The Classics Blog

Classical Civilisation - the Blonde way! #lightacademia #darkacademia #classics

[ancientcharm]

Roman glass flask shaped like a mouse. Translucent cobalt blue, with same color added head, ears, eyes, feet, and snake-thread decoration. (Century II AD)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

[ancientcharm]

Roman glass bottle in the shape of an animal, late 2nd century A.D.

Dimensions: 4 3/16 in. (10.6 cm)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, US

[thoodleoo]

can i interest you in a nice roman wind chime of a penis charioteer spurring on his penis horses in his penis chariot, which has its own penis

[theclassicsblogoffical]

Should there be a part 2?!

Follow @theclassicsblogoffical on Instagram and twitter for more!

[theclassicsblogoffical]

Greek word of the week…

METIS!

Combining wisdom and cunning is a valuable attribute. You are then able to see how a situation * could * unfold, and act accordingly to avoid disaster. In normal terms - it is a positive attribute. To have Metis in the modern day could help with a wealth of social and economical issues. But in Homer’s time…

This is what Odysseus exudes - whether he is stupid or not is up for debate - like when he blinds the Cyclops, or when he allows himself to listen to the Sirens OR… or, when he doesn’t tell his crew about Scylla or Charybdis and six of his men die

An abundance of Metis is Polymetis which Odysseus’ character is certainly saturated with. Does this create arrogance? Is Odysseus arrogant? Or is he just a hero chasing Kleos?

Stupidity or Metis? That is the question…

Let me know what you think!

[theclassicsblogoffical]

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The first Epic Simile of The Classics Blog!

In Book 5, Odysseus is released from the *loving* shackles of Calypso. Hermes - the messenger god (basically an ethereal postman) - goes over to Ogygia to tell Calypso that Zeus orders for Odysseus to be freed and sent back on his way to Ithaca.

The Epic simile adds grandeur to the situation - or else it can just been received as a flying postman saying ‘you must let this poor man go’ - which doesn’t quite have the same effect!

This occurs at the start of Book 5, and within the penguin edition - line 43 - but this will vary from translation to translation!

[theclassicsblogoffical]

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A BIG WELCOME FROM ME!

My name is Ella, and I have started The Classics Blog - a place to learn about Antiquity (the weird, the wonderful & absolute absurd) all in one place by someone who is also learning and discovering! (Deciphered in the blonde way!)

I studied Classical Civilisation for my A-levels and fell in love with the discovery that whilst society has evolved, the emotions of people haven’t changed much (and the hilarious random facts along the way!)

I found that there weren’t many accounts directed at specific enjoyable learning - this is something I wanted to achieve; bringing the Ancient into modern times in a captivating way!

This is a space for anyone studying, or just wanting interesting information that isn’t a 2 hour long podcast on Classical Civilisation all in one easily accessible place, saturated with quality information!

Please let me know what type of content you’d like me to add and if there’s anything specific you would like to discus!

Classics doesn’t have to be boring, and it definitely doesn’t need to be tricky… so let’s jump right in!

[antigonick]

“Again love, the limb-loosener, rattles me bittersweet, irresistible, a crawling beast.”

— Sappho, Fragment 15 (tr. by Julia Dubnoff)

[classic-art]

The Oracle

Camillo Miola, 1880

[theclassicsblogoffical]

Oh to be an Oracle. Tell the men silly little riddles. They'd see a pigeon rather than a crow and that would be it. Death.

[thequeerofdelphi]

Apollo and Dionysus by Leonid Llyuhin

[letsgostealthelouvre]

The Romans had some real weird ideas about dolphins. 

[ID: A piece of gold jewelry ostensibly in the shape of a dolphin; it is a crescent-shaped fish-looking kind of deal with a small tail, one huge staring eye, and a “beak” representing the dolphin’s bottle nose. It looks like it’s seen some shit.]

[theclassicsblogoffical]

This looks like a scaly platypus. This is a platyfish. I shall hear nothing else of it.

[ancienthistoryart]

Glass pomegranate. Greek, Hellenistic period, 2nd c.BC. Phoenix Museum.

[thoodleoo]

obsessed with this roman law from the 12 tables that the punishment for writing a mean poem about someone is getting beaten to death

[theclassicsblogoffical]

“So don’t be timid and waste any of your time.

Have fun whilst it’s allowed, while your years are in their prime: the years go by like flowing waters: the wave that’s past can’t be recalled again, the hour that’s passed never can return.

Life’s to be used”

- Ovid, ArsAmatoria

[theclassicsblogoffical]

“We’re captivated by elegance: don’t ignore your hair:

Beauty’s granted or denied by a hands touch”

- Ovid, ArsAmatoria

[classiaphro]

“Avoid those men who profess to look and culture, Who keep their hair carefully in place. What they tell you they’ve told a thousand girls: Their love wanders and lingers in no one place.

Women, what can you do with a man more delicate than you, and one perhaps who has more lovers too?”

-Ovid ‘ArsAmatoria’ Book ||| Part X: Beware of False Lovers

[yesterdaysprint]

The Republic, Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1936