Reality Check

References and mentions of things that seem like they don't belong in Ancient Greece, even the fantasy version of Ancient Greece that our heroes inhabit! (Also see: Pop Culture References and Greekisms.)

1.04 Herc and Seek

• Cratus says, "You left us for this? Schoolbooks and playing warrior.". The first bound book was described by 1st-century AD Roman poet Martial (source), which is a long time after Hercules would have lived. Cratus should have said "Schoolscrolls"!

1.06 Teachers Pests

• At the beginning of the episode, Jason is seen putting away boxing gloves. Did boxing exist back then? According to Wikipedia, the earliest evidence for fist fighting with any kind of gloves can be found on Minoan Crete (c. 1500–900 BC), and on Sardinia, if we consider the boxing statues of Prama mountains (c. 2000–1000 BC) (source). So yes, it's quite possible that the cadets trained with boxing gloves!

1.08 Keeping Up With the Jasons

• When Jason is trying to hurry them up, Lilith says "Relax, it's okay, we've still got a few minutes." The minute as a unit of time was invented by ancient Babalonians around 5,000 years ago (source). Even if that information was being used in Greece, what device was Lilith using to tell the time?

1.11 Battle Lines I

• Iolaus says, "It's Friday. End of the school week." The earliest attestation of a seven day week associated with heavenly luminaries are from Vettius Valens, an astrologer writing ca 170 AD in his Anthologiarum. The order was Sun, Moon, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronos. From Greece the planetary week names passed to the Romans, and from Latin to other languages of southern and western Europe, and to other languages later influenced by them. The word 'Friday' comes from the Old English Frīgedæg (pronounced [fri.je.dæg] or [fri.je.dæj]), meaning the day of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Fríge (source). So it's more likely that Iolaus would have called it Aphroditeday!

1.14 No Way Out

• Hercules says, "You know, it wouldn't've taken a brain surgeon to figure out 'my brother' was behind all this." You would think brain surgery wouldn't have existed back then, but apparently there is ample evidence of brain surgery dating back all the way to the Neolithic (late Stone Age) period. (source)