I think I have half made my peace with the Church today. Last weekend I went on the Today programme (an inadvertent blackleg — I hadnt realised the NUJ strike went till Saturday,…
I am off to Bochum tomorrow to give a paper at a conference on Roman Memory. It is a mad excursion in the middle of term, and I have been working at ungodly hours (even on Beard…
OK — you’ve been asking for my thoughts on the collapse of the House of the Gladiators at Pompeii. So here we go.
I am sure that one of the reasons that it has got so much media…
One of my favourite “Greek Pot” stories is about this satyr — who features on a psykter (or wine cooler) decorated, as these pots usually are, around its bulbous body.The idea was, you…
I knew that the 60 minutes shopping time I had was not going to go well when I was arraigned on my bike by the Police Constable.
I was in a hurry, but I did need some long garment to go…
We are having some building work done — to put in a shower, after 15 years with just a bath. The kids are pleased, but point out that we are installing this new technology just after…
One of the things that we teach students about the early Roman empire is the impact of imperial rule on the Roman calendar. A traditional religious festival could become also the…
I would never have normally spent such a lot on just a kettle. But two things coincided. First, the lid of our old faithful kettle finally bust — and second it was the husband’s…
Britain has a good number of world class universities, and many more than you would expect for its population and GDP. One of the things that KEEPS those universities world class is…
Tomorrow I am off to the Cheltenham Literary Festival, to do the series of gigs as Guest Director there.
The first event, on Saturday afternoon, is a session of discussion with
Declaration of interest: I dont know Prof Schama well, but what I know I like a lot. He is smart, clever, engaging and not — so far as I have any experience — remotely ill-willed. A…
Our computer officer (thanks Steve) alerted me to the new addition to Googles repertoire of electronic translation aids: the Latin translator. You type the Latin words in they…
I’m sure you knew this post was coming. But any classicist reading Ed Miliband’s first speech to conference will have instantly gone back to some good Roman precedents.
There was the…
The husband and I were out at the Faculty this afternoon (preparing a party for returning alumni) when the result of the Labour leadership election was announced. I’m not sure how…
