A guest post by Sarah Scott I have become interested in the role of the herald. Does this carry a special status and have particular responsibilities? Is a herald the same as a messenger, or do they have separate functions? They are different words in Greek, κῆρυξ, plural κήρυκες, dual κήρυκε [kērux, kērukes, keruke], and ἄγγελος plural ἄγγελοι [angelos, angeloi]. Here are a few examples to start the conversation. But Agamemnon did not… Read more
Bourdelle, Telemakhos at Nestor’s Palace in Pylos, Plaster (1883) Bourdelle Museum Nestor in the Odyssey is home in Pylos. He got a safe nostos, he is surrounded by his beloved wife and his children: six boys and several daughters and daughters-in-law. He seems ageless. In this passage from the Sourcebook, a wonderful scene with his guests and family is shown. The setting is perfect. The sacrifice is detailed beautifully. Athena herself is… Read more
We would like to share some online resources from the Center of Hellenic Studies. The Center has online publications that you can access free of charge. You can visit Publications which include the Hellenic Studies Series, Classics@, Curated Books, Curated Articles, and Classical Inquiries. Hellenic Studies Series include: Monographs, collections, and proceedings of colloquia published in the Hellenic Studies series and The Milman Parry Collection. Titles are available in print via… Read more
A guest post by Sarah Scott Our Core Vocab term this time is hubris [ὕβρις], defined as “‘outrage’; the opposite of dikē [δίκη].” We discussed dikē in an earlier forum thread when we touched briefly on hubris. But now it might be interesting to look at this word in more detail. For many English speakers, we think of the term in its modern usage, as given in this definition from the Concise Oxford… Read more
Phaedra and Hippolytus, Sarcophagus (290CE) Louvre In Euripides’ Hippolytus, Aphrodite (Venus) and Artemis (Diana) are rivals. This Gallery shows how some sculptors and painters represented the two beautiful goddesses. They have similarities: their faces often have the same features. Gregory Nagy in Hour 20, in The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours writes about “The complementarity of Artemis and Aphrodite.” In this Gallery, Phaedra and Hippolytus, both victims, are also present.… Read more