A scholar of ancient Greek literature goes back to the account of Greek historian Thucydides on the spread of plague and finds parallels in the American response to the health crisis today.
In ancient Athens, the richest people paid taxes to support what the residents considered the salvation of the city. These taxes earned them social and political clout more valuable than money.
A steel engraving of the naval battle of Arginusae in 406 B.C.
Allgemeine Weltgeschichte, 1898/Getty Images
Thucydides’ description of the plague that struck Athens in 430 BC is one of the great passages of Greek literature. It focusses on the social response, both of those who died and those who survived.
A scene from playwright Roy Williams’ modern adaptation of Antigone for the Pilot Theatre.
Flickr/Robert Day photo
A play written in the fifth century B.C. mirrors America’s current disunion: Political and moral views are framed in terms of a fight between patriot and traitor, law and conscience, and chaos and order.
The Parthenon is visible for miles around from the Acropolis (citadel) on which it stands.
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The Parthenon has been seen as central to the history of Western civilisation. But the building has a troubled past that is somewhat at odds with our ideas of democratic values.
The fires tore through Mati, effectively sweeping it from the map.
Pantelis Saitas/EPA-EFE
The fires tearing through the Athens region are not an act of God, but a direct result of corruption and systematic disregard for the law.
President of Ontario Federation of Labour Chris Buckley addresses protesters outside a Tim Hortons Franchise in Toronto last week.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Do businesses have to act like businesses? Or could we pay slightly more for goods, like coffee, and recognize that stability for working people is essential to a robust economy.
A statue of Pericles outside Athens City Hall. Like Trump, Pericles used war to deflect from bad news.
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Does ancient Greek war hawk Pericles provide clues to a besieged Donald Trump’s next move? War has always been a helpful distraction for cornered world leaders.
Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to make China great again. US President Donald Trump has expressed similar hopes for his own country.
Reuters/Carlos Barria