Every holiday season, my mother gifts each of our family members an ornament that points back to some major moment in their year (e.g. an “I’d Smoke That” ornament for the person who started smoking meat this year). Reflecting over the 2024 year for the MCA, I think I would gift this group a Saturn planet ornament. Saturn, as in a god of abundance – our meeting numbers continue to grow. Saturn, as in the celestial body with the most moons – our speakers and attendees have come from across not just Maine but also New England. Saturn, as in a god of generations and renewal – our group has welcomed first-year to retired teachers, undergraduates to tenured professors. Yes, I think Saturn sums up the 2024 year for the MCA.
Our sister (daughter?) group, the Junior Classical League of Maine, also had an exciting 2024, being featured on 207 (a NEWS CENTER Maine show) earlier in December. How wonderful to see high school students sharing their passion for Classics.
It seems that passion for Odysseus will not end in 2024. Christopher Nolan has announced that his next film project will focus on retelling the Odyssey. Not quite sure how much bigger Odysseus’ ego can get will all this attention. The film is set to release in 2026.
Since we are already on a Greek theme, the sequel to the RPG Titan Quest, Titan Quest II, will finally be released within the next few months. Its premise follows that of the first, taking an even deeper dive into the world of Greek mythology.
I am first and foremost a lover of Rome, so I cannot end without mentioning some Roman news. Dr. Simon Elliott, author, historian, and archaeologist, claims to have found evidence of a previously unknown Roman battle that happened in the Midlands of England during the Claudian conquest of Britain. Elliott thinks that the battle in question involved the Ninth Legion of Rome (Legio IX), a legion that disappeared from records abruptly in the 2nd century AD. Read more about this find here.
As this post comes to an end, the MCA thanks you all for a wonderful 2024 and wishes you a prosperous and joyous start to the year 2025. And if you have ever wondered about the origins of New Year’s celebrations, enjoy some light reading on the traditions of the Romans, ancient Greeks, and even Babylonians here and here.