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War and Greek Tragedy (Part Three: Euripides)

by Andrew Aulner, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Euripides is unique among the three tragedians in that, unlike Aeschylus and Sophocles, there is no historical record that he ever served in the Greek military. Admittedly, Euripides was able to describe actual battle techniques in Phoenician Women and Children of Heracles, despite the lack of a record

Witches of the Ancient World

by Ed Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom When we think of witches, we think of Hallowe’en and scary movies. What many people don’t realize is that witches have been around for a lot longer than any of those things, stretching all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome… In fact, many ancient cultures have

Euripides Greek Tragedy’s Unsung Hero

A lone figure, swaddled in rags sits secluded in a dank cave bent over his papyrus. The whittled reed in his hand dips rhythmically into the pot of octopus ink before adding a couple of urgent scratches to the thick page. His bushy, white beard is stained off-centre at the lower-lip, evidence of his habitual

Top 10 Quotes from Euripides

Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) is the great Greek Tragedian of Classical Athens, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed 95 plays to him but, according to the Suda, it was 92 at most. Of these, 18 or 19 have survived more or less complete and there are also fragments, some substantial, of

Euripides, The Great Greek Tragedian

By Eldar Balta, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Euripides’ Early life Born on Salamis Island in 480 BC to mother Cleito and father Mnesarchus, Euripides’ destiny was foretold in a prophecy given to his father. The Oracle fated that Euripides would one day hold the “crowns of victory”. Mnesarchus did not lose any time insisting that

Was Ancient Greek Theater Only for Men?

by Ben Potter A quick search of our homepage will reveal that a copious amount of ink has already been spilt discussing the life and works of the great practitioners of Athenian theatre: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. However, leaving aside these individuals for the moment, brilliant as they may have been, what of the