Best Erik Rostad Podcasts (2025)

1
#254 - The Education of Cyrus by Xenophon 39:37

1d ago39:37

39:37

Last week, I discussed Anabasis by Xenophon, which covers the failed attempt of Cyrus the Younger to rule the Persian Empire with the help of 10,000+ Greek Mercenaries. The Education of Cyrus covers a different Cyrus, Cyrus the Great (600 - 530BC). This is the Cyrus in the Bible. The Cyrus of the British Museum’s Cyrus Cylinder. The Cyrus who conqu…

1
#253 - Anabasis by Xenophon 40:39

8d ago40:39

40:39

The Persian Cyrus the Younger recruits Greek mercenaries (12,900 to be exact, although Ten Thousand has a nicer ring to it) to help him try to claim the throne of Persia. The battle doesn’t go well, Cyrus loses a hand and a head, and the Greeks are forced to retreat to their country of origin. These events, take place between 401 - 399BC. Anabasis …

1
Should You Re-Read Books From Your Past or Focus on New Books? 19:53

15d ago19:53

19:53

I love experiencing a book for the first time. There’s the rush of discovering a new story, an intoxicating idea, or a memorable character. By the time I’ve finished the book, I’m ready to get that hit again with a new book. I actually fear the high won’t be as good if I go back and read a book for a second time, even if it’s a book I really enjoye…

1
#252 - The Frogs by Aristophanes 29:20

22d ago29:20

29:20

It took me 5 comedy plays by Aristophanes to begin to enjoy them. This was the 5th. It wasn’t as crude or banal as the first four I read (Clouds, Birds, Lysistrata, Women of the Assembly). I really enjoyed this one. Dionysus journeys to Hades to meet Euripides. A verbal contest ensues between the great tragedians Aeschylus and Euripides to determin…

1
#251 - The Clouds by Aristophanes 33:45

29d ago33:45

33:45

A father seeks to get out of debt, not in the traditional way of paying it off, but in the new way of winning an argument over his creditors. It doesn’t matter whether the argument is true or not, only if it gets him out of debt. This quest drives the father, Strepsiades, into the school of Socrates (likely in attendance at the play in 423BC) to le…

1
#250 - Reading the Greek Tragedies 52:17

1M ago52:17

52:17

I just finished reading all of the Greek Tragedies that survive from Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. That was not the plan, I only expected to read 2 or 3 by each playwright, but I got hooked. In this episode, I share about my experience, cover the major themes throughout those plays, and talk about my favorites. These stories will be with me …

1
#249 - Bacchae by Euripides 26:17

1M ago26:17

26:17

Homer (Simpson, not the epic poet) once said that alcohol is the “cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems.” I think of that quote when I think of the god Dionysus (also known as Bacchus). Dionysus is the god of joy and celebration, but also madness and violence. The god of inspiration and intoxication. He’s the god the indwells throug…

1
#248 - Helen by Euripides 29:49

2M ago29:49

29:49

What if everything you knew of Helen of Troy wasn’t true? That she didn’t go with Paris to Troy. That instead, she was whisked away to Egypt while the Greeks and Trojans battled it out over her phantom. That’s the storyline of Helen by Euripides. It brings into question perception vs reality. It provides Helen a way to redeem her name. And it makes…

1
#247 - Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides 40:29

2M ago40:29

40:29

Homer doesn’t mention her but she permeates the Iliad. Without her, Aeschylus’ Oresteia doesn’t pack the same punch. Her story is so tragic that Euripides doesn’t let this play end as it should. He has her whisked away so she is not sacrificed. Her name is Iphigenia. She’s the daughter of Agamemnon, the King of the Greeks. This play takes place bef…

1
#246 - Orestes by Euripides 19:18

2M ago19:18

19:18

That’s such a brutal painting. Orestes has stabbed his own mother and the furies are immediately there to torment him. The story of Orestes was explored by each of the three main Greek tragedy playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Aeschylus set the standard with The Oresteia, Sophocles approached it through Electra, and Euripides throug…

1
#245 - Free Speech by Jacob Mchangama 29:29

3M ago29:29

29:29

“In fact, free speech may well be the most powerful engine of equality ever devised by human kind.” Free Speech by Jacob Mchangama presents a thorough and fascinating look at the history of free speech through the ages. What’s amazing is that free speech is a rather recent phenomenon, is quite fragile, and most of the people I consider to be the bu…

1
How Can I Teach Myself to Read Better as an Adult? 25:35

3M ago25:35

25:35

A few years ago, I read a book about a coffee entrepreneur. It was really good. I immediately thought about a new friend of mine who worked at a coffee shop. I bought the book for him and met up a few weeks later to hear what he thought. His comments shocked me. He thanked me for the book and said it was the first full book he had read since colleg…

