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The aim of this paper is to reveal the specifics of spatial perception among the Greeks of the 8th century BC in terms of the mental reconstruction of imaginary mythical space by way of an example of their representation of the spatial direction of the west. The first part of our research is devoted to a consideration of the problem of the perception of the extreme west as a source of danger to the world order and the analysis of mental spatial images performing the function of psychological defense. In the second part of the paper, the opposite qualitative characteristics of the west as mythical space in its interconnection with mythical time are considered. We have thus attempted to demonstrate ambivalence in the perception of the west inherent in people with mythological thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to reveal the specifics of a perception of calendar time among the Greeks of the 8th century B.C. Through an analysis of iconographic sources and original texts, we have made an attempt to determine the peculiarities in their perception of the flow of time, changing of the seasons, and annual circulation of time. By studying the imagery as it is shown in the pottery decoration of the Protogeometric and Geometric periods, we have come to the conclusion that the symbols depicted in it were reflected in the representations about calendar time as connected to the natural environment and alteration in the surrounding space in accordance with the annual changes in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how The Pergamene Youth and The Widow of Ephesus episodes present a stereotypical negative view of 'Greek tradition' in Roman culture. This analysis shall show how the narrators of these two Milesian tales entertain while the implicit author connects ethical categories and values to the different levels of the complex narrative structure. The question is not what are the Greeks like, but how the author sees the Greeks. The subject of the current study is thus not the Hellas that is open to historical research, but the ideal of Greek culture that was present in Roman minds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the opinion of some researchers, the family was not highly valued in Sparta. Nevertheless, certain pieces of evidence confirm that the Spartans appreciated their families more than we previously thought. The author who most influenced the ancient and modern image of Spartan mothers and their role in society is Plutarch. Unfortunately, his accounts on Sparta are in part a figment of literary imagination and present the Spartan mirage. Plutarch depicts members of both the royal families and of the elite as they rear their offspring, indicating the essential role the mothers played in both the private and public spheres. The question is whether Plutarch's works are a reliable source for Spartan history. This paper focuses on Plutarch's portrayal of the Spartan mother in Sayings of Spartan Women, as compared to the one in the rest of his works. Most apophthegms focus on a relationship between a mother and a son -- on the role a mother plays in creating a Spartan citizen. Her attitude to her offspring supposedly mirrors the customs and expectations of their state and society. Thus, in this paper I present the Spartan mother, a literary composite of virtues and a model parent, as not necessarily equal to actual women of Sparta who lived in the complex realities of that city-state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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