Meta Description: Join Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe in Ad Navseam Episode 163 as they explore ancient artistic education, the aulos, and resources to master the Latin language.
Introduction: Autumnal Vibes and the Fonzie Scheme
Welcome back, classical gourmands, to Episode 163 of the Ad Navseam Podcast! Broadcasting from Vomitorium South—located in the basement of the RHB Bindery Coffeehouse and bookstore—your hosts, Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle, return to the microphones.
Jeff arrives in the bunker feeling plaid and autumnal, relishing the crisp chill in the air after a long summer that featured a record number of days over seventy-five degrees. Dave has spent his recent weeks undergoing various medical interventions, receiving several vaccinations in preparation for upcoming international travel. He also recently traveled to Waco, Texas, to teach spoken Latin at Baylor University alongside colleagues like Patrick M. Owens. The theme of the Baylor event was Ridentem Dicere Verum—telling the truth while laughing—a motto that encapsulates the podcast’s own mission.
In the spirit of laughter, Dave shares a joke conceived during his flight home. Reflecting on classic television shows like Happy Days, Dave proposes a plan where he sends two fans five dollars, and they recruit other fans to send him money in a geometric progression. He dubs this highly illegal operation a “Fonzie scheme”. Jeff groans but admits the pun earned a genuine chuckle.
Corrigendum: Sewage and President Harrison
Opening the mailbag, the hosts address a corrigendum from regular correspondent Will Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald writes to correct a historical assumption from a previous episode regarding the death of President William Henry Harrison.
The popular narrative claims Harrison died from exposure after delivering a lengthy inaugural address in the freezing rain. Fitzgerald notes this is a classic post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Citing a 2014 article in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, Fitzgerald explains that Harrison likely died of septic shock caused by enteric fever. The illness stemmed from bacteria in contaminated drinking water, a direct result of raw sewage being regularly dumped upstream from the White House. Fitzgerald adds that the primitive state of 19th-century medicine exacerbated the situation; doctors lacking a germ theory of disease attempted to balance the president’s humors by blistering his skin when he proved too weak for bloodletting.
The Ethics of Music
The primary academic focus of Episode 163 returns to Henri-Irénée Marrou’s A History of Education in Antiquity, specifically exploring Chapter IV of Section II on artistic education.
To set the stage, Jeff reads a quote from Mary Gourant’s article on music in ancient China and Greece. Gourant emphasizes that both cultures assigned paramount importance to music as an ethical agent capable of guiding and controlling human passions. The ancients believed music molded character and represented the ideal harmonic order of the universe.
While Marrou later dismisses this moralistic view of music as an archaic notion, the hosts defend the concept. Dave notes that listening to the blues reliably improves his mood on a bad day, while Haydn piano sonatas complement a cheerful disposition. Jeff agrees, recalling that his high school basketball team did not listen to Barry Manilow or the Snow White soundtrack before a big game. Instead, they relied on driving, high-tempo rock like AC/DC to prepare for competition.
Plastic Arts and Crayon Envy
Marrou explains that traditional Greek artistic education included both music and the plastic arts, specifically drawing (zografia). Under the influence of the painter Pamphilus, drawing spread throughout Greece and became a regular subject in school examinations. Aristotle supported this, arguing that visual arts refined a child’s sense of sight and form.
This prompts a discussion regarding the hosts’ own elementary art education. Jeff recalls the childhood envy of seeing a classmate wield the massive 256-color box of crayons equipped with a built-in sharpener, while he was stuck with the standard eight-pack. Early art teachers never showed Dave the masterpieces of Michelangelo or Titian to inspire his imagination. Just as young athletes aspire to emulate Michael Jordan, Dave suspects young students would take art more seriously if exposed to historical greatness.
The hosts also reject the outdated stereotype that art and music are inherently feminine pursuits Similar gendered stereotypes affect cooking, yet male chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay dominate the culinary scene. The conversation concludes with an appreciation for amateur artists, prioritizing personal fulfillment over public consumption.
Alcibiades and the Aulos
Turning to instrumental music, Marrou notes that Athenian youth primarily learned the lyre and the aulos. The aulos is frequently mistranslated as a flute; it was actually a reed instrument akin to an oboe. Players often used a double aulos, requiring both hands and complex breath control.
