Description: Join Ad Navseam Ep. 218 as Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle explore classical research tools, from Pauly-Wissowa to the Oxford Classical Dictionary.
Welcome back, classical gourmands, to episode 218 of the Ad Navseam podcast! Prepare to get your fill with another delectable discussion of Greco-Roman civilization, tracing the profound depths of the ancient world from the Minoans and Mycenaeans straight through the Renaissance to the present day.
Broadcasting directly from Parnassus Vomitorium Central—the true belly button of the world—your devoted hosts return to the microphones. Jeff notes that the basement bunker is finally free of its recent spider infestation, feeling much cleaner. However, the Michigan weather remains decidedly uncooperative. Instead of coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, this May has come in “like a refrigerator,” keeping Dave shivering in his seat. As T.S. Eliot famously noted in The Waste Land, April is the cruellest month—though May is giving it a run for its money!
The episode opens with a bit of scholarly trivia as the hosts read from page 733 of the Oxford Classical Dictionary about Nicomachus, the son of Aristotle. Ancient accounts suggest Aristotle either dedicated the Nicomachean Ethics to him, or that Nicomachus edited the work, much like Eudemus may have edited the Eudemian Ethics. With that bit of philosophical housekeeping out of the way, the hosts settle in for another outstanding episode.
A Corrigendum, South Dakota, and FlexCalls
We begin with some administrative business, notably a Corrigendum from our resident watchdog, “Local Will” Fitzgerald. Will wrote in to point out two “egregious” errors from episode 217. First, Dave had claimed that Puerto Ricans were not U.S. citizens. Will cited the U.S. Code to correct the record: anyone born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, is indeed a U.S. citizen at birth, even if they lack certain voting representations. Will also chided Dave for missing an obvious punchline during his story about being a “five o’clock shadow” intern at Norelco. As Will noted, “Why just one joke when you could have had two, Dr. Noe? That is, shave and a haircut, two bits.” The hosts humbly accept the correction, acknowledging that Will keeps them on their toes.
Before getting to the main topic, Dave introduces a new venture called FlexCalls. Created by his local friend Scott Ruth, flexcalls.com allows professionals to earn income by offering advice per minute over the phone or via Zoom. Dave has set up his own page for anyone seeking his expertise on Latin curriculum, translation, or pedagogy. He describes it as the next step in building his “media empire”—eschewing the word “community” entirely!
The Genesis: How to Be a Classical Student
The core of today’s episode was inspired by an email from listener J.B. Lilley. He asked a highly practical question: “How should the independent learner of Latin and Greek go about their learning? Where do you two turn when something does not make sense in a text that you are reading?”
To answer this, Dave and Jeff take a nostalgic trip back to their early days in graduate school before the digital revolution, when mastering Roman and Greek literature required physical navigation of a massive research library.
Jeff recalls his first assignment at Northwestern under Professor John Wright. He was tasked with choosing any topic in the ancient Mediterranean and building a comprehensive bibliography. He chose the Oracle of Delphi, only to realize how impossibly broad that subject was! Dave shares a similar memory from the University of Iowa. His professor, Jonathan Goldstein, took him and a fellow student, Samuel Huskey, on an hour-and-a-half tour of the library, pointing out exactly which encyclopedias, journals, and bibliographies they would need to survive as scholars and teachers of the languages.
The Giants of Classical Scholarship
The hosts outline the foundational tools every classicist must know, starting with the final boss of classical research: the Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, universally known as Pauly-Wissowa (or simply the RE). Begun in 1837 by August Pauly in Stuttgart, this monumental German encyclopedia was later taken over by Georg Wissowa in 1890. While Wissowa expected it to take ten years, the project took a staggering 84 years to finish, resulting in over 80 dense volumes. It remains the gold standard for exhaustive primary source citations, though its size prompted smaller versions like Der Kleine Pauly and Der Neue Pauly.
Next up is the Cambridge History of Classical Literature (CHCL). These volumes moved away from dry encyclopedic entries toward integrated literary narratives. Volume 1 (Greek), edited by P.E. Easterling and Bernard Knox, highlighted the performance aspects of Greek literature in the polis. Volume 2 (Latin), edited by E.J. Kenney and W.V. Clausen, argued for the continuity and unique innovations of Roman literature, challenging the cliché that the Romans merely copied the Greeks. Jeff also gives a nod to the Cambridge Ancient History (CAH), which covers the broad sweep of historical events.
