About: Ben Potter
Ben Potter is a writer and university lecturer. He has lived and taught in several countries; notably Japan, China, Thailand, the UK, and Italy. He has an MA in Classics from The University of Edinburgh.
Recent Posts by Ben Potter
Long Live Latin: Amo, Amas, Amat, Am…erm….
By Ben Potter If you’ve ever taken even an hour of Latin class, then—more likely than not—the words of the title will have been the first that you learned in this ancient tongue. This conjugation of the verb ‘to love’ (i.e. I love, you love, he/she/it loves…) is indelibly inked on the minds of schoolchildren
The Trojan Legend
by Ben Potter, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom To literary-minded ‘Moderns’ (if we can be so contrasted with the ‘Ancients’) the broad contents of the Iliad and Odyssey are quite familiar. Indeed, tales of wrathful Achilles, fearsome Ajax, tragic Hector, Sirens, Cyclopes, Circe, Suitors etcetera are well-known even to those who have not read both epics
Written on March 14, 2022 at 1:13 am
Categories: Mythology
Tags: Helen of Troy, iphigenia, Odysseus, Priam, Trojan War, Troy
Book Review: “How to Tell a Joke,” By Michael Fontaine
Written by Ben Potter, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom As Michael Fontaine’s latest book How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor comes hot on the heels of his fascinating How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing, one might reasonably expect the Cornell professor’s next installment to
Written on July 21, 2021 at 1:28 pm
Categories: Culture
Rituals, Temples and Worship in the Ancient World
Written by Ben Potter, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom The importance of rituals and temples in the ancient world are hard to clearly differentiate from worship. At first glance this might seen a little odd to the modern reader. These days, it seems perfectly normal for a disinterested secularist to wander around the great cathedrals of the
Written on April 7, 2021 at 8:00 am
Categories: Traditions
Tags: Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, belief, devotion, ritual, sacrifice, temple, worship
Book Review: “How to Tell a Joke,” By Michael Fontaine
Written by Ben Potter, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom As Michael Fontaine’s latest book How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor comes hot on the heels of his fascinating How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing, one might reasonably expect the Cornell professor’s next installment to
Written on March 17, 2021 at 8:38 am
Categories: Culture
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