Tag: Ancient History
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Between Confinement and Power: The Female Body in Classical Greek Society
In Euripides’ Medea, the exploration of gender inequality reveals women in Classical Greece as constrained despite their essential contributions through motherhood. Angelina Castrucci evaluates how the female body is constructed under subordination and limited public agency, highlighting societal contradictions regarding women’s power and identity.
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Desire and Transformation: Sex and Love in Apuleius’s Metamorphosis
Apuleius’s Metamorphosis intricately explores the themes of sex and love through the protagonist Lucius’s experiences in the Roman Empire. Marnie Camping-Harris analyses how these elements shape the narrative, revealing societal standards and showcasing both heterosexual and homoerotic relationships throughout the novel.
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Emperors and Their Boys: Homosexuality in the Court of China’s Western Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty emperors engaged in romantic relationships with male companions, reflecting a nuanced perspective on homosexuality. Yet, these relationships intertwined affection with political power dynamics and as Kilan Duan notes, they reveal deeper societal implications regarding loyalty and authority during that era.
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Lilith: The First Woman
Lilith, often depicted as a demonic figure in folklore and literature, is being re-evaluated in light of feminist discourse for her assertion of equality with Adam, Maddie Everett-Heath explores her transforming image, from feared demoness to a symbol of sexual power and confidence.
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Genghis Khan, the ‘Defender of Religion’: an Exploration of Religious Tolerance in the Mongol Empire
Poppy Williams explores whether Mongol Ruler Genghis Khan can truly be considered a ‘Defender of Religion.’
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Aristophanes’ Guide to Athenian Dinner Parties
Fiona Macrae gives us an insight into what to expect from an Ancient Greek symposium, based on the plays of Aristophanes.
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How the development of writing systems changed the way our brains work, and how modern technology is changing it again
Writing is an invention so integrated into our lives that we hardly think about it. But it certainly changes the way we think. Kate Jensen takes a look at the way writing systems changed our brains, and what that means for modern technology.
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Werewolves in the Ancient Novels
Werewolves are a popular staple in supernatural stories today, but the werewolf has ancient origins. Fiona Macrae demonstrates two examples from ancient novels.
Retrospect Journal 