Classics
Greek Women Gain Entry into Art Museum!
This is overdue (in a couple of ways), but better late than never. It’s well worth reading the whole thing. The Glory That Was Greece From a Female Perspective It’s funny, given American political ideals, that our museums offer so few major exhibitions of ancient Greek art. The Met had one called “The Greek Miracle: Classical Sculpture [...]
Hot off the presses!
Ancient Greek homes doubled as pubs, brothels http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28775168/ A new analysis of archaeological remains might have solved the mystery of the elusive kapeleia, lively Greek taverns that have long puzzled archaeologists. Despite the kapeleia being featured prominently in classical plays, no tangible evidence of the drinking dens has ever been found. “Taverns are indeed so well hidden. We know [...]
Ancient Persians ‘gassed Romans’
Ancient Persians were the first to use chemical warfare against their enemies, a study has suggested. Read more here. A UK researcher said he found evidence that the Persian Empire used poisonous gases on the Roman city of Dura, Eastern Syria, in the 3rd Century AD. The theory is based on the discovery of remains of about 20 [...]
Clytemnestra at the Kennedy Center
Here’s a Washington Post review of Martha Graham’s new production of “Clytemnestra”: Your married sister runs off with a guy and causes an international incident, which happens to be the Trojan War. To get her back, your husband volunteers your daughter to be sacrificed. When he comes home (a full decade later), after overseeing a victory [...]
Tricolon, anaphora and autonomasia in Obama’s speeches
Ever since the historic speech that he gave at as a rookie senator at the 2004 Democratic Convention, Obama has been mesmerizing large audiences with his rousing speeches. Charlotte Higgins, writer for the Guardian and author of “It’s All Greek To Me: From Homer to the Hippocratic Oath, How Ancient Greece Has Shaped Our World” [...]
Flatus Stanlius Linguam Latinam Amat!
A most distinguished visitor has arrived in the Gustavus Classics department a long way from his second-grade friends at Algonquin Road School in Illinois. Meet Flat Stanley! Dear Ms. Marge Tietz & Second Graders at the Algonquin Road School, I just wanted to send you some photos from my recent travels. I am in St. [...]
Et tu, Roma! Welcome to Ancient Rome 3D brought to you by Google Earth
Exciting news!: Google has released an “Ancient Rome 3D” layer for their popular Google Earth geographic browser. The new layer shows many of the buildings, structures and topography that made up the city during the rule of Constantine the Great. Some of the buildings even have interiors. The Ancient Rome 3D feature was created in conjunction with [...]
Classics, Intellectuals, and Presidents in the News
Classics references seem to be playing a different role in newspaper articles of late. Instead of supplying analogies for misguided U.S. policies, classics now seems to be supplying a point of reference for the role of intellectualism in American political life and what that might look like under President Obama. Check out these classics shout-outs [...]
Stephen Berard: Living Latin
On Thursday, October 30th Dr. Stephen Berard delivered a lecture on the history of Latin as a spoken language and led a workshop on speaking Latin. Students and faculty alike were given the rare opportunity to bring past and present together by talking about their homes, families, and even computers–all in Latin! Dr. Berard continued [...]
Eta Sigma Phi Hosts Toga Party
On Thursday October 30, 2008, Classicists as well as non-Classicists gathered in Old Main to have a Dionysian feast of pizza, lemonade, and Halloween decorated frost-your-own-cookies. Activities included: a Julius Caesar photo booth, Plato’s Play-doh sculpting, a Roman coloring station (designing your own ancient pottery), and Pin the Laurel on Caesar. Winners of the [...]