I waited to post about this because, Cassandra that I am, I was convinced that it had to be a hoax, but apparently it's not.
According to The Independent, scholars have found a way to use infrared technology to read the Oxyrhyncus Papyri, a treasure-trove (some five million words strong) of ancient texts, sparking hopes of a "second renaissance." Update: Additional coverage from Slate and Salon. Further update: The debunking has begun. (I hope the debunkers are wrong, but the story does seem too good to be true.)
Hesiod, Sophocles… No one yet has mentioned Sappho, perhaps the greatest of the ancient poets, whose works were systematically destroyed by Christian bigots because she was a woman who loved other women. (See Page du Bois' Sappho is Burning for an excellent study of Sappho's continuing power to disrupt societal pieties.)
An Etruscan babe illustrates this post because I love and revere the ongoing mysteries of Etruscan language and civilization. Plus, I respect all peoples of "dainty and expensive tastes."
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