Hodie est a.d. XVI Kal. Dec. 2772 AUC ~ 29 Pyanepsion in the fourth year of the 699th Olympiad

In the News

• Archaeologist accentuates proper maintenance of Achaemenid ‘masterpiece’ – Tehran Times
• [Paywalled] Caligula’s ancient Rome house of infamy revealed | News | The Times

In Case You Missed It

• Head Of Ancient Statue Found Just Metres Under The Ground In Athens – Greek City Times
• Lego unveils new Colosseum set, it’s largest yet, with 9,000+ pieces
• European Parliament Members Plead With the UK for Parthenon Marbles

Greek/Latin News

• [Ephemeris] PACTVM OECONOMICVM NOVVM De rebus Asiaticis 
• Radiogiornale Latino 15.11.2020 – Vatican News

Public Facing Classics

• Was Nero that bad … ? | Blog post by Mary Beard – The TLS

Fresh Bloggery

• Let’s Talk About … Roman Gardens : With Jessica Venner – ClassicalFix
• Seasonally Appropriate comic for 2020 | Greek Myth Comix
• Literary Types with Dirty Feet – SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE
• Roman Times: Roman theater and Seneca’s tragedies
• Performing Prophecies – SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE
• From American Cato to American Carnage – SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE
• AWOL – The Ancient World Online: Law and Trade in Ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia: Selected Papers by K.R. Veenhof
• AWOL – The Ancient World Online: Associations in the Greco-Roman World: An Expanding Collection of Inscriptions, Papyri, and Other Sources in Translation
• The Shepherd Finds Semiramis, By Ernest Wallcousins (c. 1883-1976) | The Historian’s Hut
• PaleoJudaica.com: More on the Saqqara necropolis
• PaleoJudaica.com: Russell, Poets, Heroes, and their Dragons
• Working in a Coalmine | Sphinx
• Underwater archaeological sites discovered near Tunis – The Archaeology News Network
• 30 MEPS ask Boris Johnson to return Parthenon Sculptures to Greece – The Archaeology News Network
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Thermopylae
• Caesar Under Siege: What Happened During the Alexandrine War 48-47BC?

Fresh Podcasts

• ‎Spartan History Podcast: 018. Jason and the Golden Fleece. Part 4 on Apple Podcasts

18th Official episode of Spartan History Podcast 

• ‎Wonders of the World: The Staircases of Persepolis on Apple Podcasts

East vs West? Maybe. We’re off to Iran to greet the rise of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the world’s greatest by this point in history. Between Cyrus and Darius, we’ll deal with two Great rulers, but we’ve also got medieval Iranian love poetry, unappetizing royal banquets, Croesus making bad decisions, and kebabs! 

• ‎A.D. History Podcast: Hadrian Builds a Wall & Zhang Heng: China’s da Vinci? | 121AD-130AD on Apple Podcasts

In this newest installment of A.D. History, Paul and Patrick examine Roman Emperor Hadrian, his eponymous wall that’s stood the test of time demarcating England and Scotland, and it’s remarkable impact. As well introducing a remarkable Chinese – yet little known in the West – renaissance man, Zhang Heng. Zhang’s incredible applied intellect, coupled with his innovative gifts are quite literally felt to this very day! 

• ‎The Layman’s Historian: Episode 40 – The Delayer: Part II on Apple Podcasts

Following Hannibal’s daring escape from Campania, Fabius’s reputation in Rome lay in shambles. Subsequent victories by the Scipios in Spain and the fierce rhetoric of Fabius’s lieutenant Minucius at last succeeded in having Minucius appointed as co-equal commander of the Roman army. Undeterred by this humiliation, Fabius continued in his single-minded determination to preserve Rome’s army. That selflessness would save Rome from another near disaster when Minucius predictably fell into Hannibal’s cunning trap. 

• ‎The History Of European Theatre: Early Rome: Theatre Gets Mobile on Apple Podcasts

Theatre buildings in Rome developed over the long period of time from the Etruscan Period and through the republican period, but throughout they were temporary structures albeit on an ever grander scale. In this episode we trace the development and look at the political and social forces in Rome that kept theatre mobile and temporary. 

• ‎Museum of the Bible – The Podcast: New Discoveries in the City of David on Apple Podcasts

In 586 BC, the City of David fell to the Babylonians. Today, archaeological excavations continue to reveal evidence of this remarkable moment in history. Come hear about and see some of the extraordinary remains

.Book Reviews

• [Classical Journal ~ PDF] Orazio: Epistole 1 
• [Classical Journal ~ PDF] Quintus of Smyrna’s Posthomerica 
• [Classical Journal ~ PDF] Honorius: The Fight for the Roman West AD 395-423 

Online Talks and Professional Matters

• CFP: Res Difficiles 2.0 | Society for Classical Studies
• Riches in the Ground. How Did Ancient Greeks Hide Their Wealth
• See what’s happening today in Dr Pistone’s Online Classics Social Calendar

Alia

• Lifting the lid on Israel’s best ancient toilets – ISRAEL21c
• The Pantheon: The ancient building still being used after 2,000 years – CNN Style

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

• Homeromanteion | Online Homeric Oracle
• Sortes Virgilianae (English)
• Sortes Virgilianae (Latin)
• Consult the Oracle at UCL

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends an outbreak of locusts and field voles, danger for the king, and an abundance of grain.

… adapted from the text and translation of:

Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar, in Nancy Thomson de Grummond and Erika Simon (eds.), The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press, 2006. (Kindle edition)