and EconTalk host Russ Roberts trade their impressions of the Iliad, discovering it's less about war than about fathers, friendship, and the stubborn dignity people find inside fates they can't escape. Betts connects Achilles's rage and grief to his own experience of incarceration and depression, while Roberts marvels at Homer's cinematic style and the strange tenderness between enemies. Together they unpack the shield of Achilles, the ransom of Hector's body, and how an ancient poem about war still cracks readers open today. It's a conversation about reading as communion--and how a 2,800-year-old story became, unexpectedly, a way of connecting to each other.

Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The Corruption of Hollywood and the Sacred Canon. Regarding the Hollywood remake of the Odyssey, Germanicus characterizes the production as a "Hail Mary" by a "cesspool of corruption" known as Hollywood to remain relevant while "hemorrhaging talent." He labels the film an "abomination" and a "short shrift" to a sacred work of literature. Despite this, he sees a "beacon of hope" in the possibility that the film's failure will drive the younger generation to seek out the original texts. He emphasizes that the Iliad and Odyssey were not "fantasy" but the civilizational canon of Greco-Roman antiquity, acting as "sacred works" that dictated how to live and think. Gaius notes that these epics were originally meant to be "chanted" or "sung" and that they traditionally ended with "calm after the violence" rather than mere spectacle. They conclude that Hollywood has "cheapened our sensibility" and "raped our legacy" by failing to respect these foundational pillars of Western identity. (3)

“There's a reason why movies have always been used for propaganda.” Correction: Our seventh year anniversary just passed, not our fifth. Thanks for listening! Time StampsOpening – (0:00)The Odyssey review – (1:30)IMAX Accessibility – (19:15)Whatcha Been Watching – (22:09)Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America – (22:19)Emily Wilson's The Iliad and The Odyssey – (23:08)Live action Moana – (28:48)The Invite – (29:38)On The Horizon – (30:53)Outro – (37:20) Like, subscribe, and comment below! Wanna find […]

Folks, it's flabbergasting that we haven't covered an historical epic until now! So in light of the release of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, we choose to either prep your palette for that new cinematic adaptation of Homer's epic poem or provide you with a possibly better rendition of screen poetry with a previous Homeric adaptation of Iliad. One that made its debut over twenty years ago in bright form with a classic ensemble cast. It's 2004's Troy! Covering the Director's Cut of the film, come join the gang as they ride off into Ancient Greece to discover souls older than they are and with some arguably better drip! Should you listeners choose to return to an era of bright epics such as this one or join the zeitgeist of praise for Nolan's new feature? We review, you decide! This is going to be great, peeps! Also, if you saw The Odyssey in theaters, what'd all of you think?? Worthy of your time, or might an older cinematic epic be more delectable? Email us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com.

Send us Fan MailODYSSEYThe tales of our quartet of heroic hacks hath concluded, and alas Season 17's continued voyage to cover a single work otherwise shunned by the codes of TGTPTU would have to wait another day as the movie theater houses of IMAX and lesser film abodes have brought to the weary masses a film of epic proportions and grand length. That motion picture would be THE ODYSSEY (2026), and the man of Briton to foregather the talents of the camera-wielding Double Hoyte and the Talented Mr. Damon harkens back to adventures during TGTPTU's Season 12 and is no other than Sir (IRL!) Christopher Edward Nolan.   As your humble scribe is no soothsayer, he cannot in good faith foretell how the film will deviate from the classic work of Homer (blind and of Ancient Grecian fame, not Simpson of Springfield). Nor can yours truly hint at the reactions the hosts Ryan, Ken, or he, himself, Thomas will have, nor may he here throw his customary shade and poison the reader of such unnecessarily ramose sentences as herein contained toward his views on the film.    Will adapting an oral tale later committed to archaic languages befall the fate of Aronofsky's Noah (2014, covered in Season 11)? Will Travis Scott with his role as The Bard for Nolan surpass his previous acting credit in Harmony Korine's Aggro Dr1ft (2023)? Will Jon Bernthal battle Robert Pattinson in a clash between the comic book titans The Punisher and The Batman? Will Bill Irwin's cyclops surpass both his previous Nolan role as robot and that of whoever was the cyclops in Krull (1983, covered earlier this season)? Will the film contain or be structured so that the beginning and end meet in the middle, again cribbing TGTPTU's patented pincer movement and leading to further litigation? Will there be an Iliad prequel?   Of all this and more, I am humbly ignorant. But I will wager anyone a Way of the Gun DVD with postage paid that Irwin's cyclops will rival that of James Marsden's or Tye Sheridan's. You can @ me using the contacts below.     In two weeks, a homecoming as the 1x1's begin and Season 17 draws to a close.   THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.Email: thegoodthepodandtheugly@gmail.comFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/TGTPTUInstagram: https://instagram.com/thegoodthepodandtheugly?igshid=um92md09kjg0Bluesky: @goodpodugly.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mI2plrgJu-TB95bbJCW-gLetterboxd (follow us!):Podcast: goodpoduglyKen: Ken KoralRyan: Ryan Tobias

