The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages Nick Barksdale

In this episode I host Anya Leonard who is one of the founders of Classical Wisdom which is an online platform that specializes in educating the public involving ancient history, art, philosophy, culture and so much more.



We talk about why she started the organization, how far they have come and what do they have planned for us in the future.



She excitedly tells us about an upcoming symposium that we can all attend with an awesome list of scholars titled End of Empires and Fall of Nations.

Get your ticket to the upcoming symposium here: https://classicalwisdom-symposium-2021.eventbrite.ie



Lastly we approach the benefits of becoming a member of classical wisdom from free eBooks to webinars and beyond. To appease our awesome fanbase here at SAMA, Anya Leonard kindly and graciously allowed us to use segments from a talk by Donald Robertson on Stoicism and How to think like a Roman Emperor and I hope that you all enjoy this.  



Support Classical Wisdom below!

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 The podcast Classical Wisdom Speaks in available on all major platforms – and you can see the Youtube channel here: https://youtube.com/c/classicalwisdom


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Does Facebook have a war on history? The answer is a simple no but the story is complicated.



In this episode I am joined by author and reporter Peter Suciu on his article '"On Facebook, History Can Violate Community Standards."



To quote the article * One thing that is often taught to students of history is that "history" didn't happen. Events happened in the past, but history is just our way of chronicling those events. There is also a saying that history is written by the winners, but that too isn't entirely accurate – if history were only written by the winners we'd never hear of the setbacks, mistakes made by generals or losses incurred by said winners. History, to put it bluntly, is written by historians and those with knowledge of past events.



On Facebook it now seems that merely writing about – and then sharing those writings – could violate community standards. Even in this era of "fake news" it isn't so easy to understand why the social network has taken this stance - end quote.



Recently an incident on Facebook lead me to create this video.... while scrolling through my Roman themed history groups I noticed a post by a member showing that their history post had been taken down by Facebook for violating community standards. The post was a picture of the Roman Eagle with SPQR under its feet. This particular illustration was actually from the Rome Total War Gaming Franchise and that lead me to wonder more about how and why Facebook targets certain posts?



Is there confusion among Facebook employees and its algorithms involving not just Ancient History but specifically Roman History? 



Why are Third Reich posts and photos censored? And why are they censored even if there are no violent images or symbols of hate shown? 



Why are militaria groups coming under fire for trading, buying and selling Third Reich memorabilia when other memorabilia such as relating to the USSR or the CCP are deemed acceptable?



Why is Facebook warning me that the history groups I'm in may be exposing me to extremist content?



These are questions that I pondered while making this episode and so I hosted a fellow history buff and militaria collector on whether or not history can violate Facebooks Community Standards?



Support our great guest at all these links below!



On Facebook, History Can Violate Community Standards

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuc...



Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterSuciu



Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuc...



National Interest: https://nationalinterest.org/profile/...



His awesome history store: https://www.plundererpete.com/




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In this episode we are joined by Dr. Eric Singleton who is the Curator of Ethnology at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to talk about religion and tradition in the Ancient Mississippian World.



We explore a variety of topics but first we define the geographic boundaries of the ancient Mississippians which covered large portions of the Midwest, South and South-East of what is now the USA.



We go back into history into a time of Native American migration and cultural expansion and ponder whether or not these migrations played a role in the evolution of Mississippian Religion similar to the arrival of Indo Europeans and its consumption of previous peoples and cultures and its transformation in ancient Europe.



We then explore sacred sites in the Mississippian world and discuss sacred geography in the Native American world from Spiro to Cahokia.



We turn to a crucial aspect of the story and we look at what evidence can tell us about their religions ranging from archaeology to primary sources and beyond to tribal oral traditions that still echo in our world today.



We then look at the minds of the ancient Mississippians themselves and ask how did they view the spiritual world around them? How did they view the afterlife? The Human Soul?



A brief overview of Mississippian Religion below.



Mississippian religion was a distinctive Native American belief system in eastern North America that evolved out of an ancient, continuous tradition of sacred landscapes, shamanic institutions, world renewal ceremonies, and the ritual use of fire, ceremonial pipes, medicine bundles, sacred poles, and symbolic weaponry. Mississippian people shared similar beliefs in cosmic harmony, divine aid and power, the ongoing cycle of life and death, and spiritual powers with neighboring cultures throughout much of eastern North America. Although similarities in religious practices and rituals existed throughout the Mississippian world, individual polities possessed divergent trajectories of religious thought that over time resulted in differing paths of belief and ritual.



