Cartledge and Romm on Alexander (7)
This time they’re discussing his ‘orientation’:
Alexander The Great: Gay or Straight? – Booked – Reading unbound – Forbes.
rogueclassicism
quidquid bene dictum est ab ullo, meum est
Archive for the month “February, 2011”
Gladiator Epics — Classics Departments’ Dirty Little Secret
Lengthy piece in the Miami Herald on the ongoing popularity of Gladiator/Roman movies … along the way, they interview some Classicists:
From the biblical epics of the ’50s to the toga dramas of the ’60s through more recent hits such as “300,” “Gladiator,” “Braveheart” and TV series such as “Hercules,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Rome” and I, Claudius,” it seems there is always an audience out there that is as equally entranced by the ancient world as the modern – even if the genre is often dismissed as sword-and-sandal or toga trash.
[...]
No one knows that better than those who teach the classics for a living. They understand why some view movies/TV shows about the eras with which they are fascinated with a jaundiced eye.
“That’s a legacy of the ’50s, those great Roman biblical epics that were so serious. … but there were fake beards and visible smallpox vaccinations,” says Matthew Brosamer, an associate professor of English at Los Angeles’ Mount St. Mary’s College, who specializes in the literature of Roman, Middle Ages and Renaissance eras. “Literate moviegoers didn’t respect them.”
Richard Armstrong, associate professor of classical studies at the University of Houston who has taught a course on how Rome is perceived in cinema called “Epic Masculinity,” says in an e-mail response that the accents also get in the way. “Part of it is that we have these odd conventions that the Romans had British accents, while all the Christians sound like they’re from Kansas.”
(Actually, in “The Eagle,” Scottish director Kevin Macdonald flipped the script and wanted American actors to portray Romans and British actors to play their slaves and occupied peoples. “He wanted to make a bit of a political statement,” Tatum says.)
Of course, there’s the undercurrent of homo-eroticism which was most famously lampooned in “Airplane!” with the line from the late Peter Graves: “Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?”
Not to mention sex in general which, in Hollywood’s eyes, Romans seemed to be having all the time with anyone, anywhere.
Armstrong thinks that Starz’ “Spartacus” series is aping the worst aspects of “Caligula,” the 1979 Roman Empire-era film produced by Penthouse magazine’s Bob Guccione that was derided at the time for being pornographic.
“‘Spartacus’ aspires to that level of transgression,” says Armstrong. “I think the constant juxtaposition of sex and utter brutality oversimplifies whatever it wants to say about the ancient world, and reflects more the worlds of cage fighting and the Playboy Channel than Rome, or Capua where it’s actually set. … Pretty boring unless you’ve never seen naked people before.”
That sense that the ancient world strutted to a different moral drummer is why some think that so many are intrigued by that time period. We can live vicariously through these characters and accept behavior from heroes and villains that we would be repulsed by if set in the contemporary world.
“Why can we be titillated by sexual situations involving Roman slaves but would perhaps object to modern pornography about sex slaves? Putting those actions among those ‘decadent Romans’ lets us turn our fantasies to 11 while displacing all, or almost all, the guilt,” sums up Ricardo Apostol, assistant professor of classics at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University in an e-mail. He teaches a course called “Sword and Sandal: The Classics in Film.”
“Some people can consume it that way, as straight ‘awesome.’ Others, needing a little more distance, ironize it into a guilty pleasure or camp,” he continues. “But it all comes down to the same thing, and our projections onto the Romans say a whole lot more about us than they ever could about them.”
Yet, for all of that, they feel there is also an upside to all this Hollywood revisionism. “The best of the genre, as in the case of HBO’s ‘Rome,’ can help give a sense of the texture of ancient life – not so much the ‘facts,’” says Armstrong.
Sums up Apostol, “Spectacles like these not only get students in the door, they offer ready starting points for discussions. … And, for students, it’s much more exciting and rewarding to hear that, no, Spartacus was not fighting against the institution of slavery, than it ever could be to hear random facts about a bunch of dead people that they never heard about. … I can only say to Hollywood: Keep ‘em coming.”
I’ve always found it strange that the powers-that-be in those universities who decide to shut down Classics departments don’t realize the butts-in-seats side of things … it’s not like there is ever a long period without this sort of movie …
Pamphilus and Servilia, Reunited!
From the University of Reading comes a nice Valentine’s Day tie in:
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching romance is in the air and this year the University of Reading has played the ultimate role of Cupid.
Dr Peter Kruschwitz and Virginia Campbell from the University’s Department of Classics have used their expertise to reunite a married couple…after 2,000 years apart!
Sometimes little things result in couples going their separate ways, but sometimes it takes greater forces, like the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Lucius Caltilius Pamphilus and his wife, Servilia, who lived in the ancient city of Pompeii, was such a couple. The funerary inscription Lucius commissioned for his beloved wife was broken apart, the pieces scattered and buried by the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption.
Excavation of the pieces begun as early as 1813 and scholars originally recorded them as separate fragments. Virginia, whose current PhD thesis is on Pompeian tombs, and Peter, an expert in Latin inscriptions, were examining material for Pompeii when they made the exciting discovery that the pieces are actually from the same inscription. Reconstructed with skill and loving care it now reads:
‘Lucius Caltilius Pamphilus, freedman of Lucius, member of the Collinian tribe, for his wife Servilia, in a loving spirit.’
Peter Kruschwitz said: “Amazingly the inscription was fragmented in such a way that all that was missing from the first part was the name of the wife. So identifying these as parts of the same inscription literally reunited the couple.
