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Priam Asks Achilles for the Body of his Son Hector. 19th.century. Peter von Cornelius (1783 - 1867) charcoal on paper laid on canvas.     http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

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#TroyExhibition: Tweet & Photo Party!

#TroyExhibition: Tweet & Photo Party!

Throwing a tweet & photo party feels way more fun than sitting around in my snow-bound home moping because I’m not at the British Museum enjoying the great Troy: Myth and Reality Exhibition.

Currently blowing the doors off the British Museum, Troy: Myth and Reality has been running since 21 November 2019 and will continue until 8 March 2020 in the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery. 

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NEWSFLASH! UC Archaeologists Find Gold-Lined Tombs of Mycenaean Era in Pylos, Greece

NEWSFLASH! UC Archaeologists Find Gold-Lined Tombs of Mycenaean Era in Pylos, Greece

Announcing their spectacular news on Tuesday (17 December 2019) in Greece, archaeologists Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker of University of Cincinnati’s Classics Department shared photos and information of two newly-unearthed Bronze Age tholos tombs in Pylos, Greece.

Located in the same vicinity as the globally-acclaimed tomb of the “Griffin Warrior” which Davis and Stocker unearthed in 2015, the…

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The Mother of Big Fat Greek Weddings: Thetis & Peleus' Wedding in Art Through the Ages

The Mother of Big Fat Greek Weddings: Thetis & Peleus’ Wedding in Art Through the Ages

In the history of big fat Greek weddings, I’m pretty sure this is the mother of them all. There’s never been a more celebrated wedding than the union of Thetis and Peleus, the parents-to-be of Achilles. Not just capturing the imaginations of ancient Greeks, generations of humans all over the earth have been happily ever after enjoying this magical, Olympian star-studded feast of the gods in…

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Vail's Shield of Achilles Featured in Catholic Faith & Culture Video Course

Vail’s Shield of Achilles Featured in Catholic Faith & Culture Video Course

A busy Spring and a hectic Summer have finally been replaced by a painfully slow stroll into Fall as October has arrived on our doorstep. Excruciating lower back pain does have a way of slowing us down, eh? I’ve never been in this much pain for such a prolonged period and it’s really wearing me down… but on the other hand, it has dumped me back into my desk chair and refreshed my relationship…

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Guest Post by Armand D'Angour: Was the Real Socrates More Worldly & Amorous Than We Knew?

Guest Post by Armand D’Angour: Was the Real Socrates More Worldly & Amorous Than We Knew?

In this guest post, British classical scholar and classical musician Armand D’Angour offers a brilliant reality check on our contemporary assumptions about Socrates.

Armand D’Angour is an associate professor in Classical languages and literature and a fellow of Jesus College at Oxford University. He is the author of several books, including Novelty in Ancient Greek Imagination and Experience(2011…

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The God of Wine at Sea

“The drinking vessel that the potter and vase-painter Exekias created around 530 BC is one of the best known antique vessels of all - and without doubt one of the finest and most significant.

The interior shows a depiction of Dionysus, the god of wine, reclining on a ship with a billowing white sail. Vines are climbing up the mast and dolphins are swimming around the ship. This painting is meant to remind the beholder of a well-known myth told of the god: Dionysus had been captured by pirates and carried off to their ship. At sea, however, the god appeared to the men in his true guise, whereupon the men, seized with panic, jumped into the sea and were transformed by Dionysus into dolphins.

Whoever drank from this vessel had an unusual experience: the god emerged from the sea of red wine, swam on the top of the waves for a brief moment and then travelled with his ship into the open mouth of the person drinking. The reveller imbibed the god directly and was able to directly feel the effect of the wine and the god at the same time. So the bowl was more than just an elaborate drinking vessel. Every time you used it, you came one bit closer to the god Dionysus.”

