This is the very first day of fasting in Greece. So, I found Manolis in a good mood. The following quiz is probably one of the easiest he ever came up with. Aristophanes wrote about him: “…he was a cheat, a braggart, a calumniator, when alive…” Thucydides wrote about him: “…of all the citizens the most violent…” Who was he? »
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 lot more than what government officials can claim. Since the graduate of ancient history, archaeolog... »
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? »
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 took me by surprise. He asked me: Are you a Researcher? How could he have guessed? Was it my scholarly... »
Contrary to the image I usually project, I do not expect my students to dedicate themselves to a life of poverty in their pursuit of learning Greek or Latin. Instead, I am a firm believer that a course in Ancient History or Classics is only the first step to achieve an illustrious career outside academia. Unfortunately, the direction they may take is not an obvious one. Up to now, when they asked me about the application of their degrees in real life, I tended to joke and claimed that “we are us... »
It is time for our next competition. This is an easy one, so I will not give out any clues. What type of building is the one below, when was it built and in which city can you see it? »
This week I took notice of a THES blog written by the Insecure Scholar. He lamented the fact that he is receiving invitations to teach at universities as a guest lecturer but none of these institutions is willing to give him a permanent job. At a moment of frustration I answered that he may be the best scholar in the world but this does not mean that universities are willing to pay money for his scholarly skills. Unfortunately, I have not expanded on this idea and this may have caused uncertaint... »