“Dealing with fragmentary Latin inscriptions is often like playing with a giant jigsaw puzzle. You have ten pieces of what used to be a 2,000 piece game. If you manage to discover adjacent pieces and then a beautiful little vignette emerges, this is among the most fulfilling moments for anyone dealing with ancient inscriptions. This case, of course, is even more beautiful than others, because it literally reunites two human beings who once were a loving couple almost 2,000 years ago.”
Lucius and Servilia are now happily side by side in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples
The Reading team’s findings have been published in the most recent volume of the journal Tyche: http://www.verlag.holzhausen.at/?pid=14&lang=1&book_id=203#203
The original article has links to the Museum of Naples and (obviously) Tyche, but they aren’t directly linked to anything pertaining to this, alas …
Them’s Fightin’ Words!
So Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a scathing review of the tv series Mad Men and someone didn’t like it … an excerpt from an account at the New York Times (which has all the relevant links, of course):
Mr. Peck is perhaps better known for not liking things than liking them (see, e.g., his collection of literary essays and criticism “Hatchet Jobs”). Naturally, his response to “The Mad Men Account” begins with a delicious bit of ad hominem, in which he calls Mr. Mendelsohn “a Princeton-educated classicist who should never be allowed to write about anything more recent than, say, Suetonius.”
… actually, I think we need more Classicists writing reviews of things like Mad Men and fewer people telling us what we can’t do, because we are Classicists.
Cleopatra’s Mummified Hand! (doubt it, but still interesting)
Catching up on a pile of backlogged email, I was gobsmacked to read this excerpt from an upcoming auction announcement … from Auction Central News (inter alia):
The most extraordinary of all items in the sale is the actual mummified hand of Cleopatra, to be auctioned with documentation. The preserved, mummified left hand has an unbroken history of ownership since its acquisition in Egypt by the English General Bowser, in 1794. It was presented to the general as the “hand of Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy Auletes.” It measures 7 7/8 inches and is in excellent condition (20.3 cm). The hand is in great condition with slender fingers and well preserved nails.
Accompanying the hand is the original 1894 article about its rediscovery by Mr. Jordan in a lady’s collection, containing the facts per Rev. John Wharton. The hand is retained in the original mahogany case constructed by Mr. Jordan, with original label and photo. Also included is a piece of Mrs. L. Jordan’s stationery with notation about her husband’s prior ownership of the hand, an insurance form for £500 dated 1/4/59, and two letters regarding the sale of the hand for L. Taylor at Sotheby’s, both on their stationery, one dated Aug. 28, 1958 and the other Dec. 31, 1958. Also included is a late 19th-century pamphlet about Cleopatra’s Needle, the Egyptian obelisk that stands on the Victoria Embankment in London.
Following is an excerpt from the paperwork that outlines the history of the hand:
“The mummified hand was presented to the English General Bowser, who defeated Tippoo Sahib in 1783-1794, in 1794 when he was visiting Egypt on his way back to England. Since this was not the usual route from India to England he must have been there for some exploration and acquisition. A letter in an 1894 English newspaper [recounts] the rest of the history of the hand as told by Rev. John Wharton: ‘The account which I have always heard is this: as the General was residing in the country various excavations of mummy pits were being made, and one magnificent but ponderous sarcophagus was brought to light. The inscription was not, I should think. hieroglyphic at so late a date, indicated the mummy as that of the celebrated Cleopatra. One of the hands was immediately presented to the valiant English general, and this is that identical hand.’”
Now one reason for my gobsmackedness — and no, I don’t believe for a moment that this is actually Cleo’s mummified hand — was that it was just back in October that the BBC mentioned (and I failed to blog about):
Staff at a Newcastle auction house have been a little nervous of late, refusing to do anything that means being in the building on their own.
The reason is a 2000-year-old mummified hand which they’ll be auctioning in December.
It comes in its own glass-covered, mahogany box but is far from the prettiest thing the company have sold.
It’s claimed it’s the hand of Queen Cleopatra – though the auctioneers can’t yet guarantee which one.
Andrew McCoull, from Anderson and Garland, says: “The hand itself is what can only be described as a yellowy, leathery colour.
“It’s a lady’s hand, a left hand, with manicured fingernails which are still there and evidence of what was possibly a ring on one of her fingers – there’s a sort of a dark patch – but, all in all, it’s a pretty gruesome looking object.”
The real queen?
The hand – remarkably well preserved – reputedly belonged to the famous Queen Cleopatra but Mr McCoull needs further evidence to support that claim.
The ancient Egyptians seem to have had a habit of giving any old mummified hand to visiting dignitaries.
He says: “It’s got an interesting history. It surfaced in Kirkby Stephen in 1894 and it is documented all the way back to its presentation to General Bowser in Egypt in 1794.
“It was then believed to be presented as Queen Cleopatra’s hand, although there were several Queen Cleopatras.
“We don’t really know at this stage if this is the famous one.”
Rare sale
Card from box containing mummified hand
The hand seems to have provenance – but which Cleopatra is it?No-one could pretend the hand is pleasant to look at though it obviously has potential historical interest.
The auction house hope to do more research before the sale, possibly contacting The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo to see whether this could be ‘the’ Cleopatra’s hand.
They have no idea who might want to buy it. Mr McCoull admits: “It is pretty gruesome. But, bearing in mind it is over 2000 years old, it’s got a good right to be looking pretty gruesome I think.”
The sale is on Wednesday, 8 December and, between now and then, Anderson and Garland have to decide what the guide price should be.
Normally it’s based on what similar objects have sold for in the past but Mr McCoull says that doesn’t help in this case: “I’m not aware of any mummified hand of any description coming up for sale, certainly in my memory, and that goes back quite a long way, unfortunately.
“So I think we’d be having a stab at probably somewhere in the region of a £1000.”
