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A Commemoration of Chrysippus, without whom there would be no Stoa Pyanopsia was a Greek festival held in commemoration of Apollo on the seventh day of the month of Pyanepsion. The festival was connected with the myth of Theseus, who—before his trial against the Minotaur—gave thanks to Apollo by offering a stew of beans and…

COMMEMORATING CLEANTHES AND THE RELIGION OF PHILOSOPHY The second ‘scholarch’ of the Stoic school, Cleanthes of Assos, died in 232 BCE. In what would have corresponded to October 6th of that year (15th of Boedromion), one of the most significant religious event occurred in Athens under the Stoa Poikile: under the painted colonnade where the…

[[NOTE: This is a reposting of my “Cato 2022” blog article with some modifications]] The everyday expressions of earlier times are now archaic; and likewise the names of those who were highly acclaimed in earlier ages are now, in a sense, archaic; Camillus, Caeso, Volesus, Dentatus, and a little later, Scipio too and Cato, and…

Commemorating of a Graceful Death Today is March 17th, the day Marcus Aurelius died in 180 CE. I’m of the somewhat strong opinion that we should commemorate deaths of notable people rather than their births. The time, place, and manner of their death actually speaks to the kind of life that they chose for themselves—the…

Commemorating Friends and Ancestors Past [[this post is an updated version of my 2022 version]] Februarius XIII (Ides of February) marked the beginning of a nine-day Roman festival, Parentalia, which was held in honor of deceased ancestors. It seems like the festival acquired its name from parentes, who were the primary recipients of the rites. The term…

As I’m sure you’re all aware, today is “Martin Luther King Jr. Day”, MLK’s birthday. If you have not read it (or have not read it in a while), I strongly encourage you to peruse his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In it, he explains the important difference between “legal” and “just.” Though MLK does not…

[This is a reposting of the 2022 post] Today corresponds to the birthday of Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism. The date was well known in ancient times and has been preserved by historians like Diogenes Laertius: He was born, according to Apollodorus in his Chronology, in the third year of the 109th Olympiad, in the…

“Commemoration of Love, Friendship, and Women” [[ This post is adapted with edits from the 2022 post ]] Plato’s Symposium is a complex and beautiful dialogue. Most of the dramatic events take place in Athens at the house of Agathon, a tragedian playwright who recently won his first victory at the festival of “Lenaia,” which…

[THIS POST HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM THE 2021 VERSION] On December VII, 43 BCE Cicero was finally overtaken by the forces of the Second Triumvirate after being designated an enemy of the state by Mark Antony and his once-friend Octavian. Let me commemorate him today with some words about his life and death. Cicero was…