Tag Archives: Ancient Greek and Roman tradition

Flora, Goddess of Spring, and Her Festival Floralia

Written by Ed Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Many ancient civilizations had fertility goddesses that played a crucial role in their religion. Rome was no exception. Perhaps the best-known fertility goddess in ancient Italy was Flora. She was an exceedingly popular goddess and every year a major festival, the Floralia, was held in her honor.

Written on March 1, 2022 at 7:05 pm, by Sean Kelly

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Categories: Gods

Tags: ancient fertility, Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Flora, Floralia, Roman goddess, Spring

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, by Ben Potter

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Categories: Culture

Tags: Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Cicero, humor

Patriotism in the Ancient World

Written by Ed Whalen, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom While patriotism is associated with the modern world, scholars now believe that it was very common in the Classical world. Patriotism—which can be defined as a love of one’s country that conditions one’s behaviors and beliefs—played a major role in both Roman and Greek society. There, it

Written on July 2, 2021 at 6:45 am, by Whelan

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Categories: Traditions

Tags: Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Ancient Greek history, Ancient Greek Military History, Ancient Rome, Patriotism, Roman military, traditions

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

Written on June 23, 2021 at 6:29 am, by Mary Naples

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Categories: Traditions

Tags: Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Demeter, Eleusinian Mysteries, Persophone

Women’s Rights in Ancient Greece

Written by Angela J. Bryant, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom The issue of women’s rights is often considered unique to the modern era. However, it has been an issue as far back as Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece: Limited Rights Abound Perhaps unsurprisingly, women had few rights compared with men back in Ancient Greece. They weren’t able

Written on May 25, 2021 at 7:07 am, by KristinD

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Categories: Culture

Tags: Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Ancient Greek Women, Athena, women in mythology

From Roman Sarcophagi Comes The Gospel of Bacchus

Written by Barry Ferst, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Serving as a “billboard” for the faithful, images sculpted on Roman-era marble coffins offer a visualization of the Gospel of Bacchus, a graphic stone bible especially meaningful to devotees contemplating death’s doorway. Since much about the cult of Bacchus remains a mystery, a beautifully-carved frieze on a

Written on April 9, 2021 at 8:27 am, by KristinD

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Categories: Gods

Tags: Ancient Greek and Roman tradition, Ancient Rome, Bacchus, Dionysian Rites, Dionysus, Roman tombs, Sarcophagus

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