Lynnie McIlvain
Verified Author

Lynnie McIlvain

United States

@lynnie-mcilvain

AuthorHistorian
BA Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Member since Sep 23, 2020
United States
9 published articles

Raised in Washington State, Lynnie is an alumna of the Clark College where she primarily studied art history and English. She went on to obtain her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound in a field about which she is even more passionate: classics & Ancient Mediterranean studies. She currently lives in Tacoma WA, and quietly nurtures her love of history, literature and writing, and languages alongside her professional career in nonprofit development.

Areas of Expertise

Ancient GreeceMesopotamiaMythologyAncient EpicAncient Greek ReligionAncient HerbologyClassical Receptions
how did socrates die

How Did Socrates Die?

Where does Plato’s account of Socrates’ poisoning diverge from scientific accuracy, and why alter the death scene at all?

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euripides portrait orestia painting

Euripides: Who Was the Last Great Greek Tragedian?

Euripides, the final Greek tragedian, closed out the era of Greek tragedy with a skillful attention to human drama not appreciated till after his death.

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sophocles oedipus polynices fuseli painting

Sophocles: Who Was the Second of the Greek Tragedians?

“He saw life as hard, but he could bear it hard,” says Edith Hamilton of Sophocles. This is the truth of the second great Greek tragedian.

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aeschylus

Aeschylus: Understanding The Father of Tragedy

“He who learns must suffer.” This Aeschylus says in Libation Bearers, and it distills himself. The first tragedian was a man who lived through bloodshed and found meaning through trauma.

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terracotta theater props

The Art of Tragedy: Ancient Greek Theater

In many ways, theater looked a lot different 2000 years ago than it does today, put on with masks and small casts and strange contraptions—that was ancient Greek theater.

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caesar cleopatra vivien leigh

The Nymphet Sexualization Of Cleopatra In Caesar And Cleopatra (1945)

Cleopatra has inspired artists and writers for generations as a subversive figure, with portrayals that elucidate each era’s attitudes. In Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), Cleopatra is depicted as a nymphet.

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panathenaic amphora

The Chariot: Plato’s Concept of the Lover’s Soul in Phaedrus

Plato recorded Socrates’s teachings, chiefly his conceptualizations of the soul. In Phaedrus, Socrates imagines the pederastic lover’s soul as a chariot, tripartitioned into the charioteer, right horse, and left horse.

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bagoas alexander the great

Bagoas the Younger: Who Was Alexander the Great’s Little-Known Lover?

Alexander the Great, known for legendary status and restraint, presents us with fascinating lovers. The Persian courtesan Bagoas is lesser-known than others but, when mentioned, is called Alexander’s favorite.

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epic of gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh: 3 Parallels from Mesopotamia to Ancient Greece

Greek storytelling pulls from many different traditions and cultures, particularly Mesopotamia due to the close trade relationship the two civilizations shared. The Epic of Gilgamesh proves this relationship.

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