Troy made nearly $500 million worldwide, cast half of Lord of the Rings as extras, and turned Brad Pitt into a Greek demigod for two hours and forty-three minutes. It also cut every god out of Homer's Iliad and left Achilles as a straight-up atheist.Josh, Garrett, and David dig into what David Benioff's screenplay kept, what it invented, and why removing the mythology from a mythology movie might be the reason nobody in it feels worth rooting for. Plus: the Letterboxd guessing game, a Peter O'Toole story that did not end well for anyone, and a rating that dropped the more they talked about it.Part of Mythology Month, timed to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey — now in theaters. Follow So Many Sequels at somanysequels.com and @somanysequelspod on Instagram.

pWotD Episode 3363: Odyssey Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 311,479 views on Friday, 17 July 2026 our article of the day is Odyssey.The Odyssey (; Ancient Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, romanized: Odýsseia [odýsseːa]) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is divided into 24 books. It follows the heroic king of Ithaca, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, and his homecoming journey after the ten-year-long Trojan War. His journey from Troy to Ithaca lasts an additional ten years, during which time he encounters many perils and all of his crewmates are killed. In Odysseus's long absence, he is presumed dead, leaving his wife Penelope and son Telemachus to contend with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.The Odyssey was first composed in Homeric Greek around the 8th or 7th century BC; by the mid-6th century BC, it had become part of the Greek literary canon. In antiquity, Homer's authorship was taken as true, but contemporary scholarship predominantly assumes that the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed independently, as part of long oral traditions. Given widespread illiteracy, the poem was performed for an audience by an aoidos or rhapsode.Key themes in the epic include the ideas of nostos (νόστος; 'return', homecoming), wandering, xenia (ξενία; 'guest-friendship'), testing, and omens. Scholars discuss the narrative prominence of certain groups within the poem, such as women and slaves, who have larger roles than in other works of ancient literature. This focus is especially remarkable when contrasted with the Iliad, which centers upon the exploits of soldiers and kings during the Trojan War.The Odyssey is regarded as one of the most significant works of the Western canon. The first English translation of the Odyssey was in the 16th century. Adaptations and re-imaginings continue to be produced across a wide variety of media. In 2018, when BBC Culture polled experts around the world to find literature's most enduring narrative, the Odyssey topped the list.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 16:13 UTC on Saturday, 18 July 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Odyssey on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Jasmine.

(4) Rituals of the Arena: Chubby Gladiators, Elephant Empathy, and the Roman Mythic Past Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. This discussion strips away the Hollywood image of gladiators, focusing on their specialized diets and the cultural role they played in Roman society. Gaius reveals that gladiators were intentionally chubby to "bleed better" for the audience and suffered from bad breath due to a meatless diet, highlighting that many were actually volunteers seeking money, and that animal hunts were often more popular than death matches. He shares a poignant account of elephants in the arena begging the crowd for their lives, which led Romans to acknowledge their intelligence. Germanicus explains gladiatorial combat as a "ritual" for citizens to reconnect with their "mythic heroic past" now that they no longer serve in the legions, defending the "chubby" physique by noting that body fat was essential for the survival of both Hannibal's soldiers and elephants during Alpine crossings. He connects these spectacles to the Roman imagination and literary traditions like the Iliad. They also discuss the Emperor Commodus, noting that despite his whimsical cruelty, he was not a coward in the arena, even though his reign was a "long line of tragedy." (4)1897 

It's the clash of the ages this week on Story Time! The greatest heroes and warriors finally face off, but not before some wacky racing antics! Who will survive? Pretending we don't know and it hasn't been prophesied to us a billion times already.

What if the world's most famous homecoming was really a nightmare of monsters, gods, and one very stubborn king trying to get back to Ithaca?In our new series Tristan Hughes and classicist Dr. Emily Hauser dive into Homer's Odyssey, an epic of shipwrecks, sorcery, giants and divine meddling, where Odysseus is never quite sure whether the next shore will save him or destroy him.They trace his journey from the ruins of Troy to Calypso's island, the Phaeacians, Circe, the Cyclops, and even the Underworld, asking what kind of hero Odysseus really is, and why his story has lasted for more than 2,500 years.Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's new epic film, get across the story and all the key characters and plot lines, including rich historical context.MOREThe IliadListen on AppleListen on SpotifyHomerListen on AppleListen on SpotifyWe're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Natasha Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight. Video producer is McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY on the horizon, the MovieFilm boys revisit Wolfgang Petersen's ambitious 2004 epic TROY! How does this big-budget reimagining of Homer's ILIAD hold up more than two decades later? Join us as we discuss the film's all-star cast (Brad Pitt! Eric Bana! Orlando Bloom! Sean Bean), its sweeping battle sequences, the creative liberties it takes with the source material, and its legacy as Hollywood returns to the world of Greek mythology. Listen separately or synch up your copy of the movie and watch along!Listen ad-free at Patreon: https://patreon.com/MovieFilmPodcast