The aulos eventually fell out of favor in Athens, a decline famously linked to the politician Alcibiades. Reading from Plutarch, Jeff explains that Alcibiades refused to play the instrument, arguing it barricaded the mouth and prevented a gentleman from singing or conversing. Alcibiades also complained that blowing into the reed contorted the face, making the player look ridiculous. He cited mythological precedent, noting that Athena threw the instrument away in disgust after seeing her puffed-up reflection, and Apollo flayed the presumptuous aulos player Marsyas.
Choral Singing and the Choregos
Accompanied singing (kitharodia) served a major civic function in ancient Greece. Unlike modern choirs, the Greeks did not utilize polyphony or complex harmony, singing mostly in unison or octave intervals. Choirs of young men and women performed at religious festivals, fulfilling a social and legal obligation.
These musical performances were deeply competitive, centered around the agon (struggle). The Athenian democracy appointed a wealthy citizen, known as a choregos, to fund and organize a chorus. If his team won the competition, the choregos earned the right to erect a public monument. Jeff mentions the surviving Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, built in 334 BC to commemorate a victory in a children’s competition. He then compares this mandatory civic participation to his high school marching band playing in the local Memorial Day parade. This discussion of public performance leads Dave to confess that he once won a high school talent show by lip-syncing, while a classmate secured the crowd’s favor by donning a bandana and miming an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on a single string.
Dancing and the Intelligent Amateur
Dancing in antiquity was largely inseparable from choral singing. The word choreo means to dance, referring to the choreographed movements (strophe and antistrophe) performed by theatrical choruses. While certain events like the Panathenaic festival featured competitive, armed Pyrrhic dances, dancing eventually faded from the liberal arts curriculum.
By the Roman era, dancing became a specialized professional show. A gentleman might admire the physical talent of a professional dancer on stage, but he would despise the performer socially and never participate himself. Jeff compares this dynamic to a modern audience watching a circus sword swallower or a stand-up comedian: the crowd enjoys the spectacle but has no desire to emulate the performer.
Ultimately, Aristotle provided the most enduring philosophical perspective on artistic education. Rather than breeding highly specialized champions or professionals, Aristotle argued that musical education should aim solely at developing a child’s harmonious character, training them to be intelligent amateurs with refined tastes.
Sponsors: Fueling the Classical Renaissance
Before sharing the parting shot, the hosts extend their gratitude to the sponsors keeping the bunker operational.
- Ratio Coffee: Dave admits he has upgraded his Ratio 8 routine by adding heavy whipping cream to his mug, enjoying a rich, shifting flavor profile. Jeff eagerly anticipates the release of the Ratio 4, an agile, half-batch brewer with a removable water tank. Visit ratiocoffee.com and enter the promo code ANCOX5 for a 15% discount.
- Hackett Publishing: For over 53 years, Hackett Publishing has produced high-quality, affordable translations. From Stanley Lombardo’s classical translations to modern philosophy and Asian studies, their catalog is vast. Build a personal library at hackettpublishing.com and use the code AN2024 to receive a 20% discount and free shipping.
- LatinPerDiem & MossMethod: For listeners inspired to master the Latin language and ancient Greek, Dave offers tailored educational solutions. Reminding listeners that amateur scholars like Michael Ventris made massive contributions to the field, Dave encourages enrollment at mossmethod.com or latinperdiem.com/llpsi. Furthermore, his YouTube channel now boasts 2,119 free instructional lessons.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
To close out Episode 163, the hosts introduce a unique musical outro. Dave plays an original song titled “Satan Get Behind Me,” composed by his friend Michael Kornelis. The song draws a thematic comparison between the struggles of the Greek hero Achilles and the rigors of the Christian life, featuring a harmonica solo provided by Dave himself.
Jeff then delivers a short, humorous Gustatory Parting Shot courtesy of the comedian Jim Gaffigan.
Gaffigan offers this straightforward linguistic observation regarding modern health foods:
“I don’t know much about grammar, but I think kale salad is what they call a double negative.”
A special thanks goes out to Mishka the sound engineer for her rapid turnaround times. Musical gratitude is extended to Scott Van Zen, who plays the lead guitar on the intro track, and to Ken Tamplin, who composed the rhythm section and bumper music. Check out the “Lurch with Merch” section on the website, beware of the Street Cred Poet Society, and keep taking in the classics. Valete!
