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 campaign.

Not sure what the source of this one is — I’m really curious if it was ever claimed before FDR; heck, I’m curious whether it was claimed before the interwebs — but I am rather certain it doesn’t come from any of JC’s writings or any of the ancient sources about him. I’ll happily be corrected on this, but my breath isn’t in the holdable state …

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 porcupine quills to nylon three times a day – Connecticut Post.

3500 B.C.? Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

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 time of the appointment. In addition to offering a broad array of undergraduate courses in ancient Greek and Roman culture, applicants must be able to teach Latin at all levels, to support a growing Latin program. Comparable expertise in ancient Greek is preferred. Research interests may include, but are not limited to, Italian archaeology, Greek prose, and Greek history. Review of applications will begin on November 15, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled or until an adequate pool of candidates is reached.

Applicants must complete an on-line application for this position:

https://jobs.olemiss.edu. <https://jobs.olemiss.edu>

Submit with your electronic application, as electronic attachments, a letter of interest and a /curriculum vitae/ that includes your email address.

Hard copies of additional required documents — three (3) letters of recommendation, evidence of successful teaching (e.g. student evaluation documents), and graduate transcripts — should be sent separately or as a dossier to the Search Committee, Department of Classics, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848.

The University of Mississippi is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section504/ADA/ADEA Employer.

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, quoted Alexander the Great, saying, “My logisticians are a humorless lot … they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.”

While I can imagine Alexander saying something like that, I can’t imagine him saying it exactly like that (especially the ‘humourless’ bit) … anyone know a source for Alexander saying something similar?