November, 2012 | Love of History

Visit to the Heberden Room in the Ashmolean

constantinakatsari November 19, 2012

Last week I took my students to visit the Heberden room in the Ashmolean museum in Oxford. The visit was organised in collaboration with the Keeper of Coins and Medals, Prof. Chris Howgego. As you probably already know Chris is an expert of Roman coins and the successful author of several books and articles on the subject. Before I even start describing the experience, I would like to express my gratitude to the Ashmolean staff for all their help and support on this educational trip. I know very... »

The grave of the poet

constantinakatsari November 12, 2012

Around 430 BC a poet and musician died in ancient Athens. An excavation of his grave in the deme of Alopeke revealed a lyre, an avlos, a harp, papyri, wax tablets and a pen, all of which gave us clues about his professional life. The findings proved to be crucial for the study of ancient music, since no other harp has been found until then (only representations on vases), while the papyri were the oldest to be found in Greece. The excavation took place in 1981. Since then, the precious artefacts... »

Audio tapes for Herodotus’s works

constantinakatsari November 6, 2012

“Dr Lisa Irene Hau provided some useful links that I would like to share with you of Herodotus audio books. Naxos have several works of ancient literature in their audio book cd range. For Herodotus, see: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Herodotus-The-Persian-War-Histories/dp/B0000045ON/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352116076&sr=8-1 Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Histories-Unabridged/dp/B002SQ17O2/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352116075&sr=1-7 Try I-Tunes audiobook... »

Arrests in Crete

constantinakatsari November 5, 2012

The police in Crete seems to have had some success in retrieving stolen artefacts and arresting the culprits. Specifically, they arrested 8 men in Messara (Herakleion) last Thursday. They found among others a Roman vase, the upper part of a column, twenty coins from the fifth century BC to the Roman period, some weapons from the Second World War and copious quantities of modern drugs! The gang does not seem to very serious in its efforts of amassing ancient treasures. Nevertheless, I include a p... »

Preparing for Academic Wars

constantinakatsari November 4, 2012

I have gathered a few useful quotes for academics who want to excel in their work. As our jobs become increasingly more competitive, I thought it was fitting to chose war-related quotations. The following are certainly applicable in Academia, so take them seriously and adjust them accordingly! “Work hard and become a leader; Be lazy and never succeed. – -Proverbs 12:24 You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. — Napoleon Bonaparte D... »

Madame Tussauds

constantinakatsari November 3, 2012

For those who are interested in lifelike image made of wax, I came across an infographic on the life and work of Madame Tussaud. Although it is mostly a commercial site, it has some interesting elements. Information of glass eyes, real teeth and Justin Timberlake can all be fascinating! So, take a quick look at it here. http://www.visitbritainshop.com/usa/articles-and-features/a-history-of-madame-tussauds-infographic.html »

Ancient curse on a cup

constantinakatsari November 1, 2012

I have always been fascinated by ancient curses. We tend to find them on funerary stele or on little bronze tablets in temples. Occasionally, they may be found also in other materials, such as the cup (skyphos) that was unearthed in Methone of Pieria. This is definitely the oldest curse inscribed on a symposium cup and is dated between 730-690 BC. The inscription says ‘I am (the cup) of Akesandros and (whoever steals me) will lose his eyes (or money). It is worth mentioning that another cu... »

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