Category Archives: Hellenistic Greece

A Day for Esther

Purim ends at sundown today. I can’t say I grew up knowing much at all about Jewish holidays. I wonder if kids growing up in New York City do, or if they just know that they’re days some people get … Continue reading

Posted in Feminism, Hellenistic Greece, History, Holidays, Judaism, Middle East, Prejudice, Religion, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’m on Top of the World

I saw a link on Twitter to this article on Ancient Origins, a site that presumably isn’t always reliable. What it says here seems to have all been verified elsewhere, however, with nothing about aliens building the pyramids or anything. … Continue reading

Posted in Astronomy, Authors, Babylonian, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Douglas Adams, Greek Mythology, Hellenistic Greece, History, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, Islam, Judaism, Maps, Mesopotamia, Monsters, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Doubters of the Divine

Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World, by Tim Whitmarsh – This book is partially a response to the idea that atheism is a new idea, a product of the age of science and reason that turns against ancient … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Feminism, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, Hellenistic Greece, History, Humor, Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Robert Rankin, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eye on the Ideal

The phrase “ship of fools” is pretty common, being the title of a few different books and songs, as well as a play that the Unabomber wrote while in prison. It originates, however, with Plato, who intended it as a … Continue reading

Posted in Greek Philosophy, Hellenistic Greece, History, Philosophy, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

You Say You’ve Seen Seven Wonders

We’ve all heard of the Seven Wonders of the World, even though only one of them is still standing today. Why seven, though? I don’t know. Something about the ancient Greeks who chose it considering it a number of wholeness. … Continue reading

Posted in Hellenistic Greece, History, Music, They Might Be Giants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments