13,094
edits
Changes
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to search
mLine 1:
Line 1: + + Line 7:
Line 9: − + − + Line 36:
Line 38: − + − + − ===Archaeology=== + − + Line 51:
Line 53: − + − ==Classical Greece==+ − + − ===Greek history=== − − ===Greek language and literature=== − − ===Greek religion and mythology=== − − ===Greek philosophy=== − − ===Greek science=== − − *Greek Philosophy − *Greek Mythology and religion − *Greek Science − *Greek History − *Greek Literature − *Greek Language − − *[[Pre-Socratic philosophy|The Presocratics]]. These are philosophers who worked before Socrates. − **The Milesians. These are the earliest Greek philosophers of whom we know. They worked in [[Miletus]] in [[Ionia]] in the [[6th century BC]]E. − **[[Thales]] − **[[Anaximander]] − **[[Anaximenes]] − *[[Heraclitus]] − *[[Pythagoras]] − *[[Xenophanes]] − **The Eleatics. These philosophers worked in [[Elea]] in [[Magna Graecia]]. − **[[Parmenides]] − **[[Zeno of Elea|Zeno]] − *[[Atomism|The Atomists]] − **[[Leucippus]] − **[[Democritus]] − *[[Sophism|The Sophists]] − **[[Gorgias]] − **[[Protagoras]] − **[[Antiphon (person)|Antiphon]] − *[[Socrates]] − *[[Plato]] − *[[Aristotle]] − *[[Epicureanism]] − *[[Stoicism]] − *[[Zeno of Citium]] − *[[Cleanthes]] − *[[Chrysippus]] − *[[Panaetius]] − *[[Posidonius]] − *[[Epictetus]] − *[[Philosophical skepticism#Ancient Western Skepticism|Scepticism]] − *[[Neoplatonism]] − − *[[Greek mythology]] − *[[Greek religion]] − − *[[History of astronomy#Ancient Greece|Greek astronomy]] and [[History of geography#The Greeks, the Romans and the Arabs|geography]] − *[[Ptolemy]] − *[[Greek mathematics]] − *[[Euclid]] − *Greek medicine − *[[Hippocrates]] − *[[Galen]] − − *[[Aegean civilization|The Minoan civilization]] − *[[Mycenaean Greece|The Mycenaean civilization]] − *[[Greek Dark Ages|The Dark Ages]] − *[[Classical Greece]] − *[[Alexander the Great]] − *[[Hellenistic Greece|The Hellenistic period]] − *[[Roman Greece|Roman conquest of Greece]] − *[[Byzantine Empire|The Byzantine (Roman) Empire]] − − *[[Greek literature]] − *Poets − **Bucolic poetry − **[[Theocritus]] − **Didactic poetry − **[[Hesiod]] − **Epic poetry − **[[Homer]] − **Lyric poetry − **[[Alcaeus (poet)|Alcaeus]] − **[[Alcman]] − **[[Archilochus]] − **[[Bacchylides]] − **[[Mimnermus]] − **[[Pindar]] − **[[Sappho]] − **[[Semonides]] − **[[Simonides of Ceos]] − **[[Tyrtaeus]] − *Playwrights − *[[Tragedy#Greek tragedy|Tragedians]] − **[[Aeschylus]] − **[[Euripides]] − **[[Sophocles]] − *[[Comedy|Comic playwrights]] − **[[Aristophanes]] − **[[Menander]] − *Prose writers − **Fiction − **[[Xenophon]] − **Historiography − **[[Herodotus]] − **[[Plutarch]] − **[[Polybius]] − **[[Thucydides]] − **[[Xenophon]] − **Oratory − **[[Aeschines]] − **[[Demosthenes]] − **[[Isocrates]] − **[[Lysias]] − **Other − **[[Lucian]] − **[[Plato]] − | − *[[Aeolic dialect]] − *[[Ancient Greek]] − *[[Attic dialect]] − *[[Doric Greek|Doric dialect]] − *[[Greek alphabet]] − *[[Homeric Greek]] − *[[Ionic dialect]] − *[[Koine]] − − − ==Classical Rome== − − ===Roman history=== − − ===Roman language and literature=== − − ===Roman religion and mythology=== − − ===Roman philosophy=== − − ===Roman science and technology=== − − *Roman Philosophy − *Roman mythology and religion − *Roman Science − *Roman History − *Roman Literature − *Latin Language − − *[[Seneca_the_Younger]] − *[[Marcus Aurelius]] − − | − *[[Roman mythology]] − *[[Roman religion]] − | − − | − *Periods − *[[Founding of Rome|The founding of Rome]] − *[[Roman Kingdom]] − *[[Roman Republic]] − *[[Roman Empire]] − *[[Decline of the Roman Empire|The fall of Rome]] − *Topics − **The [[Samnite Wars]] − **The [[Pyrrhic War]] − **The [[Punic Wars]] − ***The [[First Punic War]] − ***The [[Second Punic War]] − ***The [[Third Punic War]] − **The [[Social War (91–88 BC)|Social War]] − **The [[Gallic Wars]] − **The [[Civil war between Antony and Octavian]] − **The [[Germanic Wars]] − | − *Poets − **Didactic poetry − **[[Lucretius]] − **[[Ovid]] − **[[Virgil]] − **Elegiac poetry − **[[Catullus]] − **[[Ovid]] − **[[Propertius]] − **[[Tibullus]] − **Epic poetry − **[[Ennius]] − **[[Lucan]] − **[[Virgil]] − **Lyric poetry − **[[Catullus]] − **[[Horace]] − **Playwrights − **[[Plautus]] − **[[Terence]] − *Prose writers − **Epistolary writers − **[[Pliny the younger]] − **[[Lucius Annaeus Seneca|Seneca]] − **Fiction − **[[Apuleius]] − **Historiography − **[[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] − **[[Livy]] − **[[Sallust]] − **[[Suetonius]] − **[[Tacitus]] − **Oratory − **[[Cicero]] − | − *[[Latin]] − *[[Classical Latin]] − *[[Vulgar Latin]] − − − − ==Famous Classicists== − Throughout the history of the Western world, many classicists have gone on to gain acknowledgement outside the field. − *[[Anthony James Leggett]], [[Nobel Prize]] winner in [[physics]] who studied [[Greats]] at [[Balliol College, Oxford]] before switching to physics. − *[[Karl Marx]], philosopher and political thinker, studied Latin and Greek and received a Ph.D. for a dissertation on ancient Greek philosophy, entitled "The Difference between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature." His classical background is reflected in his philosophies—indeed the term "[[proletariat]]" which he coined came from that Latin word referring to the lowest class of citizen. − *[[John Milton]], author of ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' and English Civil War era political activist, studied, like most at the time, Latin and Greek texts. This classical background is quite obvious in ''Paradise Lost''. − *[[Friedrich Nietzsche]], famous philosopher, earned a Ph.D. and became Professor of Classics at the [[University of Basel]] in [[Switzerland]]. − *[[Oscar Wilde]], celebrated Victorian playwright and novelist, was educated in Classics at [[Trinity College, Dublin]] and [[Magdalen College, Oxford]] − *[[Toni Morrison]], noted author and [[Nobel Prize]] winner, studied classics at [[Howard University]]. − *[[Charles Geschke]], founder of [[Adobe Systems]], studied Classics at [[Xavier University]] and received a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. − *[[Ted Turner]], media mogul, studied Classics before being expelled from [[Brown University]]. − *[[J.K. Rowling]], author of the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series, studied Classics and frequently uses classical terms in her books. The first Harry Potter book has been translated into both Latin and ancient Greek. − *[[Jerry Brown]], former governor of California and former mayor of Oakland, majored in Classics at the [[University of California]]. − *[[W.E.B. du Bois]], Afro-American civil rights leader, historian and sociologist, was a professor of Greek and Latin at [[Wilberforce University]], Ohio. − − − ==Quotations== − *"Nor can I do better, in conclusion, than impress upon you the study of Greek literature, which not only elevates above the vulgar herd but leads not infrequently to positions of considerable emolument." [[Thomas Gaisford]], Christmas sermon, [[Christ Church]], [[Oxford]]. − *"I love the language, that soft bastard Latin, Which Melts like kisses from a female mouth." George Noel Gordon ([[Lord Byron]]), ''[[Beppo]]'' − *"I would make them all learn English: and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat."<br />—[[Winston Churchill|Sir Winston Churchill]], ''Roving Commission: My Early Life'' − *"He studied Latin like the violin, because he liked it." [[Robert Frost]], ''The Death of the Hired Man'' − *"I enquire now as to the genesis of a philologist and assert the following: 1. A young man cannot possibly know what the Greeks and Romans are. 2. He does not know whether he is suited for finding out about them." [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen]] − − ==Bibliography== − − * ''Biographical Dictionary of North American Classicists'' by Ward W. Briggs, Jr. (editor). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994 (hardcover, ISBN 0-313-24560-6). − * ''Classical Scholarship: A Biographical Encyclopedia (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)'' by Ward W. Briggs and William M. Calder III (editors). New York: Taylor & Francis, 1990 (hardcover, ISBN 0-8240-8448-9). − * ''Dictionary of British classicists, 1500–1960'' by Richard B. Todd (General editor). Bristol: Thoemmes Continuum, 2004 (ISBN 1-85506-997-0). − **[http://www.tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25829-2293189,00.html Reviewed] by [[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]] in [http://www.tls.timesonline.co.uk/ ''The Times Literary Supplement''], April 15, 2005. − * ''An Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology'', edited by Nancy Thomson de Grummond. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996 (hardcover, ISBN 0-313-22066-2; ISBN 0-313-30204-9 (A–K); ISBN 0-313-30205-7 (L–Z)). − * ''Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities'', ed. by Harry Thurston Peck. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1896; 2nd ed., 1897; New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1965. − * Medwid, Linda M. ''The Makers of Classical Archaeology: A Reference Work''. New York: Humanity Books, 2000 (hardcover, ISBN 1-57392-826-7). − *''The New Century Classical Handbook'', ed. by Catherine B. Avery. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1962. − * ''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'', ed. by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, revised 3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2003 (ISBN 0-19-860641-9). − *''The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature'', ed. by M.C. Howatson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. − − Miscellaneous − − *[[Mary Beard (classicist)|Beard, Mary]]; Henderson, John. ''Classics: A very short introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995 (paperback, ISBN 0-19-285313-9); 2000 (new edition, paperback, ISBN 0-19-285385-6). − * Briggs, Ward W.; Calder, III, William M. ''Classical scholarship: A biographical encyclopedia (Garland reference library of the humanities)''. London: Taylor & Francis, 1990 (ISBN 0-8240-8448-9). − * '''''Forum: Class and Classics''''': − ** Krevans, Nita. "Class and Classics: A Historical Perspective," ''The Classical Journal'', Vol. 96, No. 3. (2001), p. 293. − ** Moroney, Siobhan. "Latin, Greek and the American Schoolboy: Ancient Languages and Class Determinism in the Early Republic," ''The Classical Journal'', Vol. 96, No. 3. (2001), pp. 295–307. − ** Harrington Becker, Trudy. "Broadening Access to a Classical Education: State Universities in Virginia in the Nineteenth Century," ''The Classical Journal'', Vol. 96, No. 3. (2001), pp. 309–322. − ** Bryce, Jackson. "Teaching the Classics," ''The Classical Journal'', Vol. 96, No. 3. (2001), pp. 323–334. − * Knox, Bernard. ''The Oldest Dead White European Males, And Other Reflections on the Classics''. New York; London: W.W. Norton & Co., 1993. − * Macrone, Michael. ''Brush Up Your Classics''. New York: Gramercy Books, 1991. (Guide to famous words, phrases and stories of Greek classics.) − * Nagy, Péter Tibor. [http://mek.oszk.hu/03700/03797/03797.htm#6 "The meanings and functions of classical studies in Hungary in the 18th–20th century"], in [http://mek.oszk.hu/03700/03797/03797.htm ''The social and political history of Hungarian education''] (ISBN 963-200-511-2). − * Wellek, René. "Classicism in Literature," in ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas, Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas'', ed. by Philip P. Wiener. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968. − * Winterer, Caroline. ''The Mirror of Antiquity: American Women and the Classical Tradition, 1750–1900''. Ithaca, NY; London: Cornell University Press, 2007 (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-8014-4163-9). − − ==Online resources== − *[wikiversity3|School:Classics|classics|The School of Classics] − *[http://www.classicalassociation.org/ The Classical Association], the largest classical organization in the UK. − *[http://www.ut.ee/klassik/links/pages/ Classical Resources on Internet] at the Chair of Classical Philology, University of Tartu. − *[http://www.roman-emperors.org/ De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors] − *[http://www.tlg.uci.edu/index/resources.html Electronic Resources for Classicists] by the University of California, Irvine. − *[http://www.roman-empire.net/ Illustrated History of the Roman Empire] − *[http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/ The Online Medieval and Classical Library] − *[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/ The Perseus Digital Library] − − − *[[Digital Classicist]] − *[[Humanism]] − *[[Literae Humaniores]] − *[[Loeb Classical Library]] − *[[Philology]] − *[[Western culture]] − *[[Western World]]
