Capitoline She Wolf Dating Followup
… I can only imagine what sort search engine hits I’m going to get from that headline … In any event, t’other day we mentioned that the coverage of the redating of the Capitoline wolf really didn’t satisfy in terms of presenting anything new (and the lack of coverage in English didn’t help me in that regard). Now, Rosella Lorenzi’s coverage for Discovery.com fills in the gaps … the bit that matters:
[...] Using accelerator mass spectrometry, the researchers extracted, analyzed and radiocarbon dated organic samples from the casting process. The results revealed with an accuracy by 95,4 percent that the sculpture was crafted between the 11th and 12th century AD.
“The new thesis is that it is a medieval copy of an original Etruscan work,” Rome’s municipality supervisor for culture, Umberto Broccoli, said.
He remarked that the Etruscan attribution was first made by 18th-century German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann on the basis of how the wolf’s fur was represented. [...]
- via: Rome Icon Actually Younger Than the City (Discovery.com)
So it does appear that there was some additional tech work and not just fudging with the numbers. Somewhat disappointing to learn, I suppose, but the ‘new thesis’ seems reasonable (even if it is sort of a ‘scholarly compromise’). That said, we still anxiously await to hear whether the Chimera of Arezzo will fall into the same category …
UVa Update
As the threat to Classics at UVa slowly fades away, Jon Mikalson (William R. Kenan, Jr.
Professor of Classics at UVa) sends along a letter from the Dean that is worth putting on the record in all this kerfuffle:
It is troubling to hear that inaccurate assertions made in recent news
reports have resulted in unwarranted speculation about the future of our
Classics and German departments. Let me assure you that I am unaware of
any suggestion from the Board of Visitors or any credible source that
any of our departments or programs should be reduced or eliminated.I never thought I have to say something so obvious, but now I am forced
to say it: the Classics program is not only a center of excellence in
the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, it is highly
sustainable financially. It is a magnet for major research and teaching
grants. German language and literature is and will remain a vital part
of the education we offer to undergraduate and graduate students.Please let me know what else I can do to help put this disturbing rumor
to rest, and I would appreciate your distributing this message to your
colleagues.Best,
MeredithMeredith Jung-En Woo, Dean
College and Graduate School of Arts and Science
University of Virginia
Classical Words of the Day
- desideratum (Merriam-Webster)
- suasion (Wordsmith)
Latinitweets:
noun 1: terra , terrae, f => ground, land, country bit.ly/IKAclf #Latin #Vocab #LatinVocab—
(@LatinVocab) June 26, 2012
natalis: birthday: noun. Example sentence:Spero te hunc natalem quam felicissimum acturum esse.Translation:I hop… bit.ly/MoOdUM—
Latin Language (@latinlanguage) June 26, 2012
con-sterno, strāvi, strātum
3, v. a. To strew over, cover by strewing, bestrew, to thatch, floor, pave, spread, constrata navis=decked ship—
Charlton T. Lewis (@LewisandShort) June 26, 2012
On the Greek side:
ἔριον
ἔριον, τό, Ion. εἴριον GDIiv p.876 (Chios, iv B. C., also written ἔρια ibid.), wool—
Henry George Liddell (@LiddellandScott) June 26, 2012
This Day in Ancient History: ante diem vi kalendas quinctilias
ludi Taurei quinquennales (day 2) — horse races held every five years to appease the divinities of the underworld
23 B.C. (and several years after) — the emperor Augustus is given tribunicia potestas
4 A.D. — the emperor Augustus adopts Tiberius (son of his wife Livia) and Agrippa Postumus (son of Augustus’ daughter Julia and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa)
221 A.D. — the emperor Elagabalus adopts the future emperor Severus Alexander and gives him the rank of Caesar (?)
363 A.D. — death of the emperor Julian
Blogosphere ~ Death of Julian the Apostate
About.com Ancient / Classical History: Death of Julian the Apostate.
Blogosphere ~ Trajan’s Triumph
About.com Ancient / Classical History: Trajan’s Triumph.
Blogosphere ~ Myth Monday – Who Were the Argonauts
About.com Ancient / Classical History: Myth Monday – Who Were the Argonauts.
Blogosphere ~ Want to Know More About Medea?
About.com Ancient / Classical History: Want to Know More About Medea?.
Blogosphere ~ Gregory Nagy “Short Writings” 2 volumes Online
AWOL – The Ancient World Online: Gregory Nagy “Short Writings” 2 volumes Online.
Blogosphere ~ Run-up to a new campaign: Gabii pre-season 2012
Lapis Gabinus: official blog of the Gabii Project: Run-up to a new campaign: Gabii pre-season 2012.
Podcast: Digital Critical Editions of Homer Chiara Salvagni
Digital Classicist seminars: Digital Critical Editions of Homer Chiara Salvagni.
Blogosphere ~ Drowning in Ancient Greek History and Mythology
History of the Ancient World: Drowning in Ancient Greek History and Mythology.
Blogosphere ~ A Case for Corruption
History of the Ancient World: A Case for Corruption.
[OSU thesis]
Blogosphere ~ Online Genealogy of the Seleucids
AWOL – The Ancient World Online: Online Genealogy of the Seleucids.
Blogosphere ~ Latin Without Latin: Zoilus
Bestiaria Latina Blog: Latin Without Latin: Zoilus.
