First I shall draw you a word-picture of the man himself, making as close a likeness as I can, although I am not particularly good at drawing. As regards his person—in order that I may exhibit this also to you—he was tall and handsome in appearance, and really godlike; his skin was fair, his beard not very thick; his long hair was in part natural, in part false, but very… Read more
We were pleased to welcome Robert Cioffi of Bard College, for an Open House discussion entitled “Uncanny Intruders: Ghosts and Greek Literature.” The discussion was live-streamed on Friday, October 23 at 11 a.m. EDT, and was recorded. In preparation for this event, you might like to read this passages: The ghost of Patroklos at Iliad 23.65–108, available from the Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours Sourcebook The ghost of Clytemnestra… Read more
Our next Book Club selection is from Lucian, whose satirical dialogues poked fun at philosophers and mythological characters. We will be reading The Dialogues of the Dead; here are a selection of translations available free online: Translation by H.W. & F.G. Fowler: Online at theoi.com or Online at sacred-texts.com Translation by William Tooke: Dialogues of the Dead starts at (printed) page 191 Online at archive.org Translation by Howard Williams: Dialogues of the… Read more
We were pleased to welcome Jeffrey Rusten of Cornell University, Department of Classics for an Open House discussion about Zeus in Comedy. In preparation, you might like to read: Iliad 14.153–360, 15.1–235, 16.419–461, 22.157–187 Aristophanes Plutus (“Wealth”) lines 33–144 and 1019–1190 Passages from Lucian (PDF) You can watch the event in the frame below, or on our YouTube channel. You can join the discussion in the forum. For further videos please visit the Watch… Read more
~ A guest post by Laura Ford ~ The ancients seem to have had as many questions about Homer as we moderns do. At the end of the Apology, Plato has Socrates wonder aloud how marvelous it would be if we could anticipate actually meeting and conversing with Homer (along with Orpheus, Musaeus, and Hesiod) in the afterlife: “…if this be true, let me die again and again.” (41a, Sourcebook).… Read more