The Tropical Turn: Agricultural Innovation in the Ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean (University of California Press, 2023) chronicles the earliest histories of familiar tropical Asian crops in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean, from rice and cotton to citruses and cucumbers. Drawing on archaeological materials and textual source…

This bonus episode is the live recording of the first part of the three part Teaching Mass series that Fr. K is doing as part of our Wednesday Ars Vivendi formation nights. He walks and talks through the parts of the Mass starting with the vesting prayers through the homily.

Alex Knodell, co-director of the Small Cycladic Islands Project (SCIP), joins me in the Lesche to reflect on this amazing six-season survey project, which wrapped up last summer. Alex's co-directors on the project were Demetrios Athanasoulis (Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades) and Žarko Tankosić (University of Bergen). Works mentioned SCIP pu…

Aye, You Hired Me!Por Ancient & New

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the third week of March The Opening of the GEM Military Commander's Tomb Found in el-Maskhuta Giza Pyramids Area Development Columns Under Khafre? These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptianstre…

Second Temple Judaism is one of the more exciting burgeoning fields in biblical studies. Now, with T&T Clark's two-volume Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, anyone can have a wealth of knowledge literally at their fingertips. Tune in as we speak with Daniel Gurtner, an editor and contributor to the encyclopedia, as we speak about this outstandi…

Peter Brown's fascinating Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 AD (Princeton UP, 2014) chronicles the changing conceptions of wealth and treasure in late antiquity and the first centuries of Christianity. For our 2020 series in the rise of money (we also spoke to Thomas Piketty a…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the second week of March El-Sisi Reviews GEM Opening Ceremony 2nd Intermediate Period Royal Tomb Roman Pottery Workshop Warsaw Mummy Not Pregnant and No Cancer Ancient Egyptian Food in Tahrir These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.e…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the first week of March Aswan and Nubia Museums Facelift Perfumes of Ancient Egypt Through the Ages Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptianstreets.com/tag/c…

While scholars of ancient Mediterranean literature have focused their efforts heavily on explaining why authors would write pseudonymously or anonymously, less time has been spent exploring why an author would write orthonymously (that is, under their own name). The Author in Early Christian Literature (Cambridge UP, 2025) explores how early Christ…

Recorded in Poland a priest with Polish blood and a priest who just speaks Polish (Fr. Kowalczyk and Fr. Brinkman respectively) share about some of their travels and give their perspective on the state of the Church in Poland.

This book discusses hagiographic, historiographical, hymnological, and theological sources that contributed to the formation of the sacred picture of the physical as well as metaphysical Jerusalem in the literature of two Eastern Christian denominations, East and West Syrians. Popa analyses the question of Syrian beliefs about the Holy City, their …

In this episode of Radio ReOrient, Salman Sayyid and Chella Ward spoke to Professor Marc Van De Mieroop about Sumerian history. They discussed the role that the so-called ‘Ancient Near East’ might play in reorienting history, from redefining the history of philosophy to telling a less Eurocentric story about writing and textual evidence. Marc is Pr…

When a team of Victorian archaeologists dug into a grassy hill in Iraq, they chanced upon one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge ever seen: the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, seventh century BCE ruler of a huge swathe of the ancient Middle East known as Mesopotamia. After his death, vengeful rivals burned Ashurbanipal’s libr…

In this episode, Dr. Pierce Salguero sits down with David Gordon White, a distinguished indologist and scholar of Tantra. Our conversation focuses on David’s most recent project tracing the transregional histories of spirits, gods, demons, and their associated rituals across Eurasia. Along the way, we dive into an intellectual conversation about do…

Through a thoughtful investigation, Disability in Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic World: Plato’s Stepchildren (Routledge, 2024) reveals often-overlooked narratives of disability within Ptolemaic Egypt and the larger Hellenistic world (332 BCE to 30 BCE). Chapters explore evidence of physical and intellectual disability, ranging from named indiv…

Ever wonder what it is like for a priest to hear confessions? Without breaking the "seal", Fathers Park and Kowalczyk give some insider information to the other side of the screen, which will hopefully make it easier on your side of the screen.

