Classics News

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My mother could translate the dactylic hexameter of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ as if she were reading her grocery list.

The Benefits, and Pain, of a Latin Education

My mother could translate the dactylic hexameter of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ as if she were reading her grocery list.

Art & Archaeology

Digital projections and household objects at the National Museum of Australia offer a glimpse into lives of everyday people from 2,000 years ago – and the tragedy that befell them

‘Confronting and compelling’ artefacts from ancient Pompeii to go on show in Canberra blockbuster

Digital projections and household objects at the National Museum of Australia offer a glimpse into lives of everyday people from...

A dig at a palace set to become a hotel has unearthed traces of a theater that archaeologists hypothesize was built by Nero, the emperor with a disputed reputation for tyranny and debauchery.

Excavations Uncover Hints of Nero’s Theater in Rome, and Much More

A dig at a palace set to become a hotel has unearthed traces of a theater that archaeologists hypothesize was...

The ruins of the Villa of the Quintilii stand on the Via Appia Antica, just outside the traditional boundaries of Rome. Wealthy brothers built the villa in the 2nd century A.D.

Roman ruins reveal how emperors used winemaking in a lavish power play

The ruins of the Villa of the Quintilii stand on the Via Appia Antica, just outside the traditional boundaries of...

Perhaps we don’t need to know why someone inscribed an everyday pot as it dried in a workshop: it is enough to know they did it

Why a piece of ancient pot and a scrap of Virgil’s poetry speak to us down the ages

Perhaps we don’t need to know why someone inscribed an everyday pot as it dried in a workshop: it is...

History

the sweat of ancient Greek and Roman athletes was sold as a prized commodity

The Sweat and Body Grime of Athletes was Prized by Ancient Greeks and Romans

the sweat of ancient Greek and Roman athletes was sold as a prized commodity

In the end, godlike aspirations often met with all too human final moments.

The Divine Comedy of Roman Emperors’ Last Words

In the end, godlike aspirations often met with all too human final moments.

No engine? No problem! This is the story of the daring early days of rocket science.

Ancient astronauts and the very, very early Space Race

No engine? No problem! This is the story of the daring early days of rocket science.

The Roman Colosseum is a giant, oval amphitheater built almost two thousand years ago. Despite its age and a 14th century earthquake that knocked down the south side of the colosseum, most of the 150-some foot building is still standing. Like many ancient Roman structures, parts of it were constructed using a specific type of concrete. Scientists and engineers have long suspected a key to these buildings' durability is their use of this Roman concrete. But exactly how this sturdy concrete has contributed to the architecture's strength has been a mystery to researchers across the globe.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but they sure had strong concrete

The Roman Colosseum is a giant, oval amphitheater built almost two thousand years ago. Despite its age and a 14th...

Language

£4m scheme will form part of government effort to counter subject’s reputation as elitist

Latin to be introduced at 40 state secondaries in England

£4m scheme will form part of government effort to counter subject’s reputation as elitist

In cutting languages, colleges undercut commitments to social justice and to translation, in the broadest possible sense, Jessica Blum-Sorensen writes.

In Defense of Languages

In cutting languages, colleges undercut commitments to social justice and to translation, in the broadest possible sense, Jessica Blum-Sorensen writes....

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Latin may help students bridge their native language with English

Researchers found that in teaching English learners -- students who aren't fluent in English and often come from homes where...

Exclusive: Camden School for Girls uses Just Giving site to raise money to keep course going

Emma Thompson donates £500 to former school’s fund-raiser to save Classical Greek lessons

Exclusive: Camden School for Girls uses Just Giving site to raise money to keep course going

Literature

If only schoolmasters had given students this kind of book first, before all that rote learning about genitive and ablative cases.

‘Et Tu, Brute?’ Review: Latin Lovers

If only schoolmasters had given students this kind of book first, before all that rote learning about genitive and ablative...

‘Gods and Mortals’ by Sarah Iles Johnston, ‘Arcadian Days’ by John Spurling and ‘Greek Myths’ by Charlotte Higgins.

The Ancient Greek Myths Retold

‘Gods and Mortals’ by Sarah Iles Johnston, ‘Arcadian Days’ by John Spurling and ‘Greek Myths’ by Charlotte Higgins.

Gareth Williams’ new book explains why the classic poem is just right for our times.

Here’s Why Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” Is Popular Once Again

Gareth Williams’ new book explains why the classic poem is just right for our times.

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Women, Witchcraft and Greek Myth

Brandeis University’s Joel Christensen examines women’s stories from ancient Greece to the recent past.

Philosophy

A self-help book of sorts, this distillation of pre-Socratic philosophy succeeds in being both populist and profound.

How to Be: Lessons from the Early Greeks by Adam Nicolson review – ancient wisdom for today’s world

A self-help book of sorts, this distillation of pre-Socratic philosophy succeeds in being both populist and profound.

The Nicomachean Ethics is an unexampled work by a paragon of classical thought. How does it hold up as a self-help manual?

Aristotle’s Rules for Living Well

The Nicomachean Ethics is an unexampled work by a paragon of classical thought. How does it hold up as a...

Opinion

Opinion | Socrates Wants You to Tidy Up, Too

What reading an ancient Greek dialogue can tell us about the Marie Kondo craze.

Particle Accelerator Reveals Ancient Greek Medical Text Beneath Religious Psalms on Parchment

Particle Accelerator Reveals Ancient Greek Medical Text Beneath Religious Psalms on Parchment

If you’re a history buff, you might not know much particle physics. But the two fields share more in common...

Classics at Large

Supporters insists it is a living subject that broadens cultural understanding and educational horizons.

One of Ireland’s last Latin teachers has retired. Is it the end of the line for a ‘dead’ language?

Supporters insists it is a living subject that broadens cultural understanding and educational horizons.

My mother could translate the dactylic hexameter of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ as if she were reading her grocery list.

The Benefits, and Pain, of a Latin Education

My mother could translate the dactylic hexameter of Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’ as if she were reading her grocery list.

Tolkien-inspired mythology has taken over our screens while a treasure chest of epic fantasy tales lies unused.

Hits and myths: why has Hollywood abandoned ancient Greece?

Tolkien-inspired mythology has taken over our screens while a treasure chest of epic fantasy tales lies unused.

Girls Gone Greek

Girls Gone Greek

The most influential character on Showtime’s Yellowjackets is the one who goes unnamed: Dionysus.