Arts & Culture
“Ancient Splendor” brings Trajan’s artifacts to the US for the first time
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Weekend Editor Eric O. Scott reviews the new exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum, “Ancient Splendor: Roman Art in the Time of Trajan.”
Culture
Smiling and Protecting: Medusa’s Latest Archaeological Return
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Medusa is making a little comeback. Recent archaeological discoveries in Türkiye and Austria reveal unexpected images of Medusa, from a smiling ceiling carving to a finely cut gemstone cameo. These finds highlight her ancient role as a protective figure and her enduring presence in religious, civic, and personal life.
Editorial
Here we go again: David Brooks’s misuse of “paganism” as a cultural corruption
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In an age where religious minorities — especially Pagans — already face real marginalization, suspicion, and in some cases, violence, Brooks’s carelessness, and by proxy, The New York Times’s carelessness for publishing it with little editorial concern, is irresponsible.
Europe
The Scent of Veneration: Study shows Ancient Statues were Perfumed
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New research suggests that ancient statues were not only painted and adorned but also covered with oils and perfumed.
Arts & Culture
Review: Gladiator II and the chaos at the heart of empire
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“Nearly everyone in this film is obsessed with the Rome that was, where the emperor was a scholar instead of a syphilitic club kid in a toga,” writes Meg Elison in her review of Ridley Scott’s new film. “It is much easier to complain about a bad government than to build one that works. See Virgil for more on this. See Hannah Arendt. See Marija Gimbutas. See all of human history. See the news.”