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

Latest Articles •

A Conversation with Dr. Emily Wilson
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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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arachne
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arachne

She’s a goddamn catastrophe, she is. A writhing mass upon the floorboards, twisting and mangling under the eyes of a multitude.

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A Love (Spell) for the Ages
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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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Lucilius Writes to Seneca
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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.

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The Leopard-Print Thong of Aphrodite
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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
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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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Oh, Remus
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Oh, Remus

Oh Romulus, it appears you never knew me at all.

I was always going to name our city Rome.

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A Catullus for Every Occasion
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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
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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!

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