In this episode—the final episode in a three-part series on gladiators—Emily and Cam focus on Spartacus, the most famous gladiator of all. They first discuss the causes of Spartacus’ rebellion against the Romans, and then explore how Spartacus has been represented in modern literature and film.

• Cover image: Vincenzo Vela, Spartacus (1848); photograph by Rama (Wikimedia commons)

Links:

• “I am Spartacus”: an iconic scene from Kirk Douglas’ 1960 film
• Pepsi’s “Spartacus” commercial
• “The Son of Spartacus”: an unofficial 1962 sequel to the Kirk Douglas movie, starring Steve Reeves

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00:10 - Introduction

01:11 - The sources: what can we know about Spartacus?

• 01:27 - Plutarch, Appian, and their interest in Spartacus
• 02:17 - Sallust: the original source

02:58 - Spartacus: a basic biography

• 03:05 - Spartacus' origin in Thrace, among the Maidi
• 03:16 - Spartacus' brief career as a Roman auxiliary and as a latro
• 03:49 - Spartacus enslaved and sold to the ludus of Lentulus Batiatus
• 04:44 - The gladiators escape from Batiatus’ ludus, seek refuge on Mount Vesuvius, and defeat several forces sent to suppress them
• 07:07 - As the rebellion gathers steam, Spartacus and his supporters drive north, and defeat three Roman armies along the way
• 10:04 - After Spartacus’ army turns south again, winning yet another major battle, the Romans entrust Crassus with the responsibility of ending the rebellion
• 11:49 - The Romans outmaneuver Spartacus and defeat the rebels

15:31 - Why did Spartacus and his supporters rebel?

• 15:51 - Enslaved people and small-scale resistance
• 17:28 - What made large-scale rebellions so difficult
• 18:40 - Poor living conditions as a motivation for rebellion: gladiators, enslaved herdsmen, enslaved agricultural workers
• 21:16 - Poor prospects for winning manumission as a further motivation for rebellion
• 23:03 - Many of the rebels had been enslaved only recently and longed to reclaim their freedom

24:52 - What were Spartacus and his supporters attempting to accomplish?

• 25:15 - To escape from Italy, or not? The sources and the problem of reconstructing Spartacus’ plans
• 27:01 - Modern approaches: (1) The sources had it right; (2) Spartacus had a larger agenda—whether to destroy the hegemony of Rome in Italy, or to end slavery
• 28:15 - A critique of these approaches, and an alternative: staying together was the best guarantee of freedom

31:16 - The ongoing resonance of Spartacus in modern literature, film, and television

• 32:29 - The discovery of Spartacus by French and Italian thinkers in the 18th and 19th centuries
• 33:35 - The Marxist and communist take on Spartacus
• 35:40 - 20th century novels: Koestler’s “The Gladiators” and Fast’s “Spartacus”
• 38:20 - Spartacus goes to Hollywood: Kirk Douglas’ 1960 film and Spartacus as social revolutionary
• 49:08 - A Spartacus for the 20th century: Andy Whitfield as Spartacus

51:05 - Wrap-up

In this episode—the second of three on gladiators and related topics—Emily and Cam talk about what happened in the Colosseum and in other Roman arenas. First, they discuss the kinds of things that people would expect to see when they went to the games, including beast shows, public executions, and gladiator matches. Then, they focus on the gladiators themselves: who were they, and what were their lives like?

Links:

• The Zliten mosaic (with pictures)
• Gladiator Graffiti near the Porta Nocera in Pompeii (scroll down toward bottom, to the section on tomb 14EN)
• Image of the tombstone of Urbicus the Secutor

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00:10 - Introduction

01:57 - The Games

• 02:14 - Funeral games and the origins and development of gladiator combat
• 06:17 - The games in the age of the Colosseum
• 08:44 - Beast shows and hunters (venatores)
• 11:22 - Public punishments and spectacular executions
• 15:00 - Gladiator combat: gladiator graffiti from Pompeii and the excitement of the matched pair
• 19:52 - Mock battles, naval and otherwise, with a digression on Certamen players and the phrase “we who are about to die salute you”
• 23:13 - Keeping score: gladiator win-loss records, referees, and the possibility of survival
• 26:22 - An underdog story: the victories of Marcus Attilius at Nola
• 28:37 - Gladiators as celebrities (and sex symbols)

31:48 - The Gladiators: who were they, and what were their lives like?

