CLAS 135: Ancient World in Popular Culture
Taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, Anastasia Pantazopoulou
From fantasy novels like Percy Jackson to superhero films like Wonder Woman to viral hashtags on social media, the ancient world maintains a constant presence in modern culture. Greco-Roman history, myths, stories, and literature are actively used—and sometimes misused—within the frameworks of both “western” and global cultures. This course examines how Classical antiquity has been received, interpreted, and appropriated in the 21st century through various forms of popular media. Together, we will critically analyze these representations to better understand what the ancient world reveals about contemporary society and vice versa.
Podcast Project
This assignment encourages students to work collaboratively to create podcast episodes that explore how the ancient Greco-Roman world is reimagined and interoperated in modern popular culture. The goal is to critically analyze a specific aspect of classical reception while developing skills in research, storytelling, and digital media production.
Pop Antiquity Student Podcast
The classical myth of the monstrous Gorgon called Medusa has been reinterpreted through a feminist lens, portraying her as a symbol of survival and strength. Ancient sources present different versions of her story: Hesiod’s Theogony sees her as a monster to be slayed by Perseus; meanwhile, Ovid’s Metamorphoses portrays her as a victim of Poseidon’s assault and Athena’s subsequent punishment. However, in modern interpretations, Medusa is seen as more than a monster – a woman wronged time and time again but never truly defeated. The #MeToo movement has adopted her image to challenge victim blaming and to represent strength, with Medusa appearing in tattoos, literature and public art – such as Luciano Garbati’s Medusa with the Head of Perseus. Through these reinterpretations, Medusa’s story has shifted from one of tragedy to empowerment, representing the resilience of survivors.
Bibliography
Apollodorus. (1976). Bibliotheca (M. Simpson, Trans.). University of Massachusetts Press.
Burton, J. (2022). Medusa: The girl behind the myth. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Cain, Abigail. 2018. “What Depictions of Medusa Say about the Way Society Views Powerful Women.” Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-depictions-medusa-way-society-views-powerful-women.
Cellini, B. (1545–1554). Perseus with the Head of Medusa [Sculpture]. Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, Italy.
Cixous, H. (1976). The laugh of the Medusa (K. Cohen & P. Cohen, Trans.). Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 1(4), 875–893. https://doi.org/10.1086/493306
Garbati, L. (2008). Medusa with the Head of Perseus [Sculpture]. Lower Manhattan.
Gill, N. (2023). Medusa. In Maidens, myths and monsters. Ebury Press.
Haynes, N. (2022). Stone blind: A novel (First U.S. edition). Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Hesiod. (2006). Theogony; and, Works and days (M. L. West, Trans.). University of Michigan Press.
Hosmer, H. (1854). Medusa [Sculpture]. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, United States.
Hyginus, G. J. (2002). The myths of Hyginus (M. Grant, Trans.). University of Kansas Press. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE)
Jacobs, J. (2020, October 13). How a Medusa sculpture from a decade ago became #MeToo art. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/design/medusa-statue-manhattan.html
Kealey, R. (2022, October 30). Modernised myth + Medusa tattoos. Cosi’s Odyssey. https://cosisodyssey.substack.com/p/modernised-myth-medusa-tattoos
Lynn, H. (2020). Athena’s child. Independently published.
Ovid, 43 B. C.–17 A. D. or 18 A. D. (2004). Ovid Metamorphoses (R. J. Tarrant, Ed.). Oxford University Press.
Sager, J. (2025, January 3). Medusa tattoo meaning: Symbolism for sexual assault survivors. Parade. https://parade.com/living/medusa-tattoo-meaning
Spacciante, V. (2023, March 29). When Medusa meets #MeToo. Public Books. https://www.publicbooks.org/when-medusa-meets-metoo/
Stanska, Zuzanna. 2018. “5 Most Famous Medusa’s Head Paintings in the Art History.” DailyArtMagazine.com – Art History Stories. May 23, 2018. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/5-most-famous-medusa-head-painting/.
