r/classics

Hey team, I'm reading Plato's Republic for a book club, but I forgot my physical copy at home. To get some reading done at work, because work sucks and Plato doesn't, I came across this translation in Book 1. I'm reading from the MIT classics free translation, and we are right at the part where Thrasymachus comes rushing in:

He roared out to the whole company: What folly. Socrates, has taken possession of you all? And why, sillybillies, do you knock under to one another? I say that if you want really to know what justice is, you should not only ask but answer, and you should not seek honour to yourself from the refutation of an opponent, but have your own answer; for there is many a one who can ask and cannot answer. And now I will not have you say that justice is duty or advantage or profit or gain or interest, for this sort of nonsense will not do for me; I must have clearness and accuracy.

Is Thrasymachus just a goofball or what?

Hello everyone! I went through the application process for Masters Programs in Classics. For some background, I want to do more research towards archaeology and have studied Latin since my freshman year of high school and Ancient Greek since my sophomore year of high school (I was a classics major with a concentration in languages in undergrad). That being said, I was so grateful to be accepted into both Tufts and NYU for the MA in Classics. I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge or opinion on which may be the better program for me. Also for context, I want to then further pursue a PhD and go more into a career in museums and research rather than academia. Thanks!

I'll start with mine: it's not. I'm from a large public Italian university. But I know most of my professors teached for at least some years in either France, Germany, UK or US. So I want to ask if somebody has experience in an actual international department and how the cultural differences play out.

Edit: I don't mean this on a personal level, I mean it on a university culture level. For example in Italy you have lots of grade inflation because you can retake exams, but professors expect perfection and you will be failed even with passing scores, while in Germany since if you get failed two times you aren't allowed to study the subject at university level anymore, the culture is much more tolerant of low grades. Or from a scholarly point of view: the English-speaking tradition loves conjectures in philology while the Italian tradition tries to stick as much as possible to the result of the selectio.

Hello,I am beginner to Classics.What are the books I should read.Any recommendations for Greco Roman mythology and Christianity related books?