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#ancientgreece — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ancientgreece, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Pyrrho of Elis: The Philosopher Who Found Peace in Doubt

    The Traveler Who Questioned Certainty Born around 360 BCE in Elis, Greece, Pyrrho stands as the founder of Ancient Skepticism, a radical philosophical tradition that challenges the very possibility of certain knowledge. His life took a dramatic turn when he accompanied Alexander the Great on his expedition to India. There, he encountered the gymnosophists ("naked wise men"), likely early Buddhist monks. This cross-cultural encounter profoundly transformed his thinking. He synthesized Eastern insights—particularly the Buddhist "Three Marks of Existence" (impermanence, suffering, and no-self)—with Greek philosophical rigor, creating a unique path focused not on discovering truth, but on suspending judgment to achieve peace.

    Radical Skepticism: "We Know Nothing" Pyrrho’s core assertion was startlingly simple yet devastatingly deep: "We are so constituted that we know nothing." He argued that our senses and opinions reveal neither objective truth nor definitive falsehood. For every argument, there is an equally convincing counter-argument (isosthenia). Whether discussing the nature of the gods, the existence of the self, or the principles of morality, human reason cannot definitively settle the question.

    This isn't cynicism or a claim that reality doesn't exist. It's a recognition of the gap between our experience and the world-in-itself. Because we cannot bridge this gap with absolute certainty, Pyrrho proposed a revolutionary response: Epoché—the disciplined suspension of judgment. Instead of committing to "this is true" or "that is false," the skeptic holds beliefs lightly, refusing to be dogmatic.

    Ataraxia: The Goal of Liberation Why suspend judgment? To achieve Ataraxia (tranquility, freedom from disturbance). Pyrrho observed that much of human suffering stems from the anxiety of needing to be right, the fear of being wrong, and the mental exhaustion of defending rigid certainties in an uncertain world.

    The Cure: By letting go of the need for absolute certainty, one frees oneself from the turbulence of dogmatic belief.
    Not Withdrawal: This is not nihilism or disengagement. Pyrrho lived a full civic life, served as a magistrate, and participated in society. He simply did so without the burden of claiming ultimate truth. He acted according to appearances, customs, and practical necessity, but without the psychological weight of dogma.
    Key Practices: A Way of Life Pyrrhonism is a practical philosophy of life, not just abstract theory. Its toolkit includes:

    Epoché: Suspending judgment on all matters, refusing to commit to any position as definitively true.
    Acatalepsy: Recognizing that certain knowledge is ultimately unattainable; we cannot "grasp" truth with absolute confidence.

    Aporia: Embracing puzzlement and doubt as natural, desirable states that keep inquiry alive, rather than problems to be solved.

    Adiaphora: Regarding things as indifferent—neither inherently good nor bad, true nor false—freeing ourselves from attachment to outcomes or beliefs.

    Legacy: From Antiquity to the Digital Age Though Pyrrho wrote nothing himself, his teachings were preserved by followers like Timon and later systematized by Sextus Empiricus (c. 200 CE). Pyrrhonism resurfaced powerfully during the Renaissance (influencing Montaigne) and the Enlightenment (shaping David Hume). Today, in an era of information overload, competing narratives, and polarized discourse, Pyrrho’s wisdom feels prophetic.

    Intellectual Humility: Holding beliefs lightly allows for genuine engagement across differences.
    Mental Tranquility: Accepting the limits of knowledge frees us from the anxiety of uncertainty.
    Critical Thinking: Rigorous examination of arguments without descending into cynicism or paralysis.
    Pyrrho offers a timeless guide: True wisdom lies not in having all the answers, but in being comfortable with the questions. In a world drowning in competing certainties, the peace found in doubt may be the most radical liberation of all.

    To listen to the lecture: https://tube.leshley.ca/w/pMo9s8kDutuD5dSL4awfpA

    #Philosophy #AncientGreece #HistoryOfIdeas #Mindfulness #MentalHealth #Wisdom #LifelongLearning #Epistemology
  2. The Reality of Dreams

    Throughout Human history, dreams have fascinated, inspired and disturbed us. Where do they come from? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Different civilisations have tried to answer these questions. The Ancient Mesopotamians thought of dreams as divine messages. The most well known Mesopotamian story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh receives dreams about the future. They also had dream temples, where people would go in order to sleep and receive these divine messages in their […]

    johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/

  3. The Reality of Dreams

    Throughout Human history, dreams have fascinated, inspired and disturbed us. Where do they come from? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Different civilisations have tried to answer these questions. The Ancient Mesopotamians thought of dreams as divine messages. The most well known Mesopotamian story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh receives dreams about the future. They also had dream temples, where people would go in order to sleep and receive these divine messages in their […]

    johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/

  4. The Reality of Dreams

    Throughout Human history, dreams have fascinated, inspired and disturbed us. Where do they come from? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Different civilisations have tried to answer these questions. The Ancient Mesopotamians thought of dreams as divine messages. The most well known Mesopotamian story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh receives dreams about the future. They also had dream temples, where people would go in order to sleep and receive these divine messages in their […]

    johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/

  5. The Reality of Dreams

    Throughout Human history, dreams have fascinated, inspired and disturbed us. Where do they come from? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Different civilisations have tried to answer these questions. The Ancient Mesopotamians thought of dreams as divine messages. The most well known Mesopotamian story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh receives dreams about the future. They also had dream temples, where people would go in order to sleep and receive these divine messages in their […]

    johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/

  6. The Reality of Dreams

    Throughout Human history, dreams have fascinated, inspired and disturbed us. Where do they come from? Why do they happen? What do they mean? Different civilisations have tried to answer these questions. The Ancient Mesopotamians thought of dreams as divine messages. The most well known Mesopotamian story is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh receives dreams about the future. They also had dream temples, where people would go in order to sleep and receive these divine messages in their […]

    johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/

  7. Slash Need, Durex, Ancient Greece

    La Sotterenea, Tuesday, June 16 at 09:00 PM EDT

    CRIMINAL TRAP VOL.3

    XXX-TRA SPECIAL SUONI PER IL POPOLO EDITION

    JUNE 16 @ La Sotterenea

    SLASH NEED (Toronto) - killing from the heart

    https://slashneed.bandcamp.com/music

    DUREX - raw blast from the ham

    https://durex.bandcamp.com/

    ANCIENT GREECE (Toronto) - razor sharp post punk

    https://ancientgreece.bandcamp.com/

    $15 advance tickets / $22 at the door

    9PM / 21H

    flyer by Alex Apostolidis

    montreal.askapunk.net/event/sl

  8. So, the last movie hubby and I (and our shared bestie) saw in a theatre was #Dune. I think we need to see #TheOdyssey on the big screen. I mean, #Circe, Penelope, #Telemachus #Oikos ("homecoming" not the yogurt)?! This looks like it covers most of the important stuff!

    youtube.com/watch?v=f_bKjZeJBBI

    #HomersOdyssey #WarIsHell #AncientGreece #ClassicsMajors #Movies #MoviesForClassicsMajors

  9. Reading 'Works and Days' by Hesiod (circa 8th century BCE). It contains a lot of timeless advice, such as when and where to piss. #history #ancientGreece #myth #mythology #religion #ancientLiterature

  10. Backstage Burrow Ep3-2026: Pipe Dreams

    🎶🐰 Dive into the fascinating history of music with the Hydraulis, an ancient marvel from 3rd century BCE! Discover how Ctesibius of Alexandria invented the world's first keyboard instrument, revolutionizing sound and harmony and paving the way for Western music traditions. 🎹✨

    #hydraulis #organ #musichistory #musictechnology #ancientgreece #romanempire #middleages #charlemagne #keyboardinstruments #backstageburrow #rabbithole

    youtube.com/watch?v=kK_UQvLRJ9Y

  11. ✨It’s #PhallusThursday

    A celebration of the imagery of the ancients, today we turn to this red figure ware vessel depicting an old man with quite the phallus. He is bound and a crow looks up at him in an allusion to the myth of Prometheus.

    #AncientGreece #Prometheus @AimeeMaroux

  12. ✨Pan riding an ithyphallic mule✨

    The Greek god Pan was connected with flocks and shepherds so it perhaps only fitting that he is depicted here upon a mule, who is faithfully rendered complete with phallus.

    This piece is thought to a Roman relief modelled upon an earlier Hellenistic era relief and it is now held in the MAN Napoli, inv. 27712.

    #ReliefWednesday #PhallusThursday #AncientRome #AncientGreece #Priapus

  13. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: "𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 & 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀" 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗱 -

    Going way back now, one of Greece's earliest poets with the earliest versions of the Greek creation along with didactic verse of right behavior.

    #books #bookreviews #bookworm #readreadread #tbr #tbrpile #tbrlist #quotes #reading #hesiod #theogony #worksanddays #greekmythology #poetry #ancientgreece #didacticpoetry #creationmyth

  14. Chrysis, priestess of Athena, was the exception rather than the rule.

    Notable Women in #AncientGreece: #Chrysis

    Chrysis (ca. 200-101 BCE), a “priestess of #Athena Polias” (Connelly, 1), came from a prominent family in Greece. Athens “voted to grant her” (Connelly, 1) and all of her female descendants, “an impressive series of rights and privileges” (Connelly, 1).

    Some of these privileges included “the right to consult the oracle, priority of trial, inviolability (asylia), freedom from taxes, a front seat at all competitions held by the city, the right to own land and houses, and all other honors customary for #proxenoi and benefactors of the city” (Connelly, 1).

    #WomensRights #AncientWomen #Autonomy #Priestess #Priesthood #AncientHistory #Histodon