The Mothers Of Invention- Paralipomeni Della Batracomiomachia  Paris- 1970The December 1970 Paris gig was a standout date during their European tour. The setlist included iconic Zappa tracks and heavy improvisations like "Dog Breath," "A Pound for a Brown on the Bus," and "Call Any Vegetable". The band featured an incredible lineup that included:Frank Zappa (Guitar/Vocals)Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan (better known as Flo & Eddie)Ian Underwood (Keyboards/Woodwinds)Jeff Simmons (Bass)Aynsley Dunbar (Drums)Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention performed this legendary concert at the Gaumont-Palace in Paris, France on December 15, 1970. The show famously featured renowned French jazz violinist Jean-Luc PontyBatracomiomachia: Translates from Ancient Greek as the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice" (a classical comic epic parodying the Iliad).Paralipomeni: An Italian term for an appendix, sequel, or "things left out". The Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi wrote a famous satirical continuation titled Paralipomeni della Batracomiomachia in 1831.1 |  | Penis Dimention | 11:262 |  | The Air | 3:533 |  | The Dog Breath / Mother People | 4:234 |  | You Didn't Try To Call Me | 3:345 |  | King Kong | 32:416 |  | Who Are The Brain Police? | 6:32

We continue our epic and cinematic journey towards Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey by taking a look at a second inspiration behind his adaptation. This time it's Troy from 2004 from director Wolfgang Peterson. Loosely based on Homer's Iliad and the story of the Trojan War it pits (pun intended) Brad Pitt's Achilles against Eric Bana's Hector, Orlando Blooms Paris against Brendan Gleeson's Menelaus, a city of stupid people against a horse and a whole lot more. Thanks for watching our Caravan Of Garbage reviewSUBSCRIBE HERE ►► http://goo.gl/pQ39jNHelp support the show and get early episodes ► https://bigsandwich.co/Patreon ► https://patreon.com/mrsundaymoviesJames' Twitter ► http://twitter.com/mrsundaymoviesMaso's Twitter ► http://twitter.com/wikipediabrownPatreon ► https://patreon.com/mrsundaymoviesT-Shirts/Merch ► https://www.teepublic.com/stores/mr-sunday-moviesThe Weekly Planet iTunes ► https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekly-planet/id718158767?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4The Weekly Planet Direct Download ► https://play.acast.com/s/theweeklyplanetAmazon Affiliate Link ► https://amzn.to/2nc12P4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prepare for the upcoming The Odyssey online course from Hillsdale College as Jeremiah and Juan discuss Homer's Iliad before introducing a lecture from Dr. Stephen Smith. Enroll in The Odyssey here: https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/odyssey Homer’s Iliad can be best understood by examining some of its major major themes: rage, desire, delusion, deception, disaster and double-dealing, death and outrage, responsibility and evasion, and ultimately, glory. The poem tells the story of the Trojan War, and of Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Greeks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prepare for the upcoming The Odyssey online course from Hillsdale College as Jeremiah and Juan discuss Homer's Iliad before introducing a lecture from Dr. Stephen Smith. Enroll in The Odyssey here: https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/odyssey Homer’s Iliad can be best understood by examining some of its major major themes: rage, desire, delusion, deception, disaster and double-dealing, death and outrage, responsibility and evasion, and ultimately, glory. The poem tells the story of the Trojan War, and of Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Greeks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ready for Christopher Nolan's epic take on an epic? So are we.Bankole calls Ebube and Pricilla out of their farm in Ithaca for a forensic look at the ruins of Troy before mapping out the perilous journey they're about to take with Matt Damon. Some are even calling it… an odyssey! They discuss all you need to know about the events before 'The Odyssey', why Christopher Nolan might have been drawn to the project, the excellent material in store for some excellent actors and much more. (05:30) - What to know about THE ILIAD (13:30) - Adapting THE ODYSSEY (29:30) - Spoiler-free adaptations of THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY(36:20) - Did this really happen?(41:00) - The Americanisms in 'The Odyssey'(49:22) - First time Nolan collaboratorsYou can support us hereAlso available on YouTubeHosts: Bankole Imoukhuede and Ebube UbochiGuest: PriscillaProduction by Bankole Imoukhuede