Above all, Mississippian people were logical, pragmatic, and rational in their religious beliefs, and their observations and thoughts about the world around them were reflected in their views of the spiritual world. Their rituals and sacred narratives embodied abstract meanings, archaic language, complex symbolism, and esoteric metaphors. The numerous and widespread Mississippian polities gave rise to a remarkable tradition of religious beliefs and practices. Their religious system flourished for more than half a millennium as a meaningful and vibrant set of beliefs. Identifying the circumstances, complexity, and nature of Mississippian religion is a major focus of current research among a number of scholars, including anthropologists, archaeologists, ethnohistorians, folklorists, and historians. Although scholars debate various points of religious belief, there is general agreement on the overall religious traditions.



Dye, D. (2000). Mississippian Religious Traditions. In S. Stein (Author), The Cambridge History of Religions in America (Cambridge History of Religions in America, pp. 137-155). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521871105.008


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In this episode I host Megan Lewis and Dr. Joshua Bowen from Digital Hammurabi on Dr. Bowens latest work "The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament" and I'd add to that by saying it is also a handbook to the ancient Near East itself in general.



The Old Testament is a fierce battleground for atheists and Christian apologists, with each side accusing the other of taking challenging and troubling passages out of context. In this handbook, Joshua Bowen not only provides the background to the Old Testament and the ancient Near East, but engages with hotly contested topics like slavery, failed prophecy, and the authorship of debated Old Testament books.



In this episode I explore what lead him to write this book? How has it been received? And what does the book address? 





This book provides:



-clear and straightforward explanations to complex topics



-direct engagement with hot-button Old Testament issues



-specific arguments to help you in a debate or discussion.





Whether you are looking to debate problematic Old Testament issues on social media or have a relaxed, meaningful discussion with a family member over coffee, The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament is an indispensable resource for you.



Get a copy of the book here :  https://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Handbook-Old-Testament-ebook/dp/B094RF3CF3



Subscribe to their YouTube Channel below!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBQo27DbqeB-xG17-kekrdQ



Website: https://www.digitalhammurabi.com/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/digi_hammurabi



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digitalhammurabi



Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/digitalhammurabi


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On May 9, 1865, the American Civil War ended, or did it?  Historians acknowledge that exact starting and ending dates of wars are open to debate, and likewise, so are the causes and reasons those wars were fought.  In the case of the American Civil War, April 1861 to May 1865, the “cause” of Southern independence is a controversial and contentious subject even to this day.  The main debate centers on whether or not slavery, that “peculiar institution,” was the main cause of the war and the reason for fighting such a costly conflict.  Revisionist “historians” have tried mightily over the years to justify the Confederacy and their “Lost Cause,” which serious historians have repeatedly debunked.



The so called “Lost Cause” is a construct of revisionist history that makes the case that slavery as practiced in the American South was a benevolent institution that was mutually beneficial to the master and the slave, and furthermore, contributed to the general wealth of the United States.  A mythology about the chivalrous nature of the Southern gentleman farmer and general social superiority of the Southern White population was promulgated and reinforced by a vigorous campaign over several decades to erect Confederate monuments and name many places after Confederate heroes.  Statistics about how few Southern White people actually owned slaves was used to undermine the notion that the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, although such numbers grossly misrepresent the reality of the situation in the South.  Since only the head of the household was likely to be listed as the slave owner, the several others in his family that benefited from the slave holding were technically not slave owners, but in reality were indeed people that were benefiting from the institution of slavery and living the lifestyle afforded by such human bondage.



Another fact that belies the storyline that slavery was not the main or even a main issue leading to the secession of the Confederate States from the United States is found in the documents announcing the secession of those various states.  In fact EVERY Southern state that seceded to join the Confederate States of America prominently cited slavery as an issue of contention leading to secession.



Link to article titled "The Lost Cause? No!"

https://www.historyandheadlines.com/the-lost-cause-no/


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In this episode we are joined by the awesome YouTube channel host from Tipsyfish history to walk us through a complicated and controversial topic involving modern history and that is why did non slave owners support and fight for the Confederacy?



It is easy to understand and see why slave owners would be concerned about the threat, real or imagined, that Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement posed to slavery.  



But what about those Southerners who did not own slaves?  What about the lower class in the Confederate States?



Why would they risk their livelihoods by leaving the United States and pledging allegiance to a new nation grounded in the proposition that all men are not created free or equal, a nation established and founded to preserve a type of property that they did not own?



Why did people who couldn't afford slaves support a slave society and economy?



Did non slave owners benefit from slavery?



Was state nationalism a contributing factor in their decisions to fight and oftentimes die in a conflict that revolved around the enslavement of human beings?



In this episode these questions are addressed and much more as Aster describes the motivations that drove non-slaveholding white Southerners to fight for the Confederacy and to protect slavery.



Support Tipsyfish and her awesome work at these links below!



YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3JcwC4qjfi-zbe759tCv2Q



Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/Tipsyfishs



Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tipsyfishs



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TipsyfishHistory/


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