About: Mary Naples
With an emphasis in Women’s Studies, Mary Naples has an M.A. in Humanities from Dominican University of California. Her deep love of the classical world is reflected in her writing which explores women’s narratives ranging from the ancient Greek and Roman worlds into the Byzantine era and even into ancient Israel and Judea. Mary Naples has been a contributing writer for Classical Wisdom since 2013. More of her articles can be found at www.femminaclassica.com.
Recent Posts by Mary Naples
Hypatia: The Last Academic – Part Two
By Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Read Hypatia-The Last Academic (part One) here. Under Christian rule, Alexandria, once the definitive center of learning throughout the empire, was fast becoming anti-intellectual and inhospitable to Hypatia and the academic circle in which she traveled. In fact, this burgeoning new religion was oftentimes suspicious of learning, equating
Hypatia: The Last Academic – Part One
By Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom They came to her by land. They came to her by sea. They came to her from the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire and they came to her from close by. Amongst the literati, Hypatia (355-415 CE), acclaimed philosopher and leading mathematician, was a rock star. She
In Search of Cleopatra: The Early Years
By Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Before apocryphally rolling out of the carpet and into legend, Cleopatra (69 BCE-30 BCE) already had a storied past. The twenty-one-year old and her thirteen-year old brother-husband Ptolemy XIII (62 BCE-47 BCE) ruled together for close to two years before said brother—under the influence of his overly ambitious
The Mysterious Eleusinian Mysteries: Part 2
Written by Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Part 1 of this series can be found here. From the deep recesses of the Archaic era to enlightened Imperial Rome, the list of initiates into the Eleusinian Mysteries, a popular cult honoring the goddesses Demeter and Persephone, reads like a who’s who of the Classical era.
The Mysterious Eleusinian Mysteries: Part 1
Written by Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Conjuring up mystical images of secret initiation rites held under cover of darkness, the Eleusinian Mysteries were reputedly a dark and dangerous festival. In fact, the rituals were surrounded by such an aura of deadly secrecy that the tragedian Aeschylus was nearly killed on stage just for referencing