*** SUPPORT A SECOND SEASON ON ⁠KO-FI.COM/PODYSSEY⁠ *** This week Alex gets to quiz the show's cultural historian, Dr Debbie Challis, starting with the obvious question: What the hell is a cultural historian?  Listen to Debbie explain her complicated on-again-off-again love affair with the classical and the classic - but also Greece itself. And her battle to be heard without being labelled and filed away - something which every contributor to this podcast seems to share; a compulsion to explore not just our allotted piece of the puzzle, but how the pieces connect. _________________ The myths, tales, and concepts of ancient Greece echo and reach into every aspect of modern life. Often misunderstood, frequently romanticised, and sometimes deliberately twisted - to understand their origins and truth is to get a real glimpse into the universal themes that connect us to the past and each other. Welcome to Podyssey with Alex Andreou. Each week we will take one myth, one concept, person, place, or theme from Ancient Greece, take it apart, figure out its inner workings, trace its influence, juice it for its wisdom, reimagine, update and put it back together - all shiny and new! _____________ Written and presented by Alex Andreou Expert contributions by Alexandra Angeletaki-Røe, Debbie Challis, Linda Marric, and Dr Ruth Smith Exec. Producers Naomi Smith & Kenny Campbell Music by Marianna Sangita Artwork by Simona Kanellou For Cooler Heads, in collaboration with Sandstone Global Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices