GREAT ROMAN Bake-off
Year 8 and Year 9 had great fun after summer exams meeting with their friends and cooking Roman dishes, inspired by Apicius’ recipes. They created cookery videos and then brought in their dishes and watched each other’s videos, while having a ‘cena’ (dinner party) as their end of year celebration.
SCHOOL Trips
CLASSICS CONFERENCE:
21ST NOVEMBER 2023
WOMEN IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
For Y10, 12, 13 Latin, Classical Civilisation and Drama students
Student Voice Y10 Latin
We really enjoyed this conference. We didn’t realise how significant women were to ancient Roman and Greek society due to the narrative being told mainly from a male perspective. We found it interesting how young women with periods were celebrated by society in the Brauronia Festival (‘festival of the little bears’), instead of being shamed as they can be today.
Sol and Lucy K-H
We really enjoyed this. This is because we learnt a lot of specific details that we wouldn’t have originally researched. It adds to our set text in Latin literature, as it links to the women in our set text and explains a lot more about Messalina and what the rest of her life and expectation for her would have been.
Sabine, Lucy and Jenny
It was extremely interesting and both speakers were very engaging. It was interesting to learn more about the religion and women’s representation in religion as it’s something we hadn’t thought about much before so it was amazing to learn more.
Alex, Reya, Ellie Y13 Latin
What resonated for me the most from this talk is how the way men perceived women in the ancient world creates stigma around them (e.g. Cicero using Sassia in
an exploitative way as ‘a literary device’). Also, the secret lives of women in cults and religion makes them seem more dimensional which was interesting.
Roxanne B Y12/13 Classical Civilisation
I found learning about the different Athenian festivals such as the Arkteia very interesting, and also learning about the Pythia at Delphi in more depth and how people had to book in advance in order to see her.
Harriet Street
The first lecture especially resonated with me as women in the Roman world is a specific interest of mine. I also found Edith Hall very interesting to listen to and found her description of the religious calendar for a young woman in Athens fascinating. I also thought that the comparisons between different city states attitudes towards women of great interest also due to the great variation. Overall, I found it greatly informative as well as entertaining and I feel that I have greatly furthered my knowledge.
Charlotte Dark
The first talk was incredibly insightful on what you could do in university as well as inspiring as it showed us a great level of interest in a powerful woman not too well known. It added depth to my knowledge of Greek religion and helped me further understand how women were perceived and stood as a very strong view point.
Darcey Hill
Attending the virtual Oxford High School Classics Conference was an illuminating and enjoyable experience. The lecture by Edith Hall was particularly relevant to our Greek Religion topic in our Classical Civilisation A-level. We enjoyed learning about the hugely important role of women in society and religious activities such as festivals. The EPQ presentation was also very good, giving us insight into the lives of Roman women, in particular Antonia Minor.
Mei De Greff Ball Y12/13 Drama
This talk was a good introduction to the context of Sophocles’ “Antigone”. Edith Hall was very interesting and I learnt a lot about Greek tradition which was valuable.
Thea C
SOUTH HAMPSTEAD HIGH CLASSICS CONFERENCEJANUARY 2024
By Mei De Greff Ball
This Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending the GDST Classics Conference 2024 at South Hampstead High School for the second time. The day was filled by a multiplicity of lectures by Classics teachers across the GDST, on subjects from Greek drama to Greek sacrifice to Greek geography. It was wonderful to meet with fellow Classicists who share similar passions and interests - especially as I am to read Classics and English at university next year!
My favourite talk was by the keynote speaker Professor Katherine Clarke at Oxford University, who spoke on the geography of the ancient world and how ancient Greeks viewed one another. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it - I generally consider myself more interested in Greek literature and drama, not geography - but Professor Clarke’s lecture was incredibly sophisticated, yet easy to engage with.
HUMS STRETCH CLASSICS TALKS
‘She Who is Milk White’
The Enduring Ideal of Feminine Perfection
By Mei De Greff Ball
in September 2023
Mei (Y13) delivered her talk on the ‘enduring ideal of feminine perfection’ in classical Greek and Roman literature through to English literature. The case studies she used were Galatea, Lavinia, Elizabeth Lavenza and Daisy Buchanan. This is the same topic that inspired her article in last year’s Classics magazine:
The literary archetype of the unmoving woman has persisted from ancient times to modernity. This might be the literal stillness of an inanimate object, or the figurative inertness resulting from a lack of agency or character. Regardless, this paralysis is passivity taken to the extreme – and is, more often than not, seen to represent perfection. In this essay, I shall examine four such unmoving women: Ovid’s Galatea, Virgil’s Lavinia, Shelley’s Elizabeth Lavenza, and Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan.
Mei is going to Oxford University to read Classics with English.
THE POWER OF ETHIOPIA
By Mrs Saunders in
November 2023
In this lecture, as part of Black History Month, Mrs Saunders explored the mystical ancient past of Ethiopia. She demonstrated that:
Africa, Aethiopia, was a rich and highly regarded land, not well known but revered.
It established links with the Ancient World, that we know as Ancient Greece and Egypt and often intermingled with their societies.
Although there is little evidence to indicate exactly what Aethiopia was like - it’s part of its mystique - there is enough to indicate that the more recent view of Africa as a backward underdeveloped country is greatly misleading.
DRAMATIC WOMEN IN TACITUS
By Mrs Frankland in April 2024
Mrs Frankland explored the portrayal of the wives and mistresses of the Roman Emperors in Tacitus’ Annals, investigating the following questions:
How does Tacitus portray women in his ‘Annals’ (= yearby-year history books)?
Why does he portray them in this way?
What are the similarities between Tacitus’ presentation of women and that of our own media’s presentation of royal women and women more generally?
If you have a topic you would like to deliver as part of the Humanities Stretch Programme, please contact s.wallace@syd.gdst.net
OUR TRIP TO THE RICHBOROUGH ROMAN FORT AND AMPHITHEATRE
By Elise Maher
We arrived at school at 8:15, for us to depart at 8:30. Richborough is around an hour and half away so we wanted to be there promptly.
It was a very fun trip, first we went and visited the amphitheatre where dramatic events took place such as gladiator fights and spectators were able to sit around and watch.
Then we looked at the old Roman fort and climbed to the top of the Roman gateway replica for a great view of the Roman fort which was the Romans’ base during the invasion in 43 AD. These are some of the most impressive buildings to ever have been built in Roman Britain.
After we visited the museum to see some Roman artefacts, we learnt lots about the different kinds of jewellery and vases that were used at the time. We also got to touch lots of different kinds of hairpins they would use, coins they had and other artefacts.
UPCOMING Trips
DATES FOR THE DIARY
October 16 2024
Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre
Hadestown has won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. It takes us on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone.
February 12 2025
Oedipus at the Old Vic Academy Award winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, NoTimeTo Die) and Olivier Award winner Indira Varma (Present Laughter, Game ofThrones) star in Ella Hickson’s intimate and revelatory version of Sophocles’ transcendent tragedy, Oedipus, co-directed by Matthew Warchus and Hofesh Shechter.
It’s a cold case but, according to the Oracle, if the murderer of old King Laius is found and punished then all will be well. The people turn to their new King, Oedipus, the man who solved the riddle of the Sphinx, to hunt down the perpetrator and bring salvation. He vows to succeed whatever the cost and so begins an unstoppable pursuit of the truth through a harrowing labyrinth of fear and love.
April 8-11 2025
Sicily
The Classics and Italian Departments are very excited about our pupils having the opportunity to visit Sicily. Its historic rule under Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman ethnic groups makes it a particularly interesting place to explore. We will be based in Catania and have day trips to the Roman Villa in Piazza Armerina, Caltagirone and Siracusa, in addition to Taormina and the Valley of the Temples.
COMPETITION Winners
OVID TALES
COMPETITION WINNER
Year 7 pupils are introduced to the ancient world with an exploration of Greek mythology. Over the course of their first term, a range of myths are listened to as a class, discussed and creatively interpreted in the medium of:
Performance
Artefact
Creative Writing
Animation
Pupils choose their favourite myth and their favourite medium of expression and have the opportunity to enter the Ovid Tales Competition.
A LEVEL CLASSICIST, HARRIET STREET, HAS BEEN AWARDED PEARSON & SILVER AWARDS FROM THE GIRLS’ DAY SCHOOL TRUST.
Each year, the Pearson & Silver committee awards a number of prizes to GDST students based on academic excellence in classical subjects, commitment to studying a classical subject at university, and contribution to school life. Congratulations to Harriet Street in Y12 on being awarded £100 to put towards the cost of attending courses with a classical content before they commence their university studies.
The Pearson & Silver Awards are just some of the many prestigious scholarships available exclusively to GDST pupils. The awards are named after Nancy Silver, a Classicist and former GDST Head, and Bertram Pearson, a former member of the Council of the Trust, who left a share of his estate to the GDST for the purpose of promoting the study and pursuit of classical learning in Greek and Latin.
We are delighted that Anna Iliev in Year 7 was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ for her ‘Icarus installation’ by the University of Cambridge Outreach Ovid Tales Competition committee.
The rationale behind Anna’s installation was: The reason that inspired me to create an artefact about this myth is because it strongly shows that you should always aim high but know to stay within your limits. It also warns us about the dangers of power and enjoyment if you are not careful you could get carried away. Another interesting part of this myth is that it really is a tragedy in which we can see a story of a person trying to achieve something truly amazing like flying up and touching the sun but in the end failing and having to face great consequences (losing his life).
>>(10:46 in video)
OXFORD UNIVERSITY COMPETITION
Out of 300 applicants, Darcey Hill (Y12) was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ for her poem ‘the watching women and their untold tales’, inspired by the Egyptian Mummy Portraits.
The watching women and their untold tales Darcey Hill
There they lie preserved, gone but in many ways immortal, Their eyes, forever open, watching, they’ve seen thousands of years of love, truth, deceit, but never death. Forever destined to watch over the world from beyond.
It is claimed that they come from Faiyum, however that name is not recognisable to them,
They knew it as Shedet, then, Ptolemais.
The name would change, but never the mysteries, The crocodile city, the centre of worship for the cult of Sobek,
They both dedicated their lives to him.
One was a queen, Satsobek, the daughter of the mighty crocodile lord,
The other was a priestess whom would dance with her fellow priestesses in the Nile, safe from the hungry eyes of the crocodiles,
Now she is forced to live a life through the rigidity of wax watching others,
Locked away with all her secrets,
She can learn their tales but they can never understand hers,
She can be watched but the secrets she holds will never slip from her lips, shall never be revealed.
Perhaps this is the price she must pay for the short but lustrous life she led as the most trusted priestess of the queen with the white crown.
Long ago she took a vow to Sobek, to forever stay by his daughter’s side, even if that meant following her into the afterlife.
So when their time came, there they both lay, side by side, Some may say they were lucky, they believed it at the time too.
Decorated with seraphic jewels engifted with the privilege to watch over their city,
Fated to leave the world of the living, but never rest, for it was their duty to watch over their kingdom, their home,
To watch over Sobek’s other child Petsuchos, the one who got away, the one who got to know peace after death.
They relished seeing the joys of succeeding priestesses as they in turn danced along with the crocodiles.
But once you’re gone you can only expect the world to stay the same for so long,
Soon, after the passage of the mighty Cleopatra, their city was conquered by Rome.
They had to lie side by side through years of neglect watching, as their home slowly deteriorated, There was no longer the spellbinding laughter of the priestesses who danced with the crocodiles, now all they heard were whispers of their tears carried by the breeze, Until that went away too.
The problem with being around for eternity is that eventually you’re forgotten, People left,
Without worship, the mighty crocodile lord had no choice but to abandon his daughter, and his priestess.
With no one to care for them, the crocodiles departed too.
The two maidens remained, until they were discovered and plucked from the tragedy of their city.
Now they had a new home, where they could once again see joy
They were looked upon and interpreted in many ways, but none would ever know their true story
Forever they will stay watching, side by side.
MYTHOLOGICAL POETRY Year 9
‘LUNA’
BY ABIGAIL ASEMOTA
You smothered yourself in jewellery that shone so bright, The crescent moon crown that you wore upon your head oh so tight. It blinded me, it blinded all of us
Almost like a mask, it was the dark night, Your true self a blur of sheep behind its shepherd. It confused me, you confused me.
