Oath of the Ephebes

Guest Post

Fighting for survival

2019.04.12 | By Muriel Rouyer I am a professor of Political science (teaching two courses at the Harvard Kennedy School, on Global Europe and Green politics and Public Policy in a Global World). Within the space of two days, I discovered the existence of the Tree Corps, founded by Roosevelt during the New Deal in 1934 (see the accompanying pictures) and the Oath of the Ephebes, kindly revealed to me by… Read more

By Gregory Nagy

The Oath of the Ephebes as a symbol of democracy—and of environmentalism

2018.02.08 | By Gregory Nagy Inscribed on the surface of the stele that is pictured here is the wording of the so-called Oath of the Ephebes. This oath, I argue, connects the ideals of democracy with the ideals of environmentalism as it was understood in the ancient Greek world. Such an understanding, I also argue, needs to be studied for its relevance to the environmental crises confronting the world today. Read more