Dental modification was common across ancient societies, but perhaps none were more avid practitioners than the Maya. They filed their teeth flat or pointy, polished and drilled them, and crafted decorative inlays of jade and pyrite. Unusually, Maya of all social classes, ages, and professions engaged in dental modification. What did it mean to the…

Christopher Metcalf joins me in the Lesche to discuss his new book Three Myths of Kingship in Early Greece and the Ancient Near East, as well as the potential that Ancient Near Eastern texts and literary traditions have to shed light on early Greek ones -- and vice versa. Ancient texts Gilgamesh The Hebrew Bible Various Sumerian and Akkadian texts …

This book tells the remarkable life of Balthild of Francia (c. 633-80), a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon slave who became a queen of France. Described in contemporary sources as beautiful and intelligent, she rose to power through her marriage to the short-lived King Clovis II. As regent for her young son, she promoted social and political reforms in …

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the last week of February Thutmose II 2nd Tomb A Damaged Statuette in Saqqara Ancient City of Gold Taiba Road Reopens 26th Dynasty Jewellery Found in Karnak These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://eg…

Ancient Sculpture and Twentieth-Century American Womanhood: Venus Envy (Bloomsbury, 2025) by Dr. Hallie Franks examines the reception of Graeco-Roman sculptures of Venus and their role in the construction of the body aesthetics of the “fit” American woman in the decades around the turn of the 20th century. In this historical moment, 19th-century an…

Jana Byars talks to Ellen Arnold about Medieval Riverscapes: Environment and Memory in Northwest Europe, 300 - 1100 (Cambridge UP, 2024). Fishermen, monks, saints, and dragons met in medieval riverscapes; their interactions reveal a rich and complex world. Using religious narrative sources to evaluate the environmental mentalities of medieval commu…

Pharisee-domPor Ancient & New

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the third week of February Tomb of Thutmose II July 3 Official Opening of the GEM Spiritual Tourism not Satanic Sun Alignment at Abu Simbel These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptianstreets.com…

Dr. Simkovich taught in a Catholic University and now is at JPS and YU. She continues her interfaith dialogue throughout. But here we spoke, among other things, about the concept of diaspora and exile - what is a Judean, a Judahite, and an Israelite. These are terms that are often thrown around interchangeably, but understanding the meaning and ety…

Today I talked to Kara Cooney about Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches (American U in Cairo Press, 2024). The book is a meticulous study of the social, economic, and religious significance of coffin reuse and development during the Ramesside and early Third Intermediate periods, illustrated with over 900 …

From the late Roman Empire onwards, monasteries and convents were a common sight throughout Europe. But who were monasteries for? What kind of people founded and maintained them? And how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages? Andrew Jotischky traces the history of monastic life from its origins in the fourth centur…

Carol Atack joins me in the Lesche to discuss Plato's civic entanglements (and disenchantments) with his native Athens. Carol is the author of a new biography of Plato titled Plato: A Civic Life (Reaktion Books/University of Chicago Press 2024). The book is the second in a new series, Great Lives of the Ancient World, edited by Paul Cartledge. Anci…

By the fifth and sixth centuries, the bread and circuses and triumphal processions of the Roman Empire had given way to a quieter world. And yet, as Shane Bobrycki argues, the influence and importance of the crowd did not disappear in early medieval Europe. In The Crowd in the Early Middle Ages (Princeton UP, 2024), Bobrycki shows that although dem…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the second week of February Visa Fees Waived at Luxor & Aswan Smuggled Artefacts Returned from France Smells & Scents of Mummies Mummy Seminar at Egyptian Museum These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https…

