Pass the Dormice: Breeding, Selling, And Eating Honeyed Dormice in Antiquity

June 6, 2017

Ponticuli etiamferruminati sustinebant glires melle ac papavere sparsos. “There were also dormice rolled in honey and poppy-seed, and supported on little bridges soldered to the plate” –Petronius, Satyricon, 31 (trans. Heseltine). Look, I know you may think mice are cute. I, myself, raised adorable hamsters as a child and thus have sympathy for all rodents. But we … More Pass the Dormice: Breeding, Selling, And Eating Honeyed Dormice in Antiquity

The Argument Made By The Absence: On Whiteness, Polychromy, And Diversity In Classics

April 30, 2017

It has been a few days since I published a piece on my Forbes blog regarding the perception of whiteness and statues in antiquity. I knew when I started taking notes on the subject of polychromy many months ago that this column would likely cause a stir within the field, among colleagues, and online. I had … More The Argument Made By The Absence: On Whiteness, Polychromy, And Diversity In Classics

Legitimizing The Blog: On Reading, Citing & Archiving Blogposts

March 14, 2017

Over at the Forbes blog this week, I wrote about an issue within academic blogging that has been bugging me for a long time: Why aren’t more academic blogs cited in the footnotes of journal articles and within academic books? While there are certainly still specious blogs that abound on the web, the number of trusted, … More Legitimizing The Blog: On Reading, Citing & Archiving Blogposts

Modeling the Tincu House: A New 3D Model from Roman Gabii

February 20, 2017

Over on the Forbes blog this week, I explore the new publication of an interactive 3D model for a mid-Republican house from the site of Gabii. The University of Michigan Press and the Gabii Project were kind enough to let me read the new e-publication, which links together maps, 3D models, an archaeological object database, and … More Modeling the Tincu House: A New 3D Model from Roman Gabii

The widespread and persistent myth that it is easier to multiply and divide with Hindu-Arabic numerals than with Roman ones.

February 19, 2017

Originally posted on The Renaissance Mathematicus:
Last Sunday the eminent British historian of the twentieth century, Richard Evans, tweeted the following: Let’s remember we use Arabic numerals – 1, 2, 3 etc. Try dividing MCMLXVI by XXXIX ­– Sir Richard Evans (@Richard Evans36) There was no context to the tweet, a reply or whatever, so…

Open Access: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Just Gave Us 375,000 More Reasons to Celebrate The Public Domain

February 8, 2017

As I wrote about in this week’s Forbes blog post, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York yesterday announced the release of 375,000 images of artwork into the Public Domain. Those of you who follow this blog know that I talk endlessly (some might say freely!) about the merits of open content initiatives. Ergo, I … More Open Access: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Just Gave Us 375,000 More Reasons to Celebrate The Public Domain

The Itinerarium Egeriae: Mapping Egeria’s Pilgrimage On Candlemas

February 2, 2017

In the Roman Catholic Church, the celebration held forty days after Christmas is the festival of Candlemas (February 2). Candlemas recognizes the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary forty days after giving birth (Luke 2:22-29). This was in accordance with Jewish purity law (Lev. 12:4) which required women who … More The Itinerarium Egeriae: Mapping Egeria’s Pilgrimage On Candlemas