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The Difficult Patient In the New York Times' article The Difficult Patient, a Problem Old as History (or Older), by Abigail Zuger, medical students listen to symptoms of an ancient patient in order to try to diagnose him. The symptoms listed were part of a reading, by classicist Bryan Doerries, of Sophocles' tragedy Philoctetes. Philoctetes was on the road to Troy with the rest of the Greeks when he was injured and his wound festered. He was abandoned on the island of Lemnos because he stank so badly that no one could stand him. Unfortunately, the Greeks needed him to win the war. Sophocles' Philoctetes Philoctetes, a Greek hero, owns the bow of Heracles (a gift to the demi-god from the god Apollo) that the Greeks have been told by an oracle they need to win the Trojan War. It isn't entirely clear from the oracle whether Philoctetes is needed to wield the bow. Philoctetes blames Odysseus and the sons of Atreus (Agamemnon and Menelaus) for his ill-treatment. Like Achilles, he is willing to nurse his grudge although it hurts even the blameless Greeks. Left isolated, Philoctetes has been using the special weapon for the undignified task of killing his own food. Heracles comes in at the end as a deus ex machina to make Philoctetes do the right thing. See "The Role of the Bow in the Philoctetes of Sophocles," by Philip Whaley Harsh.The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 81, No. 4. (Oct., 1960), pp. 408-414. "Neoptolemos' Story in the Philoctetes," by Richard Hamilton. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 96, No. 2. (Summer, 1975), pp. 131-137.

Picture of Sophocles © Clipart.com

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Tuesday March 6, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Mt. Vesuvius

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Monday March 5, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Books on Thermopylae (& Artemisium) The Persians under Xerxes had two forces, one on land and one on the sea, with which they attempted to defeat those Greeks who wouldn't willingly accept Persian domination, as many Greek city-states had done. The Battle of Thermopylae included a land and sea component. The 300 Spartans led by the Spartan King Leonidas met the Persians by Thermopylae, while the naval forces, which were under the Athenian leader Themistocles, met them by sea, most importantly at Artemisium. Here are recommendations for 3 books covering the Battle of Thermopylae (& Artemisium).

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Read: Legends of the Jews - Esther Months of the Jewish Calendar

Saturday March 3, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Ancient Women Warriors A bit of trivia: The Old English words for man and woman were compounds with -man in both of them. In this context, man meant 'adult human'. The beginning of woman was wif and the beginning of male man was a word that sounds like weapon, so a wife-man was a woman and a weapon-man was a male-man. This tidbit comes from Anatoly Liberman's fascinating Word Origins. What's its relevance? Today's feature is on weapon-women or would that be weapon-wife-men? Read about the powerful fighting ancient queens and amazons: Ancient Women Warriors.

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Read more in Fasti of March.

Thursday March 1, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Woman-a-Day Newsletter Sign up for the Woman-a-Day Newsletter for March -- Women's History Month. Learn about poets, queens, courtesans, and other influential women in ancient history. You'll receive one issue a day for all 31 days, with additional information on supporting characters. Also see

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In his This Day in Ancient History, the Rogue Classicist mentions the possible anniversary of an Etruscan event.

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