Text replacement - "http://" to "https://"
[[Image:lighterstill.jpg]]
[[Image:Homere.jpg|right|thumb|<center>[[Homer]]</center>]]
'''Classics''' or '''Classical Studies''' is the branch of the [[Humanities]] dealing with the [[language]]s, [[literature]], [[history]], [[art]], and other aspects of the ancient [[Mediterranean]] world; especially [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Ancient Rome]] during the time known as [[classical antiquity]], roughly spanning from the Ancient Greek [[Bronze Age]] in 1000 [[BCE]] to the [[Dark Ages]] circa [[Common Era|CE]] 500. The study of the Classics was the initial field of study in the humanities. The word "Classics" also refers to the literature of that period.
'''Classics''' or '''Classical Studies''' is the branch of the [[Humanities]] dealing with the [[language]]s, [[literature]], [[history]], [[art]], and other aspects of the ancient [[Mediterranean]] world; especially [[Ancient Greece]] and [[Ancient Rome]] during the time known as [[classical antiquity]], roughly spanning from the Ancient Greek [[Bronze Age]] in 1000 [[BCE]] to the [[Dark Ages]] circa [[Common Era|CE]] 500. The study of the Classics was the initial field of study in the humanities. The word "Classics" also refers to the literature of that period.
The word "classics" is derived from the [[Latin]] [[adjective]] ''classicus'' meaning "belonging to the highest class of citizens," and has further connotations of superiority, authority, and [[perfectionism|perfection]]. The first, recorded use of the word "classics" was by [[Aulus Gellius]], a [[second century]] Roman author who, in his [[miscellany]] ''Noctes Atticae'' (19, 8, 15), refers to ''classicus scriptor, non proletarius''. He ranked writers per the classification of the Roman taxation classes.
The word "classics" is derived from the [[Latin]] [[adjective]] ''classicus'' meaning "belonging to the highest class of citizens," and has further connotations of superiority, authority, and [[perfectionism|perfection]]. The first, recorded use of the word "classics" was by [[Aulus Gellius]], a [[second century]] Roman author who, in his [[miscellany]] ''Noctes Atticae'' (19, 8, 15), refers to ''classicus scriptor, non proletarius''. He ranked writers per the classification of the Roman taxation classes.
This method was started when the Greeks were constantly ranking their cultural work. The word they used was ''[[wikt:canon|canon]]''; ancient Greek for a carpenter's rule. Moreover, early [[Christianity|Christian]] Church Fathers used this term to classify authoritative texts of the [[New Testament]]. This rule further helped in the preservation of works since writing platforms of vellum and papyrus and methods of reproduction was not cheap. The title of ''canon'' placed on a work meant that it would be more easily preserved for future generations. In modern times, a [[Western canon]] was collated that defined the best of [[Western culture]].
This method was started when the Greeks were constantly ranking their cultural work. The word they used was ''[[canon]]''; ancient Greek for a carpenter's rule. Moreover, early [[Christianity|Christian]] Church Fathers used this term to classify authoritative texts of the [[New Testament]]. This rule further helped in the preservation of works since writing platforms of vellum and papyrus and methods of reproduction was not cheap. The title of ''canon'' placed on a work meant that it would be more easily preserved for future generations. In modern times, a [[Western canon]] was collated that defined the best of [[Western culture]].
At the Alexandrian Library, the ancient scholars coined another term for canonized authors, ''hoi enkrithentes''; "the admitted" or "the included."
At the Alexandrian Library, the ancient scholars coined another term for canonized authors, ''hoi enkrithentes''; "the admitted" or "the included."
