The rainbow-Goddess Iris finally releases Dido from her sufferings. See the poem here and the blog illustration here.
In an ode in which Horace is referencing a poem by Alcaeus, one of his most revered early Greek models, he not only commends wine – in moderation – but also reminds us of its dangers. As an example, he gives the wedding of the legendary hero and friend of Theseus, Pirithous, at which the centaurs who had been invited got drunk and molested the bride, triggering a pitched battle.
Hear Horace’s Latin and follow in English here.
The death of a friend brings life into focus for John Westbrook, who sums matters up in a ballad. Read it here.
Roman boxers fought with gloves designed to inflict the maximum damage on one another: the cestus, heavy leather strapping studded with lead around knuckles and forearms. In the games that Aeneas holds in Book 5 of the Aeneid in memory of his father, Anchises, Entellus, a great athlete but now old and slow, takes on Dares, the fast and nimble young champion.
The illustration shows the aftermath of the bout in a Roman mosaic. Learn the significance of the bull, and hear Virgil’s Latin and follow in English, here.