At this time of year our thoughts often turn to food and drink, so we start our exploration of the topic in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry. Where does their food come from? What kinds of foods does the poetry represent? How is it prepared and served? There is evidence for herd animals being reared. For example, in the Odyssey Eumaios mentions the flocks on Ithaca and its neighbors: There are… Read more
When one thinks about Greece nowadays, surrounded by sea with crystal clear water, delicious food, and especially sea-food, comes to mind. It is peculiar that, in antiquity, fish was not used in sacrifices. Fish and gods did not get along well. Fish is not a sacrifice gods fancy. In Aristophanes’ Knights, Aristophanes criticizes Pericles with a grain of humor. And by Zeus! he carries off bread, meat, and slice of… Read more
We are pleased to share this segment in the series on reading Homeric epic in ancient Greek. In each installment we read, translate, and discuss a small passage in the original Greek in the most accessible way. If you’ve ever dreamed of reading Homer in the original, here is your chance to do so with teachers who have spent a lifetime thinking about this poetry. With their guidance even new… Read more
~ A guest blog by Jacqui Donlon and the Oinops Study Group~ “He looked all sorrowfully out upon the wine-faced [oinops] sea [pontos], and said, “Sperkheios, in vain did my father Peleus vow to you that when I returned home to my loved native land I should cut off this lock and offer you a holy hecatomb; fifty she-goats was I to sacrifice to you there at your springs, where… Read more
~ A guest post by Jenna Cole and the Oinops Study Group ~ Last week in the post Searching for Oinops, we shared some of the tools that we used to recreate the meaning of oinops. Our approach is based on the same methods used by Nagy in H24H – selecting a focus word and then evaluating each occurrence in early Greek epic. Lenny Muellner has written a beautiful article on… Read more