Ecem

Gary Oldman as Dracula, 1992

Constantine XI Palaiologos, last emperor of the Romans. Died in Constantinople on May 29, 1453 †

Medusa with the head of Perseus by Luciano Garbati.

Niccolò Machiavelli was born today in 1469. He was a diplomat in Florence during the Renaissance and he famously authored The Prince.

Christopher Nolan just showed Trojan Horse footage from The Odyssey at CinemaCon. The business math behind this movie is wild. $250 million budget. His most expensive film ever. First movie shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras. No franchise, no sequel, no superhero IP. The source material is a 3,000-year-old poem. IMAX opening weekend tickets went on sale a full year before release. They sold out in 12 hours. $1.5 million in ticket revenue before a single TV spot aired. The trailer pulled 121.4 million views in 24 hours. More than Universal's Wicked sequel. More than double what Oppenheimer's first trailer did in the same window. Today's footage confirmed Charlize Theron is playing Calypso, the nymph who kept Odysseus trapped on her island for seven years. The scene opens with Damon asking her "How long have I been here?" He can't remember if he had a wife or a son. That's pure Nolan. Starting the story in captivity, with a man who's lost his own identity. The same filmmaker who opened Memento backwards. The cast is absurd: Damon, Holland, Hathaway, Pattinson, Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong'o, Theron, Bernthal as Menelaus, Safdie as Agamemnon, Mia Goth, Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Travis Scott. Nolan joked it would be faster to list who isn't in it. His last five films averaged $680 million worldwide. Oppenheimer made $976 million with an R rating and a three-hour runtime about a physicist. Every studio spent the last decade convinced original films can't open big. Nolan's response: adapt the oldest story in Western literature. Homer's been in public domain for about 2,500 years. Nolan IS the franchise. His name on a poster does what a superhero logo used to do. Universal figured this out when they signed him after Warner Bros let him walk over a streaming window dispute. Twenty years of partnership, gone. July 17. IMDb's most anticipated film of 2026. Built from a poem your ninth-grade English teacher assigned.

@AntigoneJournal Thank you so much for this incredible offer! It means a lot to me as a student of Ancient Greek. I’ve sent you a Direct Message (DM) with the details regarding my needs. 🙏🏻

@Ecemnunlu How much support do you need?

Accepted to JACT Greek Summer School in the UK, but I’m about to lose this chance. As an Ancient Greek student at Istanbul University, I’ve worked so hard for this. But with the currency exchange (1 GBP = 61 TRY), it’s impossible without support. 🏛️💔 #ClassicsTwitter

Achilles' New Delight: Reactions to Weapons and Fun with the Homeric Scholia sententiaeantiquae.com/2026/05/03/ach…

Court dress established by Queen Olga for her ladies-in-waiting at her wedding, inspired by the bridal or festive costume of the Messogeia region of Attica, Greece, 1867. Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation.

I have an urge to try and learn Latin. I did take it as an undergraduate and used some in my historical research but now find myself oddly motivated to have a better grasp of this dead language. I am already fluent in French and semi-fluent I Spanish. Should I go for it?

Happy Sunday classiX!

"Can anyone help or point me in the right direction?"

JACT told me to find "local funding." I’ve contacted every foundation and office in Turkey for months. No one replied. Merit means nothing when you’re stuck between a broken economy and silent institutions.

I am not looking for a holiday, I am looking for my education. If anyone knows a scholarship or a way to support an international student, please let me know. A Retweet might help me find the right person. Help me get to Dorset. 🏛️📖