1.The Art of Rhetoric

People may look at a Classics Major and think that there isn’t much to gain from studying Greek and Roman history and literature. Wrong! Ancient Greek and Roman primary sources teach a valuable life skill, which is the art of rhetoric. These sources teach you how to persuade your audience, brag about yourself in the best way possible, and demonstrate how awful your opponent is in character. The ability to write and speak effectively is critically important for any major because we all have to communicate our ideas in a limited amount of time. Studying Greek and Roman history and literature aids in this because it gives a clear blueprint for how a speech or paper should be composed.

2. Quotable Quips

The Spartans or Lacedaemonians were a people of few words but the words they did say were short and to the point. For example, allegedly at the Battle of Thermopylae, Spartan soldiers responded to the Persian ruler, Xerxes demand for their weapons with “Molon labe,” or ‘come and take them.’ This phrase is simple yet effective at conveying the thoughts of the Spartans and it’s simplicity also gives the phrase of defiance a sassy edge.

3. A Blueprint for World Domination

If you have ever wondered how to go about conquering the world, study the Roman Empire. From the Republic to the Principate, the Romans were exceptionally skilled in conquering and maintaining the compliance of those they conquered. Many textbooks and secondary sources comprehensively analyze Roman strategies for maintaining stability in their empire and clearly lay out how to dominate the world.

4. Vocabulary

Many words in the English language have both Latin and Greek roots and having a solid background in either one or both of these languages allows you to develop a better understanding of the English language. When you do not know what a word means, its Latin or Greek roots can help you out. For example, the word suicide has the Latin roots sui, which means self, and cid, which means cut or kill, therefore suicide means the killing of oneself. Latin and Greek can come in handy especially with esoteric words in scholarly articles and journals, which you will inevitably read in your college career.

5. Good Pleasure Reading Material

Epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey are great works to read for pleasure because they feature all the elements of a good story. Blood and gore, battle scenes, extreme rage, sadness, divine intervention, and characters questioning their next move and how they should live their life. They also provide valuable insights to ancient ideals of honor and glory and how the Greeks viewed those that were different from them.

6. Comedy

Lots and lots of penis jokes. Greek comedy is dirty and offensive, but it is still hilarious to read because some people wouldn’t think of Ancient Greece as being so open to making extremely crass jokes.