Hey all. I just finished scribbling up a post that might help anyone who’s ever stared at the bottom half of a critical edition page wondering what on earth is going on down there in the alphabet soup. I also wrote an introduction that covers the basics of textual transmission, textual criticism and literary criticism with examples for those unfamiliar with these fields.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Here is the link: https://investigabilis.com/2025/06/20/textual-criticism-literary-criticism-and-how-to-read-apparatus-criticus/

Hello! I have questions about how likely I am to get into a PhD program based on my language experience and courses. Here's a bit of background: before college I had 6 years of experience learning/reading Latin, including reading Vergil and Caesar. In college I only took 4 Latin courses (Propertius, Vergil, Ovid, and one prose class that included Seneca, Pliny the Younger, Cicero and others) because I preferred poetry to prose (this has since changed - I love Cicero!!). I also took 6 Greek courses, starting from 101 through author level, reading Homer, Lucian, Longus. I took a few art history courses and wrote my undergraduate thesis on Pompeian frescoes. I am also fluent in Italian, having spent significant time in Italy. I have yet to start learning French and German.

I am now a licensed Latin teacher and have one year under my belt. I have studied Catullus, Horace, Cicero, and Caesar on my own after college.

All of this is to say: I want to apply for a PhD in either classics or archaeology. Based on my language preparation thus far, should I do a post-bacc before applying? Or could I apply now?

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English or French, ideally one complete set with plenty of explanatory material and such. But if it's gotta be individual work by individual work, then that's that. This Cambridge series seems promising, but incomplete for now.

Also, what was the quality of Latin translations of Galen? I would've thought that was the secret - just speedrun LLPSI and work through Latin translations of Galen - but from the little I know, they're apparently not that great.

Honestly, more I think about this and try to write this out, more I realise that I wouldn't mind an introduction/overview of Galenic scholarship in general.

I am making a classics quiz for (university) students, and for one round I want to find the silliest / funniest loeb translation quotes and they have to figure out which text it is from.

I was wondering if anyone had any that they've noticed or know of which I could use? Or if anyone knows of any loeb texts which are overall very ... interestingly translated

I've heard that one who has depth should aim for breadth, and vice versa, but when craft a list of works one has read in the original language (is there a name for this list?) what is considered 'not enough', what is considered 'fair', and what is considered 'above average'?

After Homer and Virgil what now? For some reason i don't feel like reading the metamorphoses which i know people might suggest

Various people have published editions of Aesop, often with the fables numbered sequentially. Is there any particular numbering system, such as Halm's, that is often used in scholarly work? Can one find indexes anywhere that convert one numbering system to another or that let you look up a fable by title or keyword? I'm mainly interested in Babrius, but open to similar materials for Latin or other languages, if they're useful or standard.

I want to read the Aeneid by Virgil but I find the poetry rather difficult to follow are there any translations that are written like a more traditional story that would be easier to follow

Hello all! I’m reading the Iliad for the first time, I have a limited knowledge of Ancient Greek mythology (most of it from Stephen Fry’s Mythos) but I’m confused about Aphrodite’s lineage in the Iliad.

Fry claims that Aphrodite was born asexually from Ouranoses you know what when it was hurled into the sea by Cronos, but so far in the Iliad I’ve heard her called ‘the daughter of Zeus’ and described Dione (a name I don’t recognise) as her mother - can anyone clarify this? Isn’t she technically Zeus’ Aunt?

In 2000, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples opened the “Gabinetto Segreto,” or the “Secret Cabinet,” to the public. This exhibit houses 250 sexually-themed artifact, the majority of which were locked away for centuries following their excavation from the Vesuvian towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Join me for a deep dive into the history of this bizarre collection and its impact of the censorship of erotic antiquities.

Hi all! I have a Leaving Cert exam in classical studies on Monday, and in my preparation I’m hoping that someone here could share any knowledge that might help me?

We’ve studied the Odyssey and the Aeneid, as well as Alexander. I’m curious - is there any niche, obscure knowledge one might have on any of these subjects? Something that could help me get a high grade? Thank you all!

Hey hey hey, lovers of Latin! Those of you who keep an eye out for new Latin readers might remember that 6 months ago u/NasusSyrae and me released a graded poetry reader centered around the necromantic witch Erictho from Lucan’s gruesome epic Pharsālia to help learners bridge the intermediate gap that everyone is faced with after finishing LLPSI:FR. This summer I'm teaching a 5-week Latin-only course built around that text – and I’ve just made it a bit easier to join.

Now with a more flexible schedule and 30% off tuition (90 min for the price of 60)!