1
#244 - Phoenician Women by Euripides 24:55

3M ago24:55

24:55

Euripides’ Phoenician Women mimics the Aeschylus tragedy Seven Against Thebes with some key differences. One of those is the composition of the members of the chorus. Aeschylus chose Theban women as the members of his chorus but Euripides selected foreign slave women from Tyre en route to Delphi. They don’t have skin in the game like the Theban wom…

1
#243 - The Authentic Confucius by Annping Chin 31:36

3M ago31:36

31:36

Most of the sayings of Confucius consist of three parts: * The Saying * The Person * The Time/Location If you just read The Analects, you get all of the sayings and if you’re very diligent (or use a commentary), you can get to know the people Confucius addresses in his responses. What’s difficult to gather from The Analects is the historical contex…

1
#242 - The Analects by Confucius 43:39

4M ago43:39

43:39

The life of Confucius (551 - 479 BC) overlaps the life of Greek playwright Aeschylus (525 - 455 BC). Confucius makes it clear that he is a transmitter, not an originator. He’s transmitting wisdom from the past, specifically from an ancient era of perfect rulers. The Analects is a set of collected sayings of Confucius compiled by his disciples. I wa…

1
#241 - God's Secretaries by Adam Nicolson 32:28

4M ago32:28

32:28

I started off 2025 reading straight through the King James Version of the Bible. As I was doing so, I kept wondering how that translation came about. It’s now over 400 years old. What English translation will people be reading 400 years from now? And I had other questions. Did people really speak like this? Is this the first English translation? Wh…

1
#240 - The Bible | King James Version 56:33

4M ago56:33

56:33

I start each year reading straight through a different version of the Bible during January & February. This year, I selected the King James Version designed & illustrated by Barry Moser. This version contains 232 beautiful illustrations. This was my first time reading the full King James Version. I liked it very much. I divide this podcast episode …

1
Comparing LBJ & Robert Moses 49:53

4M ago49:53

49:53

In 2021, I dedicated my reading year to series of books. I read through Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, all books by Russ Roberts, and the Narnia series. I also read every single book written by Robert Caro. His The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson four-book set are some of the best books I’ve ever read and I think about them often. I also read The …

1
The Gulag Archipelago 32:18

5M ago32:18

32:18

I’m digging into the podcast vault and taking us back to December 2019 when I first released this episode. In the past 5 years, I’ve thought about The Gulag Archipelago often. I’ve seen it referenced in other books and think its ideas can heal our current divides. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get…

1
The Beginning of Knowledge 45:15

5M ago45:15

45:15

I’m digging into the podcast vault to share this episode from exactly 5 years ago (really, Feb 7, 2020 to today, Feb 7, 2025)! This episode covers The Book of Proverbs attributed to King Solomon. I had an epiphany of sorts about a key idea in this wisdom literature - The Fear of the Lord. I had always been baffled by that statement. Is that a tremb…

1
Top Ideas from the World of Books 56:48

5M ago56:48

56:48

I’m digging into the podcast vault to share this episode from two years ago about some of the most important ideas I’ve come across from this reading project. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe…

1
On Direction 5:14

5M ago5:14

5:14

And so he did not resist in the small ways that a man might, and in time the accumulation of such daily choices of acquiescence hardened into a kind of moral muscle memory, such that resistance was no longer even a possible option. For almost nine years the man had been rehearsing his surrender. ~ The Places Beyond the Maps, Douglas McKelvey If I w…

1
How Has This Reading Project Changed Me? 28:06

5M ago28:06

28:06

I received this set of questions from Brenda Slomka late in 2024. I couldn’t immediately answer them on Twitter X, so I decided to ponder them a bit and give a thoughtful response in this podcast episode. I’m glad I did it as it gave me a chance to take a step back and look at how the past 8 years of this reading project have impacted me. Here are …

1
2025: The Reading Year Ahead 33:52

6M ago33:52

33:52

READING YEAR THEME: GREEK TRAGEDIES, COMEDIES, HISTORY, AND PHILOSOPHY 2025 is the year I shift from the Greek playwrights into the philosophers. It’s year 3 of my 15-year Immortal Books reading project, where I read the greatest books ever written in chronological order. In this episode, I share my plan for the year, give a brief history of this r…

1
The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges 28:38

6M ago28:38

28:38

Love the eternal books that express eternal truths. ~ A.G. Sertillanges Have you found yourself lost in mid-life? Not sure what direction to take? No focus or purpose? This is a book about continuing intellectual curiosity throughout life, of lifelong learning. It’s a book with practical advice on how to pursue the life of the mind. I wish I had re…

