How to Raise an Achilles | Episode XCI
HomeNew Humanists › Episode

How to Raise an Achilles | Episode XCI

1:22:19 Jul 1, 2025
About this episode
Send a textPlato called Homer "the educator of all Greece." But what is a Homeric education? What were the Greeks learning from their supreme bard? Furthermore, the phrase "Homeric education" contains within it a second meaning as well. What kind of education were Homer's heroes getting? In other words, how did Achilles become Achilles? In this episode, we take a close look at Chapter One of A History of Education in Antiquity, in which Henri-Irénée Marrou describes the character of Homeric education, in both its senses, focusing in both cases on "words and deeds," the two fields of excellence every hero must master. Additionally, Jonathan tries to convince Ryan that Iliad Book 9, central to Marrou's explanation of Homeric education, is a story about the triumph of rhetoric.Henri-Irénée Marrou's A History of Education in Antiquity: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780299088149Robin Lane Fox's Homer and His Iliad: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9781541600447Robert Drews's Militarism and the Indo-Europeanizing of Europe: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780367886004Caroline Alexander's translation of the Iliad: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780062046291Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ: https://bookshop.org/a/25626/9780141191768New Humanists is brought to you by the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/Come read Homer with us. Starting in September, we launch Homer Seminar, a book-by-book sequence of courses reading and discussing Homer's epics, all in Ancient Greek: ancientlanguage.com/homer-seminarLinks may have referral codes, which earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. We encourage you, when possible, to use Bookshop.org for your book purchases, an online bookstore which supports local bookstores.Music: Save Us Now by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.comSupport the show
Select an episode
0:00 0:00