constantinakatsari | Love of History

Performing classicists

constantinakatsari August 10, 2010

I found the following announcement absolutely fascinating. It is a chance for classicists who love ancient theater to participate in a collaborative project with other professionals. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a deeper understand of the practical aspects of ancient performances. At the same time, classicists could gain substantial experience in different fields, such as acting, directing e.t.c. Even though I participated in such performances during my undergraduate years, under the ... »

How to come up with innovative ideas

constantinakatsari August 9, 2010

When I started writing my PhD, I was afraid that I would never have anything new to say. Back then, it seemed to me that everything had already been studied and all the good ideas were already taken. Petrified at the thought of starting my first chapter, I expressed my fears to my supervisor. He tried to alleviate them by giving me the following advice: “Open a bottle of wine, sit by the fireplace, drink a couple of glasses and relax. The ideas will flow afterwards”. As an obedient student, I fo... »

Clash of the Titans

constantinakatsari August 7, 2010

If you enjoyed the movie, you can now attend the conference. In fact, you can attend it even if you thought that the movie was not up to the usual Hollywood standards! There is no doubt on my mind that the papers will be far more interesting and thought provoking. Read the details here: “In the week of its official DVD release, the Classics Department at the University of Leeds is pleased to ‘Release the Kraken’ with a half-day colloquium on Leterrier’s Clash of the Titan... »

Ancient History Competition 33

constantinakatsari August 5, 2010

Manolis has been watching too many movies over the holidays. So, he sent me the following quiz. Which female Hollywood star has a surname that reminds us of an ancient tyrant? »

Quotation of the week 27

constantinakatsari August 3, 2010

“No academic person is ever voted into the chair until he has reached an age at which he has forgotten the meaning of the word ‘irrelevant’ ” Francis M. Cornford, Microcosmographia Academica, 1908 »

Vote YES for Greek Language learning

constantinakatsari August 1, 2010

The Guardian Comment-is-Free is running a poll about the usefullness of the ancient Greek language. If you are a passionate lover of everything ancient (as I am), please, vote YES today! “The beauty of classics Greek lessons will be introduced in the classrooms of inner-city schools to help primary children from deprived backgrounds improve their English. Is this a good idea? VOTE! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2010/jul/30/language-schooladmissions Is learning classical Gree... »

Charitable professors: Donating your money to the University

constantinakatsari July 31, 2010

Two weeks ago I read the news about Classics Professor Douglas MacDowell of the University of Glasgow, who donated after his death over 2 million pounds to his department. The Scottish Academic left the money to the university with the provision that they would fund his old position of Professorship in Greek. It seems that because of financial difficulties Glasgow University has not advertised this post after he retired. The chair remained empty and the sustainability of the subject on the whole... »

Tips for Undergraduates: How to tackle a reading list

constantinakatsari July 28, 2010

Have you felt the panic rising, when you were handed an exceptionally long reading list? Have you felt the desperation taking over in minutes? If yes, you should read this post. You are not supposed to read every book on the list! I don’t expect you to do so. Most teachers know that this is more or less a wish list. Ideally, we would like our students to read everything but, in practice, we know that this is impossible. Books on the list make a great background reading on the period but usually ... »

Quotation of the Week 26

constantinakatsari July 27, 2010

The clever men at Oxford Know all that there is to be knowed. But they none of them know one half as much As intelligent Mr Toad. (Keneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, 1908) »

Ancient History Competition 32

constantinakatsari July 26, 2010

After this ancient battle, one of the terms imposed on the defeated side was somewhat strange: they were required to stop importing salt! Which battle was it? »

constantinakatsari's Posts