Classics Tutor
@classicstutor.bsky.social
Enchanting adventures in Greek & Roman history, literature, mythology & religion! classicstutor.substack.com
Join me as we trace the earliest verifiable origins of #Greek and #Roman deities through layers of epigraphical, artistic, and linguistic evolution.
Ancient of Days
The Origins of Greek and Italic Gods
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November 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Coming up on Tues 11 November, for Classics Tutor paid subscribers, a look at the immensely ancient origins of the #Greek and #Italic gods. Image: A #Minoan Linear B tablet from the Knossos archives. It records a jar of wine being offered to DI-WO-NU-SO (Dionysos), dated to 1450-1375 BCE
November 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Classics Tutor
How often can you say that you've seen a kantharos-rhyton? This cup has a bridled donkey head attachment, usually seen only on rhyta. It mirrors the donkey seen on the reverse of the cup, ridden by Dionysos. When you drank from this vessel, you looked like an ass! 🏺 1/
Greek, 520-500 BCE. 📸 me
Greek, 520-500 BCE. 📸 me
November 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
How often can you say that you've seen a kantharos-rhyton? This cup has a bridled donkey head attachment, usually seen only on rhyta. It mirrors the donkey seen on the reverse of the cup, ridden by Dionysos. When you drank from this vessel, you looked like an ass! 🏺 1/
Greek, 520-500 BCE. 📸 me
Greek, 520-500 BCE. 📸 me
To celebrate my 500 subscribers, here is a brief review of the most recent publications of interest in #Classical Studies!
#greece #rome #ancienthistory #philosophy #religion #mythology
#greece #rome #ancienthistory #philosophy #religion #mythology
Recent Classics Publications
A Brief Review of New Classics Resources
classicstutor.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:48 PM
To celebrate my 500 subscribers, here is a brief review of the most recent publications of interest in #Classical Studies!
#greece #rome #ancienthistory #philosophy #religion #mythology
#greece #rome #ancienthistory #philosophy #religion #mythology
How did Southern #Italy and #Sicily become such an important part of the #Greek-speaking world? What great monsters and heroic deeds of the poets took place on these ancient western shores? Learn more in today's free issue of Classics Tutor!
Magna Graecia
The Greek Settlement of Italy and Sicily
classicstutor.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:28 PM
How did Southern #Italy and #Sicily become such an important part of the #Greek-speaking world? What great monsters and heroic deeds of the poets took place on these ancient western shores? Learn more in today's free issue of Classics Tutor!
I’m opening up my recent piece on reading #omens to free subscribers and followers. Learn all about the art of reading entrails and watching birds for signs! Happy #Halloween, everybody! #rome #classics #augury #haruspicy #ornithomancy
Reading Omens
A Brief History of Græco-Roman Divination
classicstutor.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I’m opening up my recent piece on reading #omens to free subscribers and followers. Learn all about the art of reading entrails and watching birds for signs! Happy #Halloween, everybody! #rome #classics #augury #haruspicy #ornithomancy
On this day in 130 CE, #Antinous, companion to the Emperor #Hadrian, drowned in the River Nile during the feasts of #Osiris. The priests of Osiris both embalmed & deified him. To this day, Antinuous is celebrated as having traversed the underworld and returned a god. #rome #egypt #lgbthistory
Antinous: The Boy Who Became a God
The story of Emperor Hadrian's deified companion
classicstutor.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:05 PM
How long have Western people celebrated #Halloween, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day? Read more about the #Roman origins of these traditions in this week's FREE edition of Classics Tutor.
Roman Feasts for the Dead
Ancient and Modern
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October 28, 2025 at 1:24 PM
How long have Western people celebrated #Halloween, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day? Read more about the #Roman origins of these traditions in this week's FREE edition of Classics Tutor.
There has been a significant amount of new work on #slavery in ancient #Rome, particularly blending archaeological discoveries with re-examinations of known primary sources. Read more about it in this week’s Classics Tutor!
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Slavery in Ancient Rome
Recent Research and Excavations
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October 23, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Terminus is the #Roman god of boundaries, sometimes identified as an aspect of #Jupiter. His veneration is quite ancient. His name is synonymous with the #Latin word for boundary stone. The stones were sanctified by a ritual. Concedo nvlli or concedo nulli means “I yield to no one”.
