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 »
It is assumed with some authority that Western women living in the twenty-first century have more options in their reproductive lives than at any time
A Pomegranate for Persephone Read More »
Home to thermal springs and verdant landscapes, the idyllic island of Ischia also houses the first Greek settlement in all of Europe. Enterprising pioneers from
Pithecusae: Island of Firsts Read More »
