SASA Inspires
@sasainspires.bsky.social
Save Ancient Studies Alliance Inspire Campaign project highlights the connection between the Ancient and Modern world!
➡️ For more on The Fates, see here: historycooperative.org/the-fates-gr...
The Fates: Greek Goddesses of Destiny
The Fates – originally called the three Moirai – were the goddesses responsible for the destiny of one’s life. The extent of their influence over the other Greek gods is debated, but the control they ...
historycooperative.org
November 27, 2025 at 7:27 PM
➡️ For more on The Fates, see here: historycooperative.org/the-fates-gr...
🧶 Sometimes the sisters are depicted as old women, sometimes they are young women, and sometimes they are depicted as the mother, maiden, and crone. Clearly, at that time, Taylor Swift felt her relationship was destined, and thus a stop along her thread of life or "invisible string”.
November 27, 2025 at 7:27 PM
🧶 Sometimes the sisters are depicted as old women, sometimes they are young women, and sometimes they are depicted as the mother, maiden, and crone. Clearly, at that time, Taylor Swift felt her relationship was destined, and thus a stop along her thread of life or "invisible string”.
🧶 The youngest of the Fates, Clotho, was responsible for weaving the thread of life. The next youngest, Lachesis, was known as “the alloter” and determined the length of one’s life thread. Atropos, the oldest sister, determined how one would die and was responsible for cutting the thread of life.
November 27, 2025 at 7:27 PM
🧶 The youngest of the Fates, Clotho, was responsible for weaving the thread of life. The next youngest, Lachesis, was known as “the alloter” and determined the length of one’s life thread. Atropos, the oldest sister, determined how one would die and was responsible for cutting the thread of life.
🧶 One interpretation of this song is that Swift is referring to the ancient Greek belief in the Fates and their thread of life. In Greek mythology, the Fates were sister goddesses of destiny and human life. Within three days after a child’s birth, the Fates would decide the course of their life.
November 27, 2025 at 7:27 PM
🧶 One interpretation of this song is that Swift is referring to the ancient Greek belief in the Fates and their thread of life. In Greek mythology, the Fates were sister goddesses of destiny and human life. Within three days after a child’s birth, the Fates would decide the course of their life.
➡️ For more on the etymology of the word ‘Weird’, see here: www.etymonline.com/word/weird & www.mentalfloss.com/language/wor...
Weird - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
"having power to control fate," in weird sisters, from weird (n.) "force that sets events… See origin and meaning of weird.
www.etymonline.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:20 PM
➡️ For more on the etymology of the word ‘Weird’, see here: www.etymonline.com/word/weird & www.mentalfloss.com/language/wor...
🧙 However, the audience members mostly took note of how strange the sisters looked and behaved, and eventually this misinterpretation led to the modern definition of the word weird meaning something abnormal!
November 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
🧙 However, the audience members mostly took note of how strange the sisters looked and behaved, and eventually this misinterpretation led to the modern definition of the word weird meaning something abnormal!
🧙 In Macbeth, the Weird Sisters are a trio of magical women who prophesize that Macbeth will become king, though his friend Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. Shakespeare named them the Weird Sisters in reference to their prophetic abilities.
November 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
🧙 In Macbeth, the Weird Sisters are a trio of magical women who prophesize that Macbeth will become king, though his friend Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. Shakespeare named them the Weird Sisters in reference to their prophetic abilities.
🧙 It is possible that the word was related to the Norse word ‘urd’, the name of one of the three Norns, powerful goddesses who help control fate. This is potentially the reason why Shakespeare named a different trio of old ladies after her!
November 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
🧙 It is possible that the word was related to the Norse word ‘urd’, the name of one of the three Norns, powerful goddesses who help control fate. This is potentially the reason why Shakespeare named a different trio of old ladies after her!
🛡️ The aspis was an intelligent and necessary adaptation to the way in which the Greeks fought their battles.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
➡️ For more on the Aspis, see here: www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/asp...
© The Trustees of the British Museum
➡️ For more on the Aspis, see here: www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/asp...
The aspis - A global shield
A round shield, with a double grip, swept the Mediterranean by storm. But why did this happen?
www.ancientworldmagazine.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:15 PM
🛡️ The aspis was an intelligent and necessary adaptation to the way in which the Greeks fought their battles.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
➡️ For more on the Aspis, see here: www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/asp...
© The Trustees of the British Museum
➡️ For more on the Aspis, see here: www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/asp...
🛡️ This would mean the rear ranks would force their shields into the backs of the soldiers in front, putting an immense amount of pressure on the front ranks. The convex shape of the aspis would give them a breathing cavity and stop their sternum from imploding with the buildup of pressure.
November 26, 2025 at 12:15 PM
🛡️ This would mean the rear ranks would force their shields into the backs of the soldiers in front, putting an immense amount of pressure on the front ranks. The convex shape of the aspis would give them a breathing cavity and stop their sternum from imploding with the buildup of pressure.