You spotted me asleep while travelling in the sky, Rehearsed to me your devilish siren cry, But it seemed to me to be your true heart
Appearing sweet with hidden spice like chai
You warmed me up and then you left It confused me, you confused me.
Context
In some classical mythology, Luna as Diana obtains the chariot from her father, Jupiter. Diana appears in other stories, such as the story of Niobe and the story of Orion. She also falls in love with a mortal named Endymion, whom she spots asleep while traveling across the sky. Masking, also called camouflaging or compensating, is when individuals repress or hide signs of a mental health condition to blend in. She is often said to wear a crown with a crescent moon on it. Some even say that she had small horns and golden wings. Selene is believed to have asked Zeus to give Endymion eternal life and to make him sleep forever. Luna was also believed to have the power to mask reality, to pierce illusion, to awaken intuition and to spark visions. This latter arising from association of the night and the moon with dreams.
‘ZEUS’
BY IZZY OKOLO
From high atop Olympus’ crest, Where thunder rolls and never rests, Great Zeus commands with lightning’s might, The king of gods, the lord of light.
With eagle’s gaze and thunderous cry, He rules the earth and sky so high, A guardian fierce of justice call, The mighty Zeus, who reigns o’er all.
‘ANTEROS’
BY INDIA PERRY BENN
What is more beautiful than the singing songs of them who fall
Fall into the depths of the strings of love
When they get entangled into the depths and to not fight
But give in to the unrequited love
That is when I sung my song to the sweet Aphrodite
When the song of love does not ring
For each one I bring
A punishment of sorrow
As love is the need for all
Spit on the work of my mother?
I spit on the work of your life.
Bask in the joys she brings ? Bells will ring.
‘POMEGRANATE’ BY
MYA STRAKER
In twilight’s touch, shadows entwine, Hades swept her away, realms divine
Pomegranate seeds sealed her fate, Seasons danced,a love to contemplate.
Demeter wept, earth’s pulse undone Persephone twirled, light and dark spun Hearts entwined, eternal yearning, Hades waits, as seasons keep turning.
Spring blooms
Joy unfurls, painting blue skies
Yet autumn comes, tugging her low
To the underworld’s depths, where shadows grow. Their love, a waltz of sun and shade,
In Hades’ arms, solace and strife blend,
A myth spun through eternity’s thread, Without end.
He waits
She returns
Their eternal refrain, Love’s seasons waltz, forever remain.
GREEK ASTRONOMY
In ancient Greece astronomy was a popular study. Ancient Greek astronomy was the study of the universe with the goal to understand why it functioned and how it worked. While many of their theories have become outdated by now they still played a crucial role in leading to our knowledge of the universe today. Some of it is useful even now like the celestial sphere and celestial coordinates.
During their studies of astronomy the Greeks found two main celestial objects:
Fixed stars
Wanderxing stars
were purely based on what they could see (with. Most visible objects in the sky appear at the exact same speed and the exact same arrangement in the sky every night.
The Greeks did not have the same advanced technology as us so their studies
Without modern technology like telescopes the Greeks were only able to see five planets. Since these planets moved across the sky like stars the Greeks referred to them as wandering stars. This is actually the reason we call them planets as it came from the Greek word ‘planetes’ which means ‘wanderer’. The Greeks could see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They named these planets after their gods Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus and Cronus.
Year 10
VESUVIUS
BY LUCY BICHARD
The eruption had happened many years ago and is now almost forgotten by all but the artists, the philosophers, the family of those who were killed. The screaming could be heard from miles of mass panic, mass praying. The senate called an urgent meeting to discuss what to do with what remained of the bodies. But slowly over time as all things do it was forgotten, the event which had caused the end of many families had been pushed to the back of people’s minds.
I stood calmly amongst the ruins of what had once been a family home. An urn lay on its side, broken, forgotten. Petals flew past from the flowers sprouting from the debris as beauty once more made its way into this house. I sat and drew, taking in the beauty in the tragedy, there were delicate bricks which lay discarded on the ground along with splinters of wood that had somehow survived the eruption.
