#practising that Agamemnon walk

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

#practising that Agamemnon walk #for the future #david walmsley #of kings and prophets #sadly sum of all parts (good parts) not equal an amazing outcome with this series #my stuff #my edits #the more I watch the more I think there has been a mistcast here #to have dwalms and not use him #but at least he did have a good chunk to act

[sisterofiris]

Hey! Ancient Greek anon here again. How're you doing? Just wanted to drop by to say hi and to ask for #3, 4, and 13 for the classics ask meme, if you're still doing it!

Hey Ancient Greek Anon! Nice to hear from you :) I’m pretty much good, how are you?

Of course, you’re welcome to ask!

3. which is your favourite Greek city-state?

I really like Sparta. I don’t know as much about it as I should, but I like how it’s the opposite of many Ancient Greek things we consider universal. Like when people say Ancient Greek women were dainty, delicate little flowers that stayed indoors… except in Sparta. Or Ancient Greeks practised democracy… but not in Sparta. I also like the Spartan dialect and I wish we studied it more. The fact Sparta beat Athens in the Peloponnesian War also says something about how awesome they were!

I’m also curious about Mycenaean Orchomenos and Iolcos, which don’t get discussed very much.

4. tell me about the classical ladies you love the most

Hypatia. Hypatia Hypatia Hypatia. She was such an intelligent and independent woman, beloved by all her students who wrote such sweet things about her, and she deserved a much better end than she got. I wish we’d preserved some of her writing.

In mythology, I have a big thing for Clytemnestra and Cassandra. Cassandra because it takes a brave, brave person to see the fate of your world and carry it alone. Clytemnestra because I’d love anyone who stabbed Agamemnon, honestly.

If we go back a bit in time, and a bit to the east, I semi-love and semi-hate Puduhepa. She was the most powerful queen in Hittite history and reorganised the empire, and much of the cult, during her rule. She was also a doting mother and wife, and that’s exactly my problem, because her husband was (in my opinion) despicable and they schemed together. I love Puduhepa for her power and her confidence, but she’s probably not the sort of person I’d get on well with.

I also love Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun’s wife. The poor girl had a tough life - possibly married her father and had a child by him at twelve, definitely married her half-brother who died a few years later, ended up with a succession crisis on her hands, and possibly married her grandfather after that. Still, at Tutankhamun’s death, she was bold enough to write a letter* to the Hittite king, hoping to marry one of his sons (something completely revolutionary and unheard of, since this would’ve put Egypt under Hittite domination). Unfortunately, the son died en route and poor, brave Ankhesenamun disappears from the historical record soon after.

*It’s debated whether Ankhesenamun is the author of the letter, but she seems the most likely candidate.

13. if you could time-travel to the classical world for a day, where would you go and why?

Oh dear, this is a horrible question. I don’t know. I love such a variety of places and time periods that no matter where I’d go, I’d regret the others forever. My first thought was Troy in the 13th century, to see if the Trojan War really happened and if so why and how, but then I wouldn’t be able to visit Mycenaean Greece. But if I went to Mycenaean Greece it would kill me to know I’m just a sea away from the Hittite empire. And I would give so much to meet Mursili II, but I’d love almost equally to walk along the beaches of Halicarnassus with Herodotus and chat about people and history, or explore the Library of Alexandria, or visit Delphi on a festival day. I want to hear what the Iliad sounded like when it was performed, and what songs women sung as they worked. I want to try on a Minoan dress. There’s so much I’d want to see and do, so many people I’d want to meet, and each of them would feel like a betrayal to the others.

But in the end I think I’d pick a day around 1319-1318, when Mursili is campaigning near Miletus, and I’d take the morning to meet him and learn all I can about the Hittites. Then in the afternoon I’d slip into Miletus, visit the town and meet as many Mycenaeans as I can (since it had a significant Mycenaean presence), listen to the sounds of their Greek, wear their clothes and eat their food, and ask what they know about Troy even if it’s a bit early for the Trojan War. Then in the evening I’d listen to an aoidos recite whatever stories they tell then and there, and watch the night sky of ancient times.

#thanks for asking!! #nice to hear from you