Legacies of Ancient Persia explores the multiplicity of legacies left by ancient Persia through interviews and round-table discussions with leading scholars and experts to discuss the impact ancient Iranian civilization has had on other ancient cultures and modern global patrimony. Legacies of Ancient Persia is brought to you by the UCLA Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World. The show is hosted and produced by Lexie Henning and features original music by Brent Arehart.
Episode 41: The Book of Esther with Dr. Alexiana Fry and Dr. Esther Brownsmith
Dr. Alexiana Fry, a guest researcher at the University of Copenhagen, and Dr. Esther Brownsmith, an assistant professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Dayton are interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a PhD candidate in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss trauma theory/trauma hermeneutics, fan fiction theory as a lens for ancient rewriting, “feminist killjoys” and “affect aliens,” and propaganda and multiculturalism in Persian and modern contexts. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a 5-star rating, and review us on Apple or Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!
Learn more about Dr. Fry: https://www.alexianafry.com
Learn more about Dr. Brownsmith: https://udayton.edu/directory/artssciences/religiousstudies/brownsmith-esther.php
Follow Dr. Fry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dradfry/
Check out Dr. Fry’s publications on Academia: https://sun.academia.edu/AlexianaFry/Books
Find Dr. Fry’s new book on Esther and Trauma: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Esther-Keeps-Score-Trauma-Politics/dp/0334066867
Follow Dr. Brownsmith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherbrownsmith
Check out Dr. Brownsmith’s publications on Academia: https://udayton.academia.edu/EstherBrownsmith
Find Dr. Brownsmith’s latest book on gendered violence: https://www.routledge.com/Gendered-Violence-in-Biblical-Narrative-The-Devouring-Metaphor/Brownsmith/p/book/9781032192987
Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.
18 Jun 2026
Episode 40: Dr. James Howard-Johnston
Dr. James Howard-Johnston, an Emeritus Fellow at Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, joins Lexie to discuss his research on the Byzantine army, interests in Sasanian Iran through teaching and conferences on Roman–Persian relations, his interests in Sasanian silver coins, minting, and iconography, and he outlines the chronology and sources for Rome–Sasanian conflict. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a 5-star rating, and review us on Apple or Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!
Learn more about Dr. Howard-Johnston: https://www.ccc.ox.ac.uk/people/emeritus-fellows/james-howard-johnston
Check out his 2022 lecture at the Pourdavoud Institute: https://pourdavoud.ucla.edu/media/videos/official-sources-and-the-reconstruction-of-history-the-case-of-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity/
Find his latest book Byzantium in a Changing World: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/byzantium-in-a-changing-world-9780198897873?cc=gb&lang=en&
Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.
21 May 2026
Episode 39: Dr. Matheus Treuk
Dr. Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo, an Associate Professor of Ancient Archaeology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, is interviewed by Charlotte Howley – a 4th year PhD student in UCLA’s Program of Iranian Studies. They discuss scholarly “eunuch phobia,” gender bias, and resistance to translating terms without explicit mention of castration as well as dehumanizing modern language; using diverse evidence and methods like critical fabulation, centering violence and trauma in eunuch “creation”; same-sex love in Persian contexts versus Greek/Roman anxieties; and the “uncanny” in imperial art. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you like what you hear, please give our show a 5-star rating, and review us on Apple or Spotify. Don't forget to follow the Pourdavoud Institute on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.pourdavoud.ucla.edu!
Check out his publications on Academia: https://sportsinbrazil.academia.edu/MatheusTreuk
Send him an email: matheus.araujo@usp.br
Recorded & edited by Lexie Henning, original music by Brent Arehart, and artwork by Hadley Leasman.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100
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Quality
64
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
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