The process of creating art is tiring both physically and emotionally but this piece in particular exhausted me in ways I did not think possible from an artwork. Of course all art has its struggles, the delicate process of copying everything, however this piece from my imagination seemed placed in my head as though I had known the
child personally as they experienced life however short it may have been. Each indentation builds the story of its life, of its history, of its creation.
I heard the quiet humming of a mother lulling her child to sleep as wind rushed by cooling the burnt remains of Akrotiri. I wonder if the child liked similar things to children nowadays, boxing, chariot-racing and all the things we only have the luxury of doing when we are young and free. The child who’s whole life was ahead of them was now only bones which lay disfigured in the rubble.
When making my art I try to choose pieces with meaning, with depth, but I wondered what would the child, not yet able to speak, have felt in its final moments. Not even Zeus would have known what had gone through their head. Perhaps it had screamed in pain, perhaps it was silent, like many around it praying to the Gods to save it, perhaps it had prayed not to the Gods - the unknown presence that the child had never seen - but to its mother crying out begging for her to come back and sing them to sleep one last time. Perhaps as the child crawled away from the flames, away from the screaming, and away from the body of their family dog trapped and whining under the fallen pillar of their house, that it had felt a sense of desperation to get out and leave this once joyful place that had always been its home. Perhaps it was impossible to capture this all in one piece. or perhaps the child had simply died.
2023-2024
Year 12
THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY
BY CHARLOTTE DARK
They walk across the rubble, Stones warmed by blazing fire, Screams of the trapped, Within the furnaces of hate, The sound of a deadly choir.
Night grows darker, Smoke veils the moon Stars that looked down, From the vault of the sky Are shielded from the sight of the doom
Concealed by Odysseus Whom zeus inspired with cunning To cross the wall And take great Troy And send her people running.
Those who would warn them Are dead or ignored, The princes dead The people captured, By the Greek horde.
And now they return To the land of their homes, In their many sailed ships Leaving behind Heroes burnt bones.
The gods have had their entertainment Of us mortals below And the story shall be told, Again and again In the days of tomorrow.
ATHENA
BY DARCEY HILL
Just as Perseus was about to give up completing the impossible task of slaying the gorgon medusa his half-sister Athena, goddess of wisdom, craft and warfare appeared beside him emanating power, knowledge and authority. Athena had a majestic appearance, a beautiful but stern face.
A smirk rested on her unseemingly full lips for behind her intense grey eyes she held the secret to defeating the gorgon.
She took off her shield of polished bronze and held it out to him. “Look into this when you attack the Gorgon,” she spoke in a gentle and reassuring tone. “You will be able to see her in it as if in a mirror, and so avoid her deadly power”. With that she handed Perseus the shield and disappeared into the gold luminance that radiated off of her sturdy armour. Perseus was left grateful to be told the key to defeating medusa and fulfilling his destiny.
THE HERO ARRIVES
BY HARRIET STREETSHORT STORY (EPIC-INSPIRED)
The blazing sun glared down from the cornflower sky. The waves crashed against the jagged rocks off of the shore, and the salty wind rustled the multitude of coloured sails flying from their masts. Men bustled in glinting armour between the maze of tents, some carrying weapons and others trying to herd the last of the sheep back into their pen. Anticipation lingered in the air, and murmurs of his name carried on the breeze along the great length of the beach. The men were growing impatient; they had been slowly gathering on this land for the past few weeks, at first just a congregation but now a swarm. It was uncertain how much longer Agammemnon was prepared to wait - as the days went past his temper grew worse and worse, and it had only been a few hours since the sound of a giant crash had echoed from his tent, shortly followed by a great bellowing. The heat was almost unbearable, and sweat trickled down the foreheads of soldiers as they sharpened their spears and polished their helmets.
