Did Ancient Pirates Invent Democracy?: Exploring Radical Antiquity

With Christopher Zeichmann.  

In his new book, Radical Antiquity: Free Love Zoroastrians, Farming Pirates, and Ancient Uprisings, Christopher Zeichmann takes us on a unique journey in search of anarchy, statelessness, and social experimentation in the Graeco-Roman world. We meet communities of escaped slaves, pirates, and religious sects—all of whom sought a more egalitarian way of life that avoided the coercion, hierarchy, and exploitation of the state.

Chris joins us on the podcast to talk about all the ways in which people in the ancient world rejected the systems of domination that prevailed and sought to create something different. We discuss Spartacus and the Slave Revolt at Thurii; how ancient pirates practiced mutual aid and solidarity at sea; the radicalism of Jesus; how different Jewish and Zoroastrian groups contended with patriarchy; and why the collapse of the Roman Empire was no bad thing for ordinary people in Britannia.

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