The Sophists were a controversial group of philosophers who played a key role in the intellectual life in 5th c Athens. Socrates himself was a vocal critic, & even today their ideas remain influential & dangerous. What were the secrets of the Sophists? classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/secrets-of-t…

A Greek aristocrat caught in the shadow of a rising Rome as a hostage, Polybius did not rage against the dying of Hellenic independence... Instead, he made sense of Rome not as a philosopher from afar, but as a participant, a witness, & a willing convert classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/the-greek-ho…

She was one of the most powerful women of the ancient world… Yet today she is largely forgotten. Why did this happen? Award-winning novelist Costanza Casati discuss the ancient Assyrian queen, Semiramis, and the blurry boundary between history and myth. youtube.com/watch?v=zwwrnm…

A nice way to start the day! I finally picked up my copy of “How to have Willpower” bf our big event (Aug 19). Our panelists represent a cool mixture of ancient philosophy & modern psychology - it’ll be a fascinating panel discussion! Register here: have-willpower.eventbrite.ie

A childhood spent under the watchful eye of Augustus; a marriage arranged at 13 for politics & the political machinery that ground her into dust. Her exile was not a punishment; it was a calculated act of erasure. Who was Julia, the forgotten exile? classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/romes-forgot…

Discover one of ancient Greece’s greatest ever naval battles, as Athens clashed with Sparta in an epic confrontation in the closing years of the generations-spanning Peloponnesian War… classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/greeces-grea…

This week we’re going all the way from a crucial naval battle in the Peloponnesian War, to dangerous intrigue in the court of Augustus. It's a broad expanse of topics…Yet all the greater the glory is yours if you come out on top. classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/weekly-wisdo…

Humans have a long history of letting loose, long before the Bacchae joined the party. But how far should one go? Discover the full frenzy...and the surprising role of psychedelics in the ancient world....in today’s article below. classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/the-lost-psy…

It’s August…The month that is a monument to power. Named for the man who turned a fractious republic into an enduring empire, it’s a reminder that two thousand years ago another world, too, was caught in the feverish heat of transition. classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/the-man-who-…

Trivia Time: If Augustus hadn’t given his name to the month of August, what Latin name would it have continued to go by? A) Sextilis, B) Radix lecti, C Meliora) Find the Answer in our member's Classical Wisdom Litterae issue... classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/the-man-who-…

Considering the sun’s inescapable presence, it’s strange to say that Helios is overlooked as deities go. An outlier in a great many ways: he's a Titan who ruled along with the Olympians... and usurped. Discover the mythology of the sun: classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/greek-god-of…

What is self control? And how can we cultivate it? Join Michael Fontaine (Cornell University Princeton University Press), Tamar Gendler (Yale University) & Jeff Schaefer (Johns Hopkins University) on August 19 to learn about willpower. Register here: have-willpower.eventbrite.ie

Helios has brought the blazing sun into the sky, so it’s time for the Weekly Wisdom Quiz. This week we journeyed with the sun god, looked at the birth of the Roman empire, & the cryptic Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece. See what you’ve learned:classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/weekly-wisdo…

He was brilliant, arrogant, dangerously persuasive, and utterly uncontainable. A student of Socrates, a general of Athens, a traitor, a Spartan ally, a Persian advisor, Alcibiades was all of these and more. classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/the-hero-ath…

We have 8 audiobooks to giveaway at tomorrow’s event. How to Have Willpower brings together two profound ancient meditations on how to overcome pressures that encourage us to act against our own best interests. Register here & automatically enter to win: have-willpower.eventbrite.ie

What can Aristotle tell us about how we should live today? What are the ancient secrets to a flourishing life? In today's Classical Wisdom Speaks #podcast , Lorraine Besser discusses the path towards a richer life is always within us... youtu.be/OHykcCvv-Bw?si…

Welcome to the spirited and surprisingly modern tug-of-war between Plato & Aristotle. On the surface, it’s a discourse about poetry, tragedy, & drama. But beneath is a question about the very nature of our emotions and their place in a good life. classicalwisdom.substack.com/p/whats-the-us…