Here’s my list of 10 things that I learned over the course of studying Greek classical literature and history. Many (or most) of this would not be surprising for those who have read it, of course, but they were new to me. Most of this information comes directly from the epics themselves, as well as from tragedies that were based on the Trojan war.

CONTINUE READING

I was trying to decide how I can vary my reading between Greek literature, history and philosophy. I wanted to follow somewhat a chronological order and so I decided to do a timeline, using the software Timeline by Bee Docs.

CONTINUE READING

Historians of ancient Greek civilization generally divide it into the following five periods. The history of the region extends further into the past, but these are usually the ones mentioned. These divisions are meant to mark out important developments in the history (e.g. collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, rediscovery of literacy, etc.)

CONTINUE READING

Ancient Greek mythology is generally subdivided into the titans (e.g. Cronus, Atlas), the gods (e.g. Zeus, Poseidon), and the heroes (e.g. Heracles, Perseus). There are often several versions of these stories, which were often influenced by or adapted from pre-existing mythologies (such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, or Mesopotamians). In a nutshell, the ancestry of the gods can be traced back to Uranus and Gaia, who gave birth to the titans as well as other odd creatures.

CONTINUE READING

A while back I had wanted to start on an intellectual adventure that would probably last me several lifetimes. That adventure is to get myself acquainted with the roots of Western thought and history. I wasn’t really sure how to go about doing it, so I looked for guides online from people, professionals and amateurs, who have taken the time to share their ideas, progress, and journey.

CONTINUE READING