History – Donald J. Robertson

Audio of Interview with Markus Wachter, CEO, of the Carnuntum Archeological Park

This podcast episode contains the audio recording from a conversation about Marcus Aurelius, which I had with Markus Wachter, the CEO of the Carnuntum Archeological Park, at the Museum Carnuntinum, in 2019. I was visiting Austria for around a week, doing research for my books on Marcus Aurelius. The audio was recorded live in the main hall of the reconstructed Roman villa in the archeological park, hence the acoustics.

Marcus stationed himself at the Roman legionary fortress of Carnuntum, for part of the Marcomannic Wars. He included the note “At Carnuntum” near the start of the Meditations, proving that he must have written at least part of the manuscript there.

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Thanks to Landessammlungen Niederösterreich, Archäologischer Park Carnuntum for permission to film, and to Adam Piercey for filming and editing.

The Rivalry of Athens and Sparta – The Stoic Question: Philosophy and Psychology

In this episode, I talk to award-winning historian, and novelist, Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy. He is the author of numerous books on ancient history, especially the Romans, and we’ll be discussing his latest one, which came out in May, Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece. Highlights* Do you think readers will perceive any parallels between ancient Athenian politics and recent history?* What are our sources like for this period? How biased are they? What’s missing?* How Athenian were the Spartans and how Spartan were the Athenians? * How did Athens and Sparta become rival powers? What set the stage for the Peloponnesian War?* What can we learn about the strengths and weaknesses of democracy from the Athenians? * What was the status of slaves and women in Athens and Sparta?* What can we learn about how alliances work, or don’t work?* What role did ancient “technological” advantage play in the outcome of the war?* What would have happened if the Athenians had stuck to the military policies of Pericles?* Was Sparta a bit of a myth? How distorted is the popular image of the Spartans today?* If the Athenians had conquered Sicily and defeated Sparta, would they have invaded Persia? (What caused the Sicilian disaster?)Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Links* Adrian Goldsworthy’s Amazon author profile* Athens and Sparta on AmazonThanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe