The Western World is ready to sit back and watch as one of the oldest cities, in one of the most historical rich countries on the planet, is wiped off the face of the earth. The people of Gaza, and Palestine, are stewards of their land and have been since long, long before the 'West' even existed. This episode is selections from my episode on Palestine's rich ancient history and a reading of Herodotus, from 5th Century BCE, and considered to be the 'Father of History'.

This episode originally aired in February 2025: Liv speaks with ancient and biblical scholar Chance Bonar about the history of Palestine and the ancient Levant. This conversation examines the history of the place and the people, people which included Jews and Judaism co-existing with others who have called that land home since the Bronze Age, those same people the west seeks to erase. There is no attempt to delegitimize Jewish history in the region, only to examine how many peoples existed there and for how long. We look at the myth of the Roman Empire "inventing" Palestine and all the many crimes the Romans did in fact commit against the people in that region, primarily the ancient Jews and Judaism itself. The love being sent to Palestine here does not exclude Judaism but embraces all of the people who have called that land home. Everyone deserves to live freely on their ancestral land and no country should exist where one group has more rights and freedoms than another.

Submit to the quarterly Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby

CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.

Further reading: Everyday Orientalism's Palestine primer; Rashid Khalidi's Hundred Years War on Palestine.

Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.

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Liv reads Book 9 of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The battle between the Argives and Thebans, aka between the brother Polyneices and Eteocles, continues... and it's pretty dramatic. Submit to the quarterly Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby

CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.

This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Latin names and who they generally refer to in the Greek, visit: mythsbaby.com/names

Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv answers more listener questions including the lost Heroes Crying to Mommy question, all things virgin-goddess-gender-fluidity, Bad Women of Homer, and so much more... Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby

CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.

Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.