I’ve always wanted a sword. Ever since I was a knights-and-castles-obsessed little boy, I’ve wanted one. Doing classics, and then moving into East Mediterranean archaeology, did nothing to diminish this need, but it did make me realise one important point: Bronze Age swords are much cooler than their mediaeval counterparts. In the stressful times of … Continue reading
Gothic literature started in 1746 with Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. That’s the orthodox line, the version you’ll see at the British Library exhibition. But it’s notoriously difficult to pinpoint the origins of literary genres; especially one as fuzzy and hard to define as ‘Gothic’. While there was certainly a definite tradition that started with … Continue reading
It’ll be obvious from even the briefest glance over my past posts here that I’ve got a strong interest in both archaeology and monsters. Slap-bang in the middle of that Venn-diagram lies (or staggers stiffly around) the Mummy. More than any other creature, perhaps, the monstrous mummy of literature and film embodies (no pun intended) … Continue reading
[δείδω μή] …τί μοι καὶ κῆτος ἐπισσεύῃ μέγα δαίμων ἐξ ἁλός, οἷά τε πολλὰ τρέφει κλυτὸς Ἀμφιτρίτη: [I’m afraid] that some god’s going to send a great sea-monster against me; glorious Amphitrite breeds them in numbers. Odyssey 5.418-21 Culturally as well as geographically, the sea was central to the Classical world. These days we’re encouraged … Continue reading
As I think I may have mentioned once or twice, I was a Lego-mad child. Of all the things under the tree on Christmas morning, Lego was always the most prized. Like many, I ‘grew out of’ Lego in my teens, only to come back to it as I’ve got older and had more disposable … Continue reading
For my birthday this year I was given the British Museum’s Classical Cookbook, by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. I haven’t had a chance to read through it fully yet, but it all looks very impressive (though could have done with more pictures – I don’t understand cookbooks without photos!) But this isn’t a review. … Continue reading
Reeking of rum and tottering like the earth beneath his feet is inflatable, a salty cove approaches you on the quayside. But the quayside is in Cambridge and his eyepatch is made of tweed. The bandoliers slung athwart his chest are stuffed with Loebs, green and red cloth tattered and stained by wind and salt. … Continue reading
It being the Christmas period, I’ve been baking again. I always like to make gingerbread houses but in the past have only ever made shop-bought ones. This year I decided to make my own from scratch. Which was the perfect opportunity to make it ancient-world themed. I considered various Classics-themed permutations – Minoan tripartite shrine, … Continue reading
A linguist and a philosopher discuss physics and the fundamental forces that bind the universe together: ‘Physics calls it the Weak Atomic Force, but we can call it Love if it makes you happy.’ Continue reading
As anyone who read my Via Memoriae Classicae series or my Atlantis review will know, I’m a shameless geek and very interested in the intersection between Classics and things like Science Fiction, Fantasy and video games. I’ve not got anything major to post at the moment, but here are a couple of things around the webt … Continue reading
res gerendae 