Classical studies incorporate a certain type of methodology. The rule of the classical world and of Christian culture and society was Philo's rule:
Classical studies incorporate a certain type of methodology. The rule of the classical world and of Christian culture and society was Philo's rule:
:"Philo's rule dominated Greek culture, from Homer to Neo-Platonism and the Christian Fathers of late antiquity. The rule is: "μεταχαραττε το θειον νομισμα" ("metacharatte to theion nomisma"). It is the law of strict continuity. We preserve and do not throw away words or ideas. Words and ideas may grow in meaning but must stay within the limits of the original meaning and concept that the word has."{{Fact|date=April 2007}}
:"Philo's rule dominated Greek culture, from Homer to Neo-Platonism and the Christian Fathers of late antiquity. The rule is: "μεταχαραττε το θειον νομισμα" ("metacharatte to theion nomisma"). It is the law of strict continuity. We preserve and do not throw away words or ideas. Words and ideas may grow in meaning but must stay within the limits of the original meaning and concept that the word has."
Classical education was considered the best training for implanting the life of moral excellence [[arete (excellence)|arete]], hence a good citizen. It furnished students with intellectual and aesthetic appreciation for "the best which has been thought and said in the world." Edward Copleston, an Oxford classicist, said that classical education "communicates to the mind...a high sense of honour, a disdain of death in a good cause, (and) a passionate devotion to the welfare of one's country." Edward Copleston, in ''The Victorians and Ancient Greece,'' Richard Jenkyns, 60. [[Cicero]] commented, "All literature, all philosophical treatises, all the voices of antiquity are full of examples for imitation, which would all lie unseen in darkness without the light of literature."
Classical education was considered the best training for implanting the life of moral excellence [[arete (excellence)|arete]], hence a good citizen. It furnished students with intellectual and aesthetic appreciation for "the best which has been thought and said in the world." Edward Copleston, an Oxford classicist, said that classical education "communicates to the mind...a high sense of honour, a disdain of death in a good cause, (and) a passionate devotion to the welfare of one's country." Edward Copleston, in ''The Victorians and Ancient Greece,'' Richard Jenkyns, 60. [[Cicero]] commented, "All literature, all philosophical treatises, all the voices of antiquity are full of examples for imitation, which would all lie unseen in darkness without the light of literature."
*[[Phoenicia]]
*[[Phoenicia]]
===Philology===
===[[Philology]]===
Traditionally, classics was essentially the [[philology]] of ancient texts. Although now less dominant, philology retains a central role. One definition of classical philology describes it as "the science which concerns itself with everything that has been transmitted from antiquity in the [[ancient Greek|Greek]] or [[classical Latin|Latin]] language. The object of this science is thus the Graeco-Roman, or Classical, world to the extent that it has left behind monuments in a linguistic form." J. and K. Kramer, ''La filologia classica'', 1979 as quoted by [Christopher S. Mackay [http://www.ualberta.ca/~csmackay/Philology.html]. Of course, classicists also concern themselves with other languages than Classical Greek and Latin including [[Linear A]], [[Linear B]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Oscan]], [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], and many more. Before the invention of the [[printing press]], texts were reproduced by hand and distributed haphazardly. As a result, extant versions of the same text often differ from one another. Some classical philologists, known as textual critics, seek to synthesize these defective texts to find the most accurate version.
Traditionally, classics was essentially the [[philology]] of ancient texts. Although now less dominant, philology retains a central role. One definition of classical philology describes it as "the science which concerns itself with everything that has been transmitted from antiquity in the [[ancient Greek|Greek]] or [[classical Latin|Latin]] language. The object of this science is thus the Graeco-Roman, or Classical, world to the extent that it has left behind monuments in a linguistic form." J. and K. Kramer, ''La filologia classica'', 1979 as quoted by [Christopher S. Mackay [https://www.ualberta.ca/~csmackay/Philology.html]. Of course, classicists also concern themselves with other languages than Classical Greek and Latin including [[Linear A]], [[Linear B]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Oscan]], [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], and many more. Before the invention of the [[printing press]], texts were reproduced by hand and distributed haphazardly. As a result, extant versions of the same text often differ from one another. Some classical philologists, known as textual critics, seek to synthesize these defective texts to find the most accurate version.
