In Homeric poetry, apart from family members there are other members of the household [oikos] who are described by many different Greek words, and carry out differing roles. We were interested in understanding what those words would have meant and how servitude was portrayed, in the context of ancient Greek song culture of the Iliad and Odyssey. We start our exploration with female slaves/servants. Some were captured in war, as foreseen… Read more
Our first Book Club selection for the new year is from Claude Calame: Choruses of Young Women in Ancient Greece, which is available from the Center for Hellenic Studies Publications website. We will all read Chapter 1, “Introduction”, and then if you wish you can read any other chapter of your choice. You can find the Alcman Fragment 1 “Partheneion,”—translated by Gregory Nagy—in the Sourcebook, or on the CHS website. The… Read more
But the mane [khaitā] of the other one, my kinswoman Hagesikhora, blossoms [epantheō] on her head like imperishable gold [khrusos]. … She is Hagesikhora. But whoever is second to Agido in beauty, let her be a Scythian horse running against a Lydian one. … It is true: all the royal purple 65 in the world cannot resist. No fancy snake-bracelet, made of pure gold, no headdress from Lydia, the kind… Read more
We will have a Book Club discussion of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. Our discussion will be held via Google+ Hangout on Thursday, May 21 2015 at 11:00 a.m EDT. Everybody is welcome to join in! Please sign up in the Forum if you would like to join, or if you are unable to make the hangout you can add your comments here in this Forum thread. You can read Ian Johnston’s translation… Read more
Many community members have been reading Gregory Nagy’s recent commentary about Song 44 of Sappho and the role of women in the making of epic on the Classical Inquiries website. Below are some resources for additional study inspired by that post. Primary Texts Sappho (trans. Gregory Nagy), on the CHS website. Also, see Sappho 44 below. Epic Barbara Graziosi, “Homer and the definition of epic, Classics@Issue 3 Gregory Nagy, “Epic” Shubha Pathak, Divine yet Human Epics: Reflections… Read more