Dionysus (also spelled Dionysos) was an ancient Greek earth deity with a specialty for vegetation, wine, festivities and madness. As portrayed in his myths,...
Giovanni Boccaccio (c. 1313-1375)
"It is my conviction that no mortal being who is without experience of love can ever lay claim to true excellence."
...
Emperor Heraclius became the ruler of Constantinople and its empire after overthrowing his predecessor, Emperor Phokas (r. 602-610). By taking the throne, Heraclius inherited...
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (c. 1712-1778)
"O man, of whatever country you are, and whatever your opinions may be, behold your history, such as I have thought...
Dionysus (also spelled Dionysos) was an ancient Greek earth deity with a specialty for vegetation, wine, festivities and madness. As portrayed in his myths,...
As told in the folklore and mythology of ancient Greece, there existed a malevolent supernatural entity called Gello, known to target young children and...
In 583, there were three Merovingian kings of the Frankish Empire. Brothers Chilperic and Guntram, as well as their nephew Childebert II, divided the...
This painting, by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Wicar (1762–1834), shows the poet, Virgil (c. 70-19 BCE), reading sections of his epic poem, The Aeneid,...
Odin (Norse god featured in the poem, Hávamál)
"Quite enough baseless blather comes
from the man never silent;
a quick tongue, unless it's held in check,
often talks...
Stein Skaptason was a loose-lipped, quippy poet from Iceland who lived in the shadow of his influential father—the skald and lawspeaker, Skapti. Although dear...
This painting, by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (c. 1696–1770), strives to re-create (albeit with some historically inaccurate wardrobe choices) an early encounter...
Giovanni Boccaccio (c. 1313-1375)
"It is my conviction that no mortal being who is without experience of love can ever lay claim to true excellence."
...
This portrait, painted by the Austrian artist Hans Canon (c. 1829 - 1885) depicts Moses—the lawgiver of the Abrahamic religions. Featured in this painting...
Mark Twain (c. 1835-1910)
"A statesman gains little by the arbitrary exercise of ironclad authority upon all occasions that offer, for this wounds the just...
This painting, by the Italian artist Salvator Rosa (c. 1615-1673), depicts a scene of the usually cheerful philosopher, Democritus (c. 460-370 BCE), departing from...
Emperor Heraclius became the ruler of Constantinople and its empire after overthrowing his predecessor, Emperor Phokas (r. 602-610). By taking the throne, Heraclius inherited...
This artwork, by the French artist Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin (c. 1724-1780), depicts the death of an important ancient figure named Germanicus. He was a...