Having come across across references to trees and to wooden construction in the Iliad and Odyssey, my curiosity was piqued, and I decided to gather a few examples where wood and trees were mentioned, to try and better understand what these meant in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry. Are there any special associations with trees or using wood? What kinds of trees are mentioned? There are a number of similes with… Read more
Mycenaean gold When we see the golden artefacts found in the Grave Circles A and B at Mycenae and the so-called “treasure of Priam,” it shows an incredible abundance of gold, silver and bronze in the Mycenaean period. Even in Homeric poetry we have the mention of “Mycenae rich in gold” [polúkhrusos][1], and there are references various metals in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry: silver, gold, iron, along with copper and… Read more
Last time we looked at food and drink for health and well-being. This time we look at less salubrious examples of eating and drinking, many of which have disastrous consequences. Kronos, having usurped his own father, did not want the same thing to happen to him. Rhea too, embraced by Kronos, bore renowned children, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera of-the-golden-sandals, 455 and mighty Hādēs, who inhabits halls beneath the earth, having… Read more
After the seasonal feasting of the holiday season, many of us start to think about healthier eating and drinking to start the new year. So in this post we share a selection of passages about food and drink related to health and nutrition.[1] From ancient times, humans seem to have established a link between food and well-being and health. Hippocrates has a whole section dedicated to “Nutriment” (De alimento)[2]. Many… Read more
As a complement to the post on the two shorter Homeric Hymns to Aphrodite, this time I wanted to look at the two short Homeric Hymns to Artemis, #9 and #27. Unlike those for Aphrodite, there is not a longer Hymn to Artemis. As before, I want to think about what kind of narrative or myth might have accompanied either of these Hymns, if we take them as prooemia, and… Read more