Nothing Human is Foreign to TIME
Do not take this book with you to the beach this summer. I thought this was going to be an easy read, and while that expectation got shot down after…
The Male Gaze in Ancient Greece
The historical texts by Xenophon (430-355 BCE) are the subject of a close study here by Rosie Harman, Lecturer in Greek Historiography, University College London. But her take on Xenophon…
Plutarch’s Cities
Born in the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius, Plutarch (46-120 CE) took great pride in being a priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi (he was born just…
CICERO and The Last Gasp of the Roman Republic
Cicero wrote several great dialogues. This book deals with two of them, and later this year I’ll be reporting on another Oxford University Press book that examines two more. The…
A Roman Historian
For someone living now, the 17th century seems like a long time ago. Four hundred years have passed; only specialist historians have a good grasp on those who were once…
A Demagogue and his Fools
A demagogue is nothing without a mass of fools to support him. Throughout history, the gene pool has offered a ready supply of fools, in sufficient number to undermine even…
The Epicurean Life Revealed: Politics and Security
Even though Epicurus lived more than 2,000 years ago (from 341 to 270 BCE), the philosophy he founded in still misunderstood. Much of this unfortunate state of affairs can be…
Orpheus in Macedonia
Can a mythical figure have a real grave? That is the provocative question posed by Tomasz Mojsik in this book about Orpheus. Mojsik is associate professor at the University of…
Xenophon’s Irony
Xenophon (430-354 BCE) is best remembered as a great military leader, but he was also a prolific author. Fortunately, many of his works still survive. A fresh look at these…
Was Homer a Fraud?
You will never appreciate Homer the same way again after reading this book. It deals with alternative readings of the Iliad and the Odyssey, as penned by Sophists some 2,000…