The Classics Lab

⛵️ Are you ready to sail the Wine-Dark Sea? 🏛️

From facing down the Cyclops and surviving the Sirens to navigating monsters, myths, and mortal choices, Homer’s Odyssey remains one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.

In my upcoming Outschool course, Homer’s Odyssey: The Journey of Odysseus, we’re diving deep into the epic poem to explore the myths, ancient history, storytelling techniques, and enduring legacy of Odysseus's epic homecoming.

✨ Course Details:
📚 Interactive discussion & source analysis
🏛️ Exploring Greek mythology, heroes, and ancient culture
💻 Live online via Outschool

Spaces are open now! Tap the link in my bio to enroll your learner and secure a spot. 🌊⚡️

➡️ Enroll Now! https://outschool.com/classes/homers-odyssey-the-journey-of-odysseus-KTBZT7L8

Homer's Odyssey: The Journey of Odysseus | Small Online Class for Ages 12-17 In this course students learn about Odysseus by reading and discussing selections from the Odyssey by Homer. Students will learn about the culture of Ancient Greece, mythology, and how an ancient text is still influential today.

A Roman altar stands alone, exposed to the elements in the ruins of the east tower of the south gate of Aesica Roman Fort (Great Chesters) on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England.

Rarely do you see a Roman altar in this setting, exposed to all the seasons. You can see coins on top, offerings left by people passing through or visiting.

Check the comments for a winter morning photo of this altar.

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For 400 years, male translators quietly rewrote Homer to make women look worse and heroes look better.

Then one woman translated The Odyssey—and exposed everything they'd changed.

In 2017, Emily Wilson became the first woman to translate *The Odyssey* into English.

Suddenly, readers saw a very different Homer.

It started with one word.

Odysseus is described as *polytropos*. Earlier translators called him "resourceful," "versatile," even heroic.

Wilson chose one word instead.

"Complicated."

Everything shifted.

Odysseus wasn't simply noble. He became morally uncertain, deceptive, and deeply human—the way Homer originally portrayed him.

Then came the women.

The Greek word *dmôai* means enslaved women.

For centuries, English translations softened it into "maids," "maidservants," or "girls." Some even labeled them "guilty," "s***s," or "wh**es," making it seem they deserved their fate.

Wilson translated one word exactly as it was.

"Slaves."

The entire scene changed.

These weren't disloyal servants. They were enslaved women with no power, no choice, and no escape.

Penelope changed too.

Instead of a quiet, patient wife, Wilson restored Homer's clever strategist. She delays the suitors, gathers information, and even tests Odysseus before believing him.

She wasn't passive.

She was calculating.

Calypso's story changed as well.

What earlier translations softened into romance, Wilson revealed as captivity. Odysseus wasn't staying willingly.

He was trapped.

Wilson didn't invent a new *Odyssey*. She returned to the Greek and asked a simple question.

What did Homer actually write?

She translated words consistently, refused to soften slavery or violence, and stripped away centuries of cultural assumptions.

When her translation appeared in 2017, it became a bestseller and sparked fierce debate.

Some claimed she modernized Homer.

Her answer was simple.

Read the Greek.

Emily Wilson didn't rewrite *The Odyssey*.

She removed four centuries of editorial filters—and let Homer speak for himself.

On this day in 212 AD, Caracalla made all free people Roman citizens! Read more about the hereditary nature of Roman citizenship and how Caracalla's edict changed things in Suburani Ch. 18!

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Gladiators were celebrities, the Roman ideal of masculinity. But what if, hidden among their ranks, were women? “Queens of Combat” premieres Wednesday, January 28 at 10/9c on PBS.

Latin Study Club is back! 🎉
Join us for our first meeting of the New Year.

🗓 January 12th | 5:00 PM
📍 Brookwood Library, Hillsboro (2nd-floor boardroom)

Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!