1
2024 Reading Year Recap 55:37

6M ago55:37

55:37

Each year, I stack all of the books from the previous year’s reading list next to me and reminisce over the reading year. It’s one of my favorite yearly podcast episodes and it’s a great way for you to hear about some books to add to your reading list. 2024 was My Big Fat Greek Reading List. I’m reading through The Great Books The Immortal Books in…

1
Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart by Russ Ramsey 23:56

6M ago23:56

23:56

I used to think that great art had to have come from a great-souled artist with an honorable life. How else would you be able to forge David out of a slab of marble or compose an entire opera in your head? A minimum of a pure mind combined with superhuman abilities must have been required, right? Actually, art is oftentimes forged through intense s…

1
The Art of Teaching by Gilbert Highet 31:21

7M ago31:21

31:21

This book was suggested by a friend of mine named William Leachman. He’s a bonafide teacher, as in he has students and teaches them in a building that says school on the outside of it. He told me I should read this book and he told me that I’m a teacher. I bristled at that. I’m not a professional. I don’t teach eager students at the local high scho…

1
Hellenika by Xenophon 33:00

7M ago33:00

33:00

“And after this, not many days later…” Xenophon begins his history with these words. The “after this…” refers to the writings of Thucydides, which abruptly end in the midst of the Peloponnesian War in 411BC. Xenophon takes up the mantle and takes us first to the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404BC and then on to 362BC. Xenophon’s work takes us th…

1
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi 26:23

7M ago26:23

26:23

Theo of Golden is a man “fully invested in the art of living.” He’s a character you want to emulate. A good man whose kindness is made up of “little, nameless, unremembered acts.” As the reader, we get to see how these small, daily acts weave throughout a small, fictional, Georgia town. This book was gifted to me by a publisher well acquainted with…

1
The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides 51:20

8M ago51:20

51:20

Prior to reading Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War, I envisioned a sort of Braveheart-like battle with lines of Athenians rushing towards lines of Spartans. That’s not even close to what happened. Most battles were proxy battles far from either Athens or Sparta and many battles were fought by sea. The Peloponnesian War took place between 431 - 404BC. T…

1
Andromache by Euripides 36:43

8M ago36:43

36:43

If you were to rank the individual suffering of those in Greek Literature, Andromache would easily rise to the top of that list. She lost her father, 7 brothers, and husband Hector to one man, Achilles. Her son was thrown from the walls of Troy. To top off the suffering cake, she was then forced to marry the son of her husband’s murderer, Neoptolem…

1
Heracles by Euripides 31:10

8M ago31:10

31:10

This tragedy by Euripides was written in 420BC, 10 years after Children of Heracles. Historically, this is in the midst of the Peloponnesian War. Mythologically, it’s at the point of Heracles’ life where he is completing his 12th and final labor. While away, his family is in danger. He returns, neutralizes the danger, but becomes danger himself in …

1
Children of Heracles by Euripides 28:08

8M ago28:08

28:08

Euripides wrote this tragedy in 430BC, a fateful year that saw the beginnings of the Peloponnesian War. It’s interesting to read this play in light of the historical atmosphere. Athens was entering a war with Sparta. The Spartans traced their descent from Heracles, and in this tragedy, the children of Heracles are near Athens (in Marathon) seeking …

1
Hippolytus by Euripides 38:42

8M ago38:42

38:42

You, Aphrodite, lead captive the stubborn hearts of gods and of mortals. Aphrodite conquers all. Or nearly all. Zeus is under her spell and only a few, Athena and Artemis among them, have resisted her. Love is so powerful a force that it can even cause a step-mother to lust after her step-son. That at least is the premise for this tragedy and so th…

1
The Speeches of Pericles 31:18

9M ago31:18

31:18

In Book 2 of The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, the Athenian general Pericles gives two extraordinary speeches. One is a eulogy and the other a response to an angry and devastated populace in the midst of war and pestilence. These speeches create a beautiful blend of history and exploration. Thucydides presents the historical facts of war—the siz…

1
Leading a Reading Group 28:37

9M ago28:37

28:37

I just finished leading a 9-week, in-person reading group covering the Iliad. It was such a good experience. I’ve also participated in a number of groups over the years and wanted to use this podcast episode to share what I’ve learned and to hopefully encourage you to start your own reading group. Myths: * You don’t need to have all of the answers.…

