Happy new year, and therefore it is time to remember the ancient Greek god ‘Kairos’ (καιρός), the god of the perfect moment or timing. He helps bring the perfect moment to take some decisive action, or to make something happen.

The youngest son of Zeus, he is depicted running on tiptoe with winged heels. He holds a razor in one hand and a pair of scales in the other. A lock of hair falls over the front of his face, making him easier to seize as he approaches.

But the back of his head is bald, so, if you miss your moment, there is nothing to grab hold of.

The Roman equivalent of Kairos was Tempus (as in ‘Tempus fugit’).

May you see - and seize - the perfect moment for what matters most to you in 2026.

#AncientMed #NewYear2026 #mythology #GreekMythology

Reposting here for the #ClassicsBluesky people.

Australia's under-16 social media ban has commenced, and Bluesky asked me to give my face, ID or credit card to a faceless third party.

I didn't use it often, and only for one or two topics, so bye-bye Bluesky was the easiest decision this week.

Hopefully we'll welcome more #AncientMed people here in time.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #Bluesky

New instance, new #introduction, after moving here from @historians.social. I've been on the Fediverse since 2022, and I wish there were more ancient Mediterranean people here.

I am a mature-aged ancient history and classical languages student at the University of Queensland (in Brisbane, Australia). I've completed one post-graduate diploma in ancient history and Latin, and I've enrolled in a second for more ancient history and ancient Greek.

After six months off, I'm back to advanced ancient Greek this semester. Euripides FTW.

The broad plan is to pursue postgraduate studies in the next few years, depending on the day job and other commitments.

#Classics #ClassicsMastodon #AncientHistory #AncientMed #LinguaLatina #AncientGreek #ClassicalGreek #histodon #histodons #introductions @histodons

Cypriot silver-gilt bowl ~ c. 725–675 BCE

This piece shows a range of cultural influences. Assyrian style in the central tondo with Egyptian motifs surrounding it. The Cypriot inscription reads: “I am [the bowl] of Akestor, king of Paphos.”

🏛 The Met

#AncientMed #History @antiquidons @histodons

#Salvete @dpnash @juneussell @ou_phrontis

Quomodo homines latinos-latinas loquentes invenire possimus? Possitisne nos adjuvare?

#Classics #ClassicsMastodon #AncientHistory #AncientMed #LinguaLatina #AncientGreek #histodon #histodons @histodons

A shabti from the reign of Akhenaten and dates to c.1353–1336 B.C. The existence of these shabtis during Akhenaten's reign suggests that some belief in an afterlife was present in the Aten theology. However it is notable that these particular Shabtis (made for Akhenaten) do not feature the traditional and typical shabti text and instead feature only names and titles of the Pharaoh. This suggests that this afterlife belief was not the same as the traditional pre-Amarna beliefs. Ultimately it is difficult to know for certain but these are fascinating artifacts nonetheless

Source and location- Metropolitan Museum of Art- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/549501 .

#archaeology #archaeodon #egyptology #ancienthistory #AncientMed #Classics #antiquity #antiquitydon #akhenaten

An imperial Roman copy of a Hellenistic original statue of the god Dionysus. It dates to the second century AD and is currently in the Hermitage Museum.

He is holding a bunch of grapes and wears a short chiton. He is crowned with a crown of Ivy leaves and berries. Dionysus' hair has been designed in archaic fashion.

Picture: theoi.com.

#ClassicsTwitter #Archaeology #Rome #AncientHistory #antiquitydon #antiquity #AncientMed #ancientrome #ancientgreece

Excellent article by @FlintDibble debunking Netflix's and Graham Hancock's atrocious 'Ancient Apocalypse ' .

https://theconversation.com/with-netflixs-ancient-apocalypse-graham-hancock-has-declared-war-on-archaeologists-194881

#archaeology #archaeodon #ancienthistory #AncientMed #antiquitydon #classics #egyptology #AncientApocalypse #netflix

TLDR: How can I retain my Latin? :)

I'm looking for any advice on retaining ancient languages when you have to focus your studies on a different area for a time.

I am taking ancient Greek next year after spending two years studying Latin. But I am keen to retain my current level of Latin - to the extent possible without the daily intensity of the last two years. With Greek to learn, a day job in a different area and family commitments, I know this will be a challenge.

I'd be grateful for any advice on what strategies you have found useful for retaining (even improving?) language fluency, especially in ancient languages.

I have some general thoughts at this stage (LLPSI, periodically translating passages as we did in class, reading parallel texts, etc.).

However I'm interested in any more specific strategies that have worked for the Mastodon history community.

@histodons
#AncientHistory #AncientMed #classics #LinguaLatina #Latin #AncientGreek #AncientLanguages #histodons