Suddenly, a faint cry sounded from down the beach. Some men stopped in their tracks, dropping their helmets in the sand, while others ran to witness the commotion. A huge crowd had formed along the shoreline, and just beyond the cluster of rocks off of the shore was a great mast. A soaring
black sail propelled the long, sleek ship over the waves, and the steady song of the oarsmen was just audible over the noise of the crowd. Behind this majestic ship was forty-nine more, smaller in size but with the same black sails, drums beating in time. At the bow of the flagship stood a broad, well - built figure, adorned in dark armour that flashed in the sunlight. He held a tall spear in his left hand, however did not lean against it as the ship crested the waves. The men on the beach were cheering now, a great chorus of excitement, awe and relief. They sprinted back up the length of the shore to where the space had been left all those weeks ago for the Myrmidon camp, still shouting and crying with elation. Even Agamemnon had emerged from the shadows of his tent to understand the cause for such a commotion, and strode up the beach closely followed by Odysseus and Diomedes.
The ship came to a halt before the shore, horns blaring, and a wide plank was carefully lowered onto the sand. Mycenaean soldiers frantically made a barricade around the plank, preventing the surging crowd from engulfing the new arrivals. Myrmidon soldiers lined the ship deck in their menacing black armour, and the tall, muscular figure made his way to the top of the plank. He stood up straight, gazing out over the sea of marvelling men before him, and his jet black helmet contrasted the brilliant gold of his hair, glowing in the sun like fire. He took a confident step onto the steady plank and made his way down onto the beach, two thousand pairs of eyes following his every move. As if by command, a deafening chant filled the electric air, reaching even to the ears of the spectating Gods in the sky. “Ach-illes!”, “Ach-ill-es!”. The hero, best of the Greeks, had arrived at last. Soon they would sail for Troy.
Year 13
IPHIGENIAFROM ARTEMIS’ POINT OF VIEW
BY CHLOE DEAN
‘My favourite daughter’ he proclaims. coward’s tears moulding his face into one of mortal misery. Unable even to complete the deed himself he thrusts her forward to the arms of Achilles, who guides her shaking to the altar. a sheen of sweat covers her pale skin as her eyes dart wildly like a doe snared by hunters.
I had not asked for this, I did not think he would. Must women always pay for the faults of man? Achilles Presents the offering, decorating her form in floral garlands before raising the golden knife above her gentle head beseeching me to ‘revive her’ as he swings the blade forcefully upon her pale neck.
Her fear is evident however her devotion is clear as she waits, head bowed, for the fateful blow. She would give her life for her father’s success, Is a war truly worth more than a woman?
My altar need not be polluted with noble blood, Accepting my sacrifice I replace her with a doe watching as Achilles’s blade continues in its decent hacks through her throat staining my altar with her life’s blood.
As the lifeless body of the doe lies upon my altar, I can feel the weight of mortal injustice upon my shoulders. Vowing to protect the girl who showed such pious devotion, I carried her far from the city to my temple, leaving her to slumber beneath the dusty olive groves.
ANTHEA OF SPARTA
BY MEI DE GREFF BALL
Anthea of Sparta, fifteen years old, was pregnant for two years before she came as a suppliant to the sanctuary. As she slept, the god Asclepius came to her in a dream. He reached into her and brought out her three children, all grown enough to walk on two feet.
My name is Anthea. I am my venerated husband’s fourth wife and only fifteen years old, but I think I do please him well. He gave me a child the first time we lay together, but after two summers had passed and I had not yet given birth, my eldest brother brought me to the Asklepieion. We hoped the god Asclepius would help me bear my child.
The journey was three days by horse-drawn cart. Because I was heavy with child, I was allowed to ride in the cart, but my brother walked alongside the horses’ heads. He was afraid to be too close to me, in case he polluted my belly with his touch. Besides, we were both afraid that thieves would steal the horses, because they were my husband’s and very valuable.
When we reached the sanctuary, I was comforted by the accounts of miracles. My brother refused to go into the Temple of Artemis, so I went alone and offered her a lock of my hair and a honey cake I had brought from Sparta. I prayed to her, and to gentle Epione, for a swift delivery. My stomach was so swollen I thought the skin would split apart.
After I had made my prayers, the priests helped me bathe. My brother objected to me being touched by a man, but in my condition, I could neither touch my feet nor reach around to wash my back. The priests were very gentle, and it felt good to have the road-dust and sweat sluiced off me.
