Robin Fowler's Blog
Posted by Robin Fowler
In the spirit of St. Valentine's Day, we will be taking a look at some of the most famous, and a few of the lesser known, love stories from Greek Mythology. From the sweet and romantic, to the heartbreaking and bittersweet, the Greeks knew how to spin a tale of love, desire, and woe.
Love in Greek Mythology did not limit its effects to the mere mortal. The gods often played starring roles in these tales, and often showed their human traits like jealousy and fear. In a tale like Cupid and Psyche, for example, the gods were far from perfect.
Look for some of the more famous tales of love like Orpheus and Eurydice, Echo and Narcissus, and Pygmalion and Galatea. We will also take a look at one or two lesser-known love stories, like the heartbreaking tale of the hero Achilles and the warrior Penthesilea.
Posted by Robin Fowler
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was a monster that had the head of a woman, the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and the tail of a snake. This composite figure varied a bit from its slightly more famous Egyptian counterpart, never achieving the notoriety of the monument at Giza. Coming from the Greek word "strangler", you can imagine what this creature was thought to have been capable of.
According to Greek lore, the Sphinx stood guard at the gates of Thebes, one of the major city-states. Anyone who wished to visit the city, or even who was merely passing by, was treated with an enigmatic riddle that they had to solve correctly. If answered incorrectly, the unlucky soul was killed on the spot by the Sphinx.
So, what is the Riddle of the Sphinx, anyway?
"What walk on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?"
The answer: Man
This metaphorical answer makes sense when you think about it. A baby crawls on all four legs (morning, or the beginning of life), a grown man walks on two legs (noon, or the middle of life), and an old man walks with a cane at night (the end, or the twilight of life).
Should a person happen to correctly answer this riddle, the Sphinx would self-destruct, so to speak.
So, did anyone ever answer the Riddle of the Sphinx? Indeed. One notable respondent was Oedipus from Greek mythology and Sophocles' tragic trilogy.
Posted by Robin Fowler
The cat was a beloved member of most Egyptian families. Cats kept the pests away, helped hunt and fish for family food, and provided unconditional love and cuddle time with every member of the household. and when a household cat died, the Egyptian family would go into a period of deep mourning for their loss. They would shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief.
Cats would be mummified upon death, like their human masters. Like humans, feline mummification was a multi-step process performed by priests who were specially trained for the task. The steps of feline mummification included:
- removing the internal organs (except for the heart)
- stuffing the body cavity with sand
- placing the cat into a sitting position, to retain its lifelike quality
- wrapping the body tightly in linen strips
- painting a face and various symbolic designs on the wrappings with black ink
In mummifying cats, there were no chemicals used like there were in mummifying humans. The cat mummy was left to dry out naturally. When cats were placed in tombs, they were given bowls of milk and rodents. Their comfort for the journey into the afterlife was just as important for their humans.
Posted by Robin Fowler
The drachma was the standard currency of ancient and modern Greece (until Greece's switch to the Euro, anyway). Its origin can be creditied to the Athenians.
The word drachma comes from the Ancient Greek verb dratto, to group.
Before the Athenians began minting coins, they used small iron rods called obols as their currency. The average adult could hold or grasp six obols in his or her hand, and thus six obols became equal to one drachma, which became the basic denomination of Greek currency.
When the Athenians did begin minting coins around 510 B.C., the drachma continued to be used as the standard basic currency of Greece.
Posted by Robin Fowler
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is renowned for its vast collection of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art and artifacts. One piece stands above all the others, and has emerged as the unofficial mascot of the museum. Dubbed "William", a blue faience hippopotamus, dating to about 1900 B.C., it is a fine example of an ancient fornm of craft, known as faience, which is a type of glazed earthenware pottery.
William came to the Metropolitan Museum in 1917, when it was donated by Edward Harkness. William was originally discovered in 1910, in the Tomb of Senbi at Meir. William has captured the hearts of myuseum visitors ever since his arrival there, and reproductions of William can be bought, along with smaller figurunes, stuffed animals, and more.
William is only one of many, many faience hippos and other figurines that were crafted by the Ancient Egyptians. They were used as protective amulets and figurines in the home, and they were placed in tombs to protect and aid in the journey to the afterlife.
