It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
Terracotta pyxis showing the Judgement of Paris. Paris is seated on a rock with #Hermes approaching him from the left. The goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena are depicted on the opposite side not shown here.
🏛️ Terracotta pyxis with a white-ground vase painting dated 465–460 BCE. Today in the Met, New York
Daddy Dionysos and #Herakles enjoying each other's company at a symposion. Note the chest hair! Both Dionysos and Herakles were demigod sons of Zeus who were deified and ascended to Olympos later in life. #Dionysos was born before Herakles and thus was a god when he was still mortal.
🏛️ Red-figure vase painting. Today in the British Museum.
@historyshapes@histodons@philosophy My default is to be very sceptical about any quotation attributed to famous people, and even more those from the ancient world.
Continuously inhabited for five millennia, and at one point the most powerful city in Ancient Greece, Thebes has been overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta.
It was destroyed on the orders of Alexander the Great.
The goddess of the night in all her shadowy glory as depicted by Gustave Moreau. It is said by Homer than even Zeus fears to upset this primordial divinity who rules the darkest of times.
Hephaestus’ capacity in creative endeavours in metal working and carpentry sees him become the go to Olympian for armour. Here Hephaestus presents the new for Achilles' armor to Thetis (Iliad 18.617).
The death of Orpheus has fascinated artists. Although not as famous as the story involving the fate of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus’ death is notable. He was thought to have been torn apart limb-from-limb by Maenads in a Bacchic frenzy…
Ovid tells an infamous tale of Midas’ ‘golden touch’ wherein the king’s wish - granted to him by Dionysus - becomes the bane of his life. The tragedy bound up in Midas’ wish.
This painting captures Midas’ sense of feeling his wish become a curse…
If you know the artist, do let me know so I can appropriately credit them!
After decades of war, mighty Athens has been ravaged— its navy destroyed, its city walls toppled, its army disbanded. The fierce military state of Sparta has triumphed, but passions and hate linger on.
A powerful figure from Greek myth here depicted by Tyler Miles Lockett slaying two centaurs after they attempted to rape her. Atalanta was a devotee of Artemis and like the huntress herself sought a life of independence.
A powerhouse woman from myth with exceptional skills in pharmaka, Circe looms large in Homer’s Odyssey. This tale sets in motion a reception of Circe that endures even now. This painting by Waterhouse is superb: her power so clear.
Hesiod’s account of Pandora and her role in opening the pithos which contained all the evils that plague humanity sets the scene. Here Sebastian Becker captures the malign nature of the contents slowly drifting out of an opened box…