At Miletus, the people aren’t stupid. But they always seem to do the things that stupid people would do. (Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle quoting)
Month: May 2015
Bad to the bone
In places like Sparta women are treated badly. This means that half the population lives without happiness. Rhetoric – Aristotle
Losing track of our sites
At a place called Elis, there was a building in the marketplace. It looked like a temple, had no walls and its roof was supported by columns of oak. I asked the local people about this and they all agree it is a memorial, but nobody remembers what it is commemorating! Guide to Greece –… Continue reading Losing track of our sites
Why is seven perfect?
According to Photius’ Lexicon, Zeus was said to have laughed for seven days non stop when he was born. (Reliably told to us by Theodorus of Samothrace)
Of mice and women
It makes sense that any man who is a criminal or a coward, will be reborn as a woman. Timaeus – Plato (photo of Annie Smith Peck – mountaineer and author.)
How I know I’m not a God
Alexander the Great, when addressed by people as “God” replied that there were at least two reasons he thought this not to be true. His need for food and his need for sex! How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend – Plutarch (The image is Mesopotamian and represents the person asking for the help… Continue reading How I know I’m not a God
Elephant love
“Some animals express their passion vividly. Others are almost like humans and more sensitive about it. Aristophanes of Alexandria loved a flower girl. But so did an elephant. Every day as the elephant went through the market it would bring her what fruit it had taken. The animal would stand next to her for many… Continue reading Elephant love
Coin in the mouth
We know that the dead had to have a coin in their mouth to pay for their trip to the Underworld. What we forget is that in the 5th century it was also customary for living people to keep coins in their mouth! Was it because their clothes were not very practical and had no… Continue reading Coin in the mouth
Puppy love
Enyalius was one of the meanest Gods in ancient Sparta. Blood and gore was what he liked. So what did they sacrifice to him? Puppies!
Lovers leap to death
In Leucada there is a cliff called Lovers Leap, reputed to help lovers forget their woes. Sapho is said to have jumped from here. At the festival of Apollo every year, a criminal was thrown off for good measure. But not just like that! They attached feathers of all sorts to him in some sort… Continue reading Lovers leap to death