Diodorus Siculus This is the final blogpost that was inspired by my reading of Diodorus’s Library[1] for the Kosmos Society Book Club in 2023. Diodorus wrote about the actions of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE, and about the wars of succession that took place after the death of Alexander. Earlier blogposts looked at the general social and religious contexts at the time,… Read more
Wail, wail, Ah for Adonis! He is lost to us, lovely Adonis! Lost is lovely Adonis! The Loves respond with lamenting. —from Bion’s Lament for Adonis, translated by John Addington Symonds February’s Book Club selections are from laments and so-called bucolic poetry, with a focus on Adonis. These poems refer to myths and rituals, and include laments for the beautiful dead Adonis; a lamentation by Heracles’ wife Megara to her mother-in-law Alcmena;… Read more
2024 sees the tenth anniversary of the Kosmos Society! So, to celebrate, this post includes some of the highlights and accomplishments from our first year, including Open House events, learning resources, and posts written and shared by community members. Enjoy! Kosmos Society 2014 The Kosmos Society was originally created[1] with the name Hour 25 to provide discussion space and preliminary resources for those who had taken part in the MOOC[2]… Read more
This is the third blogpost in the series looking at the women that Diodorus wrote about, following our reading of the history of Alexander the Great in Diodorus’s Library[1] for the Kosmos Society Book Club in the summer of 2023. I extended my reading to Plutarch[2] and Arrian[3] to get a wider picture of Alexander’s life. The first blogpost described some of the social and religious contexts of the time,… Read more
From the great heaven she set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven Inana set her mind on the great below. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. Inana abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. For our first Book Club of 2024, we will be reading some… Read more