The Classical Anthology

The fourth poem in what survives of Sulpicia’s corpus, this direct and scornful reproach of Cerinthus’ adultery is the voice of a strong-willed, emotionally autonomous Roman woman. Drawing attention to her own birth (‘Servi filia Sulpicia’ – Sulpicia, daugher of Servius), she denounces Cerinthus’ pursuit of girls who demand no respect: those wearing the common […]

The Priapea is a collection of Latin poems of unknown authorship.  The mostly-short poems are dedicated to or written about the god Priapus, an unrealistically well-endowed minor deity of fertility.  Statues of Priapus were placed in gardens both to encourage fertility and to warn off thieves with an implied threat of rape. The Priapea was […]

In AD 79 Vesuvius erupted burying Pompeii in ash, preserving the city like a time-capsule for future scholars.  Since its re-discovery, Pompeii has attracted multitudes of tourists, archaeologists and classicists alike.  A rich supply of what may be learned from Pompeii lies in the graffiti, which provide insightful information into the thoughts of the average […]

This is a wonderfully triumphant cri de coeur, at once defiant, feminine and feminist; the slight awkwardness of the Latin is touching. Terry Walsh At last love has come, a passion that rumour would make more shameful for me to have hidden than to have uncovered to anyone. Cytherean Venus, won over by my Muses, […]