Archive

Episode 24: In which Venus learns a mechanical horse is called a “moped,” and Vulcan refuses to smite a tourist on said moped. This episode of Real Housewives of Mt. Olympus brought to you by the latest archaeological news on CNN.com – and by CLAS-C 419 Art and Archaeology of Pompeii. VENUS, GODDESS OF SEXUAL DESIRE AND …

Acquisition no. 2: An imperial family portrait, where everyone has resting-insufferable-face, except for Geta, who has no face at all. This episode of Honest Museum Signs brought to you by CLAS-C 361 Ancient Roman Revolutions. Social media is full of series that feature the greatest works of ancient art. This is not one of those …

Episode 22: In which Hera and Demeter debate who is the better mother, and Isis learns the dangers of spreading herself too thin. This episode of Real Housewives of Mt. Olympus brought to you by the latest archaeological news on CNN.com – and by CLAS-C 210 Ancient Medicine and Modern Terminology. [SETTING: San Casciano Hot …

Meeting 5: In which Homer attempts writing romance, Clio discusses Russian theater, and Calliope advises both to not quit their day jobs. This episode of Mythology Pitch Meetings brought to you by CLAS-C205 Classical Mythology. Have you ever wondered how your favorite Classical Myths came to be? This is absolutely not how that happened, but it could …

Episode 12: In which Vulcan realizes there is nothing tourists won’t do, and Venus realizes once again how much she hates her husband Vulcan. This episode of Real Housewives of Mt. Olympus brought to you by the latest archaeological news on SmithsonianMagazine.com – and by CLAS-C 419 Art and Archaeology of Pompeii. VULCAN, GOD OF …

In 79 CE, Mt. Vesuvius erupted on a massive scale, burying a large swath of the prosperous Bay of Naples area under meters of rock, ash, and mud. Cities such as Pompeii and Herculaneum were snuffed out, preserved for millennia until they were rediscovered in the modern era. Almost overnight, Pompeii became one of the …

Ancient Greece is famous for its many innovations—technological, social, philosophical—that have had an outsized influence on the Eurocentric world. Athens of the 6th and 5th c. BCE saw the birth of democracy, theater, and trial by jury. The conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th c. BCE stretched from Egypt to Afghanistan and created …

Ancient Greece and Rome have inspired filmmakers since the dawn of the Age of Cinema. Their gripping mythology has appeared in numerous renditions of Clash of the Titans, Hercules (Disney or otherwise), and Percy Jackson, and more subtlety in films such as O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain. Their history and culture lie behind movies such as Gladiator, 300, Pompeii, and any …

If you’ve ever attended a theater performance, listened to an orchestra, or been part of a chorus, you’ve witnessed the legacy of the Classical World. Theater emerged in Athens (Greece) in the 6th century BCE, as part of the worship of Dionysus, the god of overcoming social boundaries (and wine!). Within two centuries it had …