Month: February 2010

Also Seen: A Less-Than-Disarming Story

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a weird one:

When the owner of a stone sculpture shop Tien Hieu in the stone sculpture village of Non Nuoc in the Central province of Da Nang reported a hand was missing from his stone statue of a young lady, police found that a fan of the Ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo was the culprit.

The statue,“ Thieu nu om hoa” (Young girl carries flowers), was being displayed on the flower street Bach Dang, in front of the Korean market, in Da Nang during Tet holidays. Early Saturday morning, the owner of the statue noticed one hand of his statue had been cut off.

The hand thief, Huynh Ngoc La Quang, 47, of Hai Chau district, said the statue worth VND35 million (US$1,800) was not beautiful enough with two hands, so he removed one. In his mind the secret of women’s beauty lay in the Venus de Milo’s missing arms so he took a hammer to the statue to make her more like Venus.

At present, the police at Hai Chau 1 ward are finishing the profile of Quang and will forward it to their seniors for further investigation.

via Venus fan removes statue’s hand | SGGP.

Citanda – Zeus: King of the Gods

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Another comic of interest … here’s a review from Newsarama

The commonality between the Greek heroes and gods of myth and the twentieth century comic book superheroes has been noticed, expressed and remarked upon so many times that it has long since become a cliché.

It therefore shouldn’t come as much of a surprise how at home the Olympians are in the native medium of the superheroes, and yet George O’Connor’s Zeus: King of the Gods (First Second), is an amazingly graceful story. It may technically be an adaptation, but it reads like an original work.

… more

via Blog@Newsarama » Blog Archive » Review: Zeus: King of the Gods.

Also seen: Conventiculum Dickinsonienseis

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

The Conventiculum Dickinsonienseis a new total immersion seminar in active Latin. It is specifically designed for all cultivators of Latin who wish to gain some ability to express themselves ex-tempore in correct Latin. A wide range of people can benefit from the seminar: professors in universities, teachers in secondary schools, graduate students, undergraduates and other lovers of Latin, provided that anyone who considers applying has a solid understanding of the grammatical essentials of the Latin language. A minimum requirement is knowledge of Latin grammar and the ability to read a Latin text of average complexity, even if using a dictionary often. No previous experience in speaking Latin is necessary. Sessions will be aimed exclusively at developing ability in speaking, understanding others speaking, reading and discussing texts in the target language. After the first evening, Latin will be the exclusive language used in the seminar. Participants will be involved in intensive activity each day from morning until early evening (with breaks for lunch, etc., of course), and will discuss themes ranging from topics in books, literature and art to the routines and activities of daily life. The seminar will illustrate not only how active Latin can be useful for teachers, but also how cultivating an active facility in Latin can benefit any cultivator of Latin who wishes to acquire a more instinctive command of the language and a more intimate relationship with Latin writings.

via Dickinson College – Teacher Workshops. (also with info about the Summer Latin Workshop)

Zeffirrelli Herm Coming to Auction

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Can’t find anything to quote at Bonham’s yet on this, but it’s interesting:

A lovely Roman marble bust that film director, Franco Zeffirrelli gave as a wedding gift to friends who worked with him on the filming of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ will be sold at Bonhams next Antiquities Sale in London on April 28th.

Dating from the second century AD the Roman herm head traditionally used on the top of a pillar, is estimated to sell for £7,000 to £9,000. A wonderful photo of the bride and groom taken at their wedding with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Zeffirelli will be sold with the bust they received from the film director.

A herm is a sculpted image of a god, thought to be originally Hermes. It stood in doorways, gardens or by the wayside for the protection of orchards and vineyards. There is also evidence that such an image was used in the performance of the ‘sacred marriage’ ritual in the Dionysiac mysteries connected with purification and fertility.

The filming of the ‘Taming of the Shrew’ in Rome in 1967 brought all these creative people together in a project that was critically acclaimed.

photo via Art Daily

more …

Knidos an Illegal Excavation Target

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

The ancient city of Knidos, located near the resort town of Datça on the Aegean, has become the target of illegal excavations and treasure hunters.

The gendarmerie station in the 2,600-year-old city is closed in the winter months, and security is provided by two watchmen. The police and gendarmerie forces caught treasure hunters near the ancient city last week, raising doubts about the protection of the ancient site.

Akın Pilavcı, the chairman of the Datça Local History Association, told the Doğan news agency that the ancient city of Knidos was not protected enough and called for action from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

“It is not possible to protect the ancient city of Knidos with only two or three watchmen,” said Pilavcı. “The ruins are located on a very wide area and the gendarmerie is there only for the summer, and in the winter they only send patrols, which are not enough.”

more …

via Treasure hunters target ancient city of Knidos | Hurriyet Daily News.