The official description from the online auction site fills in the ‘hole’:
In 1958 the widow of Mr. Jordan, a Mrs. L. Jordan, an antiques dealer herself, sold the hand to one L. Taylor of Tynemouth, Northumberland. This L. Taylor Esq. had the hand insured and began corresponding with Sotheby in late 1958 and early 1959 about placing the mummified hand into one of their auctions, which they showed interest in doing.
The hand however remained in the Taylor family until its sale in late 2010.
A most interesting item with an unbroken history of ownership since its acquisition in 1794!
It is definitely an interesting item … I wouldn’t doubt that it belonged to someone named Cleopatra, actually, but I highly doubt it would be Cleopatra VII … the 18th century tombaroli must have made great profits from their European invaders …
d.m. J.V. Luce
From the Irish Times:
Former Trinity vice-provost and emeritus professor John Victor Luce died yesterday following a short illness at the age of 90.
Better known as JV Luce, he was a senior fellow of Trinity and was the 62nd vice-provost of the university from 1987 to 1989, a position which his father, Arthur Aston Luce also held between 1946 and 1952. He also acted as the public orator at Trinity for a number of years.
Mr Luce was the author of numerous books, including those on Homer and the Trojan War, a subject which he specialised in. He also wrote a book entitled Trinity College Dublin, The First 400 Years , published in 1992.As a young man he was an avid sportsman and played hockey for Ireland in the 1940s and was captain of the Trinity squash and hockey teams, as well as playing cricket.
ClassiCarnival 02-06-11
Some gleanings from my blogroll (and elsewhere) from the past week or so which you might have missed (some are a bit older, having scrolled to the next page of my inbox the last time I was compiling) … in no particular order:
In Explorator 13.42
I sent this one out early out of fear of internet outtages this a.m. … didn’t materialize, of course. Some items of interest from my weekly newsletter; some have already appeared at rogueclassicism and some will hopefully appear later. I’m including a section I put together on the goings-on in Egypt just in case you’re interested:
================================================================
CRISIS IN EGYPT
================================================================
… I figure this deserves a section of its own at this
particular time; we’ll see if it’s needed next week:
First, a few blogs which are keeping on top of things (almost on an hourly
basis):
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/
http://www.eloquentpeasant.com/
http://www.kv64.info/ (might have to scroll a bit through this one)
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/ (ditto)
… and a Facebook page (Restore + Save the Egyptian Museum!):
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_197921123555505&ap=1
… and a looting database:
Mary Beard’s son sent out some dispatches about the general atmosphere:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/01/cairo-riots-eye-witness-account\
.html
http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/02/live-from-cairo.html
No doubt folks are familiar with the early reports of damage to things
associated with Tut, e.g.:
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/28/5943271-archaeologists-assess-tu\
t-tragedy
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/36841/mummies-are-beheaded-and-museums-ransack\
ed-amid-egypts-revolutionary-chaos/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/pictures/110131-egyptian-museum-\
looted-artifacts-damaged-egypt-protests-mubarak/?now=2011-01-31-00:01
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/110131-egypt-egyptian-museum-zah\
i-hawass-mubarak-science-world-cairo-tombs/
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/tut-family-mummies-damaged-in-egypt-riots.\
html
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/egypts-tombs-temples-under-siege.html
Zahi Hawass (now Minister of Antiquities) has given the impression that
everything is ‘just fine’:
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/state-egyptian-antiquities-3-february-2011
http://www.livescience.com/culture/egypt-museum-cairo-110303.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-30/egyptian-antiquities-safe-after-museum-\
s-looting-official-says.html
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/01/5967554-government-says-antiquit\
ies-are-safe
… but he’s giving mixed messages in the press:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hzDtpsLDQuq03GDXOwb6_QBcMvNg?\
docId=CNG.5059cecfb0aba8394b7f8d99ed739f16.5e1
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02antiquities.html
http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/mummies-safe-egypt-12812079
… but clearly there were things happening at Saqqarah (and environs):
http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2011/02/news_flash_detailed_report_abo_1.\
html
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/02/egypt-update-rare-tomb-may-hav\
e.html
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/egypts-tombs-temples-under-siege.html
… and at the tombs of Neferefre and Sahure (not sure if this is lumped in
with the Saqqarah items):
http://www.tntmagazine.com/tnt-today/archive/2011/02/01/egypt-revolt-antiquities\
-in-danger.aspx
… and Qantara Museum:
http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE70U0XN20110131
… and there was possibly another attempt at the Cairo Museum (I’m not sure
of the chronology of this
report):
… and elsewhere:
… and Cleopatra-seeker Kathleen Martinez was suggesting otherwise too:
… and we’re reading reports of several museums being looted:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/fighting-raiders-of-ancient-history/story-fn6cc\
wsa-1226000503142
… and some sort of ‘international alert’ was sent out to watch for looted
items:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/02/us-britain-egypt-antiquities-idUSTRE71\
14YM20110202
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110202/sc_nm/us_britain_egypt_antiquities
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Museums+high+alert+ancient+Egyptian+loot/42109\
25/story.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110202/lf_nm_life/us_finearts_egypt_antiquities_3
http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/155310/2/UTs-McClung-Museum-experts-keeping-eye-\
on-Egypt
… and UNESCO waded in:
http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE71013C20110201
… so despite the assurances, other scholars seem to be adopting a ‘wait
and see’ attitude (these are all different; many
of the scholars have ‘connections’ to digs going on, of course):
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/chaos-in-todays-egypt-sparks-worries-abo\
ut-its-ancient-past/19828072/
(Laurel Bostock)
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2011/02/qa-with-dr-wi\
lleke-wendrich.html(Willeke
Wendrich)
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/03/egypt%E2%80%99s-treasures-at-risk/
(Bob Brier)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110203/NEWS/102030853/-1/NEWS04 (Donny
George; Alexandra Cleworth)
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=7936370(Carol
Redmount)
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-egyptologist-sounds-vandalism-alarm(Maa\
