"The number and features of these three sexes were owing to the fact that the male was originally the offspring of the sun, and the female of the earth; while that which partook of both sexes was born of the moon, for the moon also partakes of both" Read more
Theophrastus, in Enquiry into Plants, says "we must endeavour to speak of timber, saying of what nature is that of each tree, what is the right season for cutting it, which kinds are hard or easy to work, and anything else that belongs to such an enquiry." Read more
Having come across across references to trees and to wooden construction in the Iliad and Odyssey, my curiosity was piqued, and I decided to gather a few examples where wood and trees were mentioned, to try and better understand what these meant in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry. Are there any special associations with trees or using wood? What kinds of trees are mentioned? Read more
When we see the golden artefacts found at Mycenae and the so-called “treasure of Priam,” it shows an incredible abundance of gold, silver and bronze in the Mycenaean period. Even in Homeric poetry there is mention of “Mycenae rich in gold,” and there are references in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry to silver, gold, iron, copper and bronze. So we wanted to know more about how these metals were mined. Read more
Last time we looked at food and drink for health and well-being. This time we look at less salubrious examples of eating and drinking, many of which have disastrous consequences. We invite you to share in the Forum any other examples you come across, mythological and otherwise, accidental and deliberate, in which people suffer as a result of inappropriate eating and drinking. Read more