🛡️ Second, the domed shape ensures blows would glance off more easily. But there is a third, less obvious reason for the domed design. Hoplite warfare was brutal and claustrophobic, as it often devolved into the two sides scrumming and shoving as hard as they could with their shields.
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
🛡️ Second, the domed shape ensures blows would glance off more easily. But there is a third, less obvious reason for the domed design. Hoplite warfare was brutal and claustrophobic, as it often devolved into the two sides scrumming and shoving as hard as they could with their shields.
🛡️ First, most formations would rely on hoplites deploying in a long line, many ranks deep. This block meant each soldier could overlap their large shields to the left to protect their comrades, building a sense of community and cohesion on the battlefield.
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
🛡️ First, most formations would rely on hoplites deploying in a long line, many ranks deep. This block meant each soldier could overlap their large shields to the left to protect their comrades, building a sense of community and cohesion on the battlefield.
🛡️ The aspis, referred to as the hoplon in outdated texts, was a large domed shield that was the primary armament for all hoplites, the regular citizen soldiers of ancient Greece. The aspis was not just a shield, it was a highly intelligent innovation of military technology, and here’s why.
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
🛡️ The aspis, referred to as the hoplon in outdated texts, was a large domed shield that was the primary armament for all hoplites, the regular citizen soldiers of ancient Greece. The aspis was not just a shield, it was a highly intelligent innovation of military technology, and here’s why.
🖐️ The cave also features other paintings that aren’t hands, such as works that depict animals and humans. Those paintings utilize different styles, indicating the time period they were painted during.
➡️ For more on the Cueva de las Manos, see here: whc.unesco.org/en/list/936/
➡️ For more on the Cueva de las Manos, see here: whc.unesco.org/en/list/936/
Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas
The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of...
whc.unesco.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 AM
🖐️ The cave also features other paintings that aren’t hands, such as works that depict animals and humans. Those paintings utilize different styles, indicating the time period they were painted during.
➡️ For more on the Cueva de las Manos, see here: whc.unesco.org/en/list/936/
➡️ For more on the Cueva de las Manos, see here: whc.unesco.org/en/list/936/
🖐️ Archeologists are unsure whether people painted their hands on the walls of this cave as a sort of initiation process or if it was an art project that spanned centuries. The majority of the hands (over 2,000 total) are left hands, suggesting that the inhabitants used their right hand to stencil.
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 AM
🖐️ Archeologists are unsure whether people painted their hands on the walls of this cave as a sort of initiation process or if it was an art project that spanned centuries. The majority of the hands (over 2,000 total) are left hands, suggesting that the inhabitants used their right hand to stencil.
➡️ For more on Sisyphus, see here: www.ebsco.com/research-sta...
Sisyphus | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
<p>Sisyphus is a prominent figure in Greek mythology, known primarily as the cunning king of Corinth. Born into nobility, he founded his own kingdom after being cheated out of the throne of Thessaly b...
www.ebsco.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:24 PM
➡️ For more on Sisyphus, see here: www.ebsco.com/research-sta...
🪨Albert Camus, an absurdist philosopher, wrote about Sisyphus as a critique of existentialism. He said that despite Sisyphus’ tragic circumstances, one must imagine him happy because he would find peace in the meaningless. Let’s hope that he's right, for Sisyphus’ sake.
November 21, 2025 at 6:24 PM
🪨Albert Camus, an absurdist philosopher, wrote about Sisyphus as a critique of existentialism. He said that despite Sisyphus’ tragic circumstances, one must imagine him happy because he would find peace in the meaningless. Let’s hope that he's right, for Sisyphus’ sake.
🪨 However, he stayed far longer than promised! As a punishment, Hades sent him to Tartarus, the deepest, darkest pit there is, and forced him to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time Sisyphus nearly reached the top, the boulder would roll down the hill, and he would have to start over.
November 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
🪨 However, he stayed far longer than promised! As a punishment, Hades sent him to Tartarus, the deepest, darkest pit there is, and forced him to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time Sisyphus nearly reached the top, the boulder would roll down the hill, and he would have to start over.
🪨 With death in chains, the balance of the universe was destroyed. Thanatos was eventually freed and killed Sisyphus. However, Sisyphus prepared for that by asking his wife not to bury him properly. In the Underworld, he asked to return to life for a few days to ensure he got a proper burial.
November 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
🪨 With death in chains, the balance of the universe was destroyed. Thanatos was eventually freed and killed Sisyphus. However, Sisyphus prepared for that by asking his wife not to bury him properly. In the Underworld, he asked to return to life for a few days to ensure he got a proper burial.
🪨 The first time, Sisyphus discovered that Zeus, king of the gods, had kidnapped the nymph Aegina. He told the nymph’s father what had happened, and Zeus sent Thanatos, the god of death, to kill him for ratting on him. But Sisyphus saw that coming, and captured Thanatos!
November 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
🪨 The first time, Sisyphus discovered that Zeus, king of the gods, had kidnapped the nymph Aegina. He told the nymph’s father what had happened, and Zeus sent Thanatos, the god of death, to kill him for ratting on him. But Sisyphus saw that coming, and captured Thanatos!