Classical Wisdom

Dear Classical Wisdom Member, It’s the absolute worst feeling in the world… Your stomach sinks and your mind reels as one by one your teeth crumble and fall out… Panic rises as each bloody tooth falls into your hand. You wake up, perhaps with a gasp, as you reach into your mouth… just to see if it was real… or all just a dream. I’m not sure about you, but this is a recurring nightmare of mine, especially whenever I have a big change or something stressful happening.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, When someone is described as a skeptic, most folks have a very clear image that comes to mind. The blue glow reflecting in forlorn eyes, long from staring too much at darknet sites; they are invariably in a basement, somewhere the sun doesn’t reach. The tinfoil hat is optional. Almost never (except perhaps in these humble pages) does one instead conjure the proud, thoughtful bearing of an eloquent orator addressing an august collection of thinkers and statesmen...

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, He’s one of the most famous names from the ancient world… But how well do you actually know him? Well then, test your knowledge below with the Weekly Wisdom Quiz! As always, all questions are based on articles and resources published this week here at Classical Wisdom, with a full roundup available alongside the answers after the quiz.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, You’ll have to forgive me. So, you may not be aware, but yesterday was actually the 2,349th anniversary of the death of Alexander the Great. I know, I know: time flies! Anyway, to mark the occasion, we had a special treat for our Members, an in-depth look at Alexander’s mysterious death. Discover the competing theories, and see if you can untie this millennia-old Gordian’s Knot… Members can check that out HERE! Not a Member?

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, Find me a single person who is not immune to a good mystery! The thrill of the unknown, the tension and suspense, the allure of a good noggin joggin’ challenge.... We all love the sense of discovery... But what about mysteries that can not be solved? Do they satisfy us the same way?

Dear Classical Wisdom Member, When we think of the foundations of civilization, our minds often turn to Greece and Rome... after all, this is the time period to which these humble pages are dedicated! And yet, we also realise that long before Homer sang of Achilles or Plato questioned the nature of reality, another civilization had already shaped the world in ways we still feel today.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, Those who know me know that I am not a fan of winter. I have sufficiently done my “time” in colder climes after many years in Scotland and Norway, and so it is around this time of year that we usually embark on our annual journey to the Northern Hemisphere. I had happily avoided the frigid discomfort for quite some time... that is, until my Southern Hemisphere-born-and-raised family threatened mutiny. Apparently they wanted a change. And coats.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, We had a very special event this week! It was Oxford Vs Cambridge, as we hosted the professors Armand D’Angour and Paul Cartledge to discuss one of the most crucially important figures in ancient history: Athens’ famed statesman, Pericles.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, It’s strange to think… These days, we tend to view philosophy and science as being worlds apart from one another. That’s partly a product of our specialization-focused education system (and I’m sure all kinds of other social factors)… yet it doesn’t necessarily reflect the truth. When you look back to the very origins of ancient Greek philosophy, such distinctions simply did not exist.

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, History has a habit of surprising us. In our recent Classical Wisdom discussion on Pericles and the Myth of the Golden Age, one detail stood out. For all his influence, achievements, and popularity, Pericles, arguably the most famous statesman in Athenian history, once faced the very real possibility of being cast out of the city he helped shape.