Archives / 2010 / February

Phisher attacks Historian: Ancient Curse

constantinakatsari February 24, 2010

Today my twitter account has been attacked by phishers. Only yesterday have I received a direct email message from one of my followers, who wrote “Ha, ha. This you?”. A shortened url completed the sentence. I should have known instantly that a person who wrote such grammatically incorrect emails could not have been one of my followers. Despite my premonition, I clicked on the link at the bottom of the page, which said “If you want to read the full message, click here”. In my confused mind, I tho... »

Quotation of the Week 5

constantinakatsari February 24, 2010

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe” (H.G. Wells, Outline of History, 1920) »

Ancient History Competition 11

constantinakatsari February 22, 2010

There have been complaints that the previous competition was way too easy! So, here goes a new, improved and difficult quiz He is roasting you alive in a bull made of brass. And you’re thinking (!): ‘I shouldn’t have pissed off this tyrant’. Who is this tyrant? »

Sensitive Topics in Ancient History

constantinakatsari February 21, 2010

As you probably already know, I am teaching a third year module on Roman and American Slavery in Leicester. This year, and for the first time, I decided to encourage my students to contribute to a collective blog http://romanandamericanslavery.wordpress.com . Only then, it became obvious that they were intensely preoccupied more with issues of racism than with the generic topic of slavery. I suspect that the reason for such a preference is the fact that they have had no direct experience with sl... »

Ancient History Group in Ning

constantinakatsari February 19, 2010

Most of you will be wondering what Ning is. To my opinion, this is one of the best social networking platforms that could serve effectively the needs of our clan. I found out about it from a small but interesting book called ‘Tribes’, written by Seth Godin, a social media guru. My initial reaction was one of scepticism at the content and dismay at the style of writing. Despite the volume’s shortcomings, I was intrigued by the information it included on Ning. So, I set out for a new online advent... »

Quotation of the Week 4

constantinakatsari February 17, 2010

SWINDON: What will History say? BURGOYNE: History, sir, will tell lies as usual (George Bernard Shaw, The Devil’s Disciple, 1901) »

Ancient History Competition 10

constantinakatsari February 16, 2010

This is the very first day of fasting in Greece. So, I found Manolis in a good mood. The following quiz is probably one of the easiest he ever came up with. Aristophanes wrote about him: “…he was a cheat, a braggart, a calumniator, when alive…” Thucydides wrote about him: “…of all the citizens the most violent…” Who was he? »

Quotation of the Week 3

constantinakatsari February 12, 2010

‘To give an accurate and exhaustive account of the period would need a far less brilliant pen than mine’ Max Beerbohm (Yellow Book 1895) »

Ancient History Competition 9

constantinakatsari February 10, 2010

Today’s quiz should not be too difficult, as I decided to drop one small hint. Manolis insists that the this level of questions is appropriate for the intelligent people who follow the blog. And I agree! I cannot believe all of the questions, so far, have been answered so succesfully. So… Name a Hellenistic king whose father-in-law was a tyrant. »

Gifts for PhD students

constantinakatsari February 8, 2010

A friend recently asked me what gift would I give to a PhD student. That was an odd question, I thought. But then I realised the awkwardness of the situation and the dilemma in which my friend was. PhD students are different and effectively they have different needs. So, here is a list of what I think is suitable. • Chocolates. There is nothing better than the pleasure a piece of chocolate can give. In addition, it works also as powerful brain food. • Half a bottle of wine. This is just about ri... »

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