How the Ancients Greeted Each Other

In modern films and television shows, people from the ancient world are commonly shown greeting each other with a rather peculiar handshake in which, instead of merely clasping hands, each person grasps the other’s forearm. Films and television shows tend to most frequently associate this gesture with Roman men, but it has been portrayed in other contexts as well.

Many people will be disappointed to learn that the forearm handshake is not shown in any extant work of ancient art, nor is it ever referred to in any surviving work of ancient literature. We have no evidence that anyone ever used this handshake in antiquity and it appears to be purely a modern invention. This, however, raises a very interesting question: How did ancient people really greet each other?

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The World’s Oldest Surviving Joke Book

We are all familiar with joke books in some form or another, but did you know that the oldest surviving one was written around 1,600 years ago? It is called Philogelos (Φιλόγελως; Philógelōs), which means “The Laughter-Lover” in Ancient Greek. It was probably written in the late fourth or early fifth century AD and contains 265 jokes written in a crude dialect of Ancient Greek.

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Did Pythagoras Discover the Pythagorean Theorem?

The Greek philosopher Pythagoras of Samos (lived c. 570 – c. 495 BC) is most famous today for having allegedly discovered the Pythagorean theorem, but, historically speaking, he did not really discover this theorem and it is even questionable whether he ever engaged in any kind of mathematics at all. The historical Pythagoras of Samos seems to have been a sort of mystic sage and spiritual guru, who lived a far more bizarre and fascinating life than you ever would have guessed from what you learned in mathematics class.

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Was Jesus a Historical Figure?

NOTE: I originally published this article on March 10, 2018, at which time I was still a senior in high school. Since then, this article has come under extremely heavy criticism. I could probably write this article better if I were writing it today, but I will leave this article as it is as a record of what I originally wrote.

No other figure has attracted nearly as much controversy as Jesus of Nazareth… but was he a historical figure? Well, people on the internet seem to say otherwise: these self-appointed debunkers (who are almost exclusively historically illiterate bloggers with no background in ancient history, or any history for that matter) have taken it upon themselves to demonstrate that Jesus is just a fictional character invented out of whole cloth by early Christians. Virtually all professional scholars who have studied the ancient world universally agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real, historical Jewish teacher who lived in the first century AD and was crucified under the orders of Pontius Pilate. Here is an extremely abbreviated explanation of why they have come to that conclusion:

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The Evolution of Cupid

Around this time year, we always see images of Cupid showing up all over the place. In modern culture, Cupid is always portrayed as a rascally infant armed with a bow and quiver of arrows, but this has not always been how he has been imagined. In fact, his original portrayal was much, much darker…

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Debunking Common Myths and Misconceptions about William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is a legend in our culture. His plays are more often performed than those of any other playwright and his works have become defining hallmarks of English literature. Most students were required to read at least a few of them in high school and many of us lovers of literature have gone on to read many more of them. Shakespeare has a pop culture presence unlike that of any other writer; his image is instantly recognizable and he continues to appear in books, films, television, and even modern theatrical productions. Unfortunately, many of the things we think we “know” about William Shakespeare are wrong.

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Christian Adaptation of Pagan Iconography

We are all familiar with the conventional images of what entities such as angels, cherubim, Jesus, and Satan are supposed to look like. What may come as a surprise is that these images were not always so well-established. In fact, much of what we think of as “Christian iconography” is freely adapted from pagan iconography.

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No, Emperor Nero Did Not Play the Fiddle as Rome Burned

It is one of the most iconic illustrations of the Emperor Nero’s decadence: the story that, during the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, the maniacal emperor stood atop his balcony, playing the fiddle and rejoicing at the sight of the burning city below him. The story, however, is completely false. Not only did Nero not play the fiddle as Rome burned, his reaction to the fire won him great praise and admiration, even from his enemies.

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The Origins of the Zombie Legend

Since today is Halloween, we will probably be seeing lots of small children dressed as zombies wandering out and about later tonight. You may be surprised to learn, however, that zombie legends are nearly as ancient as writing itself and the earliest references to them come from some of the oldest literature known to man. Continue reading “The Origins of the Zombie Legend”

Ancient Greek Ghost Stories, Part Seven: Letters from the Afterlife

According to Pliny the Elder, the Greek philosopher Dionysodoros of Melos was renowned throughout the Hellenistic world for being a great geometrician. He lived to an astoundingly old age and, after his death, his female heirs led a funeral procession in his honor. After bearing his corpse to the tomb, they discovered a mysterious letter sitting in the crypt. They opened it up and found, to their astonishment, that it was written in Dionysodoros’s own handwriting and that it had his signature at the bottom.

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