• 32:14 - Who fought as gladiators?
• 33:14 - Gladiator “schools” (ludi) and managers (lanistae)
• 37:02 - Gladiator cemeteries and what they tell us about living conditions (diet, injuries, life expectancy)
• 43:22 - Evidence from tombstones: why did free people fight as gladiators?
• 50:08 - Evidence from tombstones: the lives of enslaved gladiators

In the first of three episodes about gladiators in ancient Rome, Emily and Cam explore the world’s most iconic remnant of ancient gladiator games: the Roman Colosseum. They talk about the appearance of the building, then and now; the origins of the building as part of the emperor Vespasian’s effort to legitimize his power; and the cycles of destruction and renewal that produced the ruin that survives in Rome today.

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00:10 - Introduction

• 00:23 - The Colosseum: an iconic remnant of ancient Rome and its gladiator games
• 00:57 - First impressions of the Colosseum in Rome from the exterior
• 03:31 - The Colosseum’s interior: the exhibit spaces in the upper ambulatory and the arena

05:38 - The Colosseum as it was in ancient Rome

• 05:59 - The Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheatre?
• 06:58 - What’s an amphitheatre? A southern Italian innovation, influenced by Greek theaters
• 09:04 - The spread of amphitheatres in ancient Italy and elsewhere
• 10:05 - The Roman Colosseum in its heyday: its appearance, its structure, and its amenities

16:08 – Why was the Colosseum built? Vespasian and the legitimacy of the Flavian dynasty

• 16:39 - Augustus and the legitimacy of imperial power
• 19:05 - The fall of Augustus’ dynasty and the rise of Vespasian
• 20:39 - Vespasian and the ideological importance of the Flavian Amphitheatre
• 22:47 - A digression on Nero and his murder of his mother, Agrippina

26:06 - The survival of the Colosseum after antiquity: cycles of destruction and renewal

• 26:46 - Fires and earthquakes and flooding, oh my!
• 27:35 Fit for plunder: the Colosseum as a source of building materials
• 28:37 - Social, political, and economic transformations: the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the decline of the Colosseum
• 30:17 - New Life in the 11th century: the palaces of the Frangipani and Annibaldi
• 31:15 - A loss of memory: did anyone remember what the Colosseum was for?
• 32:28 - Flavio Biondo and the “rediscovery” of the Colosseum
• 33:05 - The Catholic Church, the Italian government, and restoration

33:54 - Final Thoughts and a meditation by the Venerable Bede

“The Return” sticks the landing. Join Emily and Cam as they talk about how the movie adapts and builds on its source material, the Odyssey, to deliver a gripping modern interpretation of Homer’s timeless story.

The Return

• Released December 6, 2024
• Starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche
• Directed by Uberto Pasolini

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00:34 - Introduction: Pasolini’s movie, “The Return”

• 00:47 - What makes a good movie adaptation of an ancient Greek epic like Homer’s Odyssey?

02:22 - A Summary of Homer’s Odyssey

• 02:52 - The Telemachy
• 04:02 - From Calypso’s island to the island of the Phaeacians
• 04:39 - Odysseus’ narration of his adventures
• 05:51 - Odysseus’ return to Ithaka

06:56 - Our review of The Return

• 07:06 - The film’s focus and nods to earlier parts of the Odyssey
• 08:50 - Familiar beats: Odysseus in disguise; Eumaeus, Argos, and Eurycleia; Penelope’s loom; the confrontation in the great hall
• 13:19 - Odysseus: a man traumatized by loss and violence
• 17:19 - Penelope: strong, clever, and determined
• 21:38 - Antinoos: a fresh take on a one-note villain
• 24:26 - Odysseus’ bow and the harsh reality of violence and revenge
• 30:44 - Resolution: Odysseus and Penlope together again, Telemachus seeks to find himself

33:08 - Final thoughts

• 33:17 - Referencing Cacoyannis: the location, the cinematography, and the soundscape
• 34:22 - Overall impressions

In Part Two of a two-part series on the Athens Marathon, Emily and Cam talk about what it’s like to participate in the Athens Marathon today. They discuss the first marathon race at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens; the development of the marathon as a marquee sporting event; and the route of the contemporary Athens marathon.

