✨Special Release ✨ Inside the Art of Casting: From Historical Dramas to Fantasy Epics with Suzanne Smith Today on AOH, Emmy Award winning casting director Suzanne Smith discusses the intricacies of casting for film and television, particularly in historical and period dramas.

Today on AOH, Dr. Alyson Melzer, an Assistant Professor of Classics at Indiana University Bloomington, discusses the emotional resonance of Greek tragedies, the challenges of interpreting and performing these plays in modern times, and timeless themes in Greek tragedies and their relevance today.

The more detailed program info is here! I will be panel chairing for the first time on the panel I co-proposed last year. Super excited because this is the first ever true archaeogaming/reception panel to run at an AIA-SCS Joint Annual Meeting!

We’re so thrilled to share that our Ancient Office Hours podcast was awarded the 2025 Forum Prize!

Today on AOH, Dr. Christopher Baron, an Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Notre Dame, discusses his interest in the historiography of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period, how information spread in Alexander’s time, and the modern portrayal of ancient history in media.

Can anyone else relate? 🤣

Happy Giving Tuesday! Did you know we’re a nonprofit? If you donate today, some of the projects your donation will go towards are our podcasts Ancient Office Hours and The Reading Party Podcast, our digital magazine Pnyx, our Archaeogaming program, and our upcoming conference Hitpoints & History.

Get your Hitpoints & History tickets 50% off today only for Cyber Monday! Use code CYBERMONDAY at checkout. We can’t wait to see you there! Get your tickets at hitpointscon.com or at hitpointsandhistory2026.eventbrite.com

Today on AOH, Dr. Chance Bonar, an Advising Fellow at the University of Virginia, discusses critical inquiries into texts outside the New Testament and broader socio-political-religious contexts, the legacy of slavery in ancient texts, and the modern interpretations of religious & cultural history.

Today on AOH, Dr. Aisha Dad, a Research Affiliate at the Carolina Asia Center and Director of the Classics Gaming Collaborative, discusses her work in reception studies, particularly in how ancient stories are retold in modern contexts and the importance of rethinking what constitutes 'classics’.

Great news! The YT version of our episode with Troy Baker is now available! youtu.be/jmd5_0RKzGo?...

Lexie chats with Troy Baker, the voice of Joel in the popular video game series 'The Last of Us.' The conversation explores a range of topics, from childhood narratives and their impact on personal growth to the philosophical and historical influences that shape storytelling.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Christian Langer, a trained Egyptologist and professor in the Classics department at the University of Georgia, discusses his interest in ancient Egypt's political economy, forced migration, and issues of decolonizing academic fields such as Egyptology.

Hitpoints & History is January 31, 2026! Get your tickets at early bird prices now through October 31! Get your tickets and find out more at hitpointscon.com or at hitpointsandhistory2026.eventbrite.com

🎉Announcing Hitpoints & History 2026! ✨ Mark your calendars for January 31st, 2026. That’s right, the all-digital conference is back and ready to game and chill indoors this winter! Tickets on sale now with early bird pricing through October 31! 🎟️

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Johanna Hanink, a professor of Classics at Brown and host of Lesche podcast, chats with Lexie in this podcast centric episode! They dive into the origins and inspirations that led to the creation of her podcast Lesche.

On today’s episode of Ancient Office Hours, Dr. @ancientplay.bsky.social , a senior lecturer in Latin Literature at the University of Kent, discusses his early fascination with Roman history and mythology, the poetry of Virgil and Ovid, and his interest in archaeogaming.

Today on this special episode of Ancient Office Hours, Dr. @cbzeichmann.bsky.social, a New Testament scholar and lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, to discuss his new book focused on radical groups in antiquity.

Life has happened, and we need to put a pause on The Reading Party Podcast. Lexie is starting a PhD program in the UK at the University of Bristol this September. Megan is taking a step back from freelance projects to focus on her family and her more profitable ventures.

On today’s episode of AOH, Dr. Caroline Arbuckle MacLeod, an Egyptologist and professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Saskatchewan, discusses her interest in daily life, beliefs, and preservation of ancient Egyptian sites, woodworking and the significance of woods in coffins.

Welcome back for a very special bonus episode of The Reading Party podcast! Join us as we sit down with Melissanthi Mahut and Michael Antonakos, the voices behind Kassandra and Alexios in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

The Memory Collective is excited to announce our plans for a huge livestream event to celebrate International Podcast Day! @mythsbaby.bsky.social @ancienthistoryfan.bsky.social @partialhistorians.bsky.social @theozymandiasp1.bsky.social @emmapauly.bsky.social @movieswedig.bsky.social

The TOP team is getting excited about celebrating #InternationalPodcastDay on September 27! We are so pleased to announce that we will be part of The Memory Collective livestream event to celebrate history and podcasting!

✨Bonus episode! We had more to talk about! ✨ Today on AOH, Dr. Carolyn Willekes, an equine archaeologist and professor of Ancient History at Mount Royal University in Canada, discusses how horses were used for sport & spectacle in the Roman Empire & other fun horsey tidbits!