Storealimie. (2023, July 6). The meaning behind the Versace logo: Unraveling the mystery of Medusa. Medium. https://medium.com/@storealimie/the-meaning-behind-the-versace-logo-unraveling-the-mystery-of-medusa-987d52d58d6b
In this episode of Pop Antiquity, the hosts dive into the world of board games that bring ancient history and mythology to life. They explore everything from the epic battles of Kleos to the strategic defenses of Hadrian’s Wall and the mythic charm of Santorini, showing how these games turn history and legend into immersive experiences. Along the way, they break down how gameplay details can reflect real historical themes, making the past feel alive and interactive. Whether you’re a history fan or just love a good game night, this episode will have you seeing board games in a whole new way.
Bibliography
Petteia, 28 January 2020, https://k00249306photography.photo.blog/2020/01/28/petteia/.
“ARCHAIC BLACK-FIGURE POTTERY.” Art History Resources, 2016, http://arthistoryresources.net/greek-art-archaeology-2016/archaic-BF-exekias-achilles.html.
Austin, R. G. “Roman Board Games. I.” JSTOR, October 1934, https://www.jstor.org/stable/270405?seq=1.
Blakeley, Sasha. “Kleos in Ancient Greek Thought & Myth | Definition & Significance.” Study.com, https://study.com/academy/lesson/kleos-in-ancient-greek-culture-beliefs.html.
Breeze, David, and CE Stevens. “History of Hadrian’s Wall.” English Heritage, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/hadrians-wall-history-and-stories/history/.
Driver, Mark, and Nolan Bushnell. “A History of Backgammon, by Mark Driver.” Backgammon Galore, November 2000, https://bkgm.com/articles/GOL/Nov00/mark.htm.
Gale, Alexander. “What Were the Ancient Greek Board Games Like? – GreekReporter.com.” Greek Reporter, 23 July 2023, https://greekreporter.com/2023/07/23/ancient-greek-board-games/.
“Giga Mech Games Kleos: Greek Gods Compete in a Game of Tactical Card-Play, Area Control and Combat for 1-5 Players.” Amazon.com, https://www.amazon.com/Giga-Mech-Games-Kleos-CardPlay/dp/B09MZQWZ6F/ref=sr_1_24dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.po7nSFo4B8O6iiUsDA5TizfSI56bQzLHBqeRq4dQKihPuUnMfKoDi3faXICJ2hy8fUD8ixQvYitwXEj-ZUMrxRsziibG6qwfWjQJqg_fyTUIl0lX6JxNsQWWRB8cQ6lcnZuRZM1agvZ2DRyJIDKujove3hdVKK.
“Gold in Mythology: Pantheon Stories from Around the World.” MFEA, 26 August 2023, https://www.mfea.com/gold-in-mythology-pantheon-stories-from-around-the-world/.
“Hesiod, Works and Days, line 1.” Perseus Digital Library, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/textdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0132%3Acard%3D1.
“The History of the Wall.” Hadrian’s Wall Country, https://hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/explore/the-history-of-the-wall/.
“Homer, Iliad, Book 1, line 1.” Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134.
Kelly, Megyn. “Board games in the ancient Greek world: Stavros Paspalas.” YouTube, 20 April 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5J0-lO4RTY.
Kelm, Jason. Hadrian’s Wall Review, 11 June 2021, https://www.boardgamequest.com/hadrians-wall-review/.
“Kleos | Board Game.” BoardGameGeek, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/310371/kleos.
Kurke, Leslie. “Ancient Greek Board Games and How to Play Them.” JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/270405?seq=1.
“Petteia – Polis & Ludus Latrunculorum, as partially chess ancestors.” Chess.com, 12 December 2020, https://www.chess.com/blog/introuble2/petteia-polis-ludus-latrunculorum-as-partially-chess-ancestors.
“Roman Board Games. II.” JSTOR, February 1935, https://www.jstor.org/stable/640979?seq=1. Accessed 28 February 2025.
“Santorini | Board Game.” BoardGameGeek, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194655/santorini.
“Traditional Architecture in Santorini – Culture – Santorini View – Santorini View.” Santorini-View.com, https://www.santorini-view.com/traditional-architecture/.
