Mysteries of the Scrolls — with Nat Friedman
An interview with Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub and creator of the Vesuvius Challenge, which aims to crack the riddles of the Herculaneum Papyri.
In this episode:
- The Genesis of the Vesuvius Challenge
- Early Attempts to Open the Scrolls
- Using a Particle Accelerator to Scan the Scrolls!
- Partnering with Daniel Gross and Brent Seales
- Nat’s Childhood experience with Open-source Communities
- How to Design Prize Incentives for a Complex Contest
- Doing Crazy, Strange and Risky Projects
- A Possible Resurgence of Epicureanism?
For the episode transcript, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!
This episode is sponsored by Ancient Language Institute. If you’re interested in actually reading the newly unlocked scrolls, you will need to know the languages of the ancient world. The Ancient Language Institute will help you do just that. Registration is now open (till August 10th) for their Fall term where you can take advanced classes in Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Old English.
The Cost Of Glory Episodes
108 - Caesar 2: Law & Nature
107 - Caesar 1: Man of Destiny
The much awaited series on Julius Caesar begins, with the inaugural episode: "Man of Destiny".
A tale of charm, audacity, and calculated risk as a young aristocrat from a modest branch of an ancient family navigates the treacherous waters of late Republican politics. Caesar—stylish, charismatic, deeply in debt, and dangerously ambitious—sets himself against the legacy of Sulla while methodically building a coalition that would eventually transform Rome forever.
The New Indiana Jones - w/ Dr. Brent Seales
History Contains Power
My name is Alex Petkas, and in The Cost of Glory, I present you with the best stories, analyses and takeaways, from the greatest and most influential figures from Greco-Roman antiquity.