Classics

The licentiousness of the Greek colonists of Sybaris

constantinakatsari October 17, 2013

By the end of the 8th century BC the Greeks had already colonised large parts of Sicily and Southern Italy. The reason behind such an expansion was undoubtedly profit: they were probably looking for new agricultural lands, trading ports and metals. Some of these colonies became very rich as they were exporting large quantities of agricultural produce back to mainland Greece. The outcome was the breeding of a new aristocracy in the colonised cities. The new aristocrats were rich and ambitious as ... »

Girl dying from the plague in the Peloponnesian War

constantinakatsari December 29, 2012

In the beginning of the Peloponnesian war and, specifically, in 430 BC a Plague epidemic crippled the city of Athens. The plague spread in the city during its siege by the Spartans and it killed a quarter of the population. Among them we count the famous statesman, Pericles. Several diseases have been suggested but there is no definitive proof for any of them. And yet, some time ago the skeleton of a little girl has been found that may shed some light on the problem. The archaeologists who found... »

Nude on the Acropolis: Nelly’s

constantinakatsari June 20, 2012

Nelly is probably one of the best known Greek photographers of the twentieth century. She is not only respected among her peers but she holds an almost iconic place in the hearts of modern Greeks. She was born in Asia Minor in 1899 but moved to Greece after the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1923. She completed her studies in Interwar Germany and started her career immediately afterwards in Greece. She played a significant role in the promotion of Greek culture in Europe and the States from the 1920s... »

New discovery of ancient temple?

constantinakatsari May 16, 2012

How many times have you found yourself walking without noticing anything around you. It looks like it happened to me countless times. Last week, when I stopped and looked, I realised I may have been on top of an ancient (classical or Hellenistic?) temple. I will not disclose the exact area because the architectural elements I found have not been catalogued. Suffice to say it is on the eastern coast of Attica. I also could use some help from expert archaeologists to explain what I am looking at. ... »

Rebranding modern Greek identity

constantinakatsari May 2, 2012

The following video went around the world the past few days. I have seen also several very clever responses that I cannot compete. Parts of the younger Greek generation seem to identify with its ideas, while other parts find it misleading and pretentious. As a historian I would like to state that, unlike Katerina, I do not believe that we have democracy in Greece. The traditional media is controlled by the elite and the government follows the dictates of the IMF and the European union. We have n... »

The Charles J. Goodwin Award of Merit

constantinakatsari April 5, 2012

“The Charles J. Goodwin Award of Merit, named in honor of a long-time member and generous benefactor of the American Philological Association, is the only honor for scholarly achievement given by the Association. Click here for a list of previous recipients. It is presented at the Annual Meeting for an outstanding contribution to classical scholarship published by a member of the Association during the three years before the current calendar year, i.e., in this case, 2009, 2010, and 2011. ... »

Redundancies at the Foundation of the Hellenic World

constantinakatsari February 2, 2012

Something is rotten in the State of Greece. This time the stench comes from the Foundation of the Hellenic World, which used to promote research on Greek civilisation outside the strict borders of the modern Greek state. This private Foundation (though heavily subsidised by the government) reached its peak a decade ago, when I received my postdoctoral fellowship from them. They funded my research on the Economy of Roman Asia Minor under the guidance of Prof. Stephen Mitchell at the University of... »

How to publish your research

constantinakatsari January 30, 2012

We all know how difficult it is to publish your first article or book after many months or years of intensive research. Many early career classicists and ancient historians tend to get discouraged and sometimes they even give up. Do not despair! The following booklet was designed to help you avoid the pitfalls of publishing. The papers were presented at the Institute of Classical Studies and they include advice from some very well known classicists who went through the same exasperating process ... »

Preservation program in Athens

constantinakatsari November 25, 2011

“I would like to inform you about a program in Athens, Greece, this coming January. This 12 day visit of Athens will be a thoughtful exploration of the preservation and conservation issues facing the city. The program involves a series of lectures and tours lead by Athenian architects, historians, conservators and planners who have been dealing with the problem of preserving monuments and cultural heritage in the midst of a growing modern city. Subjects covered will include: history and ev... »

Go Greek for a Week. Classical Ideals as Propaganda.

constantinakatsari November 16, 2011

At last, I managed to watch the Channel 4 program “Go Greek for a Week”. I have followed the discussions about its truthfulness, accuracy, attempts to discriminate against another nation e.t.c. with great interest. In this post, though, I do not intend to focus on the half truths, distortions and derogatory comments. Instead, I would like to bring your attention to the fine classical details that the producers included in the program. Have you noticed the repeated appearances of the Acropolis an... »