Philosophy Behind the Headlines This course will briefly introduce key ideas from the history of philosophy. We will discuss selected news stories, and consider what philosophical concepts and theories can contribute to our understanding of these stories. Do I need any particular skills or experience? No skills or experience needed This course is suitable for…
Author: Historical Image Library
Film Studies course in London
Exploring film genres Lecturer: Dr Dan Williams This course will look at examples from different film genres including melodrama, crime and comedy. Students will be provided with key information about all the extracts shown, and an opportunity to discuss different responses to the films. What genres are suggested by the images below? The WEA course…
Lunchtime Choir Concert
A small female choir, Japonica Singers, will have a lunchtime concert on Wednesday the 18th of September at The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-west, a historic Anglican Church in the City of London. The programme includes classical pieces and Japanese songs. It is free. Please come and enjoy with us!
Heroines from Greek plays
This month we want to show images of Ancient Greek play, featuring tragic heroines. Electra by Sophocles The women of Athenian tragedy are often used to embody the idea of total, selfless devotion to the interests of the man of the family – father, husband or brother. Electra was the daughter of the great…
Couple in love from classical mythology
As February the 14th, St Valentine’s Day, approaches we would like to show a ‘couple in love’ from classical mythology. Psyche and Cupid Psyche was a princess who was so beautiful that she almost overshadowed Aphrodite (called by her Latin name, Venus). Her admirers worshiped her and made offerings to her instead of Aphrodite,…
Peace and Health
Happy New Year! We wish you peace and very good health in 2017! Dove and Peace The goddess Artemis, twin sister of Apollo, guards her virginity fiercely and perhaps on this account, is the protector of young girls up to the age of marriage and childbirth. At her shrine at Brauron on the east…
God of Wine
Already the last month of 2016! Are you looking forward to celebration drinks on Christmas and the New Year? Here is God of Wine, Dionysus or Bacchus. Enjoy! Dionysus and grape vine It is always inadvisable to array any of the Greek gods, and Dionysus is perhaps one of the most dangerous of them all….
Homer’s epic Odyssey
While trees look beautiful with autumnal tint, it is nice to immerse yourself in reading books. How about Homer’s epic Odyssey? Homer The Iliad and the Odyssey, arguably among the world’s greatest epic poems, were composed about the mid-eighth century BC by Homer, but when we look for information about the poet, we only find a…
Learning new things from Ancient Greece
A new school year has started. We hope you enjoy learning and acquiring new knowledge. Here are a couple of Ancient Greek personalities who have inspired us through times. Pythagoras The great mathematician Pythagoras was born and brought up in Samos, but in 532 BC the island came under the control of a ruler whose…
Harvest season
We are still enjoying summer but the calendar is moving to autumn already! Harvest season is coming soon. What was this celebration like in Greece? Olive harvest At the legendary foundation of Athens, two great gods, Poseidon and Athene, competed for the coveted position of patron of the city. It was decreed that whoever donated…
Music in Ancient Greece
BBC Prom, open-air concerts, various kinds of festivals and shows take place in summer in Britain. Here, we are now in ancient Greece. What kinds of musical instruments did they play, or learn, or enjoy? Cycladic seated harpist It would be impossible to overestimate the importance of music in Greek life from the very earliest…
Greek Colonization in Italy
Inspired by the special exhibition called Sicily: Culture and Conquest at the British Museum, I want to show some images which represent how the ancient Greeks succeeded in expanding their territory through Southern Italy. Paestum, southern Italy By the seventh century BC general Greek cities were experiencing a number of problems. Over-population and lack of access…