constantinakatsari | Love of History

The power of the Roman state in the cities of Northern Turkey. The coin evidence

constantinakatsari January 2, 2015

Pontus and Paflagonian Coinage in the Late Republic and the Early Empire Already before the annexation of northern Asia Minor by the Romans, the cities of Pontus (around 12 of them) produced their own bronze currencies, which circulated throughout the region. Most of the types on these coins include Mithridatic connotations based on the association of the royal line with the God Dionysus. During the period immediately before the Roman annexation (85-65 BC), we observe a profusion of 12 different... »

Happy New Old Life!

constantinakatsari December 31, 2014

Christmas is time for deep reflection on the past and happy thoughts for the future. At least for me! I always use the free time to understand better what I achieved so far, and what I would like to target in the future. For some disturbing reason, this year I decided to return to the past! As a historian, it would seem to be the obvious choice for many. And yet, it is not the obvious choice for me. For the past year I was dealing almost exclusively with innovative companies. In a sense, ... »

My transition, from academic to entrepreneur

constantinakatsari September 4, 2014

It’s a year since I left academia and I would like to share with you a few lessons learned during the transition. While I was still at the University, I was led to believe that life outside the Ivory Tower was different – not in a good way. I was led to believe that I would never find anyone smart enough to talk to. I was led to believe that jobs were boring. I was led to believe that I would be caught in a 9-5 cycle of labour, 365 days a year (minus two weeks of holidays). I was le... »

Academic Freedom versus Corporate Branding: The Salaita Case

constantinakatsari August 27, 2014

You all know that the University of Illinois revoked a job offer to Prof. Steven Salaita, because he criticised Israel in its recent attacks in Gaza. The criticism came in the form of 140 character short tweets and ware angry in nature. By the time the professor learned the news, he already quit his job, sold his house and moved to Illinois with his family. Academics started supporting Salaita as soon as they found out about the case. Among the notable academics, you can probably recognis... »

The grave of Alexander the Great has NOT been found

constantinakatsari August 19, 2014

I follow with great interest the excavations in Amphipolis (Macedonia), where a monumental grave has been found. As everyone else, I am more than eager to see what is hiding behind the massive walls! So far, several theories regarding the ownership of the grave were brought forward. The most popular among them used to be that Roxanne, the wife of Alexander the Great, and their son may have been buried there. After all, they were murdered in the region! The proponents of this theory failed to exp... »

Historians need to make a lean startup or they will become a history relic

constantinakatsari June 22, 2014

The past two years, during my last days in academia and afterwards, I have been on a very steep learning curve. I learned how to view the world from a different perspective, how to talk to non academics, how to value ‘real’ life. As a result I reassessed my views on history and professional historians. First of all, I would like to admit that I am guilty. Throughout my academic career (which spans almost two decades) I have been guilty of ‘academic exceptionalism’. I read in depth histori... »

A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding a Coat of Arms

constantinakatsari February 27, 2014

Joe Shervell is an infographic designer with a love of medieval history and has just finished ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding a Coat of Arms’. He says “I’ve always been interested in heraldry and crests, and as I was researching the topic I was overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know. For instance a ‘family crest’ is only a very small part of the overall coat of arms – a commonly misunderstood concept. There are plenty of other rules that apply to coats of arms and I was l... »

Looking to the past to share a future

constantinakatsari January 17, 2014

“I should like to try…” These were the words of young Agatha Miller when she was told detective stories were too difficult to write. We know her now as Agatha Christie, Queen of Crime and creator of detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. I should like to try. I love these five words. They summed up my transition from buried-under-books student to owner/manager of a historical theatre company, and my eventual specialisation as a costume historian. I now run the History Wardrobe series of ... »

Are you sure you want an academic job in History?

constantinakatsari December 21, 2013

So, you decided that your ideal job would be that of a University lecturer/ reader/ professor. So, was mine until I found out that the job was not exactly as I dreamed it to be. Actually, it turned out rather grim, stressful and not fulfilling. Don’t get me wrong! I do not want to discourage you from entering the Ivory Tower. However, you should enter with your eyes open and with significantly lower expectations. The requirements to get an academic job are much more demanding. 1. Publish or peri... »

What can you do with a History degree: Teacher

constantinakatsari December 3, 2013

The first port of call for every historian seems to be teaching at different levels. This includes primary education, junior high school, high school, college and the mother of all teaching institutions, the University. In addition, you should explore further the possibility of group and one-to-one tutorials. There are different qualifications you will need to amass, depending on where you would like to end up. Here, I will give you brief information on how you should go about acquiring these qu... »

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