Today on Ancient Office Hours, @hornesupremacy.bsky.social , an archaeologist, author, podcaster, and communications manager for the Govan Stones museum, discusses the Viking economy, trade networks, and use of bullion economies, and the intersection of academia and media.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, @historiantillo.bsky.social, a historian of Late Antiquity at Northern Illinois University, discusses understanding Visigoth sites & identity and his work on a monograph on rebellion in the Visigothic Kingdom which explores how rebellion could justify state power.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Tom Morcom, an associate lecturer in Old Norse Language and Literature at University College London discuss his fascination with the richness of Old Norse saga literature, medieval Icelandic society, and how Old Norse literature compares to classical works.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, actor Magnus Bruun, (voice of male Eivor in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla), chats about the rich history/mythology of Scandinavia, playing Cnut in "The Last Kingdom”, and share some behind-the-scenes stories from working on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla!

Our digital magazine Pnyx is out now! Check it out on our website! #Pnyx #DigitalMedia #digital #digitalmagazine #classics #ancientstudies #classicalstudies #ancienthistory #classicsforeveryone #classicseverywhere #digitalhumanities #outreach #publichumanities #art #poems #articles #shortstory

Today on Ancient Office Hours, @drcrollinger.bsky.social, a Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Trier, discusses navigating the German academic system, interest in the historical importance of monarchy, and the growing acceptance of video game studies in academia.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, @sentantiq.bsky.social, a professor of Classics at Brandeis University, discusses finding parallels between Homeric themes & modern narratives, re-analyzes Joseph Campbell's 'Hero of a Thousand Faces,' and both critiques its limitations & highlights its impact on myth.

Today on AOH, Dr. @downham.bsky.social , a professor of Medieval History at the University of Liverpool, discusses getting into into Medieval History/Celtic Studies, how Vikings influenced Ireland vs. the UK, and debunking popular misconceptions about the Vikings figures like Ivar the Boneless.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, @opietasanimi.com, a professor of Classics at UCLA, discusses the importance of addressing historical inequities within the field, the relevance of ancient texts like those of Cicero, and the modern challenges of teaching classics in a diverse academic landscape.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Hans Bork, a professor of Classics at Stanford, discusses his formative experiences with Indo-European linguistics before Classics, the siloed nature of language study, and humor in ancient Rome, particularly the works of Plautus and Cicero.

Do you like collecting artifacts as much as Gunther from #stardewvalley? Join Hitpoints & History this weekend to hear from Julie Levy about the artifacts found in and around #pelicantown. Tickets 20% starting today! Use code LastChance. Https://Hitpointsandhistory2025.eventbrite.com

Wishing you were choosing your next adventure from the Illithid? Join Dr. Richard Cole & Dr. Alexander Vandewalle at Hitpoints & History this weekend to discuss #Baldursgate3. Tickets 20% starting today! Https://hitpointsandhistory2025.eventbrite.com

🎉The Hitpoints & History 2025 schedule is live!✨ Get your tickets now at hitpointscon.com or at Hitpointsandhistory2025.eventbrite.com! We can’t wait to see you there! Find out more about the presenters and presentations at hitpointscon.com. #archaeogaming #videogames #hitpointshistory

Check out the sessions at Hitpoints & History 2025! Find out more about the sessions and presenters on our website at www.hitpointscon.com. Hitpoints & History is April 26-27. Tickets are on sale now for $25. The schedule will go live Monday April 21. We can’t wait to see you there!

Today on Ancient Office Hours, two-time Grammy winning composer Christopher Tin discusses the evolution of film music, particularly the transition from orchestral scores to synth-driven scores, scoring for the Civilization series and Old World, and the intersection of music, history, & creativity.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Carolyn Willekes, an equine archaeologist and professor of Ancient History at Mount Royal University 🇨🇦, drops by to discuss how being a “horse girl” drew her to studying horses in the ancient world, Macedonian cavalry, and Alexander the Great and Bucephalus.

Today on AOH, Dr. Alexandra Schultz, a professor of Classics at Dartmouth, discusses the role of feminist theory in understanding ancient texts & libraries, the Library of Alexandria, the accessibility of ancient libraries, and what modern libraries can learn from their ancient counterparts.

When the CEO of Bluesky gets your drift 😏 @jay.bsky.team look on our works ye mighty and commiserate 😅

We invite submissions that explore aspects of "storytelling" in games and the ancient world, whether its modern stories of ancient cultures or how stories have been encoded in millennia past. Applications due by April 8! Find out more at hitpointscon.com.

Beware the Ides of March! Today in 44 BCE Julius Caesar got a very bad case of A-Pen-dicitis… #idesofmarch #history #caesar #classicsjokes

The U.S. government is going through a reckoning. Rule by executive order? Where and what are the checks and balances? Love talk about authoritarians like Putin rule the news cycle. The ancient and modern world has seen its share of authoritarian rulers from ancient Egypt to the 20th century.

On today’s episode of Ancient Office Hours, Dr. Grace Erny, a professor of Classics at the UC - Berkeley, discusses her work on settlement patterns & economic transformations, Minoan artifacts and the importance of communal dining practices, and the militaristic aspects of Cretan society.

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Dr. @jldraycott.bsky.social , a Roman historian, archaeologist, and lecturer at the University of Glasgow, discusses ancient medical practices including skincare and assistive technologies, classical reception in video games, and writing her book Cleopatra’s Daughter.

Congrats Lexie! We can’t wait to see the results of all of your future archaeogaming research!

Had an absolute blast giving my archaeogaming talk on classical reception and The Last of Us! My sincere gratitude to Deb Trusty for inviting me to come speak Too short a trip but I was able to have some extra fun by attending Deb’s myth and heroes class yesterday afternoon talking about the Iliad!