Pyrrhus, the Warrior King. Father of the "Pyrrhic Victory." Smuggled out of the palace at two years old. Raised in exile by Illyrians. Pyrrhus grew to be the "greatest commander of his day" according to observers like Hannibal and Antigonus.
[Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis.
See Ilias' work on Facebook, or Instagram (@ilias_markantonis)]
In this episode:
-Find a mentor
-Transcend a mentor
-Identify the Master Skill in your field, and focus
-How to master fear
-Seizing opportunities to expand your network
Thanks to our sponsor, historical fiction author Jackson Riddle! www.jacksonsriddle.com
Check out his new book, A Potter's Vessel, an alternative telling of the conflict that became the US Civil War.
Pyrrhus of Epirus (319-272 BC) was a cousin of Alexander the Great. He was the first man to take battle elephants to Italy. He defeated the Romans on several occasions in what became known as the Pyrrhic Wars.
In Part 1, we meet Pyrrhus as a 2 year old, as he is snatched from his crib in a deadly coup.
As he struggles to establish himself in his kingdom through his teenage and early adult years, he learns that the only path toward self-reliance for him and for his kingdom is through the sword.
Some lessons:
It's always useful to have a mentor. But you may not have to bind yourself to that person forever.
“As his former mentor and now esteemed arch enemy, Demetrius put Pyrrhus through the best school of war anyone could hope for – strategy, tactics, hand to hand combat – Pyrrhus could learn it all from the best - if he could keep his head.”
Also, seize any opportunity to expand your network both professionally and personally. Case in point: Pyrrhus in Asia, and Egypt.
Find a master a skill in your own field. If there is one thing Pyrrhus exemplifies, it is the power of personal courage in a leader. So if that’s an area you need to work on (hint: you can never have too much courage), start now. Courage is physical.
Check out Ralston College's FUNDED MA program: https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma !
...Plutarch offers some advice on how to choose your friends, and how to be a good one. Examples include Alexander the Great, Cato, Carneades, Plato, Dionysius the Tyrant, and more.
(Here depicted: the monument of Philopappus in Athens, to whom Plutarch's essay is dedicated)
An interview with Barry Strauss, Spartacus expert, and author of The Spartacus War
In this episode:
-How Spartacus' Slave revolt almost failed in its early stages
-Overcoming short term thinking as a leader
-Spartacus' influence on modern leaders
A method for reading that can transform your life.
W/ help from Dana Gioia, California Poet Laureate, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts 2003-2009.
Get his new book Sentences from Seneca, here!
Some Sources:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_108
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Sallust/Bellum_Jugurthinum/3*.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Sayings_of_Spartans*/main.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Sayings_of_Spartans*/Agesilaus.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Agesilaus*.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Lysander*.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Sertorius*.html
Why does Achilles, slaughterer of men, play the lyre? A conversation with Spencer Klavan of the Young Heretics podcast.
Check out the Cost of Glory Men's Leadership Retreat: costofglory.com/retreat !
Spencer on Twitter: @spencerklavan
In this conversation, we discuss:
-Spencer & Alex's common ground training as classicists
-How one gets into these ancient books in the first place
-The theory of "Art for Art's Sake": Why it's interesting, plausible, and wrong.
-Epic heroes singing Epic Poetry
-Great books for busy dads
And much, much more...
The fall and political struggles of the great Lucullus, rival of Pompey and Caesar.
Cost of Glory Men's Retreat 2024 application open! - costofglory.com/retreat
Thanks to our sponsor Ancient Language Institute - Tutoring now available:
Latin: https://ancientlanguage.com/latin-tutorials/
Ancient Greek: https://ancientlanguage.com/ancient-greek-tutorials/
Cicero's Pro Archia
https://www.attalus.org/cicero/archias.html
People in this episode:
Mithridates, King of Pontus
Tigranes, King of Armenia
Clodius, the Brother in Law
Pompey
Clodia, the Bad Wife
Servilia, also a Bad Wife
Cato the Younger
Cicero
Caesar
Places in this episode:
Tigranokert
Artaxata
Nisibis
Pontus
Armenia
Rome
Lucullus drives Mithridates out of Pontus, and war escalates
In this episode:
-The power of concentration
-Nothing is more important than sleep
-Bold Barbarian Queens
-The value of bad news
-Battle of Tigranocerta
Book Rec - Gareth Sampson, Rome's Great Eastern War
Lucullus, Conqueror of Armenia. Highlights from Plutarch's biography of the great foe of Pompey
Cost of Glory Men's Retreat 2024 application open! - costofglory.com/retreat
Thanks to our sponsor Ancient Language Institute - Tutoring now available:
Latin: https://ancientlanguage.com/latin-tutorials/
Ancient Greek: https://ancientlanguage.com/ancient-greek-tutorials/
In this episode:
-How to get noticed early on in your career
-Seducing your way to warlord status
-Taking the time to do the math
The vice of "dysopia" brings down even the strongest. Plutarch gives some advice on how to fortify ourselves against it.
Reach out to alex@ancientlifecoach.com for more info on the 2024 Cost of Glory Men's retreat in Rome!
Link to a translation of Plutarch's text : https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/De_vitioso_pudore*.html
What happened to Crassus' captured soldiers? To his family? What can we learn from his successes and his world-historic failure?
ANNOUNCEMENT! Cost of Glory Men's Leadership Retreat in Rome - July 2024. Reach out to alex@ancientlifecoach.com if you're interested.
Buy the books:
-Penguin edition of Plutarch including Life of Crassus
-Sallust's war with Catiline
-Tom Holland's Rubicon
-Barry Strauss' book on Spartacus
-Edward Watts's Mortal Republic
-Gareth Sampson, "The Defeat of Rome" on Parthian Expedition
-Peter Stothard, The First Tycoon
See also Gruen, Last Generation of the Roman Republic; Ward, Crassus and the Late Roman Republic; Rawson, Crassorum Funera (in journal Latomus).
Pictured: Roman Soldier next to a Han noble, statue group in Liqian, China. Photo: Natalie Behring
Crassus' famous campaign against the Parthians - what motivated it? What happened at Carrhae? What can we learn from it?
Thanks to our Sponsor!
Ancient Language Institute:
https://ancientlanguage.com
Key Figures
Marcus Licinius Crassus - The Protagonist
Gaius Pompeius Magnus - Pompey, the Rival
Lucius Licinius Crassus - the Orator
Publius Licinius Crassus - Crassus' father
Publius Licinius Crassus - Crassus' Son
Publius Clodius Pulcher - The Playboy Mobster
Titus Annius Milo - Anti-Mobster
Marcus Tullius Cicero - The Mentor
Gaius Julius Caesar - The Triumvir
Marcus Porcius Cato - The Nemesis
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus - The Challenger
Ptolemy XII "Auletes" - The Piper King
Aulus Gabinius - Pompey's Crony in Syria
Trebonius - Willing Tribune
Ateius (Capito) - Unwilling Tribune
Gaius Cassius Longinus - The Assassin
Octavius - The Junior Officer
Orodes II - King of Parthia
Mithradates IV - Parthian Usurper
Surena - the Parthian Commander at Carrhae
Key Places
Rome
Ravenna - City in Northern Italy (cisalpine Gaul)
Luca - City in Northern Italy (Etruria/Cisalpine Gaul)
Curia - The Senate house
Syria - Roman Province
Mesopotamia
Iraq
Seleucia
Babylon
Ctesiphon
Carrhae
Euphrates River
Italian quote at the beginning: Dante, Purgatorio XX
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