1
The Trojan Women by Euripides 27:21

9M ago27:21

27:21

“Sing, O Muse, a new song about Ilium, a funeral dirge accompanied by tears.” The glory of the Iliad is over. The Muses are being summoned to sing a funeral dirge, a new song of mourning for the city of Troy. This tragedy takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Trojan War. The Greeks have gotten past the famous Trojan walls, not by force but …

1
Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides Podcast 24:56

9M ago24:56

24:56

In one of the most tragic stories of Greek Mythology, Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in order to secure favorable winds from Artemis so that the Greek Army can sail to Troy and retrieve Helen. That sacrifice sets off a series of events that curse a family line and destroy Agamemnon himself. It’d be fun to imagine an alternate endin…

1
Alcestis by Euripides Podcast 30:06

10M ago30:06

30:06

Admetus can escape Hades if he can find someone to die in his place. His wife Alcestis agrees to die for him in the ultimate sacrifice. Is she in the right? Should she have been the person to take his place? Where does that leave him if she dies? These tragic elements are balanced with comedic release in the arrival of Heracles amidst this tremendo…

1
Hecabe by Euripides Podcast 35:07

10M ago35:07

35:07

Hecabe has to be one of the most tragic figures in the canon. Wife and Queen of King Priam, she’s lost close to 50 sons and 50 daughters by the start of this tragedy play. Not only that, she’s lost her husband, Hector, Paris, and Troy where she was queen. This play starts with one of her only surviving sons, Polydorus, appearing as a ghost and tell…

1
Medea by Euripides Podcast 23:44

10M ago23:44

23:44

Medea kicks off right at the end of Jason and the Golden Fleece by Apollonius of Rhodes. Medea has just assisted Jason in subduing the dragon so that he can take the Golden Fleece. As thanks, Jason promises to marry Medea but then takes a second wife (the King’s daughter) to try to smooth things over in their new home. Unsurprisingly, Medea doesn’t…

1
The Bookshop by Evan Friss 23:42

10M ago23:42

23:42

I’m the business manager at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, TN. Our owner recently purchased this book for all staff members so that we could read and discuss it. I’m so glad he did. I loved this book and it reignited a deep love and passion for bookstores. It also provided a number of ideas that I highlight in this episode. I share three things …

1
Babrius and Phaedrus Fables (Aesop's Fables) 30:04

11M ago30:04

30:04

I read an illustrated edition of Aesop’s Fables earlier this year and came away quite disappointed. I knew Aesop lived in the 7th century BC, but the book of fables contained elements from much later during the Roman period. I came away confused and wanting to know more. Someone suggested I pick up the Loeb Classical Library version of Babrius and …

1
Philoctetes by Sophocles 37:13

11M ago37:13

37:13

This is my favorite tragedy play by Sophocles. It’s absolutely stunning and shows the brilliance of the playwright in ways his other tragedies don’t. This is a story about means vs ends. Odysseus believes the adage “by any means necessary.” Deception is a legitimate means to reach a desired end. However, deception is not in the nature of Neoptolemu…

1
Electra by Sophocles 32:13

11M ago32:13

32:13

This tragedy covers themes like justice, freedom, and fate. The play culminates in the question of “whose justice?” Who has the right to exact justice? And who is in the right in exacting justice? Does justice exist beyond one’s individual conception or is there a higher law? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscr…

1
Sophocles Fragments 25:49

11M ago25:49

25:49

Sophocles may have written 130 plays during his lifetime. Only seven survive. This podcast episode covers a book a fragments of the 100+ other tragedy and satyr plays of Sophocles. Fragments are phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs of content that were mostly referenced by other writers like Aristotle, Athenaeus, and Plutarch. They were aware of …

1
Women of Trachis by Sophocles 41:19

11M ago41:19

41:19

This tragedy concludes with a question - what law do you obey? Do you obey a father asking you to do terrible things from his deathbed? Or is there a higher law? Further, where does law come from? Is it divine? Is it dictated by those closest to you? The Women of Trachis follows a set of characters as “Fate is on the march.” It’s a fascinating case…

1
All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg 26:07

12M ago26:07

26:07

In this podcast episode, I cover a pair of memoirs - one with a focus on a mother and the other with a focus on a father. Rick Bragg tells of his childhood in Alabama with an alcoholic father and a self-sacrificing mother, his pathway in journalism, and his attempt to pay back his mother. Debra King tells of her childhood in Wisconsin with an entre…

1
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt 32:19

1y ago32:19

32:19

In this episode, I'm diving into Jonathan Haidt's new book, The Anxious Generation, to explore three startling facts about its damaging effects. I then highlight what I consider to be the most manipulative tactic hidden within new algorithms – one that targets our subconscious. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subs…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Erik Rostad Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide