Presented at the CiRCE National Conference 2023.

Classical education invites us and our children to enjoy a rich cultural feast at the crossroads of the world. In this session we will visit these crossroads and learn from its peoples and cultures as we examine specific textual and visual resources we can use in constructing lessons and projects for our students. We begin with the Odyssey, where Poseidon leaves Greece to feast with Ethiopians, then follow Herodotus as he paints a portrait for us of the splendors of India, Arabia, and Ethiopia. Then we go on a tour of the first thousand years of Christianity starting with Jerusalem and the middle east, going through Africa, Turkey, and Europe. And we end with the medieval period, where we visit Baghdad’s sophisticated center of learning where classic Greek texts are translated into Arabic and spark a centuries-long conversation between Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars that stretches from Baghdad, through North Africa, and into Spain. It’s a wild, beautiful, and sometimes challenging ride through the crossroads that will leave you invigorated.