In California as in Ancient Rome
In June and July 2025, I was given the opportunity to travel to the United States to undertake archival research for my dissertation. This archival ‘odyssey’ — generously funded by Pitsburg State University, the University of St Andrews’s School of Classics and St Leonards’ Postgraduate Travel Award — consisted of visits to the San Francisco […]
Walter Benjamin’s Niobe and “Mythic Violence”
Mount Sipylus in Manisa Province, Turkey. Proud of her ability to bear many children, Niobe — daughter of Tantalus, wife of Amphion — taunted the titan goddess Leto, who had mothered only two children, Apollo and Artemis. Leto’s children punished Niobe for her hubristic act by killing all of her children. On seeing this […]
