The Ozymandias Project

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The Ozymandias Project

Founded in 2020, The Ozymandias Project strives to connect modern societies to ancient worlds

In addition to our bi-monthly podcast, The Ozymandias Project LLC provides consulting and coaching services. Our founder and host, Lexie Henning, a Classicist with expertise on Ancient Greece, engages in thoughtful discussions with her guests focused on exploring the ancient world through the lens of contemporary storytelling and examines the practical applicability of a degree in ancient studies

in modern society. The Ozymandias Project also works to introduce our audience to a game-based learning model through Archaeogaming events streamed live via Twitch. Along with these live events, we design custom Archaeogaming lesson modules for classroom usage.

05/13/2026

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Roel Konijnendijk, the Darby Fellow in Ancient History at Lincoln College, at the University of Oxford, to examine psychological warfare and imperial brutality in antiquity, citing Persian punishment of Miletus and Athens and Athenian reprisals, explore Greek ambivalence about war’s glory and horror, myth-bust Sparta as less uniquely militarist than popularly imagined, and look at reenactment as experiential rather than evidentiary.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Roel Konijnendijk (PhD UCL, 2015) is Darby Fellow in Ancient History at Lincoln College, University of Oxford. He has previously taught at Birkbeck, Warwick and Edinburgh. His research is focused on Classical Greek warfare and its modern scholarly tradition, but he also studies and teaches on Athenian democracy, Sparta, and Achaemenid Persia. In his spare time, he answers user questions on r/AskHistorians and comments on historical accuracy in movies for YouTube channels like Insider and HistoryHit.

05/05/2026

In this very special Ancient Office Hours episode, Lexie reconnects with Andrea Parkins, her influential history teacher who ignited her passion for history back in sixth grade. They reminisce about the memorable and engaging methods Andrea used to teach ancient history, such as immersive units on Greece and Egypt, complete with field trips, class competitions, and creative storytelling. Andrea shares her unconventional path to becoming a teacher, her experiences teaching various grades, and her thoughts on making education dynamic and exciting. The conversation offers a heartwarming trip down memory lane, highlighting the lasting impact a passionate teacher can have on their students.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

04/29/2026

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Cricket Leigh, a therapist and accomplished voice-over artist (the voice of Mai on Avatar the Last Airbender), to discuss her path into performance, from growing up in Kalamazoo and doing local theater and musicals to studying intense classical works at NYU, booking Mai on Avatar: The Last Airbender and the show’s enduring appeal through big themes and values, and leaving LA to practice therapy for 10 years, curating Comic-Con panels on anime and mental health, and now returning to creative work and new voiceover roles.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Cricket Leigh grew up in Kalamazoo, MI, moving to Chicago at 16 to attend The Chicago Academy for the Arts. Cricket received her BFA w/ honors from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, studying at The Stella Adler Conservatory & The Experimental Theatre Wing (Amsterdam, Netherlands). After moving to Los Angeles, Cricket studied with The Groundlings, where she found a knack for inventing characters that led her to write, produce & perform in her first play, a one-woman show called Constantly Distracted. Cricket is an accomplished Voice-Over artist, whose work includes numerous Commercials, Games, & Animation, including voicing "Mai" in Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. On-camera, Cricket performed in numerous commercials, and starred in the Indie cult film, The Boys & Girls Guide To Getting Down, streaming now. Cricket attends dozens of Anime-Fests and Comic-Cons throughout the U.S. meeting fans and signing autographs for her work in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cricket still performs onstage and is currently writing a one-person show about a school shooting in a small town, for which she received an Arts Council Grant to produce in Spring, 2026.