THE LEGEND THAT INSPIRED CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S THE ODYSSEY! With anticipation building for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Jackie Bonsignore & Paige Kimsey experience Troy: Director's Cut (2004) for the first time watching, revisiting Wolfgang Petersen's epic retelling of the Trojan War that brings Achilles, Hector, Paris, Helen, and the legendary siege of Troy to life. From the iconic Achilles vs. Hector duel and the Trojan Horse to heartbreaking sacrifices and massive battlefield spectacle, this Troy Director's Cut reaction celebrates one of cinema's greatest historical epics. Troy: Director's Cut Reaction (Full Length Watch Along):   / thereelrejects   The best businesses aren't built in boardrooms. They're built by people who just started. Free trial at shopify.com/rejects In this Troy: Director's Cut reaction, historical movie reaction, and review, Jackie & Paige experience Wolfgang Petersen's (The Perfect Storm, Air Force One) sweeping adaptation inspired by Homer's Iliad. The film stars Brad Pitt as Achilles (Fight Club, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Eric Bana as Hector (Munich, Hulk), Orlando Bloom as Paris (The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean), Diane Kruger as Helen (Inglourious Basterds, National Treasure), Sean Bean as Odysseus (The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones), Brian Cox as Agamemnon (Succession, Braveheart), Peter O'Toole as King Priam (Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter), Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus (The Banshees of Inisherin, Harry Potter), and Rose Byrne as Briseis (Bridesmaids, X-Men: First Class). Featuring unforgettable moments like the opening duel with Boagrius, the storming of Troy's beaches, the breathtaking Achilles vs. Hector battle, the emotional meeting between Achilles and King Priam, Paris' fateful choices, and the legendary Trojan Horse finale, Troy: Director's Cut expands on the theatrical release with additional character moments and extended battle sequences. As excitement continues to build for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Jackie & Paige revisit the mythic world that introduced audiences to many of Greek mythology's greatest heroes and helped pave the way for Odysseus' legendary journey home. Follow Jackie Bonsignore: https://www.instagram.com/jackiebonsignore/ Follow Paige Kimsey https://www.instagram.com/paige.popcorn?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3DIntense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ego, pride, wrath, fear, gods, superheroes, mortals, and lots of killing. Welcome to Homer's Iliad, which reads at times like a script for a Tarantino film or the latest installment of the Avengers franchise. In the first episode of the EconTalk Book Club on the Iliad, Ido Hevroni of Shalem College speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the surprising relevance of a 2800-year-old epic poem. Hevroni also provides useful background for first-time readers and what it's like to read the Iliad with combat veterans.

It's a battle of the gods - literally! This week the gods decide now is the time to finally step into the Trojan war (as though they haven't HEAVILY been involved already). Plus - How do you fight a whole river? Find out this week!

The story of Achilles, Odysseus and the siege of Troy has captivated audiences for millennia, but behind the legends lies a deeper mystery. Was this epic war a myth, a memory of a real Bronze Age conflict, or something in between?Today Tristan Hughes is joined by Eric Cline to explore the reality behind Homer's greatest tale. From the legendary heroes of The Iliad to the ruins of Troy, discover what archaeology and ancient texts reveal about the Trojan War, and whether the story of Helen, Paris and the fall of Troy truly has a historical foundation.MORETroyListen on AppleListen on Spotify The Bronze Age CollapseListen on AppleListen on Spotify We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Mere Mortals book review, I talk through The Odyssey by Homer the famous follow-up companion to The Iliad, and one of the great adventure stories of the Western canon.Compared with The Iliad, I found The Odyssey much more readable, more story-driven, and honestly more enjoyable. This is the great soldier-returning-home story: Odysseus trying to make his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, while Telemachus searches for answers, Penelope holds off the suitors, and the gods keep interfering with everyone's lives.0:00 Intro — The Odyssey after The Iliad0:54 The basic structure of The Odyssey1:18 Odysseus, Ulysses and the journey home2:03 Telemachus, Penelope and the suitors2:43 Where Odysseus has been3:09 Cyclops, monsters and the famous adventures3:46 Returning to Ithaca4:04 The original soldier-coming-home story4:25 Why The Odyssey reads better than The Iliad5:02 The book that kept me reading at night6:00 Why this story has lasted7:10 Iliad vs Odyssey: rage vs cunning8:19 Major themes: home, temptation, storytelling and justice10:03 The parts I skimmed10:43 Should you read The Iliad first?11:37 Final thoughts on The Odyssey12:26 Final recommendationConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastSubstack: https://substack.com/@meremortalsnotes Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFqTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Character Pairings and the Pressure of Honor. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid character relationships that function with the depth of a novel. Helen is portrayed as an ironic thinker and a storyteller who weaves the sufferings of the war into her textiles, much like the poet himself. She possesses a unique perspective on her own fate and the limited power mortals have against the whims of gods like Aphrodite. In contrast, Hector and Andromacheform a tragic pairing; Andromache's heartbreaking pleas for her husband to stay within the city walls are met with Hector's refusal, driven by the intense fear of shame and the pursuit of kleos, or undying glory. The royal couple Priamand Hecuba represent different facets of leadership and loss, with Hecuba displaying a maternal rage so fierce she wishes to eat her enemies raw. Divine figures like Thetis, Achilles' mother, add a layer of sympathy as she bargains with Zeus to grant her son glory, knowing his life will be short. However, these divine interventions often result in further horror for the mortals involved. 31789

Mortality and the RAGE OF ACHILLES. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The conclusion of the Iliad explores the resolution of Achilles' rage following the death of Hector. Initially, Achilles attempts to prolong Hector's humiliation by dragging his body behind a chariot and refusing to allow a proper burial. However, the funeral games for Patroclus mark a shift toward maturity, as Achilles provides a space for competition that does not end in death. He even shows a degree of grace—or perhaps a subtle insult—by awarding Agamemnon a prize without a contest. The poem finishes with a humanitarian pause that allows the Trojans to bury Hector, bookending the story with funerals. The final voices are those of mourning women, emphasizing the shared human experience of grief and the inevitable suffering that follows war. Wilson concludes that the Iliad is fundamentally about the struggle to accept mortality, a theme that has provided comfort and insight to readers for over 2,700 years. 8