Antike am Koenigsplatz

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Guest Post: Achilles' Shield Portrays an Ancient Greek View of Reality, by James R. Harrington

Guest Post: Achilles’ Shield Portrays an Ancient Greek View of Reality, by James R. Harrington

Does Homer’s legendary Shield of Achilles depict reality in Ancient Greece? In this guest post by James R. Harrington, the question is turned on its head. Are we questioning Homer’s veracity, or are we asking something deeper? Harrington perceives the subtle complexity of the question and cleverly answers, Yes – Not only do Homer’s words illustrate ancient Greek reality, but his Shield of…

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Hercules: A Forefather of Hydraulic Engineering in Mycenaean Greece? Guest Post by Novo Scriptorium

Hercules: A Forefather of Hydraulic Engineering in Mycenaean Greece? Guest Post by Novo Scriptorium

Wading through various ancient texts in search of the hydraulic engineering projects of Hercules, aka Herakles, may seem like a rather boring, academic challenge – especially since there are far more exciting feats that have flooded the imaginations of Hercules’ cult followers throughout the ages.

Additionally, tracking Hercules’ sodden footsteps across the vast and shipwrecked shores of ancient…

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Book Review: Gods and the Dust: Greek Mythology as a High Fantasy Epic by Joshua Rivoli

Book Review: Gods and the Dust: Greek Mythology as a High Fantasy Epic by Joshua Rivoli

Since my last blog post/book review for The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden, I’ve been curating a nice little lineup of brand new novels about Ancient Greece. This is quite a treat for me since I haven’t indulged my love of books in what seems like aeons.

Lounging on the couch and reading a book, even from a tablet in my hand, feels a lot like being on vacation. I’m loving it! And doing book…

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Book Review: The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden

Book Review: The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden

As many of you know, I’ve been incredibly busy with the launch of my book, Reconstructing the Shield of Achilles. To be honest, I had no idea that writing a book was the easy part, compared to the work involved with a book launch.

Taking a break from all the angst associated with seeking favorable reviewsfor my book (more on that in a future post), I’ve decided to pay it forward and do a few book…

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Rubens’ Sketch for Thetis dipping the infant #Achilles into the #RiverStyx, ca 1630-1635, oil on oak panel. (44.1 × 38.4 cm / 17.4 × 15.1 in) Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Source: Wikimedia Commons. From: The Life of Achilles by Peter Paul Rubens Read more at: https://theshieldofachilles.net/2017/10/18/the-life-of-achilles-by-peter-paul-rubens/ #fineart #greekmythology #achilles#ancientgreece #peterpaulrubens

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My Book, Reconstructing the Shield of Achilles, is Now Published! 

Finally, my dream has come true and my book, Reconstructing the Shield of Achilles, is now published and available on Amazon.com!

It is my great honor and pleasure to work with Dr Kenneth Atchity as my literary manager while his company, Story Merchant Books, brings my dream to fruition. You may remember Dr Ken from my earlier post reviewing his wonderful book, Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNLQb3QOuR8)

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Guest Post: Achilles' Shield and Schiller's Philosophy of Aesthetics, by Corry Shores

Guest Post: Achilles’ Shield and Schiller’s Philosophy of Aesthetics, by Corry Shores

Homer’s timeless description of the spectacular shield of Achilles has often given pause to thinkers throughout history and across the world. Why does Homer lavish so much detail on Achilles’ shield? What does this shield, forged by Hephaistos, really look like?

In the following guest post, Corry Shores of Pirates and Revolutionaries combines Friedrich Schiller’s philosophical view of aesthetics…

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Guest Poem: "Upon Trojan Field, At Dawn" by Ismail Butera

Guest Poem: “Upon Trojan Field, At Dawn” by Ismail Butera

Upon Trojan Field, At Dawn – This heart-stopping poem by Ismail Butera communicates like a warrior bard on a treasure hunt while sifting through the remains of battle-bloodied corpses.

“On the Earth as it is in the Cosmos”– a line that will give you goosebumps – is only one of the many evocative lines that will catch your breath in your throat as you float in the dawning air above the littered…

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Thetis Delivering Achilles' Shield in Art Through the Ages

Thetis Delivering Achilles’ Shield in Art Through the Ages

The epic voyage of Thetis delivering Achilles’ spectacular new armor spans nearly 2,600 years of art history, adorning works as diverse as ancient Greek vases, magnificent gold jewelry, bronze chariots and silver coins, Royal Vienna ceramic plates, epic oil paintings, and modern Greek banknotes.

Fresh from the forge of Hephaistos, the blazing weapons include Achilles’ shield, helmet, breastplate,…