classics

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• 10/11/2020
  

  The Battle of Salamis Opened the Door for Ancient Greece’s Golden Age

  by Fred Zilian

  September marked the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Salamis, where the Greeks won a surprising naval victory over Persian forces, thwarted their efforts to conquer Greece, and set the stage for the golden age of Athenian civilization. 

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• SOURCE: Zocálo Public Square
  9/23/2020
  

  What Would Cicero See In American Governance Today?

  by Edward Watts

  "The United States now approaches the tipping point between a republic governed by law and the polity of violence, governed by mutual fear, that Cicero described over two millennia ago."

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• SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
  7/14/2020
  

  When Plague Is Not a Metaphor

  by Hunter Gardner

  It's not always a blessing when current events make a researcher's specialty suddenly and urgently relevant. 

• 
• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.”

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• 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. 

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• 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.

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• 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?

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• 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.