Since the beginning of the pandemic, wearing a mask has become a subject of debate. Some people think that we should all wear one and others do not want to be submitted to an obligation. The origin of the mask is very old. Wearing a mask during plagues has been one way for doctors to protect themselves. Drawings or paintings show doctors wearing masks in the 16th or 17th centuries… Read more
Other more entertaining writings may be found, in order that like recreation might be provided for my children, when they should have some respite from business affairs and could unbend and divert their minds. But in the arrangement of my material I have adopted the same haphazard order that I had previously followed in collecting it. For whenever I had taken in hand any Greek or Latin book, or had… Read more
This latest post about Core Vocabulary terms from The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours[1] and the associated Sourcebook[2] is mantis [μάντις], glossed as “seer, prophet”. There are other words for this function which also feature in some of these passages; these are listed at the end. In the Iliad the mantis Kalkhas makes an appearance, when Achilles summons an assembly to try and resolve the plague that has been… Read more
On a recent trip to Portugal, I had an opportunity to visit the Citânia De Briteiros, an ancient Celtic hill fort and settlement located in the Guimaraes region of the country. First excavated in 1875, the site was initially occupied between the first and second centuries BCE, with continued habitation extended to the second or third centuries CE. The village is located on a high ridge and offers a commanding… Read more
We were excited to welcome back Gregory Nagy of Harvard University, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature and the Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington, DC for an Open House. The title of the discussion is “Minoan-Mycenaean Scribal Legacy,” which took place on April 17 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, was live-streamed and recorded. You may like to read the following to get… Read more