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classics

5/10/2020

The Real Thucydides Trap

by Waller R. Newell

Classical histories are in vogue as explanations for the Coronavirus-fueled tensions between the United States and China. A political science scholar argues that an influential theory gets Thucydides backwards.

SOURCE: Slate

The Plague That Killed Athenian Democracy

by Robert Zaretsky

Want to know how disease can permanently alter a society? Read Thucydides.

3/22/2020

Our Stories Will Carry Us to the Future. Can They Save Us Now?

by David Farrier

To avert a climate disaster, science is essential, but we also need stories. We know ourselves first and foremost in the tales we tell.

SOURCE: The Conversation
3/12/2020

Plagues Follow Bad Leadership in Ancient Greek Tales

by Joel Christensen

Zeus observes in Homer’s “Odyssey,” as I’ve translated it, “Humans are always blaming the gods for their suffering / but they experience pain beyond their fate because of their own recklessness.”

SOURCE: The Conversation
3/12/2020

Why a Roman Philosopher’s Views on the Fear of Death Matter as Coronavirus Spreads

by Thomas Nail

Instead of worrying about what may happen after death, Lucretius advises people to focus on keeping their bodies healthy and helping others do the same.

9/1/19

Sparta and the Collapse of Greece

by Jennifer T. Roberts

Why the Peloponnesian War went on longer than is commonly thought.

SOURCE: National Geographic
8/26/19

The Vandals sacked Rome, but do they deserve their reputation?

Their name is synonymous with destruction, but the group may not deserve such a harsh legacy.

SOURCE: Inside Higher Ed
3/4/19

The Trouble With Classics Continues

New video shows exactly what was said during a heated discussion at the annual gathering of classicists in January. Does it change anything?

SOURCE: Guardian
7-7-17

Women are making the classics their own

by Emily Wilson

Now, at long last, we are beginning to see an outpouring of translations of Greek and Latin texts by women.