This Friday, the Heroic Stoics, Bianca, Lily, Shreya, and Sophia, discuss the archetype of the old
Stoic mentor. From the sci-fi fantasy society of Star Wars to the magical world of Harry Potter,
we discuss the basics of Stoicism and how Dumbledore, Gandalf, Uncle Iroh, and Yoda uniquely
fit into it. Tune in and consider where else you have seen this archetype before and how truly
Stoic they really are!
Bibliography
Caisip, C. (2020, September 19). Stoic Lessons in The Lord of The Rings trilogy – Carlo Caisip –
Medium. Medium. https://carlo-htgdc.medium.com/stoic-lessons-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-779cf8331791
Dillingh, S., & al, et. (2022). Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy (H. De Cruz & J. De
Smedt, Eds.). Wiley Blackwell.
Gill, C. (2007). MARCUS AURELIUS. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies.
Supplement, 94, 175–187. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43767825
Jacobs, A. J. (2025, January 30). Wisdom from the Stoics…and cartoon characters.
Substack.com; Experimental Living. https://experimentalliving.substack.com/p/wisdom-from-the-stoicsand-cartoon
Kern, E. (2025). A Stoic Looks at Deathly Hallows: A Note from Prof. Edmund Kern of Lawrence
University. Hogwartsprofessor.com. https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/a-stoic-looks-at-deathly-hallows-a-note-from-prof-edmund-kern-of-lawrence-university/
Sellars, J. (2006). Stoicism (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315712093
Shoutout UK. (2024). What Stoicism and Tolkien can teach us about suffering – Shout Out UK.
Shout out UK. https://www.shoutoutuk.org/2021/04/15/what-stoicism-and-tolkien-can-teach-us-about-suffering/
Stephens, W. (2020, June 15). Stoicism in the Stars: Yoda, the Emperor, and the Force.
Philarchive.org. https://philarchive.org/rec/STESWA
The Savvy Reviews. (2024, August 23). Uncle Iroh & STOICISM | Avatar’s General Iroh and
his Stoic Outlook on life. The Savvy Reviews. https://guitar-clover-xltk.squarespace.com/avatar-blogs-1/blog-post-title-one-rw7zy
Zuckerberg, D. (2018). Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age. Harvard University Press;
JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv24w63tr
Herakles (or Hercules) is a well-renowned ancient Greek hero, born as a demi-god and known to have successfully completed 12 incredibly difficult labors. As the years have gone by, people have deemed him the pinnacle of man, yet when we look at movies depicting him, he isn’t quite the cunning and resilient hero we think of him. In this podcast episode, we delve into the contents of comedic late 1960s movies starring Hercules and discover how modern society uses Hercules for political and social commentary and how that has aged since ancient classical times.
Bibliography
Garvey, P. (Dec. 11, 2024) What makes a Greek hero?. Retrieved from: https://ancientheroes.net/blog/what-makes-a-greek-hero
Stafford, E., & Blanshard, A. (2020). Hercules: A Hero For All Ages, Celebrating Hercules in the Modern World. The modern Hercules: images of the hero from the nineteenth to the early twenty-first century. (E. Stafford & A. Blanshard, Eds.). Brill.
Pseudo-Apollodorus. (1921). Bibliotheca. (J. G. Frazer, Trans.), Harvard University Press
Aristophanes. (405 B.C.E). The Frogs. Retrieved from: https://classics.mit.edu/Aristophanes/frogs.html
Euripides. (1891). Heracles. (E.P Coleridge, Trans.). George Bell & Sons. (Original work published ca 421-416 B.C.E)
What is the recipe for a “good” adaptation of the Greco-Roman world? In this episode of Ancient Souls and Modern Landscapes, we discuss the historical context, grounding mythology, and narrative intentions of some of the most popular movie adaptations of the 21st century. In doing so, we address issues of historical inaccuracy, public accessibility of the classics, and the cost of using classical backdrops as a vehicle for contemporary interests. For the purposes of this episode, we classified popular modern adaptations as falling within two general categories – those with ancient settings and modern themes, and those with modern settings and ancient themes – and selected a movie which best represented each category. Through the comparison of Zach Snyder’s 300 (2006) and Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games (2012), we argue that classical media adaptations are most effective with ancient souls and (relatively) modern landscapes.