My venerated husband had sent a pure white kid, hand-fed on milk and the best of his flock, for the sacrifice. It was a pity that it had to be sacrificed, but the priests told us that such an offering would ensure the god’s attention. My brother held the kid’s head and I cut the neck with a sharp knife. The smell of blood mixed with the hot earth made me feel so ill I could not carve the portions and burn them – my brother and the priests did that for me.
After the sacrifice, my brother washed his hands and went to the stadium to watch a play. I wished to go too, but my brother said it was indecent for a pregnant woman to be seen at the theatre without her husband. I retired to the abaton stoa, where the priests told me that Asclepius would visit me during my incubation. I was so nervous that I couldn’t rest, which was worrying to me, because I knew that if I didn’t dream the god wouldn’t come to me. One of the priests reminded me of the pure white kid.
Eventually I managed to dream, and in it the god Asclepius stood above my head and gave me a thick coiled snake to hold in my bare hands. He took a knife, the same one I had used to slit the kid’s throat, and cut open my stomach. The tough muscle yielded easily to his hand and there was no pain. I remember the cool ridges of the snake’s skin. Then he reached inside me and brought out one child, and then another, and then another.
When I woke, I found my children, already grown and walking on two feet. I had no scar on my belly. My brother and I made a votive offering to Asclepius: my hands that had held the snake and the footprints of my three children. I knew he would be kind to me because he himself was cut from his mother’s belly by the god Hermes, and his father Phoebus Apollo was born to Leto nine days after his twin sister Artemis.
BOOK Reviews
Engage with the wider world of Classics through books, podcasts, TV, and trips out!
Who
let the gods out
by Maz Evans
When a shooting star crashes to earth, it lands Eliot smack bang in the path of Virgo - a young Zodiac goddess on a mission. But when the pair accidentally release Thanatos, a wicked death daemon imprisoned beneath Stonehenge, they’ve got nowhere to turn for help but to the old Olympian gods.
The Secrets of Vesuvius
by Caroline Lawrence
It’s the summer of AD 79 and Flavia Gemina and her friends, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus, set sail for the Bay of Naples where they are going to stay with Flavia’s uncle near Pompeii. Once they arrive, they are soon absorbed in a quest to solve a riddle that may lead to treasure. But then tragedy strikes: Mount Vesuvius erupts and the friends must flee for their lives’
Against all gods
by Maz Evans
Elliot faces his darkest period yet. As well as facing up to his fears, he realises that the future of mankind - and the survival of everything he holds dear - is at stake. But can a bunch of misfit gods, a lost constellation and a mortal boy stand up to the daemon hordes?
Enemies of Jupiter by
Caroline Lawrence
Jonathan’s father, Doctor Mordecai, is summoned to Rome to help the plague victims. The four young detectives are wanted too, as the Emperor Titus believes that they can find the mysterious enemy who seeks Rome’sdestruction.
Can the friends prevent disaster? And what is Jonathan’s secret mission?
Beyond the Odyssey by
Maz Evans
The third book in the bestselling Who Let the Gods Out series’ An exciting, laughout-loud hilarious and highly acclaimed Percy Jackson-esque adventure Book 1 was shortlisted for both the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Books Are My Bag Readers’ Award Hilarious and heartfelt, the Who Let the Gods Out? series is centred on the Olympian godsperfect for fans of Greek mythology! Are you ready to find out how it all ends?.
The Charioteer of Delphi by
Caroline Lawrence
September AD 80. Flavia and her friends go to Rome to celebrate the Festival of Jupiter at Senator Cornix’s town house. When a famous racehorse goes missing, Nubia sets out to recover it. The four friends find themselves caught up in a plot against one of the rival factions, the Greens. Who is trying to sabotage the charioteers? Could it be an inside job, or someone with a grudge from long ago? And how many men and horses will die before the killer is caught?
Circe
by Madeline Miller
Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2018. The Song of Achilles author unspools a tantalising mythological tale of survival, transformation, revenge and women’s fight to be free.
Mythos
by Stephen Fry
Dryly funny and packed with crackling, quick-witted dialogue, Mythos gives fresh bite and relevance to age-old legends, proving that, when it comes to storytelling, Fry certainly has the Midas touch.
