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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) Thermopylae Terms To Know This is the last week before the graphic novel-based movie about the Battle of Thermopylae, The 300, comes out in movie theaters. This week's Spartan article is a list of terms I hope appear in the movie that are related to the historical battle, especially as told by Herodotus in Book 7 of his Histories. Read Thermopylae Terms To Know.

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

Vesuvius Picture by Paul Resh; Flickr Creative Commons LicensePrior to the famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, there were earthquakes, including a substantial one in 17 years earlier that Pompeii was still recovering from. In A.D. 64, while Nero was performing in Naples, there was another eruption. Earthquakes were seen as facts of life. However, in 79, springs and wells dried up, and in August, the earth cracked, the sea became turbulent, and the animals showed signs that something was coming. When the eruption of the 24th of August began, it looked like a pine tree in the sky, according to the naturalist and observer Pliny, spewing noxious fumes, ash, smoke, mud, stones, and flames. Read more about Mt. Vesuvius.

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).

Sunday March 4, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Jewish Holiday of Purim The holiday of Purim starts at sunset on the evening before the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar in the Jewish calendar year 5767. The 14 of Adar is March 4, 2007. Purim is the day on which Jews celebrate delivery of their ancestors from a plot to kill them. The story is told in the Biblical Book of Esther.

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.

Friday March 2, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) This Day in Ancient History This Day in Ancient Roman History was the start of the new year. The Rogue Classicist says that it was probably on this day that consuls entered office prior to 153 B.C. The month of March was so full of Roman religious events there was a special day of rest. It is also the month familiar from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar for its Ides.

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

Quote of the Day This Day in Ancient History Thursday March 1, 2007 | permalink | comments (0) Who Were the Etruscans? Recent DNA evidence suggests the Etruscans may have come from Lydia, as Herodotus claimed. Earlier, the discovery of a stele on the Aegean island of Lemnos that was inscribed with writing from a language like Etruscan gave credence to the idea the Etruscans came from the Aegean, which had been the theory of some of Herodotus' contemporaries. At least some ancient people thought the Etruscans were autochthonous; that is, they were original inhabitants of the Italic peninsula. Read more about the Etruscans in : Who Were the Etruscans?

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

"509 B.C. -- During a major attempt by the expelled Tarquins [Etruscan kings of Rome] to