home.social

#ancientgreece — Public Fediverse posts

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

  1. So, the bad news is, #MadelineMiller, one of my favorite authors, is still suffering from #LongCovid. The good news is, she has finished one short story ( #Galatea ) and another is due out in September ( #Mestra ). Maybe, just maybe, she'll finish #Persephone. And she is enjoying the renewed interest in #Classics because of #TheOdyssey.

    cc: @rogueclassicist

    #AncientGreece

  2. Now this is *fascinating*. A slave who took up arms and fought for his enslavers, presumably because he thought that they were the lesser evil. Fuckwits who refuse to vote against great evil today because their opponents aren't perfect ought to pay attention.

    bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002yx37

  3. fromoldbooks.org/Sachsen-Odyss

    Another engraving from Homer’s Odyssey. Seems like a good time for them :-)

    This time i included the border, which is also used for the full-page illustrations.

    Can you tell me more about what’s going on here? This is at the start of the poem. See Web page for my uninformed guesses :-)

    #vintageEngraving #vintageArt #fobo #Homer #Odysseus #Odysee #Odyssey #ancientGreece #chapterHead #engraving

  4. So, I read an excellent essay about #ToxicMasculinity a few years ago. Pretty much, it has to do with #hierarchy (#capitalism / #colonialism) making men feel powerless -- so they bully other men for dominance, and the result is dominating attitudes toward those perceived as lower in status (women, girls, foreigners, etc).

    In many ways, it goes way back to #AncientGreece -- pretty much, the only ones who had any rights at all were landowning men who were Greek citizens. And, of course, power, wealth and status dominating over those dominated men. #TheOdyssey and #Odysseus' attitude toward women (other than Penelope), those of lesser status, and foreigners -- was typical of the Achaean male viewpoint.

    @Remittancegirl @Crystal_Fish_Caves

  5. 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
  6. OUCH! The Translator of #TheOdyssey Just Slammed #ChristopherNolan’s Movie

    “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script,” wrote #EmilyWilson, the first woman to translate The Odyssey into English.

    By Josh OsmanPublished: Jul 27, 2026 1:20 PM EDT

    Excerpt: "Throughout her piece, the scholar notes that no adaptation should necessarily follow an original exactly. (In fact, she praises some radically reinterpretations of The Odyssey, including #MargaretAtwood's #Penelopiad, #MadelineMiller's #Circe, and other literary classics that riff off the text, including those of #Euripides, #JohnMilton, and #JamesJoyce.)"

    Read more:
    esquire.com/entertainment/movi

    #ClassicsBookClub #Classics #Movies #Homer #AncientGreece #ReadABook

  7. 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/

  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. 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

  10. ✨The dance of the maenads✨

    This is one of four reliefs depicting maenads dancing held by the Museo del Prado. The exceptional detail and sense of flowing movement is simply exquisite. These are Roman reinterpretations of Greek reliefs from the fifth century BCE and were designed to honour the maenads’ chosen god, Dionysus. The original reliefs were purported to be crafted by the sculptor Callimachus (ca. 410-400 BCE).

    #ReliefWednesday #AncientGreece #AncientRome #History #Dionysos

  11. 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

  12. A small minority of well-born men exercised despotic power over their fellow citizens in the name of an aristocratic conception of society, twice around 400 BCE.

    After the surrender, the Athenian Ekklesia (assembly) soon divided into three camps:
    * supporters of a “patrios politeia” (ancestral constitution),
    * preservers of democracy,
    * proponents of oligarchy’.
    Debate and inaction continued until September 404 BCE, when the Spartans chose to intervene. They asked the Athenians to choose thirty men to manage all the affairs of the polis.

    ‘The Thirty initially avoided drafting a precise constitution. Instead, they sought to: a) establish a functional interim government; b) eliminate opponents; and c) reform the laws.’

    worldhistory.org/The_Thirty_Ty

    #coup #oligarchy #extremeCentre #extremeCenter #history #Athens #Sparta #AncientGreece #Antiquity #history #democracy #metics #war #Peloponnese #defeat #Republic

  13. 🌊⚡️ New Episode Alert! ⚡️🌊

    Listen now! 👉 creators.spotify.com/pod/show/
    Or here 👉 t.uzh.ch/1Nv

    Dive into the mystery of the Bronze God of Artemision! 🏺 Is it Poseidon, the sea god? 🔱 Or Zeus, king of the gods? 🌩️ We unravel the heated debate! 🤯

    🔍 Discover the statue’s rare beauty & archaeological secrets. 📜 Explore ancient Greece’s chronological divisions & literary sources. 📖

    #Archaeology #AncientGreece #Poseidon #Zeus #Podcast #History #ArtHistory #Mystery #BronzeStatue #GreekMythology #AI #DigitalHumanities #AncientHistory