Atreus … I must dare some crime, atrocious, bloody, such as my brother would more wish were his. Crimes thou dost not avenge, save as thou dost surpass them. And what crime can be so dire as to overtop his sin? Does he lie downcast? Does he in prosperity endure control, rest in defeat? I know the untamable spirit of the man; bent it cannot be – but it can… Read more
We are pleased to share the following video in which Jeffrey Rusten, of Cornell University, provides some suggestions on how to analyze the language of Thucydides, different types of sentence structure, patterns of contrast and comparison, the use of phrases, and word order. He demonstrates a method of visualizing the structure of a sentence through the use of layout. He also discusses the style of Thucydides compared with other Greek… Read more
We are pleased to share in the Text Library a revised translation of selections from Book 2 of Thucydides’ The Peloponnesian War that tracks Key terms. The selected part of Book 2—chapters 34–65—includes some important and famous sections, and within these are particular focus passages indicated by highlighting: Pericles’ Funeral Oration The plague in Athens Pericles’ last speech Thucydides’ assessment of Pericles This edition was the result of a community-driven… Read more
There is no Book Club reading or meeting for December, because of the holiday season, but here is a preview of what is coming up in the first part of 2023. Details of selected passages, and links to free online versions, will be included in the monthly announcements as usual. Looking forward to further interesting discussions, comparing ideas and reactions, in the Forum and via Zoom—they are always enriching voyages… Read more
We were excited to welcome Jared Simard of New York University for an In-House presentation and discussion entitled “Rockefeller Center and the Image of a Titan.” The event took place on Friday, December 2, at 11:00 a.m. EST and was accessible to Kosmos members only. To prepare for the conversation, you might like to look at the two images of titans below, try to identify any key iconography, and brainstorm… Read more