Find out more about Cricket Leigh at https://cricketleigh.com/

04/15/2026

On today’s episode of Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a Professor of Classics at Princeton (at the time of this recording), to discuss how growing up unhoused in New York City led him to reading in a shelter library and discovering Greece and Rome, the efforts to revise curricula toward race, gender, and sexuality studies, the limits of relying on one faculty member for such courses, and the importance of hiring, and outlines two reception projects—Classicism and Other Phobias and a book on Dominican classical reception and racialization.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Dan-el Padilla Peralta is Professor of Classics and Associated Faculty in African American Studies at Princeton University. He is the author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League (Penguin 2015), Divine Institutions: Religions and Community in the Middle Roman Republic (Princeton 2020), and Classicism and Other Phobias (Princeton 2025); the co-editor of Rome, Empire of Plunder: The Dynamics of Cultural Appropriation (with Matthew Loar and Carolyn MacDonald, Cambridge 2017) and Making the Middle Republic: New Approaches to Rome and Italy, c. 400–200 BCE(with Seth Bernard and Lisa Mignone, Cambridge 2023); and co-editor for The Cambridge History of the African Diaspora, Volume 1: Africans and Antiquities, which has entered production. With Sasha-Mae Eccleston, he founded Racing the Classics, a Mellon-funded initiative. He is currently finishing two books: Letrao: Race, Classical Reception, and Classicism in Santo Domingo, for Routledge’s Classics and the Postcolonial series; and 338 BCE and the Origins of Roman Imperialism, co-authored with Denis Feeney, for Harvard University Press. In summer 2026, he will join the faculty of Arizona State University’s School of International Letters and Cultures.

04/08/2026

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Gigi Berardi, a Western Washington University environmental science professor and award-winning writer who has taught in Italy for 15 years, to talk about her historical fiction novel Bianca’s Cure. Gigi explains choosing the Medici because their patronage shaped Florence and because her book centers on the “greatest mystery of the Renaissance”: the near-simultaneous deaths of Grand Duke Francesco de’ Medici and his wife Bianca Cappello, debated as arsenic poisoning, malaria, or murder by his brother Ferdinando. She describes building an accurate historical “skeleton” from primary sources and extensive fact-checking with Florence researchers while inventing plausible internal monologue using tonal exercises. The conversation covers Bianca’s Venetian aristocratic background, Renaissance medicine and Artemisia/antimalarial history, women’s roles in alchemy, Florence as a character, and Gigi’s view of success as visibility and reader engagement.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Gigi Berardi teaches food and writing classes at Western Washington University and in Global Learning Programs. A Fulbright scholar, she holds three graduate degrees, but considers herself mostly a professional writer. She has authored over 300 popular articles and reviews for print and broadcast media—much of these on the arts and in reference to her widely-read book, Finding Balance. As one reviewer noted, “Once in a while a book comes along which makes me wish I had written it—such a book is Finding Balance.” Her book, FoodWISE, received a DOZEN WRITING AWARDS and over 30 endorsements, including from Michael Pollan, “[it’s] full of wisdom” and Forbes, hailing it as one of nineteen noteworthy food books. Her newest work is historical fiction, a chilling retelling of a woman scientist’s search for a malarial cure in Renaissance Florence.

Learn more about Gigi Berardi at https://gigiberardi.com/

04/01/2026

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Kate Cook, a Lecturer in Greek Culture at King’s College London, to discuss falling in love with tragedy after reading Aeschylus’ Agamemnon and Kassandra’s scene, connecting hostility toward prominent or “masculinized” women in modern games to ancient tragic narratives about women, and critiquing the “historical accuracy” discourse in gaming which includes mods that remove women.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Kate Cook is currently a Lecturer in Greek Culture at King's College London. Her research focuses on gender and language in Greek tragedy, and gender in historical (including classical) video games. Her publications include Praise and Blame in Greek Tragedy, the co-edited Women in Classical Video Games, the forthcoming co-edited Routledge Companion to Video Games and History, and a range of chapters on women and gender across tragedy and historical video games.

03/18/2026

Today on Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Sarah Bond, an associate professor of Classics at the University of Iowa, to discuss the importance of classical languages and public scholarship, her book 'Strike' and the evolution of labor unions from ancient Rome to modern times, the potential future of classics & the impact of AI on the job market, and the significance of empathy in humanities.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Sarah E. Bond is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Iowa. She is interested in late Roman history, epigraphy, late antique law, Roman topography and GIS, Digital Humanities, and the socio-legal experience of ancient marginal peoples. She earned a PhD in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011) and obtained a BA in Classics and History with a minor in Classical Archaeology from the University of Virginia (2005). Her book, Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean, was published with the University of Michigan Press in 2016. Additionally, Bond is a regular contributor at Hyperallergic, a former columnist at the Los Angeles Review of Books, and a section editor at Public Books. She has written for The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post. She also maintains a blog, History From Below.

