Will Durant | The Story of Civilization
Will Durant was born on this day, November 5th, 1885. He was a great historian, and wrote The Story of Civilization series. The way in which he labeled his histories tells a lot about the man: Our Oriental Heritage, The Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, The Age of Faith, The Renaissance, and The Reformation. Just as Will Durant, our Old Western Culture series does not label the “Middle Ages” as “The Dark Ages,” but rather as “Christendom.” This was a period of great thought, architecture, and literature, and to call it the “Dark Ages” is more a statement about one’s … Continue Reading “Will Durant | The Story of Civilization”
Penelope – Weaver of Remembrance & Life
CiRCE Institute posted this great article, “The Odyssey – On Dangerous Women & Their Looms.” Here is an excerpt: “Penelope is no “black widow”, weaving the destruction of her husband. She is no Clytemnestra. Penelope is crafty and clever, perhaps more so than any other woman in the story, but she protects her husband and her household. Penelope’s loom was a tool of death, but only for the wicked suitors who ate up the wealth of Odysseus and sought to steal his wife. Her loom was an instrument of life for her long-awaited Odysseus, whose return marked triumph over war, … Continue Reading “Penelope – Weaver of Remembrance & Life”
The Anger of Achilles and Farewell of Hector and Andromache
Here are two pages from the “Guide to the Art” of our first unit of Old Western Culture, The Epics. The Iliad and The Odyssey inspired a wealth of art during the Renaissance, and the 117 classical paintings woven into The Epics barely scratch the surface.
Animated Introduction to the Grammar of Poetry
This fun animated introduction to Grammar of Poetry (the first video course we produced) is also an introduction to our philosophy of developing classical curriculum FOR the homeschool. Enjoy! The Grammar of Poetry, by Matt Whitling of Logos School, is a video course that teaches the mechanics of poetry by using the classical approach of imitation. Its goal is to teach your child to analyze not only poetry, but words and language in general. Just as an English course would teach a student the different parts of speech, so also the Grammar of Poetry teaches a student the building blocks … Continue Reading “Animated Introduction to the Grammar of Poetry”
The Unusual Use of the Trireme in Thucydides
In this excerpt from The Histories, unit 2 of The Greeks in the Old Western Culture great books series, Wes Callihan talks about the unusual use of the Trireme in this episode from Thucydides that saved the people of a city from certain death.
The Priestess at Delphi
Ever wondered about the prophecies from Delphi mentioned in ancient Greek literature? Here is an extract from the “Guide to the Art” which accompanies Drama and Lyric, Unit 2 of The Greeks, part of the Old Western Culture great books series taught by Wes Callihan.
Why Study the Ancient Greeks? Wes Callihan on Old Western Culture
Homeschoolers are increasingly thinking about classical education. The roots of classical education predate the incarnation of Christ, classical education flourished over the next 2,000 years, and was specifically developed by Christianity throughout the centuries. Yet it was abandoned in the last hundred years or so as Marxist teachings entered our schools. We now think of education as a means of getting a job, and in that mindset, studying Plato and Aristotle is a little hard to justify. After all, “What is the meaning of life?” doesn’t help you be an engineer. But there are many reasons why the Christian student … Continue Reading “Why Study the Ancient Greeks? Wes Callihan on Old Western Culture”
Scythians Distracted by a Rabbit | Tales from Herodotus – Wes Callihan
In this rather humorous story from Herodotus, Wesley Callihan tells the story of the fearless Scythians who left the field of battle for chase a rabbit. This clip is an excerpt from “Greeks: The Histories,” part of “Old Western Culture: A Christian Approach to the Great Books,” a highschool (and above) video course designed for the homeschool.
Drama and Lyric: Guide to the Art
Each unit of The Greeks comes with a “Guide to the Art” booklet. Here’s a peek at what the “Drama and Lyric” guide looks like.
Greek Flamethrower
Wes Callihan talks about the fascinating mention of a “Greek flamethrower” in Thucydides in 424 B.C. This is much before the “Greek fire” the Byzantines used nearly 1,000 years later! This clip is an excerpt from “Greeks: The Histories,” part of “Old Western Culture: A Christian Approach to the Great Books,” a highschool (and above) video course designed for the homeschool.