Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Dr. Jennifer Finn joins us to talk about her recent book on Alexander's use and presentation by Roman autocrats, as well as her current project on [Royal] tourism in the ancient world, and how ancient rulers used these "Grand Tours" to demarcate their empires.
In addition, she describes her own journey to not one, but TWO PhDs, one focusing on ancient Greece and Alexander, and the other on the ancient near east. This gives her more languages, and thus, more texts, than traditional Hellenists use. Oh, and she's also a marathon runner and triathlete too.
https://luc.academia.edu/JenniferFinn
Loyola Classics: https://www.luc.edu/classicalstudies/index.shtml
First book: degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781501504969/html
Second book: https://press.umich.edu/Books/C/Contested-Pasts
ANCIENT FIGURES MENTIONED:
Cyrus: also known as Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire (ca. 550 BCE, on his takeover of the Median Empire and then the city of Babylon in 539 BCE). His tomb was located at the first Persian capital, Pasargadae.
Agrippa: the right-hand man and very able naval commander of Augustus (he also married Augustus’ daughter, Julia), he produced a map detailing all of Augustus’ holdings.
Nabonidus: last king of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (r. 556-539 BCE), also known in scholarship as “the first archaeologist.”
Marduk: the preeminent and patron god of Babylon, he is the subject of the epic Enuma Elish (The Babylonian Epic of Creation).
Diodorus: late first century BCE author of a universal history that covers mythological times to the late Roman Republic. Book 17 is entirely devoted to the reign of Alexander the Great.
Nebuchadnezzar II: king of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (r. 605-562 BCE), he was well known for revivifying and beautifying the city of Babylon.
Dr. Jennifer Finn joins us to talk about her recent book on Alexander's use and presentation by Roman autocrats, as well as her current project on [Royal] tourism in the ancient world, and how ancient rulers used these "Grand Tours" to demarcate their empires.
In addition, she describes her own journey to not one, but TWO PhDs, one focusing on ancient Greece and Alexander, and the other on the ancient near east. This gives her more languages, and thus, more texts, than traditional Hellenists use. Oh, and she's also a marathon runner and triathlete too.
https://luc.academia.edu/JenniferFinn
Loyola Classics: https://www.luc.edu/classicalstudies/index.shtml
First book: degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781501504969/html
Second book: https://press.umich.edu/Books/C/Contested-Pasts
ANCIENT FIGURES MENTIONED:
Cyrus: also known as Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire (ca. 550 BCE, on his takeover of the Median Empire and then the city of Babylon in 539 BCE). His tomb was located at the first Persian capital, Pasargadae.
Agrippa: the right-hand man and very able naval commander of Augustus (he also married Augustus’ daughter, Julia), he produced a map detailing all of Augustus’ holdings.
Nabonidus: last king of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (r. 556-539 BCE), also known in scholarship as “the first archaeologist.”
Marduk: the preeminent and patron god of Babylon, he is the subject of the epic Enuma Elish (The Babylonian Epic of Creation).
Diodorus: late first century BCE author of a universal history that covers mythological times to the late Roman Republic. Book 17 is entirely devoted to the reign of Alexander the Great.
Nebuchadnezzar II: king of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (r. 605-562 BCE), he was well known for revivifying and beautifying the city of Babylon.