03/11/2026

Dr. Alex Dold, a literary scholar, historian, and unofficial “Dr. of Outlander,” joins Lexie to discuss her insights on how she blends literary scholarship and historical research, the challenges of researching an ongoing series, the importance of studying popular culture academically, and the essential role of books and public history. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week’s exciting odyssey!

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Alexandra Dold is a literary scholar and historian. Her PhD thesis explored Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels as public history, which she developed through an interdisciplinary approach, applying concepts such as metafiction and intertextuality to Gabaldon's work. Alex shares her passion for Outlander and historical fiction in the classroom, where she teaches Comparative Literature and German at the University of Glasgow, and with wider audiences through her social media channels. Alex most recently published two chapters in Outlander and Scotland: Touchstones and Signposts which was published in December 2025.

Find out more about Dr. Alex Dold at https://alexdold.com/

03/04/2026

On today’s episode of Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Alexander Vandewalle, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, to discuss how his passion for modern video games and Classics led to his PhD research on the characterization of mythological figures in video games, the nuances of using video games in educational settings, and the evolution of classical reception in video games & its growing legitimacy as a field of study.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Alexander Vandewalle is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University (Belgium) who specializes in the reception of antiquity, history, and mythology in video games. For his PhD thesis (2024), he investigated the characterization of Greek mythological figures in games. He has previously published or presented on various aspects of classical reception in games (e.g., aesthetics, intertextuality, pedagogy, epigraphy, haptics), characterization, player experiences, game development, game analysis methodology, and wider pop-cultural franchises (e.g., Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe). He is also the founder of Paizomen, a work-in-progress database of games set in ancient Greece and Rome, and the author of Characters and Characterization in Mythological Video Games (2026, Bloomsbury Academic).

02/25/2026

Special release! Hailey Beaupre, is an American who moved to Scotland and she recounts her journey from a small-town Connecticut upbringing to becoming a Scottish history tour guide, inspired by a childhood fascination with the Titanic and a pivotal visit to Scotland. She discusses the intricacies of juggling an education career, a passion for history, the impact of Outlander on Scottish tourism, and the challenges of starting her own tour company. Additionally, she delves into her upcoming book project about a historical witch in Scotland, blending fictional storytelling with historical context. The conversation touches on the importance of preserving heritage sites amid increased tourism, the practicalities of moving abroad, the economics of the tourism industry, and the personal fulfillment found in guiding others through Scotland's rich history.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Hailey Beaupre, also known as The Sassenach Historian, is a Scottish historian, tour guide, and aspiring author, now based in Scotland after moving from America to pursue her career. She leads immersive private tours that bring Scotland’s history, culture, landscapes, and hidden stories to life. While widely known for her work in the Outlander universe, she also explores Scottish witchcraft and overlooked narratives, revealing the past in ways that captivate and inspire every guest.

02/18/2026

On today’s episode of Ancient Office Hours, Lexie is joined by Dr. Naomi Weiss, a Professor of Classics at Harvard, to discuss the nuances and wonders of Greek tragedies, especially works by Euripides and Aeschylus, the complexities of modern adaptations, narrative vs. performance elements, and the potential of transforming these ancient stories into contemporary performances, like a musical adaptation of Greek tragedies.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-office-hours/id1537896277
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E

Naomi Weiss is Professor of Classics at Harvard University. She has published widely on archaic and classical Greek poetry and performance culture, especially drama. She is the author of The Music of Tragedy: Performance and Imagination in Euripidean Theater (University of California Press 2018) and Seeing Theater: The Phenomenology of Classical Greek Drama (University of California Press 2023; winner of the Goodman Award of Merit from the Society of Classical Studies). She has co-edited Genre in Archaic and Classical Greek Poetry: Theories and Models (Brill 2020, with Margaret Foster and Leslie Kurke) and Music and Memory in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds (Cambridge University Press 2021, with Lauren Curtis), and is working on a third volume, provisionally entitled Cultural Poetics in Ancient Greece: New Directions (with Margaret Foster). Weiss is also series co-editor of the “Cambridge Elements” series, Ancient Greek and Roman Performance and Drama. She is currently collaborating with Sarah Olsen (Williams College) on a new commentary on Euripides’Orestes for Cambridge University Press.

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