rten
Raven)
http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/01/damage-reported-at-giza-pyramids.h\
tml(Gerry
Scott)
Still, we’re getting some followup pieces that are giving some hope:
http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2011/02/report-from-egypt-checking-out-the-tom\
bs-at-saqqara.html
And in case you were wondering about the beheaded mummies mentioned last
weekend:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41433151/ns/technology_and_science-science/
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/egypt-headless-mummies-identity-110204.htm\
l
Oddly, we didn’t get many stories of evacuations of archaeological types
(that I saw, anyway):
Folks were protecting the Bibliotheca Alexandrina:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/01/alexandria-youth-protecting-library
We’re also getting the first of the oped pieces suggesting ‘repatriation’
ideas from various
countries might not be the best idea after all:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703833204576114580200904212.html
================================================================
EARLY HUMANS
================================================================
Apparently we’re faster than Neanderthals:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1353644/Achilles-heel-Reason-won-\
race-survival-Neanderthals-went-extinct.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927984.700-youd-beat-a-neanderthal-in-a-\
race.html
… although there’s still a bit of Neanderthal in all of us:
Pondering the Denisovans:
More on an earlier departure from Africa:
http://www.jpost.com/Sci-Tech/Article.aspx?id=206056
================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
A Byzantine church find might also be the site of the tomb of Zechariah:
http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14
http://news.scotsman.com/world/Israel-Tomb-raiders-lead-officials.6709597.jp
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44672
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/zechariah-tomb-old-testament-110203.html
http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Features/Archeological-Excavations-in-Horbat-Midr\
as-Israel/4566/(photos)
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Byzantine_church_m\
osaic_floor_Hirbet_Madras_2-Feb-2011.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353003/Byzantine-church-discovered-near\
-Jerusalem-burial-place-prophet-Zechariah.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133429116
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/02/israel-archeology-byzantine-mosaic-p\
hrophet-zecharia
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/03/archaeologists-may-have-found-tomb-of-prophet-\
zechariah/
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0203/1-500-year-old-church\
-discovered-by-archaeologists-in-Israel
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20110202/tsc-church-unearthed-in-israel-may-hold-c2f\
f8aa.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/israel-old-church_n_817422.html
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2011/02/02/17123266.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_ancient_church
… while the discovery (it is claimed) of the Laodicea Church isn’t getting
quite as much
attention:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=ancient-church-discovered-in-western-tu\
rkey-2011-01-31
================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Restoration work continues on the Acropolis:
Philip Freeman on what Alexander the Great would do with Egypt right about
now:
TellmeOmuse is an interesting project:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104576122182508638812.html
On the possible Syrian origins of the myth of Orion:
J. Rufus Fears talks about democracy:
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/05/133520533/Different-Meanings-Of-Democracy-For-West\
-Middle-East
More on that Roman road found in Puddletown Forest:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1353574/Motorway-maximus-Unearthe\
d-stunning-Roman-super-highway-built-1-900-years-ago.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1353574/Roman-road-Dorset-forest-\
-1-900-years-constructed.html
On the utility of Latin:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6669953/forget-mandarin-latin-is-the-key-\
to-success.thtml
Feature on Mt Hymettus:
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite4_25545_02/02/2011_370862
Didn’t we have this medicine-from-a-shipwreck story a few months ago?:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/01/AR2011020100169.\
html
http://www.smh.com.au/world/shipwreck-gives-up-secrets-of-ancient-medicine-20110\
203-1affk.html
Not sure if this feature on one of the ‘curves’ in the Circus Maximus will
make it into English or not:
http://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/02/01/news/circo_massimo-11907048/
What Frederick Danker is up to:
What Susan Rotroff is up to:
http://news.brynmawr.edu/?p=7738
Stephen Margheim appears to be a rising star:
http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=87928
… although they don’t seem to get that at UMaine:
http://mainecampus.com/2011/01/31/petition-appeals-for-latin/
… while Howard has dropped its Classics major:
The annual Roman numerals attempt at wit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/03/AR2011020303182.\
html
… while Tom Payne puts a Greek/Roman spin on the Super Bowl:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=6076613
Nice followup story on the Tod-sponsoring-the-Colosseum thing:
Review/interview/podcast with Peter Stothard, *Spartacus Road*:
Review of Tom Payne’s translation of Ovid’s *Ars Amatoria*:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/427b8534-2a63-11e0-804a-00144feab49a.html
Review of Matthew Dennison, *Livia, Empress of Rome*:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/04/AR2011020402997.\
html
More on efforts to restore the Olympias:
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_10590_30/01/2011_375914
http://jacksonsun.com/article/20110130/NEWS01/110129013/1002/rss
================================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
================================================================
Time Magazine has a feature on the ‘Top 25 Political Icons’:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2046285_2045996_20459\
06,00.html
… while elsewhere we have a list of the 10 most powerful women in history:
http://listverse.com/2008/10/02/top-10-most-powerful-women-in-history/
… and a list of five famous philosophers greatest hypocrises:
On the history of encyclopedias:
================================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
================================================================
Palmyra:
http://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/201102024881/ancient-ruins/palmyra/syria/1/
================================================================
CRIME BEAT
================================================================
Second Temple coins and jugs found during a weapons search in Galilee:
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=206567
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142125
================================================================
NUMISMATICA
================================================================
Not sure if I mentioned attempts by a Somerset museum to keep the Frome
Hoard:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-12285254
Latest eSylum newsletter:
http://www.coinbooks.org/club_nbs_esylum_v14n05.html
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EXHIBITIONS, AUCTIONS, AND MUSEUM-RELATED
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Everyone is going gaga at Google’s Art Project:
http://www.googleartproject.com/
Septimius Severus:
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/8826893.New_exhibition_about_Roma\
n_Emperor_Septimius_Severus_at_the_Yorkshire_Museum/
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8833444.Bust_of_Roman_Emperor_unveiled/
Alexander the Great:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/feb/02/macedonia-exhibition-alexander-the\
-great
A couple of Titians are on tour of the US:
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/03/133441944/two-titian-masterpieces-traveling-throug\
h-u-s
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Useful Addresses
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Past issues of Explorator are available on the web via our
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http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/
To subscribe to Explorator, send a blank email message to:
CFP: ‘Alexander in Africa’
Seen on the Classicists list (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):
‘Alexander in Africa’ (12th Unisa Classics Colloquium, Grahamstown, South
Africa 28-30 June 2011)Proposals for papers are hereby solicited on topics related to the theme,
which is seen as covering the following: Alexander’s sojourn on the African
continent (founding of Alexandria, Siwah, interaction with local populace,
politics, myth and religion, ‘last plans’, other related issues from the
sources including the Romance); legacy of Alexander in Egypt and Roman
Africa (Ptolemaic and otherwise); ancient and modern receptions of
Alexander relating to Africa (Arabic histories; colonial aemulatores; South
African and other African literature e.g. Mary Renault, etc.).Please submit abstracts of appr. 200 words to bosmapr AT unisa.ac.za by 14
March 2011. Scholars working on archaeological, epigraphical, religious,
philosophical, and interdisciplinary material are encouraged to submit
proposals.The Unisa Classics Colloquium this year forms a running parallel session at
the Biennial Conference of the Classical Association of South Africa
(CASA), hosted by the Classics Department at Rhodes University,
Grahamstown. The conference website can be accesses at
http://atashost.co.za/CASA/. Papers at the conference are limited to 20
minutes in 30 minute sessions.Please note that registration will be dealt with by the CASA Conference
organisers, but proposals for the Alexander panel should be send to the
address given above. Being part of a larger conference unfortunately limits
the number of papers we will be able to accept. The following Alexander
specialists are currently signed up for the conference: John Atkinson (Cape
Town); Timothy Howe (St Olaf), Corinne Jouanno (Caen); Daniel Ogden
(Exeter), Frances Pownall (Alberta), Richard Stoneman (Exeter), Adrian
Tronson (New Brunswick), Pat Wheatley (Otago).The Unisa Classics Colloquium is organised annually by the Department of
Classics and World Languages at the University of South Africa.
CONF: Feminism and Classics VI: Crossing Borders, Crossing Lines
Seen in the Canadian Classical Bulletin (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):
Feminism and Classics VI: Crossing Borders, Crossing Lines
Brock University,
St Catharines, Ontario, Canada
May 24-27, 2012Ancient Mediterranean society was crisscrossed by multiple boundaries and borders. Firm boundaries between male and female, slave and free, gods and mortals (to name just a few) defined social identities and relationships, even as these lines were regularly crossed in religious ritual, social practices and artistic imagination. In current scholarship, Feminism is now Feminisms, encouraging multiple, and even transgressive, approaches to the study of women, gender, and sexuality in the ancient world. But has Feminism itself become a boundary, dividing fields of study or generations of scholars? Or is it a threshold, encouraging crossings between literary, historical and archaeological evidence? What new approaches are scholars using to push the boundaries of the evidence and the limits of our knowledge of the ancient world?
This conference will focus on boundaries, liminality, and transgression. What kinds of crossings did ancient people experience and what control did they have over such crossings? How did borders and border crossings differ in relation to gender, ethnicity, age, or legal status? If the masculine and feminine were clearly demarcated categories of being, how do we interpret homosexual, transvestite and gender-labile aspects of the ancient world? What points of contrast and connection exist between different types of gendered space (literal or metaphorical) and do they change when geographic or national boundaries are crossed?
We invite submissions for abstracts of papers and workshops that explore these and related themes, and encourage proposals from a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives. Abstracts of 300 words can be submitted electronically (starting January 31, 2011) to the conference website:
www.brocku.ca/conferences/feminism-classics-vi.Deadline for receipt of abstracts is June 30, 2011.
For inquiries, please contact FCVI AT brocku.ca.
The Department of Classics at Brock University is pleased to host Feminism and Classics VI. Brock University is the only Canadian University to be located in a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve. It is within an hour’s drive of Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, NY, and thus easily accessible and close to major attractions, shopping and airports. The Niagara region is framed by Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the Niagara River, and is in the heart of Ontario’s vineyard country, and visitors can enjoy the culinary and wine trail. More information about Brock University and its location can be found at http://www.brocku.ca/about/why .
CFP:Classics at the Core: Greek and Latin Word Roots in the General Education Curriculum (CAAS 2011)
Seen on the Classics list (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):
Classics at the Core: Greek and Latin Word Roots in the General Education Curriculum
Texts such as Donald M. Ayers’ English Words from Latin and Greek Elements and Tamara M. Green’s The Greek and Latin Roots of English have helped make vocabulary-building courses a staple of undergraduate general education curricula for decades. Such courses have also become part of K-12 curricula and preparatory courses for college entrance exams. For students in special populations, such as ESL or higher education opportunity programs, such courses can provide vital support that can improve vocabulary, comprehension, and composition skills. Even in the face of increasing demands for undergraduate curricula to renew their focus on math, science, and technology, such courses can leverage the fact that over 90 percent of English words in the vocabulary of the sciences and technology are derived from Greek or Latin.