The Gore of Battle and the Sanctity of the Dead. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid and gory battle scenes that Wilson rendered by consulting with combat veterans to understand the visceral nature of death. Homeremphasizes the specific details of how each man dies, often juxtaposing the brutality of a spear through an eyeball with beautiful similes from the natural world. A major theme is the treatment of the dead; the poem views the corpse as the person, requiring those who loved the warrior to wash, wrap, and lament him. Entire books are dedicated to the struggle of reclaiming a fallen comrade's body, as desecrating a corpse is seen as the ultimate victory over an enemy. Stripping the armor from a victim serves as both an economic prize and a symbol of total dominance. While the gods like Poseidon and Hera intervene to support the Greeks, they also remain distinct from mortals by "bleeding" a substance called ichor. These divine and human elements culminate in the pivotal death of Patroclus, which shifts the direction of the entire war. 6

The Plot Begins: Rage and Divine Bargains. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The plot of the Iliad is ignited by a clash of egos between Agamemnon and Achilles. When Agamemnon is forced to return his own war prize to appease Apollo, he seizes Achilles' enslaved woman, Briseis, to recoup his lost face. This action causes Achilles to withdraw from the fighting, perversely restoring his honor by demonstrating how much the Greeks suffer without him. This human conflict is mirrored by divine bargaining; for instance, Hera is so intent on destroying Troy that she offers to let Zeus destroy three of her own beloved cities, including Sparta, in exchange for his cooperation. The Greek audience would have recognized the historical weight of these fallen cities. Wilson interprets Agamemnon not as a simple villain, but as a weak and struggling leader who often blames his poor decisions on divine delusion rather than taking personal responsibility. Despite his flaws, the poem illustrates the immense difficulty of maintaining power and making decisions under the influence of manipulative gods. 5

Goddesses, Trophies, and the Bond of Achilles. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The gods in the Iliad often represent extreme human instincts, such as Aphrodite representing lust and Ares representing aggression. These deities are sometimes depicted as ridiculous because they flee the battlefield when wounded, whereas mortals must face their pain heroically. Within the Greek camp, the social structure is built around honor and "trophies," specifically enslaved women like Briseis, who are parceled out after military victories. While Briseis has a limited voice, she is shown to have a kind relationship with Patroclus, who is described as a multi-faceted character capable of both great kindness and brutal violence. Patroclus is not a "beta male" but a skilled warrior who mocks his victims as he kills them. The bond between Achilles and Patroclus is the most intimate and emotionally vulnerable relationship in the poem. Achilles' awareness of his own impending death and the violation of his honor by Agamemnon creates a deep-seated rage that drives the central plot. 41919

Mortality and the End of the Iliad. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The final stages of the Iliad focus on Achilles' intense grief and the rituals surrounding death. Following the violent funeral pyre for Patroclus, Achilles organizes funeral games, which Wilson suggests represent his growing realization that all mortals are ultimately "losers" in the face of death. These games provide a new model for competition where skillful men can win prizes without the conflict ending in the destruction of society. A significant moment of reconciliation—or perhaps a "sick burn"—occurs when Achilles gives Agamemnon a prize for spear-throwing without requiring him to compete, acknowledging Agamemnon's status while potentially mocking his habit of taking things he did not earn. The poem notably concludes not with the fall of Troyor the Trojan Horse, but with the voices of three women—Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen—singing laments. Their grief highlights the future of enslavement and loss facing the survivors. This ending, marked by a humanitarian pause for Hector's funeral, underscores the poem's central theme: the universal struggle to accept human mortality. 1

The Homeric Question and Epic Tradition. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The identity of Homer remains a subject of intense scholarly debate, as the Iliad emerged from a long oral tradition that existed before the return of literacy to Greece in the 8th century BCE. For centuries, performing poets developed stories of heroes like Achilles and Agamemnon, using dactylic hexameter to aid memory and performance. The Iliad is a monumental written poem that takes a sophisticated approach to these familiar tales, often subverting expectations. Interestingly, it omits many "famous hits" like the Trojan Horse, the judgment of Paris, and the actual fall of Troy. Instead, it focuses on a mere month and a half of the ten-year war, centering on internal Greek conflict rather than just a battle against Trojans. Wilson notes that while she translates the work into iambic pentameter to capture its drive, the poem itself possesses the narrative complexity of a modern novel, utilizing techniques like shifting perspectives and narrator omniscience. She also mentions lost epic poems like the Cypria, which provided more backstory on Zeus's plan to reduce the human population through war. 2

American democracy is in a period of crisis, so it seems natural to look back to its origins. So here in Episode 10 of Season 5, I interview Professor Josiah Ober. Having previously taught at Princeton University, Ober is a professor of political science, classics, and philosophy at Stanford University, the Director of the Stanford Civics Initiative, as well as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. The author of many books, including Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (1989), The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece (2015), and Civic Bargain (2023), co-written with Brook Manville, he was previously a Madison's Notes guest in Season 3. Drawing on his 2015 book, we discuss the history of ancient Greece and the political legacy of its classical period. Our conversation ranges from the Bronze Age Collapse and the age of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to the rise of the Greek city-state and decline of democratic Athens. We discuss contingencies of the Peloponnesian war, the cases for and against Alcibiades, whether the polity flourished under Macedonian and Roman empires, the relationship of philosophy to civics, was Socrates guilty and how much did Plato invent about him, in what way the god Hermes symbolized Greek trade in the Mediterranean, if James Madison truly understood ancient history, and lastly Ober's work with the growing civics programs in American higher education. Hosted by Ryan Shinkel, Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. The transcript for this interview is available on our new Substack page, “Madison's Footnotes.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

