Over on my Forbes blog, I address the comments of Representative Steve King this week and explore the myths of … More
Tag: roman
I Wear My Sunglasses at the Fight? The Emperor Nero and the History of Sunglasses
Nero princeps gladiatorum pugnas spectabat in smaragdo. The princeps Nero viewed the combats of the gladiators in a smaragdus. — Pliny, Natural History, … More
‘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 … More
Sacrificial Lambs: Livestock, Book Costs, and the Premodern Parchment Trade
Pliny the Elder remarks on a conflict that arose between King Eumenes of Pergamum and Ptolemy V, the Egyptian pharaoh, … More
The Fall of the Roman Umpire: A Short History of Ancient Referees
At the Australian Open in 2008, tennis player Andy Roddick famously unleashed a tirade against court umpire Emmanuel Joseph, telling … More
Code Switching: Courtesans, Clothing, and Crossdressing in Antiquity
As I begin this post, it is the feast day of Saint Pelagia (October 8). In honor of the famed … More
Good Mourning: Roman Clothing, Courtrooms, and the Psychology of Color
Romans often reserved the dark colors of mourning for a trip to the courtroom. Usually it was the defendants who chose to … More
The (Evil) Eyes Have It: Welcoming and Warning Ancient Visitors
Doorways and thresholds were an important locus of power in Greco-Roman antiquity–but we might also think of them as an epigraphic … More
Pleiades in the Classroom: A Mapping Webinar
Join us online at 10 am – 11:30 am (ET) on Friday, May 29th for a webinar broadcast from the Center … More
‘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, … More
