Languages

Viking nuggets of poetry

constantinakatsari April 5, 2013

This is a topic I know very little about but I find terribly fascinating. As a Roman historian I find myself in the ‘superior’ position to judge other cultures and to find them inferior. With regard to the Viking culture, until recently I thought that it was a primitive sort of civilisation, based on a militarised society that was solely interested in war, plunder, rapes etc. At least, this is the image I got from 1950s and 1960s movies! Imagine my surprise when I noticed the following announcem... »

Who wrote Shakespeare’s plays?

constantinakatsari April 4, 2013

The debate on the authorship of Shakespeare’s works has been raging for several centuries. Scholars are not closer to agreeing on any one and there is a strong possibility that there will be no conclusion in the near future. English professors took central stage in this debate… until now. An astrophysicist entered the race, hoping that he will come up with a solution through the rigorous application of statistical analysis. Peter Sturrock, a Stanford University professor, in his latest boo... »

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... »

L’ Annee Philologique

constantinakatsari January 10, 2012

“Colleagues may not all be aware that information in L’Année philologique on English-language publications in Classics is supplied by the journal’s American office, currently based at Duke University – a service of inestimable value to UK-based scholars. Information is now available at http://www.facebook.com/anneephilologique, where naturally you can sign up and (as the Director, Lisa Carson, puts it) ‘get in touch with us with questions, corrections, suggestions, ... »

Online Library of Old Manuscripts

constantinakatsari December 17, 2011

I had the chance to cruise through a new and most useful website. It is a virtual exhibition on Ancient World, available at the Exhibition Virtual Space of the Library of the University of Seville. The exhibition consists of nine thematic “rooms”, showing 179 printed and manuscripts books, from 15th to 19th centuries. Beside the records, there are links to the digitalized books and commentaries. The themes include archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, philosophy, literature and other... »

Running for classics

constantinakatsari September 6, 2011

The noblest of causes… “On 11th September 2011 a team of runners sponsored by Bristol’s Institute of Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition will be running the Bristol Half Marathon to (a) mark the 2,500 year anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, and (b) raise money for the charity Classics for All. We are aiming to raise £2,500 and all donations, large or small, will be greatly appreciated.” classics list If you would like to support this fundraising effort, you can d... »

Volunteers to teach Latin in London

constantinakatsari August 6, 2011

“In the run-up to the 2012 Games and thereafter, the Mayor wants to give London pupils a chance to meet the Greeks and Romans in school. He is therefore looking for volunteers to: 1. Teach Latin in primary schools, one hour a week for thirty weeks. The Iris Project is administering this side of things; but you may use Minimus if you prefer. 2. Give one-hour talk(s) to primary and/or secondary schools on a topic: those proposed are the Olympic Games, Latin in English, Famous Greeks an... »

Survey on the future of classicists

constantinakatsari January 23, 2011

The following announcement comes from the Higher Education Centre. It is an attempt to map the professions our students follow. If you do not want to complete the survey, you may want to comment on the subject in this blog. I am sure we can map a lot of interesting professions. “Classics in the Subject Centre has commissioned a survey of Classics (and Classics-related) graduates from the last 10 years, and current students, in order to compile a report on their employment experience during... »

Classics for All

constantinakatsari December 14, 2010

“Launch of grants programme and call for applications Classics for All is a new charity, set up jointly by JACT and Friends of Classics. Our aim is to complement the work of other Classical charities by raising significant funds to support projects for broadening access to Classical subjects. We are delighted to say that, thanks to the generous support of the major Classical bodies (the Hellenic and Roman Societies, the Classical Association, Friends of Classics and JACT) and of a number o... »

Death of Classics in the Subject Center

constantinakatsari December 4, 2010

Recently, Prof. Catherine Steel announced the end of Classics in the Subject Center. I include here the announcement and I am looking forward to learning more about the new intiative. “As many of you may already know, the Higher Education Academy is engaged in reshaping itself in the face of substantial funding cuts. One part of this process is the decision, reached recently by the HEA’s Executive Board, to bring to an end the current distributed network of Subject Centres and concentrate ... »