Minerva - May/June 2019

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At home with Homer
An exhibition celebrating our most famous ancient poet is on show at Louvre-Lens in France but the question of who he was, what he wrote, or if he existed at all, continues to exercise the minds of Classical scholars. Barbara Graziosi

Art and identity
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has drawn together stunning artefacts from a world that existed between the Roman and Parthian empires that show the blending of cultures. Blair Fowlkes-Childs and Michael Seymour

A Classical touch?
Alexander the Great led the Greeks west as far as northern India, but just how much local artists were influenced by the new ideas, styles and techniques they brought is still up for debate. Richard Stoneman

The nakedness of the nude
Inspired by Classical Greece, Renaissance artists made the often naked human figure central to their work, but this led to subsequent censorious moves to cover up certain parts of the body. Charles Darwent

Meet a new hero
Historical fiction writer Christian Cameron talks about researching his new book, featuring the Achaean general Philopoemen, and how he dresses to fight accurately renacted battles in Greece and elsewhere. Roger Williams

Belonging to nowhere...
The island of Sardinia seems cut adrift but artefacts from its mysterious megalithic Nuraghic culture – many of which are now on show in Cagliari – link it with the Caucasus thousands of miles away. Dalu Jones

Hearts of oak
In England, the oak is associated with the survival of Charles II and is still celebrated by royalists on 29 May, Oak Apple Day; in Greek mythology, the oak-tree was sacred to Zeus, the father of the gods. Caroline Spearing

Camelot or not?
The mythical life, heroic exploits and poetic death of King Arthur and his court at Camelot have excited the imagination, inspiring many scholarly and popular books – and some pretty terrible films. David Miles

At Home With Homer

An exhibition devoted to the most famous poet of antiquity is on show at the Louvre-Lens Museum – but what do we really know about him, and are we even sure that he composed the great epic poems for which he is famed? Barbara Graziosi sorts out fact from fiction

8 mins

A Classical Touch?

Richard Stoneman evaluates Ancient Greek influence on Indian sculpture and cave paintings following the invasion of Alexander the Great

10 mins

The Nakedness Of The Nude

Charles Darwent sees through the gauzy prudishness covering the genitalia in the nude paintings of the Renaissance to the naked truth concerning the unclothed human figure

4 mins

Meet A New Hero

Christian Cameron, the Canadian fiction writer and historical re-enactor of ‘experimental archaeology’ tells Roger Williams what inspired him to write books set in the ancient world after a career as an intelligence officer in the US Navy

9 mins

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Minerva Magazine Description:

Now available for iPad, Minerva magazine gives anyone with an interest in archaeology and antiquities a compelling insight into the ancient world. Minerva explores the lost civilisations of the past, from Ancient Egypt to Greece, Rome and the mighty empires of the Middle East and Asia.

For over 25 years, Minerva has revealed record-breaking auction results, exciting new finds, and untold stories of the distant past, spanning the Stone Age to the Dark Ages and beyond.

Each issue includes:
• News of finds and research from around the world
• Original research by international experts
• Reviews of major new exhibitions
• Latest trends and auction reports from the antiquities market
• In-depth features on history’s most fascinating people and events
• Profiles of leading figures from the world of archaeology
• Reviews of new publications and a must-have events diary