Many people assume that the first introduction of Christianity to the Chinese was part of nineteenth-century Western imperialism. In fact, Syriac-speaking Christians brought the gospel along the Silk Road into China in the seventh century. Glen L. Thompson introduces readers to the fascinating history of this early Eastern church, referred to as Ji…

I Know Chaucer Is SomebodyPor Ancient & New

One of my great privileges is being on mission with Bridget Schulz. She actually moved across state lines and changed jobs mid-career because of... Catholic schools! She is now the principal of our parish school, St. Maximilian Kolbe Academy. In this episode, she joins me on the podcast to share why she is so passionate about Catholic Classical edu…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the opening days of February 152 Artefacts Returned From Turkey Dr Kenneth Kitchen PTAH Symposium in Luxor I Spent 100 Hours Inside The Pyramids! I Spent 100 Hours Inside The Pyramids! - YouTube These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.or…

At the end of Eric Cline's bestselling history 1177 B.C., many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce,…

An Ode To OtisPor Ancient & New

Por Johanna Hanink

Fr. K joins Cosden to discuss the question that no one wants to discuss: what are the parameters in which a couple can use Natural Family Planning? They may not solve all the problems or answer all the questions, but they bring up a lot of good food for thought.

Why Cicero Matters (Bloomsbury, 2023) shows us how the Roman philosopher and statesman Marcus Tullius, better known as Cicero, can help realize a new political world. His impact on humanitarianism, the Enlightenment and the Founding Fathers of America is immense. Yet we give Julius Caesar all our attention. Why? What does this say about modern poli…

Historian Sarah E. Bond retells the traditional story of Ancient Rome, revealing how groups of ancient workers unified, connected, and protested as they helped build an empire From plebeians refusing to join the Roman army to bakers withholding bread, this is the first book to explore how Roman workers used strikes, boycotts, riots, and rebellion t…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the last days of January Karnak's Montu Temple Braille Cards for Imhotep Museum GEM Opening Date Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs Kom el-Negus Dated to New Kingdom Ramesseum Restoration Begins Egyptian Blue Ingot Found in Rome Osireion Entrance Fee Now LE 40,000 These news stories are taken …

Where is the "life" in scholarly life? Is it possible to find in academic writing, so often abstracted from the everyday? How might religion bridge that gap? In Love in the Time of Scholarship: The Bhagavata Purana in Indian Intellectual History (Oxford UP, 2024), author Anand Venkatkrishnan explores these questions within the intellectual history …

A Distempered RaccoonPor Ancient & New

What are numbers, and where do they come from? Based on her groundbreaking study of material devices used for counting in the Ancient Near East, Karenleigh Overmann proposes a novel answer to these timeless questions. Tune in as we talk with Karenleigh Overmann about her book, The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Anc…

Cosmology and cosmic journeys play a significant role in biblical and extra-biblical texts, especially in apocalyptic narratives. What about for the book of Revelation? The answer is yes. Join us as we speak with Joel Rothman about his recent book, The Cosmic Journey in the Book of Revelation: Apocalyptic Cosmology and the Experience of Story-Space…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the fourth week of 2025. GEM Opening Hours 2 Smugglers Arrested in Beni Suef AUC and GEM to Offer Tour Guide and Photography Courses Launch of Association of the Guardians of Egypt Civilization Rameses in Japan These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://…

In this episode we delve into one of the most profound and enduring works of sacred poetry: the Book of Psalms. Emotional and spiritual, joyful and despairing, triumphant and trembling with terror, the psalms have given voice to humanity's deepest yearnings for millennia. These timeless prayers and hymns have offered solace, inspiration, and a path…

Across Iron Age Central Eurasia, non-sedentary people created, viewed, and considered animal-style imagery, creating designs replete with feline bodies with horse hooves, deer-birds, animals in combat, and other fantastic creatures. Fantastic Fauna from China to Crimea: Image-Making in Eurasian Nomadic Societies, 700 BCE-500 CE (Edinburgh Universit…

Consider Me Miles DavisPor Ancient & New