ante diem iii kalendas quinctilias 179 B.C. (?) — dedication of a Temple of Hercules and the Muses (and associated rites thereafter) 29 B.C. — restoration of the Temple of Quirinus

Tip o’ the pileus to Superpunch for alerting us to this ad for Scion, featuring our favourite Greek God (for now) … Enjoy:   Even better, there’s a series of behind the scenes/on the set items, where Zeus tries to pick up the Muse in various cheesy, Zeusy ways (in the third one he kind [...]

Adrian Murdoch continues the series with the emperor who had the coolest name evah: #26 Maximinus Thrax: Emperors of Rome

Interesting articles in the latest online issue … here’s the TOC: 8.06 – Interview: Satyrs in L.A. Mary Hart 8.05 – Review: Hecuba at Randolph College Jaclyn Dudek 8.04 – Review: A Man Who Hates People at Trent University and the University of Toronto Donald Sells 8.03 – Review: The Brothers Menaechmus at East Carolina [...]

I’ve never quite figured out human beings’ predeliction for making ‘top ten’ lists, but here’s one within our purview: Homer to Plato: Boris Johnson on the ten greatest ancient Greeks | Mail Online. … and no one with the epithet ‘the Great’ made Boris’ list, interestingly enough.

The Smarthistory folks do a very interesting job with this one, even if they do zip over the story a bit too quickly: David’s The Intervention of the Sabine Women | Smarthistory.

I was wondering if this was going to be brought up, given the current situation in Greece … from the Guardian: David Cameron has rejected a call for Britain to “put right a wrong” that dates back just short of two centuries by returning the Parthenon marbles to Greece. Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat MP [...]

Nice feature in Fortean Times … here’s the incipit: Alexander of Abonoteichus may not be one of the most famous figures of the second century AD… in fact, with a mouthful of a name like that it’s surprising anyone remembers him at all. But a Roman emperor threw lions into the Danube on the advice [...]

From the Hollywood Reporter comes word of some Classical connections in an upcoming movie called Snow White and the Huntsman … inter alia: In the script, the dwarfs are named after Roman emperors with McShane playing the group’s leader, Caesar, Jones as a timid dwarf named Claudius and Izzard playing Tiberius, described as the biggest [...]

Something clearly lost in translation in this one from Al-Masry Al-Youm: A huge palace from the Roman ages (31-395 BC) has been discovered in the New Valley Governorate in Upper Egypt, the Ministry of Antiquities announced Monday. An US expedition in the Amhada region, 500km south of Cairo, unearthed a palace belonging to a person [...]

From Novinite: An intact Ancient Thracian tomb which has not been destroyed by treasure hunters has been discovered by a team of Bulgarian archaeologists near the town of Opaka in northeast Bulgaria. The tomb of a Thracian dignitary is dated to the 2nd century BC, and was discovered by the team of archaeologist Nikola Rusev [...]

Just to add another voice: Gobi Desert Romans Are Unfounded Speculation : Aardvarchaeology. Our previous rants on same: Romans in China Redux Crassus’ Lost Army? Meet Elmer. Don’t Eat That. Crassus’ Lost Army … Spinning out of Control The Next (Il)logical Step in the Lost Crassus Army Saga

The incipit of an item from Wire Update (tip o’ the pileus to @pourmecoffee on Twitter) … Almost 300 hundred women in southwest Colombia vowed to withhold sex from their husbands until the government paves the connecting road into their village, Colombia Reports said on Friday. Dubbed the “strike of crossed legs,” the women in [...]

An uncharacteristically-detailed item from Kathimerini: The majority of visitors to state museums in Greece find the experience disappointing. There are various reasons for this, including closed halls due to staff shortages — a factor which also affects service — and impractical opening hours. However, what is a disappointing situation to many presents an ideal opportunity [...]

This one doesn’t seem to have made it to the English press yet … from Virgilio: Una città di origine romana è stata scoperta in Azerbaigian. Lo scrive oggi l’agenzia azera Trend News. La scoperta archeologica, secondo Arif Mammadov dell’Accademia delle Scienze di Baku, si trova nel territorio dell’attuale Ganja, seconda città del paese. La [...]

Interesting item from the University of Cinicinnati: A recent find by a University of Cincinnati archeologist suggests an ancient Cypriot city was well protected from outside threats. That research, by UC’s Gisela Walberg, professor of classics, will be presented at the annual workshop of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Center in Nicosia, Cyprus, on June [...]

As I emerge from the zombificatory cloud I’m in after all the report card and graduation festivities, I came across a review of Iron Maiden’s recent performance in Athens, inter alia: Musically, Iron Maiden were as crisp and meticulous as they are in the studio, and long-term Maiden fans expect nothing less from the band. [...]