American democracy is in a period of crisis, so it seems natural to look back to its origins. So here in Episode 10 of Season 5, I interview Professor Josiah Ober. Having previously taught at Princeton University, Ober is a professor of political science, classics, and philosophy at Stanford University, the Director of the Stanford Civics Initiative, as well as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. The author of many books, including Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (1989), The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece (2015), and Civic Bargain (2023), co-written with Brook Manville, he was previously a Madison's Notes guest in Season 3. Drawing on his 2015 book, we discuss the history of ancient Greece and the political legacy of its classical period. Our conversation ranges from the Bronze Age Collapse and the age of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to the rise of the Greek city-state and decline of democratic Athens. We discuss contingencies of the Peloponnesian war, the cases for and against Alcibiades, whether the polity flourished under Macedonian and Roman empires, the relationship of philosophy to civics, was Socrates guilty and how much did Plato invent about him, in what way the god Hermes symbolized Greek trade in the Mediterranean, if James Madison truly understood ancient history, and lastly Ober's work with the growing civics programs in American higher education. Hosted by Ryan Shinkel, Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. The transcript for this interview is available on our new Substack page, “Madison's Footnotes.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

American democracy is in a period of crisis, so it seems natural to look back to its origins. So here in Episode 10 of Season 5, I interview Professor Josiah Ober. Having previously taught at Princeton University, Ober is a professor of political science, classics, and philosophy at Stanford University, the Director of the Stanford Civics Initiative, as well as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. The author of many books, including Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (1989), The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece (2015), and Civic Bargain (2023), co-written with Brook Manville, he was previously a Madison's Notes guest in Season 3. Drawing on his 2015 book, we discuss the history of ancient Greece and the political legacy of its classical period. Our conversation ranges from the Bronze Age Collapse and the age of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to the rise of the Greek city-state and decline of democratic Athens. We discuss contingencies of the Peloponnesian war, the cases for and against Alcibiades, whether the polity flourished under Macedonian and Roman empires, the relationship of philosophy to civics, was Socrates guilty and how much did Plato invent about him, in what way the god Hermes symbolized Greek trade in the Mediterranean, if James Madison truly understood ancient history, and lastly Ober's work with the growing civics programs in American higher education. Hosted by Ryan Shinkel, Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. The transcript for this interview is available on our new Substack page, “Madison's Footnotes.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

It's been a long time coming, but the great Achilles finally enters the fray! It's a bloody one this week as the story of the Trojan War rages on!

By Mario Seiglie - There is a lesson for us to learn from the Iliad, Homer's tale of the Trojan war where the Trojans were defeated being fooled by the Greeks with the gift of a huge wooden horse unknowingly filled with Greek soldiers. In this Powerpoint Presentation, we see that in Galatians, a "Trojan Horse" was

