The Sustainable Past
In this podcast series, created specifically for the Italian Cultural Institute, London, Drs. Patty Baker and Giacomo Savani explore what we can learn from the ancient Romans and Greeks to help with environmental sustainability issues today. Environmental concerns are of critical importance for ourselves, future generations, and all life on our delicate planet. There are many scientific studies and activist groups that are trying to correct the situation; yet, it is only recently that scholars in the humanities have started to contribute to these discussions. So, we speak with leading scholars, embedded in the arts and humanities of the ancient world, who explore what we can do to help revert this crisis. A theme that runs throughout the interviews is one of resilience. Each speaker also explains their personal view of what we can learn from the past to help make the world more sustainable for the future. Artwork: Untitled by Dr. Giacomo SavaniMusic:played by Daniel Veesey Sonata 8 Pathetique III Rondo Allegro, BeethovenRoyalty Free for public use from Pixabay Pixabay
Episodes
13 episodes
Healthy Spaces in the Ancient, Renaissance and Modern World: Baths and Gardens
In this final episode of season two, we interview each other about our work on ancient bathing and gardens and their relationship to human health and wellbeing. We explore how we might reevaluate our own practices to help with sustainability.
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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59:24
Biophilic Design with Dr. Vanessa Champion
Dr. Vanessa Champion is a classicist and founder of the Journal of Biophilic Design and The Space Doctors, who speaks with us about the term Biophilia and Environmental Psychology and how modern scholarship and ideas are grounded...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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30:44
Ismene Miliaresis: Heating Baths and Homes in the Roman Empire
Dr. Ismene Miliaresis received her Ph.D. in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Virginia and her research focuses on the sustainability of heating systems in ancient Roman baths and homes,particularly at Ostia and Pompeii, and ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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41:21
Early Modern Water Usage in Italy and Lowland Europe with Dr. Janna Coomans & Davide Martino
In this week's episode, we continue with the theme of water. We have a double interview with Dr.Janne Coomans a postdoctoral candidate at the University of Amsterdam and Davide Martino, a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. Both...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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39:51
Water in Early Modern Italy with Professor David Gentilcore
David Gentilcore is Professor of Modern History at Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice. He is the principal investigator of an ERC Advanced Grant entitled The Water Cultures of Italy, 1500-1900, which aims to create a new holistic...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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43:05
Professor Laurence Totelin: Botany and Pharmacology
This week, we hear from Professor Laurence Totelin, who is a specialist in ancient pharmacology and botany at the University of Cardiff, Wales. She is an historian of Greek and Roman Science, Technology, and Medicine and has published wildly on...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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38:26
Introduction Season Two: Health and Environments
In this season, Drs. Giacomo Savani and Patty Baker interview experts on past and present environments and how they were and are perceived to be related to health. We speak with a range of specialists whose work focuses on ancient, medieval, Re...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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3:58
The Sustainable Past: Episode Six: Roman Art, Bathing, Urban Planning, and Floral Design
In this final episode, Dr. Giacomo Savani and Dr. Matthew Mandich speak about their recent workshop on “Antiquity and the Anthropocene” and their research on Roman Baths and Roman/Modern urban planning respectively. Then, Dr. Giacomi Sava...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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47:54
The Sustainable Past: Episode Five, Roman Gardens with Kathryn Gleason
In this episode, we interview Professor Kathryn Gleason who speaks about the archaeology of ancient Roman Gardens.Professor Gleason is a member of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell in the United States. Her work focuse...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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33:57
The Sustainable Past: Episode Four, Ancient Landscapes and Mountains with Professor Jason König
Professor Jason König speaks to us about ancient Greco-Roman literature on the environment, in particular ancient relationships with mountains.Professor Jason König is the assistant director of the Center for Ancient Environmental Studi...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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40:53
The Sustainable Past: Episode Three: The Ancient Tiber River with Dr. Andrea Brock
Dr. Andrea Brock speaks about her environmental archaeological work on the Tiber River during the early foundations of ancient Rome.Dr. Brock is the Director of the Center for Ancient Environmental Studies at the University of St. Andre...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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37:05
The Sustainable Past: Episode Two: Environmental Humanities with Dr. Christopher Schliephake
Dr. Christopher Schliephake presents a detailed review of current scholarship in the environmental humanities.Dr. Schliephake is based at the University of Augsburg, Germany. He is a Senior Lecturer in Ancient History and is invol...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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42:48
Introduction to the Sustainable Past
Drs. Patty Baker and Giacomo Savani explore what we can learn from the ancient Romans and Greeks to help with environmental sustainability issues today. Environmental concerns are of critical importance for ourselves, future generations, and al...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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4:46
