Claude Lorrain, The Daughters of Helios Searching for their Brother Phaeton (1658) Montreal Museum of Fine Arts I often go to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts but I did not notice this painting until last month. The painting represents the sisters of Phaeton lamenting for their brother after his tragic death. Different versions may be found about who they are and who is their mother. The painter Claude Lorrain… Read more
A guest post by Sarah Scott I was reading Gregory Nagy’s translation of the Sappho ‘Brothers’ poem, and it made me think of Works and Days, and then I got to wondering about brothers—or sisters for that matter. I do not mean those who form a pair, as in the ‘twin’ myths discussed with us by Douglas Frame for example, where the two are complementary. Rather, I mean those siblings… Read more
Our Open House series of 2016 started with a visit from Jacqueline Vayntrub, who is NECL Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard, 2015–2016, as the visiting scholar. The discussion topic was The Epic of Gilgamesh, with the focus on ‘The Search for Everlasting Life’ (section 4 in the edition linked). Bitterly Gilgamesh wept for his friend Enkidu; he wandered over the wilderness as a hunter, he roamed over the plains; in his… Read more
Hour 25 has two important learning opportunities to share with the community. HeroesX begins on January 6th Join the 5th session of HeroesX on edX. The project site opens on January 6th 2016. Participants will engage with the same timeless masterpieces as in the previous versions of the project, but Professor Nagy will provide all new discussion questions for each Hour. And he will continue to respond to your comments… Read more
Classical Inquiries has published a set of videos and texts featuring the work of Gregory Nagy and Olga M. Davidson on myths relating to the “Lives of Homer” and the “Life of Ferdowsi.” These papers and videos were originally part of an international conference held at Baku, 27–28 November 2015. Together, Nagy and Davidson argue that “the traditional ‘biographies’ about these two poets, as transmitted by a vast variety of communities, can… Read more