We are seeking contributors for a panel on etymology courses to be proposed for the Classical Association of the Atlantic States (CAAS) 2011 Annual Meeting, October 13-15, at the Baltimore Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
Topics for consideration may include but are not limited to the following:
• Individual success stories about teaching Greek and Latin roots in undergraduate, K-12, or exam prep settings
• Challenges of getting such courses accepted as part of core curriculum or general education offerings at undergraduate institutions
• Case studies of vocabulary courses in special populations, such as ESL or higher education opportunity programs
• Innovative methods for teaching Greek and Latin roots of English
• Examples of etymology courses as gateways to recruiting students into other classics department offerings
Please send brief abstracts (about 100 words) with your paper title and contact information to either Michael Broder mbroder AT brooklyn.cuny.edu or Judith Hallet jeph AT umd.edu by February 22, 2011.
CFP: The Aegean Bronze Age from the “other’s” perspective
Seen on the Aegeanet list (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):
Call for Papers: The Aegean Bronze Age from the “other’s” perspective
Colloquium for Archaeological Institute of America annual meeting 2012, to be held in Philadelphia, PA 5th-8th January 2012.
It is a truism to point out that archaeological and historical narratives privilege men as the prime actors involved in historical developments or simply as the default gender. This trend is compounded in the prehistoric periods. The total or relative lack of literary sources widens the gaps of our knowledge about society in the past and encourages generalizations and gender vagueness. This colloquium wishes to shift the focus onto women in the Aegean and investigate the role and contribution of women not only in the everyday life of Aegean communities, but also their direct or indirect participation in articulating social networks and structures and in affecting long term history processes.
Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words for 15 or 20 minute papers to Evi Gorogianni (eg20 AT uakron.edu) and Joanne Cutler (jo_cutler AT hotmail.com) before March 5th, 2011. You may direct questions to Evi Gorogianni (eg20 AT uakron.edu). Presenters should be prepared to attend the 2012 meetings and cover their expenses.
Latin v Mandarin: Latin Wins!
Some useful points in this item from the Spectator:
On the face of it, encouraging children to learn Latin doesn’t seem like the solution to our current skills crisis. Why waste valuable curriculum time on a dead language when children could be learning one that’s actually spoken? The prominence of Latin in public schools is a manifestation of the gentleman amateur tradition whereby esoteric subjects are preferred to anything that’s of any practical use. Surely, that’s one of the causes of the crisis in the first place?
But dig a little deeper and you’ll find plenty of evidence that this particular dead language is precisely what today’s young people need if they’re going to excel in the contemporary world.
Let’s start with Latin’s reputation as an elitist subject. While it’s true that 70 percent of independent schools offer Latin compared with only 16 per cent of state schools, that’s hardly a reason not to teach it more widely. According to the OECD, our private schools are the best in the world, whereas our state schools are ranked on average 23rd.
No doubt part of this attainment gap is attributable to the fact that the average private school child has advantages that the average state school child does not. But it may also be due to the differences in the curriculums that are typically taught in state and private schools.
Hard as it may be to believe, one of the things that gives privately-educated children the edge is their knowledge of Latin. I don’t just mean in the obvious senses – their grasp of basic grammar and syntax, their understanding of the ways in which our world is underpinned by the classical world, their ability to read Latin inscriptions. I mean there is actually a substantial body of evidence that children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking such as computation, concepts and problem solving.
For chapter and verse on this, I recommend a 1979 paper by an educationalist called Nancy Mavrogenes that appeared in the academic journal Phi Delta Kappan. Summarising one influential American study carried out in the state of Iowa, she writes:
“In 1971, more than 4,000 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade pupils of all backgrounds and abilities received 15 to 20 minutes of daily Latin instruction. The performance of the fifth-grade Latin pupils on the vocabulary test of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was one full year higher than the performance of control pupils who had not studied Latin. Both the Latin group and the control group had been matched for similar backgrounds and abilities.”
Interestingly, Mavrogenes found that children from poor backgrounds particularly benefit from studying Latin. For a child with limited cultural reference points, becoming acquainted with Roman life and mythology opens up “new symbolic worlds”, enabling him or her “to grow as a personality, to live a richer life”. In addition, spoken Latin emphasises clear pronunciation, particularly of the endings of words, a useful corrective for many children born in inner cities. Finally, for children who have reading problems, Latin provides “experience in careful silent reading of the words that follow a consistent phonetic pattern”.
This was very much the experience of Llewelyn Morgan, an Oxford Classicist and co-author of a recent Politeia pamphlet on why Latin should be taught in primary schools. “Those kids are learning through Latin what I did: what verbs and nouns are, how to coordinate ideas in speech and writing, all the varieties of ways of saying the same thing,” he says. “I did not and could not have learned that through English, because English was too familiar to me. It was through Latin that I learned how to express myself fluently in my native language.”
Now, you might acknowledge that Latin has these benefits, but argue there’s nothing special about it. Why not learn Mandarin instead? Not only would that have the same transformative effect, it would have the added value of being practical.
But just how useful is Mandarin? All very well if you go to China, but Latin has the advantage of being at the root of a whole host of European languages. “If I’m on an EasyJet flight with a group of European nationals, none of whom speak English, I find we can communicate if we speak to each other in Latin,” says Grace Moody-Stuart, a Classics teacher in West London. “Forget about Esperanto. Latin is the real universal language of Europeans.”
Unlike other languages, Latin isn’t just about conjugating verbs. It includes a crash course in ancient history and cosmology. “Latin is the maths of the Humanities,” says Llewelyn Morgan, “But Latin also has something that mathematics does not and that is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses, gladiators and flying horses, or flying children.”
