Month: July 2023

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 76th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est Non. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 19 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Classicists and Classics in the News

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Fresh Bloggery

Association/Departmental Blogs and News

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Fresh Podcasts

We’re travelling back in time to the ancient world with Dr Jane Draycott, as we discuss the use of prosthetics and assistive technology in classical antiquity. What was the lived experience of people with disabilities and impairments? What were the different types of prostheses and assistive technology available? Who created them, and what materials were they made from? Jane talks to Cia about the literary and archaeological evidence as to when, how, and why people in classical antiquity might have adopted prostheses and assistive technology, as well as societal attitudes towards medicine, science, and the human body.

In this episode, Murray muses on a question sent in by Nathan asking if, in the ancient world, there was some sort of volley fire such as we see in the 19th century with ranks of infantry.

Caligula is a 1979 film made by pornographers, starring Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Sir John Gielgud, and Peter O’Toole. It’s also completely bananas. Join Emma (seen it dozens of times) and Janina (not seen it before) as they discuss this scandalous and notorious historical film.

As history shows, ruling a vast empire is no mean feat. But in the second century AD the Romans seemed to be able to manage it with relative ease. This was the golden age of Ancient Rome, or “Pax Romana”, where peace and prosperity was said to have prevailed across the Mediterranean world. So, how did the Romans do it? Speaking with Rob Attar, historian, author and podcaster Tom Holland considers just this – from the fall of Nero to the reign of Hadrian.

Liv reads Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book IX, translated by Brookes More. Heracles angers a centaur and dies a painful death, his mother and Iole tell stories. Byblis falls for her brother and Iphis loves Ianthe.

Fresh Youtubery

Book Reviews

Exhibition Related Things

Dramatic Receptions

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Research Papers of Possible Interest

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends rainfall which will damage the grain fields.

… 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)

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 6th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est pr. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 18 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Greek/Latin News

Public Facing Classics

Fresh Bloggery

Other Blog-like Publications

Fresh Podcasts

The last monument to be added to the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria (also known as the Pharos), was one of the tallest man-made structures in ancient history. Serving as the only guiding beacon along 900km of Mediterranean coast, it played a vital role for sailors, merchants, and travellers in safely navigating into the harbour of Alexandria. But who commissioned this mighty marvel, and what eventually caused its collapse 1500 years later? In this episode, Tristan welcomes Professor Michael Higgins from the University of Quebec to delve into the long history of this monument. Exploring how the Lighthouse changed and expanded over the centuries, the geological landscape on which it was built, and the roles of famous figures such as Alexander the Great and Ptolemy – what can we learn from ancient sources and archaeology about this ancient Wonder – and what’s left of it today?

The Partial Historians are back in the 420s BCE and we are wrapping up the decade with some first-class DRAMA! At the centre of it all are the trials of Sempronius and Postumia. The only question is, can you handle it?

Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex begins with a warning: the murderer of the old king of Thebes, Laius, has never been identified or caught, and he’s still at large in the city. Oedipus is the current king of Thebes, and he sets out to solve the crime. His investigations lead to a devastating conclusion. Not only is Oedipus himself the killer, but Laius was his father, and Laius’ wife Jocasta, who Oedipus has married, is his mother. Oedipus Rex was composed during the golden age of Athens, in the 5th century BC. Sophocles probably wrote it to explore the dynamics of power in an undemocratic society. It has unsettled audiences from the very start: it is the only one of Sophocles’ plays that didn’t win first prize at Athens’ annual drama festival. But it’s had exceptionally good write-ups from the critics: Aristotle called it the greatest example of the dramatic arts. Freud believed it laid bare the deepest structures of human desire. With: Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Fiona Macintosh, Professor of Classical Reception and Fellow of St Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University

Aphrodite is looking for love in all the wrong places.

