constantinakatsari's Posts

Morality of Money in Ancient Greece and Rome

Morality of Money in Ancient Greece and Rome

How many times have you used terms loaded with moral judgement when you mention money? How many of you think that money is ‘evil’ or that debt is ‘disgraceful’? How many of you watched Benefits Street in 2014 and argued with disdain that you would never end up in this position? For those of you who do not watch tv, Benefits Street was a documentary series broadcast in Channel 4. It showed benefits claimants committing crimes, thieving and cheating. It was so successful (despite the opposition) t... »

“Race of Aces”: A Review by Craig Martin

“Race of Aces”: A Review by Craig Martin

John R Bruning’s Race of Aces is a fast-paced, exposé of the contest to become America’s top fighter ace. The result of over 30 years of research using a variety of primary and secondary sources including combat reports, unit and individual diaries and extensive interviews with survivors. The book is set in the Southwest Pacific Theatre of Operations (SWPA) following the fortunes of the pilots of the Fifth Air Force based initially in New Guinea. The dreadful conditions the pilots an... »

The American School of Archaeology in Corinth

The American School of Archaeology in Corinth

Recently a few photographs appeared in the Facebook page of the American School of Archaeology at Athens. They were photographs of the diaries of the first American archaeologists who excavated Ancient Greek Corinth. The excavations started at the end of the nineteenth century in 1896 and by now we have diaries that cover this year until 2007. Specifically, there are 1116 excavation diaries (digitalised) of around 200 pages each. This is a wealth of information for modern archaeologists of ancie... »

Historian kills and mutilates his lover

Historian kills and mutilates his lover

I was shocked today to find out, in the morning news, that the Russian Professor Oleg Sokolov, a military historian of nineteenth century France, killed and mutilated his 24 year old lover. Apparently, the 63 year old professor entered a relationship with Anastasia Yeshchenko, while she was still his student. Everyone was aware of the couple and they felt they had nothing to hide. I suspect that the situation would have raised a few eyebrows as it developed under the gossipy ears of students and... »

Agro-Business in the Roman World

Agro-Business in the Roman World

Have you ever considered that business may not have been that different 2000 years ago? Oh well, they did not have computers, internet and the digital economy but they still had a buoyant property market, they were trading across the seas and the land, and they were pretty good at financial administration. After all, empires were not built on air but on solid armies, bureaucracies and land expansion exercises (imperialism). In the Roman World, the wealthiest citizens were focusing on the develop... »

Memory and impression: A walk-through in the Peloponnese.

Memory and impression: A walk-through in the Peloponnese.

Tegea, 12–13 December 2019 The event is set to function as a herald of the temporary exhibition Memory and impression: A walk-through in the Peloponnese using ancient coins as a guide (to open in May 2020 at the Archaeological Museum of Tegea). The contributions to the Colloquium include perspectives by historians, numismatists, archaeologists, art historians, and so on, broadening the spectrum of the approaches and the information to be offered.  Organisers: KIKPE – Stassinopoulos-Viohalco Foun... »

Philhellenism at the Onset of the Greek Revolution

Philhellenism at the Onset of the Greek Revolution

In the first years of the Greek revolution the government of the major European governments had little sympathy for it.  Those governments’ subjects however often took a very different view.  Travellers had increasingly visited Greece when the Napoleonic wars had made the Italian Grand Tour impossible, and had written glowingly of their experiences.  The study of Latin and Greek was the mainstay of higher education.  Many saw the Greeks as representing Christianity embattled against Islam, and a... »

Post Augustum: NEW Roman Empire and Late Antiquity Journal

Post Augustum: NEW Roman Empire and Late Antiquity Journal

I would like to bring to your attention a new platform, Post Augustum, which is dedicated to the history of the Mediterranean World during the first Christian centuries, edited by a team of historians who specialise in the period. The platform aims to provide a constant update with articles, research, book reviews, news form the Greek and International Academia, and quotes from original sources. The platform includes the Post Augustum Journal, which aims at promoting the study of the ancient wor... »

Eunuchs and Transsexuals and their political power

Eunuchs and Transsexuals and their political power

You probably already know that some transgender people chose to make a transition with the help of surgery in order to live life as transexuals. Sex re-assignment surgery or gender re-assignement surgery is a phenomenon of the 20th and the 21st century. The experience is fraught with dangers at the physical and the psychological level. There is no doubt, though, that it remains largely positive when the choice is made intentionally, after serious forethought and with the help of professionals. A... »

Direct Democracy versus Representative Democracy. Ancient Athens versus Modern Britain

Direct Democracy versus Representative Democracy. Ancient Athens versus Modern Britain

The impending Brexit caused a massive headache to UK citizens. I know that because my husband suffered a week long one immediately after the referendum! Today Brexit preoccupies most of the daily news. The one piece of news that attracted my attention recently is the existing debate on the value of Direct Democracy vs the value of Parliamentary Democracy. in relation to the Brexit referendum that took place more than 3 years ago. I also noticed that journalists and politicians who engage in thes... »

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