The Dead Language Ladies: A Classics Podcast

"Naked, Oiled, & Drunk": The Lupercalia in the month of Love!

In this episode, the Dead Language Ladies discuss Ancient Rome's famous festival, the Lupercalia, held from February 13 to 15, right around modern-day Valentine's Day. Tune in to hear about the nudity, whipping, and scandals that surrounded this sacred religious holiday, as well as its most infamous connection to Julius Caesar in 44 BC, when he was handed a crown during the festival by Marcus Antonius—exactly one month before his brutal assassination. Stay for a dramatic reading of Cicero's letters recounting this scene, heralding the fall of the Roman Republic, which would shape history forever...

Nolan's The Odyssey & Myth Retellings

In this episode, the Dead Language Ladies discuss the highly anticipated Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey. Listen as we unpack the controversial choice of the director to use historically inaccurate costuming for these Bronze Age heroes, which has many Ancient Greece lovers in an uproar--while those like us are merely disappointed. Many film lovers, however, find the backlash to be irrelevant and only demand a good movie. Despite convincing points from both sides of the debate, we ultimately ask another question that addresses the glaring gap between academia & scholarship on the one hand and creative media & film on the other: when did historians cease being creative?

WORD You Rather: Germanic vs Romance Descendants in English

In this episode, the Dead Language Ladies play a game of WORD you rather with Germanic and Romance descended words in English. Listen and play along as we discuss the merits and faults of words with similar semantics but different etymologies, such as gold vs. money, wrath vs. ire, and deadly vs. mortal. As we playfully and lovingly debate each pairing, you will learn about English's unique and fascinating linguistic composition and how both history and sound go hand in hand to express the imaginations and beliefs of a culture through words.

Who's the Better Conquerer?: Alexander the Great vs. Augustus Caesar

In this episode, the Dead Language Ladies discuss whether Alexander the Great or Augustus Caesar was the better conqueror of ancient history. Tune in to this age-old debate and our two cents on these war generals turned political leaders, assessing their military prowess, political strategies, manner of death, legacy, and even their physical representations--all to decide who, ultimately, deserves to be crowned the Greatest.

Is This a Sappho Fragment or a Random Line from Rupi Kaur?

In this episode, the Dead Language Ladies quiz each other on ancient and modern female-written poetry to see if they can distinguish between 6th-century BCE poet Sappho (considered the 10th muse by Plato) and her surviving fragments and the 21st-century Canadian poet Rupi Kaur's trendy poetry. Due to their similar intimate style and female-centered experiences, this was not without its challenges. Tune in and try to guess along with them who wrote which lines--you might just be surprised by the answer.