No doubt some people will persist in questioning the usefulness of Latin. For these skeptics I have a two-word answer: Mark Zuckerberg. The 26-year-old founder of Facebook studied Classics at Phillips Exeter Academy and listed Latin as one of the languages he spoke on his Harvard application. So keen is he on the subject, he once quoted lines from the Aeneid during a Facebook product conference and now regards Latin as one of the keys to his success. Just how successful is he? According to Forbes magazine, he’s worth $6.9 billion. If that isn’t a useful skill, I don’t know what is.
… plenty of interesting comments attached to the original article …
Superbowl and Roman Numerals
Dang … and here I was on Facebook this a.m. saying how wonderful it was not having had to deal with some sports person trying to be witty about Roman numerals in relation to that major sporting event. Oh well …
Today’s Egypt and the Search for Cleopatra’s Tomb
Just came across this timely piece from Dominican Today:
Dominican Republic’s own Egyptologist affirmed Friday that the turmoil in Egypt prevented setting up protection for the museum of antiquities for which bands of looters managed to cart off important pieces.
Kathleen Martinez said the groups of looters which had formed amid the chaos even sacked the pyramids and that the upheaval in Egypt will also lead to the suspension of a global effort to return to that country its antiquities pilfered throughout the centuries.
She said groups of volunteer youngsters formed to help Zahi Hawass, director of the Supreme Council of the Antiques, defend the museum against the raiders at the start of the antigovernment protests, and revealed that the Antiquities Director already had plans to transfer it to a safer place. “There are pieces that have been lost probably forever.”
Interviewed by Huchi Lora and Patricia Solano on Telesistema, the researcher regretted the impact that the revolt will have on Egypt’s cultural legacy. “Now those pieces will start touring the world and very few people will know whether they are legal or pillaged.”
Martinez said the chaos has also forced the suspension of the entire excavation season, as her search for Cleopatra’s tomb won’t resume for now. “I will not resume the excavation until the safety of the personnel and of the pieces can be guaranteed.
She lauded Hawaas’ efforts to get the international community’s cooperation on the return of the stolen objects. “After a long judicial process, just as he was about to accomplish the return of the pieces, this happens.”
Asked about Egypt’s ability to protect its legacy, Martinez said that the presence of “radical” groups in that nation may hinder it. “I was excavating a site and a group of men approached me in an aggressive manner, and then the workers ran off and I was left all alone with them”
She said she handled the situation unscathed by managing to convince the group that she was working for the Government of their country.
Major finds
The archaeologist added that despite the uncertainty to resume her quest to find Cleopatra, her work has already yielded important finds, including a pharoah’s tomb
“I know inside that I’m close to finding Cleopatra’s tomb,” the attorney-turned archaelogist said at an excavation site in November, 2009, when her team found a large statue dated 300 BC, which represents the pharaoh Ptolemy IV.
… on Sunday I’ll post excerpts from my Explorator newsletter with more links about the situation in Egypt (from an archaeological perspective); the above item is the only one so far which seems to touch upon the period of our purview …
Time’s Top 25 Political Icons
Not sure why humans seem to have obsessions with producing ‘top however-many lists’ of ‘whatever’. This time, it Time Magazine using the format to mark what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 100th anniversary. The ‘common thread’ is “world leaders whose legacies have stood the test of time”. Coming in at number two (after Gandhi) is Alexander the Great … here’s their blurb:
The world knows no more precocious or proud a conqueror than Alexander the Great. According to legend — and legends are legion about this fellow — the young Macedonian prince carried the blood of the Olympian god Zeus in his veins and overcame a bullying father and cloying mother to lead a triumphant army across the Bosporus to the near ends of the earth. He defeated the mighty Persian Empire, ever the scourge of the Greeks, razed its once mighty capital of Persepolis to the ground and tried to stitch together an incredible cosmopolitan empire from the Indus to the Hellespont — all while he was in his 20s. He died from an arrow wound at the tender age of 32, still harboring dreams of finding greater shores and nations to bring under his yoke. His imperial project proved too great for his followers, who soon set about warring with each other soon after Alexander’s death.
In the European tradition, Alexander has always been a talisman of western dominance and countless colonial adventurers in the 18th and 19th centures voyaged through what’s now the Middle East and South Asia while very self-consciously styling themselves as latter day Alexanders. Yet, according to most sources, Alexander “went native” over the course of his campaigns, assuming the trappings of the Persians, Soghdians and others whom he encountered and mingled with. Unsurprisingly, the Muslim world has a whole canon of Alexander literature, particularly in Persian, depicting the irrepressible conqueror as a champion of Islam riding to its defense.
Whoever he was, Alexander left behind cities in his name that would last centuries, not least two that are currently in the news: Alexandria, Egypt, the great trading center of the ancient world that’s now the site of turbulent protests against the ruling regime in Cairo and Afghanistan’s Kandahar, derived from the Persian “Iskandar,” or Alexander, and a longstanding stronghold of the Taliban.
Number 11 on the list, right after Ronald Reagan himself and no doubt riding a wave of popularity due to a recent book, is Cleopatra (I’ve never seen the sculpture that accompanies this one):
The Egyptian Queen Cleopatra is remembered for the luxuries of her fabled kingdom, her dazzling beauty and, above all, her death. Immortalized by Shakespeare, her alleged suicide was the stuff of romantic legend — despairing after the defeat in battle of her lover, Marc Antony, she succumbed to the venomous bite of an asp rather than be taken captive by the victorious Roman Octavian, nephew of Julius Caesar, another one of her many paramours. Over the centuries, Cleopatra has become synonymous with seduction, her feminine wiles aligned alongside an image of the East as decadent, debauched and ready to be taken.
