Tag: Literature in the Ancient World

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A Literary Criticism of the Classical Themes and Allusions Found in The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a richly interwoven tapestry of numerous intriguing parallels to historical events and literary staples. Although set in a futuristic society, the chief inspirations for its narrative structure and themes are drawn from the ancient Mediterranean world. Classical themes and allusions permeate the first novel, and the connections to the classical are mythological, historical, linguistic, and stylistic in nature.

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The Menelaion: A Local Manifestation of a Pan-Hellenic Phenomenon

Sparta, the mythological birthplace and home of the Homeric heroine, was alleged to have worshiped her at two sites, at a shrine within the polis and at a shrine several kilometers outside the polis.8 We know very little about the former shrine, but the latter has been archaeologically attested; the partial walls and foundations of a fifth-century BCE monument to Helen of Sparta and her husband Menelaos, known as the Menelaion, have been recovered on a ridge near the west bank of the Eurotas.

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Penelope's Geese: Pets of the Ancient Greeks

Herein lies the crux of the problem, because before we talk about the pets of the Greeks, we would be wise to define what a pet actually is. A pet is generally defined as an animal kept for companionship or amusement. But what about com- panion animals that also serve a practical use such as hunt ing or guarding, as Argos did? One would also assume that humans do not eat their pets. But did Penelope ever eat her geese?