Classical Wisdom Weekly

Time 2021-06-10 10:12:10

Web Name: Classical Wisdom Weekly

WebSite: http://classicalwisdom.com

ID:182366

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Written by Lydia Serrant, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Since ancient times, the Greeks have respected their gods and goddesses. Political...Read MoreText by Pyrrhonist philosopher Sextus Empiricus (c. 160 – c. 210 AD) translated by Richard Bett, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom...Read MoreWritten by Lydia Serrant, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom The Evolution of Greek Art Western modern society owes a lot to...Read MoreWritten by Justin D. Lyons, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom “It seemed that the ring he had was a magic ring:...Read MoreWritten by Lauren Groff, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom The Romans had an enormous reverence for their ancestors and for death...Read MoreWe barely made it out... the window in which the Argentine border was open and flights were leaving closed almost...Read MoreWritten by Lydia Serrant, Contributing Writer, Classical WisdomSince ancient times, the Greeks have respected their gods and goddesses. Political events often lead to the building of divine temples and structures—and sometimes their destruction. It wasn t until the Athenian victory over Persia in 490 BC that Athens was appointed the Defender of Greece, and smaller city-states began paying tribute to the city for their protection.Wealth poured into the city, marking the beginning of the Golden Age. During this time, many temples were built. Huge, illustrious monuments dedicated to the gods were also erected to demonstrate Athens’ power and wealth.This period saw the development of the three Classical Greek architectural styles, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. They are distinguished by distinct styles of columns and entablature (structures that columns support, such as the frieze, cornice, architrave, etc) and appear mainly in marble, which replaced earlier wooden structures. Read MoreFacebookText by Pyrrhonist philosopher Sextus Empiricus (c. 160 – c. 210 AD) translated by Richard Bett, Contributing Writer, Classical WisdomSince most people have declared that god is a most active cause, let’s first examine god, with this preface—that following ordinary life without opinions, we say that there are gods and we worship gods and we say that they show providence; it’s against the rashness of the dogmatists that we say the following things. [Note: ordinary Greek religion recognized a huge number of different gods, often at odds with one another. But philosophers, even if they recognized numerous distinct divine beings, tended to conceive of the divine as united in a single character and a single purpose. Hence it makes sense that Sextus uses the plural “gods” in speaking of his adherence to ordinary religion, but the singular when discussing dogmatic views.]When we conceive objects, we ought to conceive their being—for example, whether they are bodies or incorporeal. But also their forms; no one could conceive a horse without first having learned the form of a horse. Also, what is conceived ought to be conceived as somewhere. Well, since some of the dogmatists say that god is a body, others that he is incorporeal; and some that he is human in form, others not; and some that he is in a place, others not; and of those who say he is in a place, some say this is within the universe, some outside it; how are we going to be able to gain a conception of god, if we don’t have any agreement on his being, or his form, or a place he occupies? Read MoreFacebookWritten by Lydia Serrant, Contributing Writer, Classical WisdomThe Evolution of Greek ArtWestern modern society owes a lot to ancient Greece. Known as the “Father of Europe,” Greece was the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, science, literature and—most importantly for our purposes—some of the greatest art known to history.When one thinks of ancient Greek art, famous monuments and statues such a Venus de Milo and the Parthenon Frieze are the first to come to mind. Most of us visualize the bold lines, white marble, and perfectly polished torsos that mark the height of the Greek artistic renaissance. These have been further immortalized by popular culture, and the post-industrial architecture that remains interwoven with our modern cityscapes.Read MoreFacebookWritten by Justin D. Lyons, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom“It seemed that the ring he had was a magic ring: it made you invisible! He had heard of such things, of course, in old, old tales; but it was hard to believe that he had really found one by accident.”The Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienWhen Bilbo finds the Ring in the darkness of the goblin tunnels beneath the Misty Mountains after having lost his dwarves, his wizard and his way, he unwittingly picks up a powerful artifact and a theme of ancient origin. Magic rings do appear in old tales—some of them in mythology from which Tolkien clearly drew inspiration. In Norse mythology, there is the magic ring Andvaranaut, forged by the shape-shifting dwarf Andvari and Draupnir, which belonged to the god Odin. But neither of these bear much comparison to Tolkien’s Ring. Their powers are too materialistic, making and hoarding gold, rather than the more spiritual and far more dangerous power of dominating the wills of others. Read MoreFacebookWritten by Lauren Groff, Contributing Writer, Classical WisdomThe Romans had an enormous reverence for their ancestors and for death itself. What were their beliefs and customs surrounding the passing and burial of their loved ones?Belief In the AfterlifeRoman SarcophagusIt was exceedingly important for the Romans to leave an enduring memory of themselves behind and one way they did this was by building elaborate tombs. They also demanded that family members have a feast in their honor on the tomb, so they would always be remembered.Some men ensured their memory by establishing funds of money, the interest from which was used for specific activities such as offering an annual feast for the people of their hometown.Read MoreFacebookWe barely made it out the window in which the Argentine border was open and flights were leaving closed almost 24 hours after we safely landed in Houston Intercontinental.Yes, dear reader, we made it to America and just in time for the summer. And while many of you nationwide are enjoying the unofficial start to the season with outdoor BBQs, lakeside swimming or frantic online shopping, we do want to pause for a moment to reflect on the reason for the holiday.Getting ready for Memorial Day in TexasHere in Texas, the streets are lined with American flags, lest you forget it is Memorial Day. It is a day to remember and mourn military personnel who died in the line of duty.Throughout history it was often considered the greatest glory to die for your country and the ancient world was no exception. In fact, Sparta may exemplify this expectation more than any other place or time in history.Read MoreFacebook Sign Up for our FREE Newsletter and get three FREE guidesincluding: "The Guide to the Greek Gods and Goddesses, How to Be Happy... and more!" EmailI agree to receive emails Sign Up

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