Researchers find hidden lives of women in ancient Greece
In today’s newsletter, we uncover the science of sleep (and could use more), discover broader roles held by ancient Greek women, explore ways to save people as the Alps melt… and crawl through Hawaiian caves carved by lava. Plus, remembering Loretta Lynn.
Ancient Greeks worshiped goddesses such as Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis, known as Diana to the Romans. Human women, however, didn’t fare so well, even in an early model of democracy.
New scholarship has shined light on ancient Greek women beyond wives, mothers, laundresses, vendors, midwives, and weavers (shown above). Priestesses held a high role in society, and more is being found about brilliant women such as Aspasia of Miletus, who moved in the same circles as Socrates and Pericles.
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STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING
• What archaeology can—and cannot—reveal about Jesus
• See 50 of our favorite Nat Geo Magazine covers
• Crawl through deep Hawaiian caves carved by lava
• The science of sleep and how it keeps us healthy
• Wonders from the world's first metropolises are being rediscovered
• The ‘holiest day of the year’ for the Jewish people
• How Alexander the Great’s death led to another empire
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Alps are melting: Mountain ranges cover a quarter of all land on Earth—and they’re heating up 50 percent faster than the rest of the planet. As high-altitude glaciers melt and unleash killer landslides and floods, mountaineers and villagers alike are scrambling for ways to stay safe, Nat Geo Explorer Denise Hruby reports. (Ice on Mont Blanc, pictured above, is constantly monitored to warn villagers of potential glacier collapses.)
DISCOVERIES
Flyby: The complex, ice-covered surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa (pictured above) was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft on Thursday during a flyby—the first in decades. After focusing on our biggest planet for years, the spacecraft is tightening its orbit to study Jupiter's moons, one of which may glow in the dark.
IN A FEW WORDS
There’s something about those mountains that roots itself within your bones. I am proud to be a coal miner’s daughter and I am proud to be a Kentuckian.Loretta Lynn, Loretta Lynn, country music pioneer, dies at 90
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Personalizing an icon? How do you show the Blackfeet Nation’s central relationship with the buffalo? For photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Kiliii Yuyan, an answer seemed obvious. Buffalo are inhabiting the plains once again. The InterTribal Buffalo Council, which has North America’s largest herds, believes that reestablishing healthy buffalo herds on tribal land reestablishes hope for Indigenous peoples. Reasserting Native sovereignty was the cover story of our June issue.
