Gifts for Classicists: Under £25
Need to buy a gift for the Classicist in your life? Here’s a round-up of some of my handmade jewellery and Christmas ornaments inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome, all priced under £25.
And I’ve included a selection of prints, accessories, candles, and books from my Classics-inspired friends and other small businesses - all products that I’ve either bought (and loved) myself or have had on my own wishlist all year. Enjoy!
Iliad Book Cover Ornament (£18.50)
Adorn your Christmas tree with Classics-inspired merch (or hang it on your bookshelf to admire all year round) - I’ve got ornaments inspired by vintage book covers, decorations in Latin and Greek, and supersized Greek vases to hang wherever you please!
Minoan Fish Hoop Earrings (£19.60)
These sweet little fish earrings - available in red or turquoise - are inspired by the marine frescoes from Minoan Crete. If octopuses or dolphins are more your style, I have those too!
Greek Meander Hoop Earrings (£24)
The meander (or ‘Greek key’) is an iconic decorative motif found all over Ancient Greek art and architecture. I find it makes for a pretty cool pair of earrings, too!
Odyssey Book Cover Brooch (£24)
Wear your love for your favourite work of epic literature on your sleeve (or anywhere slightly more practical) with one of my book cover brooches - Iliad, Aeneid, and Metamorphoses editions are also available.
Oinochoe Hoop Earrings (£24)
These oinochoe hoops are one of my first designs, and they’re still one of my favourites! Wear these dainty hoop earrings and be ready for a symposium at the drop of a hat (or wine jug).
Flaroh 2023 Calendar (£16.50)
Does anything say ‘Christmas gift’ more than a calendar? I got one of Flaroh’s mythology calendars last year and it’s been such a joy to see which of her iconic illustrations will be there to greet me each month! Pro tip - you can tear off each month’s illustration and frame it as a print!
Greek Myth Comix Colouring Book (£12)
The only thing better than Greek Myths Comix is Greek Myths Comix you can colour in!! I don’t think I’m the only one who loves a cosy Betwixtmas colouring-in session, with felt tips in one hand and a glass of eggnog in t’other - and this mythological colouring book basically counts as studying, with fun facts included on every page.
Scents of Elysium Candle (£20)
The coolest thing about Scents of Elysium candles is not only that they smell amazing but also that they only use scents that would have been available in Ancient Greece! One of my favourite things to do is light a mythology-inspired candle and curl up with a good book - Psyche’s Serenade (formerly known as Psychi) is my all-time favourite.
Agameganon Ionic Column Jewellery (£17-22)
If there’s anything more iconic than the Ionic column it’s Meg’s Ionic column jewellery! Buy it in gold, buy it in silver, buy the entire set - plus you can feel all warm inside knowing that your purchase is going towards supporting Meg through their PhD <3
Classics For Plebs Athena Pin (£8.50)
Attica is the SWEETEST and her illustrations are just as lovely! I have one of these Athena badges skewered into my pin board and I like to think she grants me a bit of wisdom as she looks down on me. (More likely she just rolls her eyes and wills me to stop being such an idiot.)
Fran Haslam Apollo Print (£15)
I could stare at Fran’s beautiful illustrations for days - in fact, sometimes I do! I have Apollo and Artemis hanging side by side in my studio, but she has illos of the Olympians and other scenes from Greek and other mythologies for you to choose from. Plus handy bundles of multiple prints for those of us who cannot choose just one!
Aster and Selene Runners Amphora Print (£25)
Aster and Selene’s illustrations of genuine ancient artefacts ought to be sold in every museum shop in the world. They’re so detailed and so vibrant and I just love this Runners Amphora, based on an amphora given as a prize at the Athenian Panathenaic Games.
Sadboi Illustration Flight and Fall of Icarus Print ($12)
Sadboi’s stunningly detailed mythological illustrations have been on my radar for a while now, and the only reason I haven’t purchased on yet is because I haven’t been able to decide which one to go for. This Icarus print might just change that - I can’t stop looking at it!
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper (from Typewronger Books) (£9)
I recently read Elodie’s entire trilogy in ten days because I really struggled to put it down. If you’re looking for an ancient world-inspired book that isn’t another myth retelling, this is for you: set in Pompeii, it follows the life of Amara as she struggles to pull herself out of enslavement and prostitution. There’s a focus on female friendship which I adore, and Amara is the kind of deliciously complicated female lead that I seem to struggle to find! Purchase from an indie bookshop if you can - Typewronger in Edinburgh is owned by a Classicist and one of my favourite haunts <3
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (from Lighthouse) (£10)
More a reimagining than a retelling, Home Fire takes the essence of Sophocles’ Antigone and transplants its themes and characters to modern-day London. Antigone’s battle for the dignity of her brother’s burial comes Aneeka’s fight for the repatriation of her brother’s body. Purchase from an indie bookshop if you can - Lighthouse in Edinburgh is a forerunner for diverse and intersectional books.
Euripides’ Medea by Robin Robertson (from Argonaut Books) (£8)
I recently bought this translation of Medea when I couldn’t find my Big Book of Greek Plays and I absolutely adored it. It’s fast-paced, extremely readable, and high on both drama and insults. What’s more festive than a woman finally losing it at her useless husband and escaping on a dragon-drawn chariot? Purchase from an indie bookshop if you can - I’m only mildly irritated that the wonderful Argonaut Books opened around the corner from my flat in Leith after I’d moved out.
Euripides’ Trojan Women by Anne Carson (from Toppings) (£11)
There is very little that will stop me from buying an Anne Carson translation but an Anne Carson translation of one of my favourite Euripides plays that is also a comic book? Sign me up! Purchase from an indie bookshop if you can - Toppings has shops in St Andrews, Edinburgh, Bath, and Ely and put on excellent Q&As and talks with authors, too!