===[[Archaeology]]===
Thanks to popular culture, such as the movie ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', classical [[archaeology]] is often seen as very exciting. Philologists rely on archaeological excavation, so that they may study the literary and linguistic culture of the ancient world. Likewise, archaeologists may rely on the philological study of literature in order to contextualize the excavated remains of the classical civilizations of [[Mesopotamia]], [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], Greece, and Rome. The artifacts they find are key to all the other sub-disciplines and help provide new evidence for the understanding of the ancient world.
Thanks to popular culture, such as the movie ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', classical [[archaeology]] is often seen as very exciting. Philologists rely on archaeological excavation, so that they may study the literary and linguistic culture of the ancient world. Likewise, archaeologists may rely on the philological study of literature in order to contextualize the excavated remains of the classical civilizations of [[Mesopotamia]], [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], Greece, and Rome. The artifacts they find are key to all the other sub-disciplines and help provide new evidence for the understanding of the ancient world.
===Art history===
===[[Art history]]===
Some [[Art history|art historians]] focus their study of the development of art on the classical world. Indeed, the art and architecture of Ancient Rome and Greece is very well regarded and remains at the heart of much of our art today. For example, Ancient Greek architecture gave us the Classical Orders: [[Doric order]], [[Ionic order]], and [[Corinthian order]]. [[Parthenon|The Parthenon]] is still the architectural symbol of the classical world.
Some [[Art history|art historians]] focus their study of the development of art on the classical world. Indeed, the art and architecture of Ancient Rome and Greece is very well regarded and remains at the heart of much of our art today. For example, Ancient Greek architecture gave us the Classical Orders: [[Doric order]], [[Ionic order]], and [[Corinthian order]]. [[Parthenon|The Parthenon]] is still the architectural symbol of the classical world.
Some classicists use the information gathered through philology, archaeology, and art history to seek an understanding of the history, culture, and civilization. They critically use the literary and physical artifacts to create and refine a narrative of the ancient world. Unfortunately, imbalances in the evidence available often leave a huge vacuum of information about certain classes of people. Thus, classicists are now working to fill in these gaps as much as possible to get an understanding of the lives of ancient women, slaves, and the lower classes. Other problems include the under-representation in the evidence of entire cultures. For example, [[Sparta]] was one of the leading [[city-state]]s of Greece, but little evidence of it has survived for classicists to study. That which has survived has generally come from their key rival, [[Athens]]. Likewise, the domination and the expansion of the [[Roman Empire]] reduced much of the evidence of earlier civilizations like the [[Etruscans]].
Some classicists use the information gathered through philology, archaeology, and art history to seek an understanding of the history, culture, and civilization. They critically use the literary and physical artifacts to create and refine a narrative of the ancient world. Unfortunately, imbalances in the evidence available often leave a huge vacuum of information about certain classes of people. Thus, classicists are now working to fill in these gaps as much as possible to get an understanding of the lives of ancient women, slaves, and the lower classes. Other problems include the under-representation in the evidence of entire cultures. For example, [[Sparta]] was one of the leading [[city-state]]s of Greece, but little evidence of it has survived for classicists to study. That which has survived has generally come from their key rival, [[Athens]]. Likewise, the domination and the expansion of the [[Roman Empire]] reduced much of the evidence of earlier civilizations like the [[Etruscans]].
===Philosophy===
===[[Ancient Philosophy]]===
The roots of [[Western philosophy]] lie in the study of the classics. The very word [[philosophy]] is Greek in origin—a term coined by Pythagoras to describe the "love of wisdom." It is not surprising, then, that many classicists study the wealth of philosophical works surviving from Roman and [[Greek authors|Greek philosophy]]. Among the most formidable and lasting of these thinkers are [[Socrates]], [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], and the [[Stoics]].
The roots of [[Western philosophy]] lie in the study of the classics. The very word [[philosophy]] is Greek in origin—a term coined by Pythagoras to describe the "love of wisdom." It is not surprising, then, that many classicists study the wealth of philosophical works surviving from Roman and [[Greek authors|Greek philosophy]]. Among the most formidable and lasting of these thinkers are [[Socrates]], [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], and the [[Stoics]].
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: The Classics]]
