Manolis thinks that the following quiz is easier! I know, though, that many of you will not share his opinion. Here it goes. A 5th-4th century BC dithyrambic poet and a 4th century BC Athenian general had the same name. What was it? »
The study of the classical world may look obsolete in the eyes of the close-minded but, in fact, it has never been timelier. The restructuring of modern societies, the declaration of semi-religious wars, the economic crisis… they all resemble comparable incidents that took place in the past. A student of classical antiquity can easily make parallelisms and learn from previous mistakes, which is a ... »
History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. (Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1814. Definition of history; The Cynics Word Book. 1906) »
Manolis thought that the previous competition was way too easy. So, he decided to ask you something a bit more difficult. This is for specialists of the Hellenistic period who also know modern Athens. It is a poem of the Hellenistic period. It is also the name of a modern-day suburb of Athens. Which poem is it? »
The Winter Semester is upon us! Tomorrow I start teaching and I feel that I am not as prepared as I should be. I have been dealing with the administration and rewriting of modules for the past three weeks but everything seems to be half finished. A sense of inadequacy and fear lurks somewhere in the deeper folds of my soul, as the students are arriving for their lessons. Even before teaching start... »
Last Sunday I went for tango in Market Harborough. There, I have been introduced to a young dancer with excellent leading skills. Curious about his style, I asked him where he took tango lessons. He mentioned that he started in Paris and then he continued in Canada and the UK. Then it was my turn to reveal the whereabouts of my teachers: Ireland, UK, Italy, Germany and Greece. The next question to... »