Dave took another trip to the emergency room this week — though this one wasn't for him. His daughter Bernadette and one of his boys built a foam block bridge, she went off the side of it, landed on the wall, and broke her clavicle. Clean break. When Adam got the x-ray, he zoomed in, screenshotted just the broken collarbone, and sent it to Lady Haylee with no context — let her think Adam had been out grinding, building fences, shouldering it like a tough guy. Bernadette, for the record, is doing great. Three weeks and she's back to normal. As Dave put it, if you're going to break your clavicle, do it young. Don't do it at Jim's age.A lot of life packed into this one before the topic. Adam and his boys, Luke and Jude, are going to read the Aeneid together this summer — Luke already read it at Holy Family Classical School, so he'll lead the way. Adam helped Dave harvest wheat (the invoice is coming), and the two of them talked homesteading honestly: you don't get into it to save time or money. It's a lifestyle, and the pork chop costs $400 if you're foolish enough to count your own labor. Adam also turned 40 — by the time this airs, the birthday's passed — and he spent his Substack this week reflecting on the four ten-year cycles he's got left, if he's lucky. The big lesson from 30 to 40: he had it backwards. He was making his life serve the business instead of the business serve his life. Build the habits of prayer, reading, and friendship young, because life only gets busier, and it's far easier to keep a habit than to add one.Two prayer requests worth holding. Lady Pamela's due date is this week — baby Niles number seven, two middle names this time, names not yet shared. And baby Mary is still in the NICU. They're going to try again this week to take her off the breathing tube. She's weaning off sedation — which means withdrawals, which is hard — but she's gaining weight and getting stronger. Get past the tube and the next hill is open heart surgery. Adam's grateful for every prayer, and for the guys who sent DoorDash cards. Keep praying for Mary. And a shout-out to Dan O'Brien, David's father-in-law, walking the Camino as this drops — Dan, hope the feet are holding up.This week's pour is a funny one: WhistlePig's 250th Anniversary of America 10-Year "Piggy Bank" Limited Edition Straight Rye, 55% ABV. The box is a literal piggy bank and the bottle is a chrome-plated ceramic pig. Spicier and more herbal than your Weller or Buffalo Trace — but smooth for the proof, with caramel and warm undertones. Picked up at Broken Arrow Wine and Spirits, owned by a good Catholic family from St. Benedict. Jim's yummy scale (bourbon scale): 5.87 out of 6.Then the main course: the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Luke 2, the last joyful mystery, the only Gospel that records it — and the very first time Jesus is recorded speaking. Adam walks through it with the Catena Aurea, Aquinas's compilation of the Church Fathers edited by St. John Henry Newman. The caravan to Jerusalem split women and children up front, men in the back, and a twelve-year-old could be in either — so Mary thought He was with Joseph, Joseph thought He was with Mary. Theophylact says it wasn't negligence. A logistical blind spot. Any father who's left a kid at church after coffee and donuts gets it.The three days they searched? St. Ambrose says that's no accident — a rehearsal for the three days of the Passion, lost and then found again. The age of twelve is no accident either: right before the bar mitzvah, the Lord fulfilling the law perfectly, right on time, and twelve standing for the tribes and the apostles. Watch Mary, too. She brings her grief straight to her Son without accusation — "why have you done this to us?" — modeling how a soul carries pain to Christ: honestly, blaming no one, trusting before she fully understands. Watch Joseph, who says nothing, and pursues his mission relentlessly without drama. That's the masculine answer to adversity: very well, and you handle it. Protect, provide, establish.Was Jesus being disobedient? The Fathers say no — His higher obedience to His Father's business ran underneath the surface, and verse 51 shows Him going home and being subject to them. God first, then family, and that order doesn't fracture the home. It grounds it. And where did they find Him? In the temple. His Father's house. Which is the whole point: you can find Jesus in nature, in the car, anywhere — but you are guaranteed to find Him in the church, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the tabernacle of every Catholic church in the world. If you want to become holy, go be with Him. Get an adoration hour. Holiness doesn't happen the way Adam's buddy Juan figured he'd "just kind of one day have a six pack." You have to do something about it. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDDave's daughter Bernadette breaking her clavicle falling off a foam block bridge the kids builtAdam screenshotting the x-ray and sending just the broken collarbone to Lady Haylee with no contextAdam reading the Aeneid with his sons Luke and Jude this summer — and why he's doing it men's-group styleHarvesting wheat, and the honest economics of homesteading ("the $400 pork chop")Why you never homestead to save time or money — it's a lifestyle, not a shortcutAdam turning 40 and his Substack reflection on the four ten-year cycles he has leftThe biggest lesson from 30 to 40 — making the business serve your life instead of your life serving the businessWhy habits of prayer, reading, and friendship are easier to keep than to add laterLeveraging competent friends instead of trying to do everything yourselfLady Pamela due this week with baby Niles number seven — and the two-middle-names debateBaby Mary update — another attempt to come off the breathing tube, weaning off sedation, gaining weightWhy open heart surgery is the next hill after the breathing tubeDan O'Brien walking the Camino — a shout-out for sore feetBourbon of the week: WhistlePig 250th Anniversary 10-Year "Piggy Bank" Limited Edition Straight Rye, 55% ABVThe ceramic pig bottle, the piggy-bank box, and why a limited shelf whiskey runs $250–$350Jim's yummy scale hitting 5.87 out of 6 on the bourbon scaleThe Finding of Jesus in the Temple — Luke 2, the last joyful mystery, and the only Gospel that records itThe first recorded words of Our LordReading the story through the Catena Aurea — Aquinas's compilation of the Fathers, edited by St. John Henry NewmanHow the Passover caravan split women and children up front and men in the back — and how Jesus fell into the gapTheophylact on why it was a logistical blind spot, not negligence or bad parentingSt. Ambrose on the three-day search foreshadowing the three days of the Passion and ResurrectionWhy the age of twelve matters — the year before the bar mitzvah, and the symbolism of the twelve tribes and apostlesJesus fulfilling the law perfectly and right on time, not jumping aheadMary bringing her grief to Christ without accusation — the model for carrying pain to the Lord"About my father's business" vs. "in my father's house" — the translation and what it meansSt. Bede on faith preceding comprehension — assenting before fully understandingSt. Joseph as the model father — pursuing his mission relentlessly, without drama or self-pityMary honoring Joseph's fatherhood — "your father and I" — and why spouses don't belittle each otherHow complaining about your spouse to others actually breaks your wedding vowsWas Jesus disobedient? The Fathers say no — the higher obedience running underneathThe devil's-advocate case that He chose to be left behind, and His right as the Logos to do soJesus using the Socratic method in the temple — asking questions and "making them wonder upon him"The hierarchy of Christ's presence — and why you're guaranteed to find Him in the tabernacleA convert's story and the simple counsel: you just need to be in front of Jesus"Nothing if not you" — non nisi te, Domine — St. Thomas Aquinas's answer to the LordThe spiritual six pack — why holiness never just "happens on its own"Getting an adoration hour as a statement about the kind of man you want to beREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aquinas, edited by St. John Henry Newman (the Fathers' commentary on the Gospels)The Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 (the Finding in the Temple, vv. 41–52)The Aeneid by Virgil (Adam's summer read with his sons)The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer (mentioned alongside Luke's classical reading)Adam's Substack, The Grounded Builder — this week's reflection on his ten-year cyclesSaints & Church Fathers:St. Thomas Aquinas (the Catena Aurea; non nisi te, Domine)St. John Henry Newman (editor of the Catena Aurea)Theophylact (the caravan blind spot, not negligence)St. Ambrose (the three days foreshadowing the Passion; Mary's grief without rebuke; "right on time")St. Bede the Venerable (faith preceding comprehension; the hierarchy of loves)St. Teresa of Avila ("no wonder you have so few friends, with how you treat them")St. Humbert of Romans (the importance of place and location in prayer)The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph (the model of unified, honoring...

