About: Van Bryan

Known From: The Iliad “One omen is best: defending the fatherland” -Hector, from The Iliad Hector is a prominent character in Homer’s The Iliad, who gains the wrath of Achilles after he kills Achilles’ friend, Patroclus. Hector is the prince of Troy, the great walled city that is under siege from Achilles and the invading Greeks. Hector is

By Van Bryan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Wining and dining — and philosophizing — is the way the Ancients celebrated life. In fact, wine was a cultural staple for the ancient Greeks. Considering that their civilization is the foundation for much of western civilization, wine becomes an important part of our collective heritage. Archaeological digs

Athens and Sparta were two of the most influential city-states in the ancient world. They both held sway over the history of ancient Greece and to this day have spawned much comparison and analysis. And as we wrote in a previous article, Sparta was known for their militaristic civilization and for their affinity for war. Conversely,

By Van Bryan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Recently, your editor asked a question… Is nationalism “good”? How interesting, we thought to ourselves. Immediately, hand went to chin. We furrowed our eyebrows in earnest ponderance. Some questions stay with you, dear reader. Like a sore on the roof of your mouth that would go away if

In this life, whether you are a philosopher or not, you will need to know how to persuade people. Aristotle tells us as much within his work on rhetoric, aptly titled Rhetoric. This was one of old Artie’s books that I only glossed over in my formative years. Depending on whom you read in your