#mantinea

Strange maps and even stranger maps are collected here.

Epaminondas defending Pelopidas by William Rainey

In Plato’s Symposium, the ancient Greek prophetess Diotima of Mantinea says to Socrates that love is a “great daemon.” She elaborates, saying that “everything daemonic is between divine and mortal.” In other words, a Daemon appears to be a ‘bridge’ between two realities, between two levels of time – ‘mortal time’ and ‘divine time’, or eternity. Over time, the word Daemon has come to be understood – or misunderstood – as meaning an evil spirit or devil. Now that is not to say that evil spirits and forces don’t exist (I like to be open on the issue). But in pre-Christian ancient Greece, the word Daemon meant something more benign. It meant a ‘tutelary deity’, a type of Guardian Angel. Diotima was an early challenger of this notion, however, insisting that it was something much more profound.

“ Surreal Agia Fotini at Mantinea “...

362 B.C. Mantinea, Battle Report A set of thoughts about this important event is forthcoming. Enjoy the Video of the Battle from the HOPLITE title by Richard Berg.