Links:

• Part I of our photo essay on the Athens Marathon;
• Part II of our phot essay on the Athens Marathon;
• A report in the Greek Times about the 73-year-old Cretan runner, Idomeneas Avramakis.

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00:12 - Introduction

01:04 - The First Modern Marathon

• 01:11 - The early Olympic movement: de Coubertin, Bréal, and the push for a long-distance race
• 03:52 - Picking a route: the major routes from Marathon to Athens, in the ancient world and now (with a digression on the Athenian army in 490 BC and the walk of NGL Hammond)
• 08:28 - The first marathon: the achievements of Spyridon Louis and Stamata Revithi

12:40 - Going the distance: 26 miles, 385 yards

• 13:07 - The impromptu conditions of early marathons
• 14:01 - Refinements at the 1906 intercalated games in Athens
• 14:49 - Setting the official distance at the 1921 IAAF Conference and the story of the 1908 London Olympics

17:34 - The “Authentic” Athens Marathon

• 17:45 - The history of the Athens Marathon from 1955 to the present
• 18:37 - Following in the footsteps of Pheidippes, or footsteps of Grigoris Lambrakis?
• 19:49 - The first 8km: the Marathon plain, the ancient Tomb of the Athenians, and the enthusiasm of the spectators
• 21:30 - The next 10km: the road to Rafina, the statue of the Runners, and the lost statue of Pheidippides
• 23:56 - From 18km to 31km: “The Hill”, and the barefoot runner Idomeneas Avromakis
• 26:27 - The final 10km: the Attic Basin, the statue of the Runner, and the finish in the Panathenaic Stadium of Herodes Atticus

32:22 - Final Thoughts

• 32:36 The road from Marathon: an ancient and historic route
• 32:58 - The ancient sanctuary of Tyche and a prayer for better days ahead

In Part One of a two-part series on the Athens Marathon, Emily and Cam dive into ancient Greek legend and history as they explore the origins of the modern marathon race. They discuss the well-known story of the messenger (Pheidippides?) who is said to have run from Marathon to Athens with news of the Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon in 490 BCE; the context of the Battle of Marathon itself; and the accomplishments of the Athenians, who were forced to race against the clock in order to return to their city and defend it from another Persian attack.

Links:

• Part I of our photo essay on the Athens Marathon;
• Part II of our phot essay on the Athens Marathon;

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• https://havetogawilltravel.com/

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00:11- Introduction

• 00:59 - Why do an episode about the Athens Marathon?
• 02:48 - The Origin Story: The Battle of Marathon and the Run of Pheidippides

05:11 - Is the Pheidippides story true?

• 05:34 - The ancient traditions about Pheidipiddes’ run: Lucian, Plutarch, and Herakleides
• 08:48 - Herodotus on Pheidippides: the run from Athens to Sparta and back, and an epiphany along the way

12:34 - If the Pheidippides story isn’t true, why does it exist?

• 13:09 - The Battle of Marathon offered fertile grounds for the development of legends.
• 13:59 - A battle against enormous odds: ancient Athens and the Persian Empire compared
• 16:24 - The Battle of Marathon as an existential struggle: Darius, Hippias, and the threat to Athenian democracy
• 20:30 - Marathon as an Athenian achievement (with a little help from the Plataians)
• 21:56 - Aeschylus’ tombstone: the impact of the Battle of Marathon on the ancient Athenian imagination

24:33 - In search of the real Marathon story: the desperate march back to Athens

• 26:21 - The Battle of Marathon and its physical and mental toll
• 28:34 - The long march back: the race to save Athens

31:29 – Final thoughts: Ancient history and the modern marathon