This semester, I am teaching our department's Archaic to Classical Greek Survey. I specialize in late antique Roman history and GIS, and thus this has been a departure from my normal research interests--and just one reason we are searching for a Homerist with DH skills right now. However, reading and teaching Greek does not mean that... Continue Reading →
‘Can I Get Your Autograph?’: A Short History of Signature Collecting
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with collecting the signatures of the Atlanta Braves baseball players. It was a point of pride to show my friends the signatures of John Smoltz or Greg Maddux, and they provided me with a little residual cachet. Turns out that Romans had much the same reaction. The natural... Continue Reading →
Using Graphic Language: A Short History of Figure Poems
I miss Milwaukee sometimes. On warmer nights, I used to run along Lake Michigan and wait for the sunset, before jogging home to work on the book. One of the best things about those runs was looking at sculpture against the backdrop of the Wisconsin sunset. What always caught my eye was a piece by Catalan artist Jaume... Continue Reading →
‘Let the Snorter Be Covered in Soot’: Ancient Board Game Inscriptions
☩ μὴ θεόμαχος νήων. ☩ ☩ ἀσβολόθη ὁ ῥονχάζων. ☩ Let the snorter / be covered in soot! [MAMA X, 330=PH 269278] Games of chance are never a silent endeavor; however, Romans found it rather uncouth to snort when Fortune was not on your side. A civil person kept their nose silent. There is a strong auditory... Continue Reading →
Follow Me: Courtesan Sandals, Shoemakers, and Ephemeral Epigraphic Landscapes
One of the tough things about reconstructing epigraphic landscapes, is that so much of it is now gone. Whether it be graffiti, painted inscriptions, or just waxen etchings, most of the inscriptions that populated the ancient world are now lost. Today I want to explore just a bit of this ephemeral epigraphic landscape, and hopefully... Continue Reading →