Musings is a publication for creative work related to the ancient Mediterranean. Musings strives to promote diversity in perspectives, topics, and formats. Just as the nine Muses of Greek mythology inspired innovation in their devotees, we hope for Musings to serve as an inspiration for students and scholars-in-the-making. This is especially important as the academic field of Classical Studies faces its past and expands to better represent antiquity and the changing demographics of modern scholars.
Latest Articles
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Latest Articles •
A Conversation with Dr. Emily Wilson
In 2018, the Classical world shifted with the introduction of a new translation of Homer’s Odyssey, the timeless Greek tale of journey, loss, hope, and more than a few mythical misadventures. Dr. Emily Wilson, professor and department chair of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, brought a new perspective to her translation that resonated with audiences around the world. Read here our exclusive interview with Dr. Wilson which was conducted during her recent visit to UC San Diego!
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Here Comes the Sun
Sappho, well—she worries there’s no one left to read her work.
An Ekphrastic Poem by Tyler Olcese
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We Shall Meet in Babylon - Chapter III
Alexander burst into the royal bedchamber, startling the servants who shrank back, quaking in fear. The rest of the companions followed suit and stayed behind as Alexander approached to pull back the curtain. His hands trembling, he grasped the heavy, silken curtains meekly and ripped them aside.
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An Epistle to Elysium
Aristophanes presented his new play called Lysistrata at the festival recently and I left with tears of laughter in one eye and of sadness in the other. I know you would tease me so for my girlish weakness, but as I tell you about this play, I think you would have felt the same if you had been alongside me.
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Missive on a Martyr
Just shy of the eighth hour—after the plays, and long after the gladiators, and longer still since we saw the beasts—the herald called for the execution of criminals. Only one man was brought out, nude and old enough to be our grandfather. I could not help but wonder, as I am sure you do now: What could this man have done to warrant his own death?
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Am I the Other Woman?
Writing to her sister, Mirryn recounts the risk she took sneaking into the theatre to watch Aristophanes’ all time famous comedy, Lysistrata, which premiered in Athens in 411 BCE. Closely following her husband after the performance, Mirryn discovers much more than she could have anticipated.
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We Shall Meet in Babylon - Chapter II
Seleucus, sober and attentive, sat glumly now in the center of the room, imbibing from the delta at the river of ambition, wherein all the generals sailed out to sea by different branches to do battle upon the open water at the river’s mouth.
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The Yearning Moon
A smile so sweet and endearing. An angel among other things. Blessed with a form more beautiful and pure than anything Pygmalion could have crafted. For that is the mysticism of a natural-made body. But how could divinity like me be so enamored by a being meant to be imperfect?
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A Love (Spell) for the Ages
So you survived cuffing season without anyone to share in the delights of your wretched soul. But here comes summer, just around the corner, and here you are, without even a fling on the horizon! I felt this way once, too. That is, until I found this recipe. I tested it beforehand just to be sure, and it really does work!
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Ancient Greek & Roman Influences in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"
There are countless references to Greco-Roman mythology and history within Suzanne Collins' "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes". In this essay, Isabela Contreras argues that these allusions have deep influences on the world-building and characterization throughout the novel.
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Lucilius Writes to Seneca
Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE) wrote prolifically, including many letters about Stoicism to a man named Lucilius. In this work, three authors imagine what Lucilius may have written back.
The Leopard-Print Thong of Aphrodite
In this translated excerpt of Homer’s Iliad, re-imagined as a stage play, Hera plans to convince Zeus to allow her to interfere in the Trojan War. She seeks Aphrodite’s help, hoping some erotic tricks might help her case.
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We Shall Meet in Babylon
Shortly before the demise of the young king of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s campaign to Babylon is interrupted when he learns of the approaching death of a wise dear friend. Read here the first chapter of Novak Tatarevic's drama concerning the last days of Alexander the Great and the reign of his regent Perdiccas.
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A Catullus for Every Occasion
There are times when words fail us – when the expressions of emotion that come to mind seem so overused and cliche. Never fear, Hallmark Antony & Co. is here! We strive to bring ancient wisdom to every occasion you encounter. Through the medium of brand-new-fresh-original translations of Gaius Valerius Catullus’s poetry, you can now find the right words for every special someone in your life.
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Godly Gossip: From the Archive of Hermes
In an utterly unsurprising twist, three intercepted letters recovered from the archives of the God of Thieves have surfaced following a crackdown on godly crimes and corruption in Olympus (watch out, Zeus!). Exclusively printed here, for the first time ever!