In the most highly anticipated religious festival of the year, women came from far and wide to gather in their cities to celebrate the Thesmophoria, […]
Thesmophoria: Feminine Consciousness in Ancient Greece Read More »
In Euripides’ Medea (431 BCE), Medea’s wrath against Jason’s betrayal was so fierce that the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” might
In Defense of Medea Read More »
Europe’s First Greek Settlement: Pithekoussai Celebrated for its thermal springs and verdant landscapes, the volcanic island of Ischia—located in the Bay of Naples—harkens back to
Pithekoussai: Ancient Greek Colony of Nestor’s Cup Read More »
In the indigo light of the early morning, wearing white robes and carrying torches, the pious women ascended the hill to the Thesmophorion (sanctuary to
Demeter’s Daughters: Women of the Thesmophoria Read More »
Thesmophoria, the feminine fertility festival, dedicated to the Goddess Demeter, was literally for women only. Citizen males of ancient Greece were unconditionally restricted from attending
The Brutality of Citizen Wives Read More »
The Eleusinian Mysteries conjures up mystical images of a dark and dangerous festival, befitting its name. Indeed, it was surrounded by such an aura of
Unraveling the Eleusinian Mysteries Read More »
Who were Demeter and Persephone and why did their myth resonate so strongly with women of ancient Greece? The story of Demeter, goddess of the
The Rape of a Goddess Read More »
It must have come as no surprise to the Greeks that the face, which launched a thousand ships, was of Spartan origin. After all, Spartan
The Triumphant Women of Sparta Read More »
On the vast steppes of Eurasia, in an area the Greeks referred to as Scythia, lay the remains of a young woman approximately twenty to
The Return of the Amazons Read More »
Before she was a queen, she was a goddess. Born to the purple and weaned on pageantry, Cleopatra (69 BCE-30 BCE) was addressed as Thea
Cleopatra: The Goddess Read More »
