This Day in Ancient History: ante diem v idus octobres
ante diem v idus octobres Meditrinalia — a somewhat obscure festival in terms of origins which involved tasting old wine and new wine, apparently with the goal of being cured of diseases old and new. ludi Augustales scaenici (day 7 — from 11-19 A.D. and post 23 A.D.) 304 A.D. — martyrdom of Tharacus
“Hijacking” Antiquities in Bulgaria
This is a ‘small version’ of what I fear would happen if the British Museum ever “loaned” the Marbles to Athens (i.e. with the idea that they would return to the BM); I suspect it will probably happen with the Cyrus Cylinder. From Novinite: A real war is on the way between the Mayor of [...]
This Day in Ancient History: nonas octobres
nonas octobres rites in honour of Jupiter Fulgur — the deity who was responsible for daytime lightning was worshipped at a shrine in the Campus Martius rites in honour of Juno Quiritis — a divinity possibly originally from Falerii and brought to Rome by evocatio in 241 B.C. was also worshipped at a shrine in [...]
This Day in Ancient History: iii nonas octobres
iii nonas octobres mundus patet – the mundus was a ritual pit which had a sort of vaulted cover on it. Three times a year the Romans removed this cover (August 24, Oct. 5 and November eighth) at which time the gates of the underworld were considered to be opened and the manes (spirits of [...]
We Have Nothing To Fear … Except Spurious Quotes
The Euro 2012 site falls for an old canard: The great Roman general Julius Caesar once said: “We have not to fear anything, except fear itself.” It was with more or less the same approach that another Caesar – Cesare Prandelli, Italy’s new coach – accepted the post after the Azzurri’s disappointing FIFA World Cup [...]
Brushing Teeth When?
How does stuff like this get past the editors? OK, now hold on a minute, you can stop your sniggering: This was long after the Greeks and Romans used to `brush’ about 3500 B.C. by chewing a stick to clean teeth the same way that pet chews clean animals’ teeth . via From sticks and [...]
JOB: Generalist @ UMiss (TT)
Seen on various lists (please send any responses to the people/institution mentioned in the post, not to rogueclassicism!): The Department of Classics at the University of Mississippi invites classicists to apply for the tenure-track position of Assistant Professor, to begin in academic year 2011-2012 (starting date mid-August, 2011). A completed Ph.D. is required by the [...]
Alexander Quote Source?
An item in DC Velocity opens thusly: Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (Transcom), tells the story of his meeting with Secretary of Defense William Gates when he was assigned to the post in September 2008. Gates, impressing on McNabb the significance of his new job in the midst of two wars, [...]
Citanda: In Our Time on the Delphic Oracle
Podcast should be available until Thursday or so: In Our Time: The Delphic Oracle.
This Day in Ancient History: ante diem iv nonas octobres
ante diem iv nonas octobres fast in honour of Ceres — in 191 B.C., consultation of the Sybilline books ordered a fast to be held every five years in honour of the Roman goddess Ceres, who presided over grain and harvesting. By Augustus’ day, the fast was an annual event which curiously coincides fairly closely [...]
Citanda: The Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Temples
We’re now able to work through items I had tagged to mention ages ago (in this case, over a year!), including this article from amicus noster Alun Salt on the orientation of Greek temples … here’s the abstract: Despite its appearing to be a simple question to answer, there has been no consensus as to [...]
JOB: Latin at UIUC (TT)
Seen on AegeaNet (please send any responses to the people/institution mentioned in the post, not to rogueclassicism!) The Department of the Classics in the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign invites applications for a tenured position at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor in the area of Latin literature, beginning 16 August 2011. The [...]
JOB: Generalist at UMiss (TT)
Seen on AegeaNet (please send any responses to the people/institution mentioned in the post, not to rogueclassicism!): The Department of Classics at the University of Mississippi invites classicists to apply for the tenure-track position of Assistant Professor, to begin in academic year 2011-2012 (starting date mid-August, 2011). A completed Ph.D. is required by the time [...]
JOB: Greek and Latin Lit. @ UManitoba (TT)
Seen on Classicists (please send any responses to the people/institution mentioned in the post, not to rogueclassicism!): The Department of Classics, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Manitoba invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position in Greek and Latin Language and Literature at the rank of Assistant Professor. The successful candidate shall have an [...]
CONF:. Kongress für Griechische und Lateinische Epigraphik 2012
Seen on various lists (please send any responses to the people/institution mentioned in the post, not to rogueclassicism!): Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, der 14. Internationale Kongress für Griechische und Lateinische Epigraphik wird auf Einladung der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Verbindung mit dem Deutschen Archäologischen [...]
When Classicists Head Spy Agencies …
From Charlotte Higgins, inter alia: Asked about connections between his education and his current role, he replied: “MI5 needs people with good intellectual skills, the ability to spot connections, the ability to absorb and assess a variety of material. Natural ground for a classicist.” He added: “There has been something of a classical tradition in [...]
Roman Glass Recycling
Abstract of a potentially-interesting article behind a payfer wall: One hundred and twenty-eight colourless glass tablewares from settlement contexts throughout the British Isles, dating from the mid-3rd to 4th century AD, were analysed by ICP-AES spectrometry. Three distinct compositional groups were identified based upon the use of different decolourisers and primary raw materials, with possible [...]
The Advantage of a Classical Education?
The conclusion of an OpEd item in the Hindu: Of course education should prepare people for employment. Of course it is distressing when young people find that the job market is dire. They might just be able to raise a smile at a wry remark made in the early 1950s by the late Sir Robert [...]
Comparanda: Obama Augustus
Jack Carlson makes some interesting comparisons between Augustus’ use of images and Obama’s: American Thinker Blog: Obama Augustus: the power of images in the age of Obama.
New Issue of Vates Available
If you’re a fan of new Latin poetry, there’s a new issue of the journal Vates out: VATES.
