Hellenica is an encyclopedia of Greek culture, from classical Hellas, through the Byzantine Empire until the modern day, though its focus is on antiquity and especially the
science and technology of Ancient Greece. Featuring technical diagrams and explications, there's no better site if you seek information on
gigantic galleys,
now obscure great Greek mathematicians,
the last still working Ancient lighthouse and
gears and how they were used by Archimedes and other ancients. This is not to denigrate other sections of the site, such as the page on the
Olympics (including a
Google Map of the site of the games), biographies of
ancient,
Byzantine and
modern Greeks, the
warring and
healing of the Byzantines or the overview of Greek literature, taking in
antiquity,
the medieval era and
modern times. That said, Hellenica is at its finest when treating science and technology.
posted by Kattullus
on Jul 18, 2008 -
8 comments
I have been thinking about
masks lately.
Masks are
ancient and
universal, our ancestors put on masks to become an other, to become a god, even unto
this day.
Greek tragedy and
comedy began in the worship of
Dionysos, the
god of wine, intoxication, and creative ecstasy, in
rituals where worshipers often wore or worshipped masks. Indeed, the word for mask in Greek drama was persona, now commonly used to describe
constructed online identities. And so
we understand ourselves as wearing masks, whole series of masks--behind which we find only emptiness, for we can never see ourselves truly.
posted by y2karl
on Feb 24, 2005 -
30 comments
Unchecked Greek aggression near Thebes in 1475AD has brought them to war, but Phoenatican
democracy prevails. The, uh, fanatics over at
civ fanatics have been playing
Civilization 3 game as a democracy, with elected leaders, policy votes, a
constitution, a
census,
the works. Their
empire is impressive, as is the player cooperation to make a new kind of gameplay that
Sid Meier probably never intended.
posted by malphigian
on Jul 3, 2002 -
9 comments
The Independent has a report that excavations at Herculaneum has brought forth some 850 papyri and "Among the works, which academics hope to read using the new equipment, are the lost works of Aristotle (his 30 dialogues, referred to by other authors, but lost in antiquity), scientific works by Archimedes, mathematical treatises by Euclid, philosophical work by Epicurus, masterpieces by the Greek poets Simonides and Alcaeus, erotic poems by Philodemus, lesbian erotic poetry by Sappho, the lost sections of Virgil's Juvenilia, comedies by Terence, tragedies by Seneca and works by the Roman poets Ennius, Accius, Catullus, Gallus, Macer and Varus."
posted by stbalbach
on Feb 11, 2001 -
20 comments
