Olympus JournalNotes on the classical worldExplore the Journal

Practical methods

How to read source, structure and image

Three short checklists for keeping evidence, uncertainty and modern interpretation visible.

01

Read a myth

A source-aware route through a story that survives in more than one telling.

  1. Name the ancient work, author or attributed tradition before summarising.
  2. Separate a translation from the original text and record its edition.
  3. Compare differences in sequence, detail and genre without forcing agreement.
  4. Treat a later image as an interpretation, not a neutral picture of the text.
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02

Read a temple

Move from plan to elevation before using architectural labels.

  1. Trace platform, colonnade and enclosed rooms as separate systems.
  2. Identify base, shaft, capital and entablature before naming an order.
  3. Use the record of the particular building for date, access and function.
  4. Mark fantasy arches, impossible scale and undocumented ornament as modern additions.
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03

Read a modern image

Find the boundary between a documented reference and visual invention.

  1. Describe what is visible before assigning a symbolic meaning.
  2. Locate any specific monument, object or text the creator cites.
  3. Distinguish revival architecture from an ancient original.
  4. Caption contemporary fantasy as contemporary fantasy.
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One useful habit

Write the caption before writing the interpretation.

If the caption cannot say who made the image, what kind of image it is and what it does not claim to reconstruct, the research trail is not finished.

Our research standard