October 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Giorgios Gemistos Plethon (c. 1355–1452) was the key catalyst for the Florentine Platonic revival. We have strong evidence pointing to the specific, core ideas that were transmitted from Plethon to the Italian humanists, particularly Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola.
The Hellenic Polytheist Who Sparked The Renaissance
Georgios Gemistos Plethon
classicstutor.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Giorgios Gemistos Plethon (c. 1355–1452) was the key catalyst for the Florentine Platonic revival. We have strong evidence pointing to the specific, core ideas that were transmitted from Plethon to the Italian humanists, particularly Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola.
Silenus, (Greek: Σειληνος, Σιληνος: Seilênos, Silênos) is famous in mythology for being the adopted father of Dionysos, whom he & the Hyedes, the rain-making nymphs, nurtured in a sweet-smelling cave on the mythical Mount Nysa. Read more about Silenus below.
Silenus the Wise
Father of the Satyrs
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October 14, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Silenus, (Greek: Σειληνος, Σιληνος: Seilênos, Silênos) is famous in mythology for being the adopted father of Dionysos, whom he & the Hyedes, the rain-making nymphs, nurtured in a sweet-smelling cave on the mythical Mount Nysa. Read more about Silenus below.
From the #archaic #Italic peoples, to the #Iliad and beyond, we must come to appreciate the importance that archaic and classical communities placed on correctly reading #omens.
Reading Omens
A Brief History of Græco-Roman Divination
classicstutor.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:43 PM
This weekend, Classics Tutor paid subscribers will be able to enjoy a brief history of omens and divination in the Græco-Roman world. And speaking of ominous, how about this detail of a terracotta altar with a pretty hair-raising #Gorgon, 6th c. BCE. Palazzo Massimo alle Therme, Rome. #Rome
October 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The Nemean Lion was often seen as a monstrous, chaotic force. By slaying the lion and then wearing its skin, #Hercules turned the threat of death into his own deliverance. Read more»» classicstutor.substack.com/p/esoteric-h...
Coin from Sicily, ca. 405-400 BCE. Hercules strangling the Nemean lion.
Coin from Sicily, ca. 405-400 BCE. Hercules strangling the Nemean lion.
October 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The Nemean Lion was often seen as a monstrous, chaotic force. By slaying the lion and then wearing its skin, #Hercules turned the threat of death into his own deliverance. Read more»» classicstutor.substack.com/p/esoteric-h...
Coin from Sicily, ca. 405-400 BCE. Hercules strangling the Nemean lion.
Coin from Sicily, ca. 405-400 BCE. Hercules strangling the Nemean lion.
The ancient cult of #Hercules was one of the most widespread and popular in the entire #ancient #Mediterranean world and beyond, surviving and evolving for well over a thousand years, but what we might think we know about the meaning behind him holds more than a few surprises.
Esoteric Hercules
The Symbolism of Apotheosis
classicstutor.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The ancient cult of #Hercules was one of the most widespread and popular in the entire #ancient #Mediterranean world and beyond, surviving and evolving for well over a thousand years, but what we might think we know about the meaning behind him holds more than a few surprises.
This just in from Cambridge University Press:
The Corpus of Latin Texts on Papyrus (CLTP), a comprehensive reference tool in 6 volumes, gathering nearly 1,500 Latin texts on papyrus. It is a lasting and crucial reference work for all those interested in the history of #Latin & of the #Roman world.
The Corpus of Latin Texts on Papyrus (CLTP), a comprehensive reference tool in 6 volumes, gathering nearly 1,500 Latin texts on papyrus. It is a lasting and crucial reference work for all those interested in the history of #Latin & of the #Roman world.
September 28, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Sometimes unorthodox tactics are the best. Today, we take a quick look at the famous diversionary tactic used against Hannibal’s invasion of Italy by Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.
#romanhistory #rome #livy #plutarch #punicwars #hannibal
#romanhistory #rome #livy #plutarch #punicwars #hannibal
The Fabian Strategy
Diversionary Tactics in the Second Punic War
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September 27, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Sometimes unorthodox tactics are the best. Today, we take a quick look at the famous diversionary tactic used against Hannibal’s invasion of Italy by Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.