For tracking down secondary literature, the gold standard is L’Année philologique (APh). Founded by French classicist Jules Marouzeau in 1924, this annual bibliography indexes every book, chapter, and article published on classical antiquity. As Jeff notes, learning the standard abbreviations in L’Année is a rite of passage for any graduate student.
The Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD)
The centerpiece of the episode is the Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD). While Pauly-Wissowa is a multi-volume behemoth, the OCD is the ultimate one-volume reference. Jeff’s graduate advisor famously told him to keep a copy “in the loo” to ensure he absorbed its contents during every spare moment!
The OCD’s first edition was conceived in 1933 but delayed by World War II until 1948. It established a firm temporal boundary for its entries: the death of Constantine in 337 AD, though it made exceptions for crucial later figures like Augustine of Hippo. By the time the third edition (edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth) rolled around in 1996, the OCD had expanded to include thematic essays on gender studies, social history, and reception studies.
The hosts open up their copies to share some of their favorite, quirky entries:
- Gestures: The entry details how Plautus complained of those who whistle or wink at women, while Ovid preferred gestures of etiquette and “coercive bodily rhetoric.”
- Ancient Pets: We learn that the most common pet was the small, white Maltese dog, frequently depicted on 5th-century BC Attic vases.
- Abacus: The very first entry in Dave’s second edition describes how Romans used pebbles, counters, or pegs on a counting board to do their math.
- Tessera: A ticket or token used in Rome. Dave points out that author Madeleine L’Engle likely derived the term “tesseract” (the fourth dimension in A Wrinkle in Time) from this Latin root for a four-sided object!
- Phylas and Zosimus: Dave highlights the exhaustive nature of the OCD by reading about Phylas (the name of four minor mythological persons) and Zosimus, an obscure 5th-century Greek historian who serves as the absolute final entry in the second edition.
While online access to these tools is becoming standard, it is often locked behind steep paywalls. As Dave notes, Brill’s New Pauly currently charges $18 for a single day of access, or $99 for a month! By contrast, Dave instantly found a used hardcover copy of the second edition OCD on ABE Books for just $10. The hosts highly recommend that independent scholars hunt down physical copies in used bookstores to build their own libraries affordably.
Sponsors and Support
Before closing the doors of the bunker to escape angry representatives from Brill Publishing, the hosts extend a massive thank you to the sponsors keeping the Ad Navseam podcast fully operational!
- Ratio Coffee: If you want to up your coffee game, abandon those squirty, plastic machines. Whether you choose the flagship Ratio 8, the Ratio 6, or the sleek new half-batch Ratio 4 desktop model, you will get a perfect cup every time. Go to ratiocoffee.com/adnavseam and use the code ANRATIO2026 for $20 off your machine at checkout.
- Hackett Publishing: For over five decades, Hackett has produced affordable, highly readable, and attractive academic texts. Build your library of classical works at hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2026 for a spectacular 20% off your entire order plus free shipping.
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If you are eager to bypass translations and pursue studia humaniora directly, head over to latinperdiem.com. Dr. Noe will guide you from neophyte to erudite using MossMethod for Greek or through his advanced Latin masterclasses. Use the standard code 10PLUS for 10% off your entire order!
Do not forget to write to the hosts with your thoughts, questions, or Corrigenda. Email dave@adnavseam.com or jeff@adnavseam.com. Remember, there is a “V” in Navseam!
Credits & Gustatory Parting Shot
A huge thank you goes out to our remote audio wizard, Mishka, for expertly editing the show, and to the incredibly talented Jeff Scheetz for his rock-infused tracks, Thrillseeker and Rush Hour.
Next week, the hosts are finally tackling some Roman comedy! Tune in for Episode 219 as they dive into Plautus’s most famous play, Miles Gloriosus (The Braggart Soldier).
We leave you today with our Gustatory Parting Shot. Moving away from the classics, Jeff pulls a culinary quote from the legendary rock band ZZ Top. From their 1983 song, “TV Dinners,” we get this unforgettable lyrical masterpiece:
“TV Dinners, I’m feeling kind of rough. TV Dinners, this one’s kind of tough. I like the enchiladas and the teriyaki, too. I even like the chicken if the sauce is not too blue.”
Thanks for reading, and we will catch you next week!
