words from Greek history and philosophy

milosrdenstvi Excellent words & etymologies! Hope to see more of these. Sep 14, 2010

jpin Sybaris was a Greek colony in southern Italy famed for its wealth and luxurious living. Sep 12, 2010

jpin The colony of Soli was the last outpost of Greek civilization, where the inhabitants developed such a barbarous dialect that the name of the town became proverbial for grammatical mistakes. By extension, solecism has come to mean social error as well as incorrectness of speech. Sep 12, 2010

jpin A philippic is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term originates with Demosthenes, who delivered several attacks on Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC in attempt to prevent him from gaining control of all Greece. Sep 12, 2010

jpin To prevent an individual from demagoguery, Athens held, on occasion, an election which each voter inscribed on a broken piece of pottery, called an ostrakon, the name of the man whom he considered the most dangerous to the state. The person with the greatest number of votes was sent to exile for ten years. Sep 12, 2010

jpin Laconia was a region of Greece dominated by Sparta, a city of perfectly disciplined warriors. Sep 12, 2010

jpin To cut the Gordian knot is to solve a difficult problem by direct and drastic means.

According to legend, Phrygian king Gordias tied an extremely intricate knot, whereby a prophecy arose that whoever untied it would rule Asia. Later, Alexander the Great, unable to untie the knot, cut it instead with his sword. Sep 12, 2010

jpin Epicurus was the founder of a Greek school of philosophy which held that the supreme goal of life should be pleasure Sep 12, 2010

jpin In the 7th century B.C. Draco codified and systemized Athenian law so that even minor offenses were punishable by death. Sep 12, 2010

jpin "You are aware that my father - once reckoned a Croesus of wealth - became bankrupt a short time previous to his death." - Charlotte Bronte

Croesus, like Midas, was a very wealthy king of Asia Minor. In an age of barter, Croesus' kingdom had been one of the first nations to mint coins of precious metal; it had, so to speak, invented money. Later, his kingdom was conquered by the Persians. Sep 12, 2010

jpin "We had in this region, twenty years ago, among our educated men, a sort of Arcadian fanaticism, a passionate desire to go upon the land and unite farming to intellectual persuits." - Emerson

The region of Greece known in classical times as Arcadia is quite mountainous. It was therefore rather inaccessible and so was well known for its peaceful, rustic way of life. Sep 12, 2010

jpin In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who annoyed the gods with his trickery. As a consequence, he was condemned for eternity to roll a huge rock up a long, steep hill in the underworld, only to watch it roll back down. The story of Sisyphus is often told in conjunction with that of Tantalus, who was condemned to stand beneath fruit-laden boughs, up to his chin in water. Whenever he bent his head to drink, the water receded, and whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches moved beyond his grasp. Thus to "tantalize" is to tease or torment by offering something desirable but keeping it out of reach -- and something "Sisyphean" (or "Sisyphian," pronounced \sih-SIFF-ee-un\) demands unending, thankless, and ultimately unsuccessful efforts. Sep 12, 2010