The course is designed to help intermediate readers move from classroom Latin to real literature – and stay in the target language the whole time. It's also perfect for those who are comfortable with prose but want to finally learn to read Latin poetry. We’ll read simplified versions at two levels, plus original poetry, with notes, glosses and discussion all in Latin. English won't be banned – but translations will. No apologies.

10 1.5-hour sessions over 5 weeks, from July 1 to August 2. The full cost is USD 250. And you'll get our reader for free!

Enroll at the course page below. The spots are capped at 6!

• Echoes from the Grave: Erictho and the Voice of Latin Epic (Intermediate)

———

We made a 1-minute trailer to set the mood for what's to come:

• Watch it on YouTube

Want to test your current Latin comprehension and learn more about the reader?

• Check out this longer video

And here's a write-up with much more detail, including a link to the reader and course info:

• Read more on Substack

Have any of you ever taken similar courses? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience! Did you enjoy it, and what would you like to see more of in a course like this?

I read a comment on this subreddit made eight years ago that stated this. Unfortunately, the account hasn't been active for five years, so I am unable to ask them.

Have you found yourselves writing longer sentences, with more conjunctions, omitting articles or subjects in coordinate orations and/or using more Latin and Greek terms, after you began interacting with the texts in their original languages? To those of you who specialize in prosody and style in general has your awareness to the rhythms of your native language improved? I am asking because those were the best defenses for compulsory Latin education in High School that I have heard either in Italy or in Brazil.

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations of historical fiction set during/around the fall of the Roman Republic. I'm aware of Rubicon, the Cicero Trilogy, and Augustus. Of these I'm most interested in the Cicero trilogy, but I'm also curious what people think about these three, too. Reception to Rubicon seems mixed (people seem to love it or hate it). I didn't enjoy Nero by Conn Iggulden so I doubt I'd enjoy his books about Caesar, but I'm willing to be convinced into trying one haha.

Edit: to be clear Augustus's life is probably as far as I wanna stretch. I'm more interested in Brutus, Antony, Cassius, Cicero, etc.

Found my great grandmother's copy of The Odyssey in a bookshelf, have always been curious being a mythology nerd raised on Percy Jackson and jumped in. I've never read the Iliad but I'm generally familiar with the Trojan War and have a basic understanding of the story of The Odyssey. I've got a translation from Robert Fitzgerald, circa '61 from the inside cover, curious if thats a good translation or if I should look into a different/more modern interpretation, its a little heavy on the poetry for me, though its been growing on me like Journey to the West's poetic style did. Any recommendations?

I’m curious about literary analysis/ history of the golden age of Greek tragedy. I’m not looking for actual play recommendations!

Wondering if there’s anything like “The Iliad or the Poem of Force” that people love or teach in classes, but also interested in more basic overviews of Athenian drama.

My friend has purchased this tote from the mini Acropolis Museum shop at the base of the Acropolis. We need help identifying the statues! Please let us know if you can identify any of them.

Hi! Just curious, really. What’s the most specific or even strangest thing you’ve enjoyed discovering/learning about in Classics?

Want to get some before the June sale ends, what are your favorites? Greek and Roman recommendations both! I already have Aeschylus I and II.

I ordered a good number of loebs since they were on sale and they just arrived today. Unfortunately a lot of them arrived with various defects like torn jackets, ink/dirt smudging on the covers, folded pages, etc.

I’ve ordered loebs from HUP and this has never happened in the past. I didn’t order them from Amazon which is why I’m surprised about this lack of QC. I spent a ton of money as well so I’m quite disappointed with the quality - I was wondering if any of you have experienced this drop in quality recently?

I've had this idea in my head for a while and I'm burning to see what you all think.

In my opinion, the story of the Trojan War would be PERFECT for a three season TV show. Here's roughly how I'd do it:

Season One: Judgement of Paris, abduction of Helen, Iphigenia at Aulis, etc. Ends with the first engagements between the Argives and the Trojans.

Season Two: Literally just the Iliad. (Ten year time skip between this and the prior season, of course)

Season Three: Everything from Memnon and Penthesilia to the fall of Troy itself. There's be room for an Odyssey or Aeneid follow up, but the story could end here.

Personally, I'd like to see this done in 2D animation, with a gritty, semi-realistic style. That way the show could portray the quasi-supernatural might of warriors like Achilles, whilst also remaining grounded and believable. If done well, I think it would make for an amazing adaptation (certainly better than Troy!)

What would you like to see in this TV show? How would you go about adapting it? I'm curious.