The story of The Ten Plagues of Egypt is important in both Jewish and Christian mythology. It’s a dark, haunting tale that features a capricious God meting out increasingly terrible punishments on the Egyptian people for their Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Israelites from slavery. But that’s not all there is to this story. It’s also a Bronze Age narrative that may be based on an ancient psychic trauma. Just what was that trauma? And could the cruel, unpredictable behavior of the God of the Old Testament be a clue?

Adonis is known for being beautiful enough to catch the eye of the goddess of Beauty, but it turns out there’s so much more to those two, including origins in Mesopotamia and Phoenicia.

Book Reviews

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Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends fatal diseases among the enclaved people.

… 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)

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 5th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. III Non. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 76 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

[apologies for incompleteness this am … i seem to be having major tech issues]

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Greek/Latin News

Fresh Bloggery

Association/Departmental Blogs and News

Other Blog-like Publications

Fresh Podcasts

The word “chauvinism” is an unlikely eponym, but it turns out that the story behind it has all sorts of interesting connections. And our discussion of those connections also leads us into the long history of misogyny in the western world, from Eve and Pandora to the Virgin Mary, courtly love, and Victorian womanhood.

Joining Charlotte in today’s episode is Dr. Aven McMaster. In a conversation that could have carried on for HOURS, they talk about sexual and gender politics in Rome. From Ovid to Catullus. Aven tells the story of the woman she believes everyone should know about and mentions a few sources by the end, for anyone who enjoys a rabbit hole;

Euthymus the boxer comes across a weird ritual of human sacrifice at the coastal town of Temesa – why do the locals sacrifice a maiden to a monster every year? Based on Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.6.7-11, this story is followed by a discussion of Greek history and folklore including human sacrifice in ancient Greece, the ancient Olympic Games, and the Delphic Oracle.

Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

See what’s happening today in Dr Pistone’s Online Classics Social Calendar

SCS Events Calendar

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Placement:Service | Society for Classical Studies

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends abundance but also the fall of a virtuous leader.

… 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)

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 4th, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. IV Non. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 16 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Public Facing Classics

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Assorted Twitter Threads

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A new inscription from Jerusalem’s Pilgrim’s Road looks like a receipt from the Early Roman period. It’s also on a piece of stone, which seems difficult to file. We’ve got Emily Dickinson and emojis, religious observance, and the suspicious relationship between writing and literacy. With a special shoutout to Major Deegan and his expressway!

Fresh Youtubery

Exhibition Related Things

Dramatic Receptions

Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends harsh winds, leading to shortages.

… 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)

Thelxinoe ~ Classics News for July 3rd, 2023

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Hodie est a.d. V Non. Iul. 2776 AUC ~ 15 Skirophorion in the second year of the 700th Olympiad

In the News

In Case You Missed It

Greek/Latin News

Fresh Bloggery

Other Blog-like Publications

Fresh Podcasts

Welcome to Satura Lanx, upper beginner / intermediate podcast told in beginner-friendly, easy spoken Latin. Every other Saturday I chat about everything concerning Latin (literature, language, culture), my own life and reflections and the questions you’ll ask me.

Discovered in a German cave, days before the Second World War broke out, the Lion Man statue remained an enigma for decades. A figurine that represents a hybrid creature with the body of a human and the head of a lion, the statue is made from mammoth ivory and is estimated to be over 40,000 years old, making it one of the oldest known examples of figurative art. But who carved this detailed figurine, and more importantly – why? In this episode, Tristan welcomes back Palaeolithic Archaeologist John Mcnabb to the podcast, to delve into this small statuette’s big history. With the Lion Man considered a significant archaeological find, providing insights into the artistic abilities and symbolic thinking of our ancient ancestors, and delving into mythology from millenia ago – what was the Lion Man statue doing in the depths of a German cave, and what was it protecting it’s creator from?

Fresh Youtubery

Exhibition Related Things

Dramatic Receptions

Online Talks and Conference-Related Things

Jobs, Postdocs, and other Professional Matters

Alia

Diversions

‘Sorting’ Out Your Day:

Today on the Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar:

If it thunders today, it portends a harsh winter.

… 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)