#romanhistory #rome #livy #plutarch #punicwars #hannibal
#romanhistory #rome #livy #plutarch #punicwars #hannibal
The Faunus ritual stands in contrast to some of the more famous #Greek #oracles, offering a direct, personal encounter between the supplicant and the deity. Read more about the ancient Italic god, Faunus in today’s #Classics Tutor. #ancientrome #romanreligion #rome
Faunus
The Rustic God of Prophecy
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September 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM
The Faunus ritual stands in contrast to some of the more famous #Greek #oracles, offering a direct, personal encounter between the supplicant and the deity. Read more about the ancient Italic god, Faunus in today’s #Classics Tutor. #ancientrome #romanreligion #rome
In this free weekender edition, get ready to be all oiled-up to learn about the use of medicinal and aromatic oils among the #Romans.
Roman Oils for Sport & Frolics!
The Græco-Roman Tradition of Aromatic & Medicinal Oils
classicstutor.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:15 PM
In this free weekender edition, get ready to be all oiled-up to learn about the use of medicinal and aromatic oils among the #Romans.
#Neoplatonism, the school of philosophy and #theology championed by a few wise men and women, was a jewel among those gifts from late antiquity. And it all came together under the quill of a Greek-speaking Egyptian named #Plotinus. Link in the comments.
#lateantiquity #iamblichus #proclus
#lateantiquity #iamblichus #proclus
Plotinus and the Neoplatonists
A Brief History of the Platonic School of Late Antiquity
classicstutor.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM
#Neoplatonism, the school of philosophy and #theology championed by a few wise men and women, was a jewel among those gifts from late antiquity. And it all came together under the quill of a Greek-speaking Egyptian named #Plotinus. Link in the comments.
#lateantiquity #iamblichus #proclus
#lateantiquity #iamblichus #proclus
Under the shimmering natural beauty of Lake Nemi, there is a very ancient and controversial history that involves great Homeric heroes and human sacrifice.
#homer #nemi #rome #diana #mythology
#homer #nemi #rome #diana #mythology
The Mirror of Diana
The Sacred Lake, Grove & Sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis
classicstutor.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Under the shimmering natural beauty of Lake Nemi, there is a very ancient and controversial history that involves great Homeric heroes and human sacrifice.
#homer #nemi #rome #diana #mythology
#homer #nemi #rome #diana #mythology
The Roman calendar’s development was a journey from a primitive, ideologically-driven system to a more scientifically accurate, pragmatic one. Learn all about it in today’s free edition of Classics Tutor!
#rome #romanhistory #ovid #fasti #calendars #romanrepublic #juliuscaesar
#rome #romanhistory #ovid #fasti #calendars #romanrepublic #juliuscaesar
How The Romans Counted Time
Marking the Seasons for Kingdom, Republic & Empire
classicstutor.substack.com
September 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The Roman calendar’s development was a journey from a primitive, ideologically-driven system to a more scientifically accurate, pragmatic one. Learn all about it in today’s free edition of Classics Tutor!
#rome #romanhistory #ovid #fasti #calendars #romanrepublic #juliuscaesar
#rome #romanhistory #ovid #fasti #calendars #romanrepublic #juliuscaesar
Read the full article here: classicstutor.substack.com/p/the-mystic...
September 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Read the full article here: classicstutor.substack.com/p/the-mystic...
His music was so beautiful that it was said to have charmed wild animals, enticed trees and rocks to dance, and calmed the stormy seas. Read more about divine Orpheus in this issue of Classics Tutor.
#orphism #neoplatonism #greekreligion #mythology
#orphism #neoplatonism #greekreligion #mythology
The Mystical Legacy of Orpheus
The Sublime Musician, Bard & Prophet of Ancient Greece
classicstutor.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 5:48 PM
His music was so beautiful that it was said to have charmed wild animals, enticed trees and rocks to dance, and calmed the stormy seas. Read more about divine Orpheus in this issue of Classics Tutor.
#orphism #neoplatonism #greekreligion #mythology
#orphism #neoplatonism #greekreligion #mythology