Recent scholarship, though, has done much to bring the real Cleopatra into the light, showing how the ancient monarch was a shrewd politico bent on defending the land her family’s dynasty had governed for some two centuries, while expanding her influence into the Roman world. Scholars still puzzle over the true extent of beauty and debate her racial origins — some say she was more African, others point to the decidedly Greek character of dynastic line. Most recently, Egypt’s archaeologist in chief, the controversial, flamboyant Zawi Hawass, unveiled an extensive mission to unveil her and Antony’s supposed tomb, a find that could shed more light on the tragic couple’s last moments. But, thus far, the search has gone cold and the legendary queen remains still ensconced in myth.
Not sure the Cleopatra description fits the ‘test of time’ criteria, but whatever the case, no one else from our purview cracked the top 25, alas …
WWAD? (What Would Alexander Do?)
Classicist Philip Freeman weighs in:
Here’s the majority of the piece:
In the winter of 332 BC, Egypt was in chaos. Years of oppressive government seemed at an end as the hated Persian rulers were hiding from angry mobs inside their palaces on the Nile. The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great, only 24 years old, had just entered the land and no one knew what would happen next. For over a century the Persians had treated the people of Egypt with contempt, seeing them only as a source of revenue to support their military machine and lavish lifestyle. The Persian King Cambyses had even killed the sacred Apis bull at Memphis in a fit of rage and earned the undying hatred of the common people. Periodic uprisings had rocked the country ever since, only to be crushed by the police state the Persians had created. As rioters ran through the streets in advance of Alexander’s army, everyone wondered what the future held.
When Alexander arrived with his soldiers at Memphis near the pyramids, the first thing he did was enter the temple of Ptah and pay his respects to the god and the new Apis bull. He ordered the religious sites of the Egyptians that had been destroyed by the Persians repaired at his own expense. The priests and the people were thrilled. He appointed capable Egyptians to important posts in his new government. Finally, he invited everyone, foreigners and natives alike, to a grand outdoor party to celebrate the dawn of a new age.
The last thing Alexander wanted to bring to Egypt was democracy, but he knew that to successfully rule such a land he would have to treat the people with respect. If Alexander were to march into Egypt today, it isn’t hard to imagine what he would do. The leading members of the old regime would be on the next flight to Saudi Arabia and the young king himself would be at the barricades passing out bread, praying at the mosques, and promising change. What form that change would take is hard to say, but at least Alexander knew that ruling Egypt meant listening to the people.
JOB: Generalist @ DePauw (1 year)
Seen on the Rome-arch list (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):
The Department of Classical Studies invites applications for a one-year term position beginning August 2011. There is a possibility that the position will be renewed for a second year depending on the needs of the department. Rank and salary commensurate with experience. Ph.D. preferred. We seek a broadly trained classicist to teach Greek and Latin at all undergraduate levels as well as Classics courses in translation (e.g., Mythology, Greek or Roman Civilization, and Ancient History). Teaching load is 3/3. Commitment to undergraduate teaching in a liberal arts environment is essential. For information about the department, please visit http://www.depauw.edu/acad/classical/. Send application letter, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, statement of teaching philosophy and scholarly interests, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and a short manuscript or offprint to: Rebecca K. Schindler (rschindler AT depauw.edu), Chair, Department of Classical Studies, DePauw University, 7 East Larabee Street, Greencastle, IN 46135. Review of applications will begin March 15 and continue until the position is filled. DePauw University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Women and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
Also Seen: “The Thucydides Trap”
Interesting phrase mentioned in Schott’s Vocab at the New York Times:
AIA Award for Susan Rotroff
From Bryn Mawr Now:
For the second year in a row, a graduate of Bryn Mawr’s department of classical and Near Eastern archaeology has won the Archaeological Institute of America’s Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement, the organization’s highest honor. Susan Irene Rotroff ’68 was awarded the medal at the Institute’s annual meeting in January.
Rotroff is the eighth Bryn Mawr graduate to win this laurel. Two other winners of the award were Bryn Mawr professors; thus Bryn Mawr-affiliated archaeologists make up about a fifth of the winners of the AIA Gold Medal (see a list of other Gold Medal winners from Bryn Mawr below).
Rotroff is the Jarvis Thurston and Mona Van Duyn Professor in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, where she teaches courses in both the department of classics and the department of art history and archaeology.
Recognized as a top authority on Hellenistic pottery, Rotroff has been a leader in using the material culture of ancient societies to understand the daily lives of their people. She has published multiple volumes on pottery found at the Athenian Agora, a site to which she has returned throughout her career; she has also published on sites in Turkey and other areas of Greece. She was awarded a MacArthur “genius” fellowship in 1988.
“Susan Irene Rotroff epitomizes all that professional archaeologists should aspire to: inspired teaching, extensive fieldwork, and an international reputation as a scholar,” says the AIA’s award citation.
When Rotroff began her career, Hellenistic archaeology was a somewhat neglected field, she says. Earlier archaeologists had tended to disdain it as “not aesthetically interesting.”
“It was regarded as the decadent period that followed the height of the classical period,” she explains. “Now people try a little bit more to take each period on its own merits. We understand Hellenistic art as something with different aims and different aesthetics.”
As a Princeton graduate student, Rotroff was given a thorough introduction to the archaeology of the period by Dorothy Burr Thompson, a fellow Bryn Mawr graduate (and fellow winner of the AIA Gold Medal). She served as Thompson’s research assistant.
“She was working on Hellenistic figurines, trying to date them,” Rotroff recalls, “and she kept sending me back to the utilitarian pottery from the same site for reference. I decided that in my work, I would focus on the pottery.”
Rotroff ultimately co-authored a book on Hellenistic pottery and terracottas with Dorothy Burr Thompson and her husband, Homer Thompson.
Her professional activity ensures frequent contact with the Bryn Mawr Department of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Rotroff says.
“You can’t do classical archaeology without running into people from Bryn Mawr,” she says. “It’s just a major presence in the field.”
