Learning Classics is a bit like putting on a magic pair of 3-D glasses. Once you start delving into the language and the culture, you'll start to see it all around you. This blog is a record of the club's journey through the worlds and language of ancient Rome and Greece... and through modern times, too, searching for the influence of classics all around us. You'll also be able to find vocab, home tasks, links and generally enlightening info here, too.

Greek gods are all around us

As we've noticed in Classics Club, the gods and goddesses of the ancient world can be seen all around us today.

Aphrodite/Venus
The goddess of love, beauty and general foxiness. So, quite naturally, there are plenty of beauty products named after her.







Hermes/Mercury
The messenger god, as well as the god of thieves. Here he is delivering messages and parcels in modern-day Britain.



Poseidon/Neptune
Seas, fish and all things marine are under Poseidon's control. Today his name is a brand of scuba diving gear.




Apollo
The only god whose name is the same in both Greek and Latin. He's the hunter god of the sun, so it's a bit wonky that NASA named their missions into space and to the moon after him - it's Apollo's twin sister Artemis who's in charge of the moon. Perhaps a case of twentieth century sexism?



Athena/Minerva
Goddess of wisdom and warfare (i.e. using your brains when fighting, not just going at things crazily like Ares/Mars). Her symbols are the owl and the olive tree. In modern times, she's often connected with anything that requires learning or brainpower.






Ares/Mars
What on earth has the god of war got to do with Mars Bars? Answer - absolutely nothing. They were invented by a man called Forrest Mars. If you're really interested in the story behind Mars Bars, here you go.