David Albertson, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Conventional stereotypes about romance portray it as a passionate, irrational game. Ancient philosophers, on the other hand, viewed love as something dangerous − but also enlightening.
In Montréal theatre company Scapegoat Carnivale’s literal translation and adaptation of the play, Oedipus (Marcel Jeannin) interrogates Teiresias (Leni Parker) as chorus leader (Mike Payette) looks on.
(Emilio Espinosa/Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre)
A classics scholar reflects on Greek myths and what they can help us understand about recreating relationships – as a bridge from our past to present selves.
Fear about women’s power was an essential part of ancient anxiety about witchcraft.
Vinicius Rafael / EyeEm via Getty Images
On Father’s Day, a scholar of ancient Greek poetry explains how he came to understand the father-son relationship and his journey of loss and yearning through reading the epics.
Greek hero Odysseus reunites with his wife, Penelope, upon his return to Ithaca, in an illustration from Homer’s epic.
Culture Club/Getty Images
A scholar of Greek literature writes why we need to turn to the past to understand the present – and the lessons that Homer’s hero, Odysseus, holds for us.
A vase from ancient Greek civilization depicts Apollo consulting the oracle of Delphi.
G. Dagli Orti/DeAgostini Collection via Getty Images
The pandemic has made many of us acutely aware of the daily risks we need to take. The ancient Greeks often did not leave risky choices up to individuals alone.
Fragments of Sappho? The 2014 discovery was of five stanzas of one poem and portions of a second.
('Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene,'1864, by Simeon Solomon)
Families who lost their loved ones during the pandemic could not even properly grieve. Greek epics show why lamentation and memorial are so important and what we can learn in these times.
Under director Yaron Lifschitz, this version of Orpheus and Eurydice is interested in exploring the tragedy implicit in this story.
Jade Ferguson/Opera Queensland
James Kierstead, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The story behind the marathon is more complicated than it seems.
William Etty’s Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed. The painting illustrates Herodotus’s version of the tale of Gyges.
Wikimedia Commons
Herodotus’ Histories has it all: tales of war, eyewitness travel writing, notes on flora and fauna and accounts of fantastic creatures such as winged snakes. His stories share a common humanity that speaks to us, 2500 years on.
Adam Kucharski, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Even in the face of death, Zeno of Elea knew how to frustrate people. Arrested for plotting against the tyrant Demylus, the ancient Greek philosopher refused to co-operate. The story goes that, rather…