Title: The Mutilation of the Herms: Unpacking an Ancient Mystery
Author: Debra Hamel (Debra Hamel)
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In 415 B.C. the Athenians woke to find that during the night most of the herms in Athens (priapic statues of the Greek god Hermes) had been vandalized. The damage was too widespread for the act to be dismissed as a youthful prank. What was it, then: a conspiracy brewing against the democracy? Or merely a bad omen for their upcoming expedition to Sicily?

The so-called "mutilation of the herms" is an important episode in Athenian history. Nearly 2500 years later, basic questions…