Any experts in Ancient Greek in the fediverse who would be willing to spend a little time to help me rework some words for a fantasy novel in the same way Latin often gets abused by fantasy novellists?
So, I had to talk about #Sparta! A warrior society focused on war, women had more rights than their #Athenian counterparts -- and were encouraged to be physically fit and prepared to fight to defend their homeland.
Sparta
Unlike their Greek counterparts, the women of Sparta had a lot more freedom and status. They were educated, since they would be in charge of keeping the homeland running smoothly while the men were at war – but they were also strong and able to defend themselves and their homeland.
Spartan men and women lived in separate quarters – even while married. Married couples would leave their respective quarters to procreate, and Spartan wives were required to have short hair and sometimes wore men’s clothing.
Amongst married couples, the Spartans were relatively #polyamorous, and women were not punished for infidelity.
Next was #Rome. TBH, the HBO series was pretty close to how life was in Rome. In many ways, women had more rights than their #AncientGreek predecessors. Though #Guardianship laws were still in place. And women could not hold political office or vote.
Sometimes I feel despair at the state of the internet, but then I read things like this and remember that the weirdos and nerds far outnumber the regular people and we’ll probably be ok. #ancientgreek#philosophy#wikipedia
#MosaicMonday: #AnicentRoman mosaic, 1st c. CE, Pushkin Museum.
🆔 Top = probably an Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), native to Asia. Bottom = Domesticated Guineafowl, derived from the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris), native to Africa. (Both birds known in Europe since #AncientGreek times.) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic_birds_pushkin.jpg #BirdsInArt
Heraclitus was known as misanthropic. He spent his life criticizing #people & #politics & disliking other philosophers for their bad ideas. In #Greek fashion, he believed an element represented the #soul: his choice was #fire.
It's #InternationalDogDay! There are several #dogs from #GreekMythology that we still know today, like Kerberos guarding the entrance to the underworld, Odysseus' faithful dog Argos who was the only one who recognised him in his disguise, and Hekuba, the Queen of Troy, who became Hekate's constant companion in the shape of a big black bitch.
But what do we know about the ancient Greeks and their dogs? @amayor researched how the dogs were named:
@amayor@antiquidons@histodons Adrienne Mayor says that #dogs were typically given short names that evoked ideas of things like power, speed, or beauty.
"Popular names for dogs in antiquity, translated from #ancientGreek, include Lurcher, Whitey, Blackie, Tawny, Blue, Blossom, Keeper, Fencer, Butcher, Spoiler, Hasty, Hurry, Stubborn, Yelp, Tracker, Dash, Happy, Jolly, Trooper, Rockdove, Growler, Fury, Riot, Lance, Pell-Mell, Plucky, Killer, Crafty, Swift, and Dagger."
@antiquidons@histodons The ancient Greeks were keen dog breeders and more than 29 distinct breeds are mentioned in #ancientGreek literature, each with their own traits that made them useful for specific tasks. Large mastiff-type dogs guarded flocks and fended off wolves. Hunting dogs were bred for speed, tracking, and tenacity to hunt deer, hares, and boars. And there were also small pet dogs, companions to children and adult women.
I'm writing about the intersection between birth and violence in various myths, including the birth of #Athena. Some sources say that Hephaistos or Prometheus used an axe to help her emerge, but many secondary discussions of the story also describe #Zeus having a terrible headache before the birth. I can't find the original sources mentioning the headache. If anyone knows what text or texts this is from, I would love to know! #GreekMyth#Mythology#Classics#AncientGreek#AskMastodon
Apparently it's "Uncommon #MusicalInstrument awareness day", so I'll throw in a #cithara. Now, you may be thinking: "Hey, those were pretty common back in #antiquity, and used by the rock stars of the #AncientGreek and #Roman musical worlds."
Well, yes. But… This is an experimental #reconstruction based on the mysterious and wonderful Baratti silver amphora (4th century AD), which features 132 oval medallions (BTW, mysterious, because nobody can figure out how these were attached) depicting scenes of feasting and #music making, including Apollo holding the cithara. The #instrument has 7 strings, but rather unusually has the soundbox at the front; the strings run from the yoke, between the arms, into the soundbox, in which the bridge sits, before exiting via small holes where they are tied off. I've not seen any others like this (photos in next post).
Here's a sound clip of me playing the cithara.
What uncommon musical instruments dwell under your roof?
#Eros adjusts the kottabos stand, a popular game at #ancientGreek symosia. #Dionysos reclines on a couch, his lower body richly draped, holding a thyrsos in his left hand and a wine cup in his right.
🏛️ Red-figure vase painting on a bell krater, dated 395–375 BCE.
I am so excited. the play is happening on Saturday, and tomorrow is our first full dress rehearsal at the venue. I have spent the evening translating and recording the Message / umYalezo for the final audio of the play, thus far in original (isiZulu), English and Latin. I’m still busy with the #AncientGreek as I’m rusty on #prosecomposition, but the #Latin was surprisingly easy (even after 10 years). @nnwhen please add your awesomeness to this toot.
χαίρετε πάντες! I'm posting here hoping to encourage more folks to visit @AncientGreek - whether you're just starting your learning journey or are well into it, you will be welcome! :)
[m/AncientGreek] [owner] Come visit us if you're interested in learning Ancient Greek!
χαίρετε πάντες! I'm posting here hoping to encourage more folks to visit @AncientGreek - whether you're just starting your learning journey or are well into it, you will be welcome! :)