Rubicon
by Tom Holland
It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.
Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
A riveting tale of love, ambition and immortal fame, this award-winning debut from the author of Circe retells the story of the Trojan War and its greatest hero from the point of view of his closest friend Patroclus.
Heroes
by Stephen Fry
Hot on the legend-gilded heels of his triumphant Mythos, Stephen Fry returns for a second collection of matchless retellings of cowardice, courage and sacrifice under the gaze of the gods.
Dynasty
by Tom Holland
Holland does not just tell the story of the reign of the Julio-Claudian family. He knits the history of ancient Rome into his narrative - its founding myths, the fall of the republic, the religious superstitions - with a skill so dextrous you don’t notice the stitching. Dynasty is both a formidable effort to compile what we can know about the ancient world and a sensational story
Secret History
by Donna Tartt
Building an ever-darkening atmosphere of ominous tension, Donna Tartt’s ground breaking college-set thriller casts profound questions of morality and desire in a gripping reverse-murder mystery steeped in allusions to the ancient classics.
Troy
by Stephen Fry
After captivating readers with his formidable Mythos and Heroes, Fry turns his attention to another great narrative from Ancient Greece, exploring the timeless human passions that bent at the heart of this iconic old story of heroism, love, despair and revenge.
SPQR
by Mary Beard
This monolithic history of Ancient Rome spans 1,000 years and practically every facet of Republic and Empire. Mary Beard’s typically accessible text belies monumental research, breathing new life into well-worn myths and challenging accepted orthodoxy on a range of topics. A stupendous achievement.
Horrible Histories BBC !player
Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator BBC !player Meet the Roman Emperor BBC !player Ancient Invisible Cities BBC !player
In Our Time: Melvyn Bragg
Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics
Classics and Careers Podcast
Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! HeartPodcasts and Liv Albert
The Ancients: History Hit
Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids
JOURNALS
Antigone Journal
Antigone, a site that seeks to make Classics open to all, whatever your knowledge and interests, whoever and wherever you are. We hope you enjoy exploring nearly 400 articles about all aspects of the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds!
British Museum
Visit Room 19 at the British Museum to enjoy sculpture and architecture of Athens at the height of its political and cultural power.
Richborough Fort
Evocatively sited in East Kent, Richborough is the cradle of life for Roman Britain. The Romans started their conquest by landing here in AD 43, and later created a thriving trading hub at the entrance to Roman Britain.
Temple of Mithras
See and experience the reconstructed remains of the Temple of Mithras. It has been restored to capture the mystery and intrigue of the Roman cult of Mithras, who used to meet on this site. Haze, light and the sound of footsteps, chanting and secret whispers will transport you back to London AD 240.
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683. Their world famous collections range from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and time.
BOOK REVIEWS
The Secret History by
Imogen Pearce
The Secret History was written by Donna Tartt in 1992 and is an amazing read that I would recommend to everyone. This story starts off with the protagonist Richard and his journey to joining an elite and exclusive classics group at his new university, Hampden College. There are mentions of the ancient Greeks and this novel and the storyline is often compared to a Greek tragedy. Although the main characters, Camilla, Charles, Richard, Henry, Edward (who is called Bunny most of the time) and Francis, study Greek at Hampden College there are many instances where they speak Latin and discuss the Roman Empire and ancient Roman ideas. They also use Latin and sometimes French mottos and phrases throughout the book, as many of the characters are bilingual. The story is very well thought out and I thought that Donna Tartt
wrote the ancient Roman and Greek ideas into the book very well, so the role of classics definitely had a crucial part in The Secret History.
The Song of Achilles by Seraphina Oldfield
This book was a great read, as it was really engaging and fun as well as informative and eyeopening. One of the reasons why it was so interesting was that it was written from the perspective of the lover of Achilles, a man called Patroclus, rather than Achilles himself.
Obviously this shows that one of the main focuses of the story is LGBTQ+ romance, which is harder to find than most other genres of literature. This also allows us to see Achilles’ journey from boyhood into heroism from a different perspective, which allows us to have a more neutral perspective. Overall, a great read.