A new week means new questions! Hope you have fun with these!What is the name of the body part that separates the left and right airways of the nasal cavity?Robert Crawley, the patriarch of the Crawley family played by Hugh Bonneville, in "Downton Abbey", is the earl of which English town?Which kind of fully-matured amphibian has a tail?Homer's Iliad is set toward the end of which war?A computer hacker intending to improve security is often called what good guy fashion accessory?Which English monarch was the last Emperor of India?The Maghreb, or the western part of the Arab world, is usually defined as encompassing much of what region?What's the first superhero movie to win an Academy Award?The shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils, characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation is known by what term, realted to a Moor?Which Shakespeare play was based on a legendary king of the Britons who reigned around the time of the founding of Rome?The first golf course built in the US, Oakhurst Links, is in what state?In astronomy, stars visible to the naked eye that appear not to move relative to each other against the dark background of the night sky are called what stars?MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames, Ambush by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media:Patreon – patreon.com/quizbang – Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website – quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook – @quizbangpodcast – we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram – Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter – @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it. Come for the trivia – stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi – ko-fi.com/quizbangpod – Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!

SCHEDULE THE JBS, 5-29-26.457 THE AMBROSIAN ILIAD.(1) Jeff Bliss discusses the Los Angeles mayoral race between incumbent Karen Bass, who faces criticism over homelessness and crime, and unconventional candidate Spencer Pratt, who utilizes social media and "guerrilla campaigning" to gain traction.(2) Jeff Bliss highlights Las Vegas's pursuit of an NBA team to complete its status as a global sports capital, while the Fertitta family acquires Caesar's Palace, consolidating power among the city's casino billionaires.(3) Professor Richard Epstein analyzes the legal history of birthright citizenship and Donald Trump's executive order, arguing that the 14th Amendment has been misinterpreted and that the child's status should depend on the parent's.(4) Professor Richard Epstein describes the Trump administration's $1.776 billion "slush fund" as a fraudulent private agreement, noting that despite its likely illegality, legal standing requirements make it difficult for anyone to successfully challenge.(5) Jim McTague reports on Lancaster County's economy, noting record-breaking gasoline sales at Costco despite rainy weather, the rise of retirement-driven healthcare, and local "Luddite" opposition to a proposed data center in Columbia.(6) Veronique de Rugy discusses a proposed California tax on billionaires, warning it will drive high earners away and reduce state revenue, while a competing initiative seeks to protect regular citizens' savings from taxation.(7) Bob Zimmerman examines a massive Blue Origin rocket explosion that has grounded the New Glenn program and delayed NASA's Artemis missions, leaving SpaceX as the only viable private partner for immediate lunar goals.(8) Bob Zimmerman discusses mysterious subsurface changes in the sun and conflicting data regarding water ice at the lunar South Pole, while highlighting Mars' "brain terrain" as evidence of significant near-surface ice deposits.(9) Francis Rose details the Department of Veterans Affairs' ambitious rollout of a new electronic health record system in Michigan, aiming for a seamless "enlistment to grave" digital history for every member of the military.(10) Francis Rose explores the security risks of electronic health records, explaining how nation-states like China seek bulk data for espionage and how the government utilizes "zero trust" technology to deter sophisticated machine-speed hacks.(11) Gene Marks reports from Nashville that mid-market companies are aggressively adopting AI to supplement labor shortages rather than replace workers, while also navigating the complexities of receiving refunds for previously paid tariffs.(12) Gene Marks questions surveys claiming 93% small business growth and dismisses claims that AI will eliminate white-collar jobs soon, asserting that human workers will naturally adapt to new technology as they have historically.(13) Henry Sokolski argues that no inherent "right to enrichment" exists under the NPT, warning that Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional power plants create dangerous targets and risk a "hot spot" of nuclear-armed nations.(14) Henry Sokolski discusses Russia's "gray warfare" tactics against NATO, including drone provocations and sabotage of European infrastructure, warning that the United States is not taking these threats seriously enough compared to Europe.(15) Conrad Black discusses Alberta's threat to secede from Canada if the federal government blocks oil pipelines, detailing the political maneuvering between Premier Danielle Smith, indigenous groups, and Prime Minister candidate Mark Carney.(16) Lorenzo Fiori reports on a record-breaking Italian heat wave and the poor market reception of Ferrari's new electric vehicle, while noting that affordable Chinese EVs are rapidly becoming the top-selling cars in Italy.