Bibliography
Aeschylus. Persians. Translated by George Theodoridis. Poetry in Translation.
Beard, M. Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations. Liveright Publishing
Corporation, 2013.
Cyrino, M. “Gladiator and Contemporary American Society.” In Gladiator: Film and History ed.
Martin M. Winkler. Blackwell, 2004, pp. 124-49.
Herodotus. Histories. Translated by Bill Thayer. Loeb Classical Library, 1920.
Mills, S. “Classical Elements and Mythological Archetypes in The Hunger Games.” New Voices in
Classical Reception Studies, vol. 10, 2015, pp. 56–64.
Plutarch. The Life of Theseus. Translated by Bill Thayer. Loeb Classical Library, 1914.
The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross. Lionsgate, 2012.
300, directed by Zach Snyder. Warner Bros., 2006.
Our podcast episode explores the difference in portrayal of Amazons between ancient and modern sources. For the ancient sources, we saw that the Amazons consistently had a will of their own, and that their military skill was a source of independence for them. The modern sources emphasize their physical fitness and peak physique while adapting their military skills to match the modern era, like giving her spying abilities.
Bibliography
Abadía, M. C. (2017). Wonder Woman and Patriarchy: From Themyscira’s Amazons to Wittig’s Guérrillères. Wonder Woman and Philosophy: The Amazonian Mystique , 162-170.
Lethbridge, S. (2019, November). Amazon Reboot: Wonder Woman, Classical Heritage and the Question of Hero Equality. In Antikes Heldentum in der Moderne: Konzepte, Praktiken (pp. 185-208). Rombach Wissenschaft.
Penrose, Walter D, and Walter D Penrose. 2019. “The Unwanted Gaze? Feminism and the Reception of the Amazons in Wonder Woman.” Eugesta Revue Sur Le Genre Dans l’Antiquité ; Journal on Gender Studies in Antiquity , no. 9. https://doi.org/10.54563/eugesta.379.
Potter, A. 2018. Feminist heroines for our times: Screening the Amazon Warrior in Wonder Woman (1975 – 1979), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995 – 2001) and Wonder Woman (2017). Thersites 7.
Williams, Keira V. Amazons in America: Matriarchs, Utopians, and Wonder Women in U.S. Popular Culture. Louisiana State University Press, 2019. Project MUSE , https://muse.jhu.edu/book/63940 .
Our episode “Goddesses Just Wanna Have Fun” describes how the show Yellowjackets connects to classical antiquity, specifically, The Bacchae by Euripides and the cult of Dionysus in general. Yellowjackets draws on many themes from the cult of Dionysus, such as female madness and the idea of going back to nature. Similarly, the women in Yellowjackets are violent during their cult rituals, which relates to the ending of The Bacchae when the women tear apart King Pentheus in their frenzy.
Bibliography
Euripides. The Bacchae. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1997.
Thirani, Sakhi. “Girls Gone Greek.” March 23, 2023, JSTOR Daily.
Merbaum, Lindsay. “The History of Losing Your Grip.” May 19, 2020, Electric Lit.
Tareen, Zeynep. “Divine Hunger: Cannibalism in Greek Mythology.” The Collector.
The Episode goes over three main sections. First a debrief on what Greek and Roman gender roles are in mythology, specifically relating to Theseus and Ariadne, emphasizing a man’s pride/ place was through battle glory and a woman was to aid the man in their journey. Then going over Katniss and Peeta’s masculinized and feminized gender roles. And finally discussing whether gender roles have evolved since Greco-Roman antiquity or if just the person we allow to portray the role has changed.
Bibliography
Ross, Gary. “The Hunger Games.” Lionsgate, 23 Mar. 2012.
“The Life of Theseus.” Plutarch • Life of Theseus, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Theseus*.html.
Wells, J.R. (2014). ‘Rebel Tributes and Tyrannical Regimes. Myth and Spectacle in The Hunger Games (2012)’, in Heroism and Gender in War Films, eds. K.A. Ritzenhoff and J. Kazecki, New York, 2014, pp. 173–186.
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