Recent Articles

Thanks to friends and to the meme nature of the internet, I've come across a few articles this week which discuss Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Sumerian religions and cultures. The articles show the influences of each on the other, but this confluence, this trade, or fluidity or syncretization isn't the subject of the articles.


This one isn't a news article or even new, it's an entry on the Goddess Tnt, or Tanit.

"The details of Tanit’s nature and powers are not really clear. Like Astarte, she had a complex personality. First and foremost, she was the mother deity of Carthage, protector of the city and provider of fertility. As such she seems to have been a deity of good fortune. Goddess of the heavens, she was often associated with the moon. Like Asherah, she had maritime connections and was a patron of sailors. There is also some indication that she had a warlike nature, as we would expect of the protector of a city."

Johanna Stuckey, the author of the above entry, has an interesting body of work on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Goddesses.


I posted this one on the Facebook group; It's about Cleopatra's children- what happened to them after her death? Her daughter married and became a queen and had children, including Drusilla, of whom little is known. I wonder what happened to the line? I wonder how many will start claiming descent from Cleopatra, especially when the movie hits theatres. Some have remarked at the blending of Egyptian, Roman and Greek religions and symbolism in Cleopatra's time, but let's remember that she was Greek!


Romeland theme park? Relive ancient times near the city itself...




Female Gladiators? Folks thought this statue was of a woman grooming herself. Turns out she was a victorious gladiator. Mmmm the smell of sexism in the morning...

If you're in the UK, you can Meet the Romans in this new TV special.