WotWotius

My friends and I did a similar thing on a beach in Cornwall: we drew the outline of one in the sand just before we left; when we got home some six hours later, we immediately checked Google Earth and marvelled at our handy work. Fun times...

Your prize is that it's your go!

While I was writing my dissertation today, I thought I would kill the drudgery by translating well-known Latin into l33t. By doing so, Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris becomes @Яnn@ \/|Я|_|mO,|_|3 (@|\0, 7Я()1@3 0,|_|1 |0Я1m|_|$ @8 ()Я|$. See if you can get this one: |-||_||\[ 7|8| |0|_|61()|\3nn $

I would have fought alongside Agesilaus in the Tearless Battle of 368 B.C. Being on the side suffering the fewest casualties in history (i.e. none) fits nicely with my cowardice.

Well, thank you. I am currently venturing further down the Latin avenue of my degree, which I am rather enjoying. Also, I am doing an optional module in hieroglyphic, which, although hard, I cannot really take too seriously - many because last time I studied the Egyptians, I was six! Yourself?

This is all fantastic stuff, guys. Thank you.

What is your evidence for this?

I. I

Hello again. I am not really sure whether or not I should put this in the archaeology or lingua latina section, but here goes... The other day I was thumbing through Horace's Fons Bandusiae and I came across some interesting food for thought. In the poem, the spring is described as splendidior vitro, often translated as 'more clear/bright than glass'. This is a rather curious translation as I am under the impression that Roman glass was neither bright nor clear - indeed glass from Horace's time seems to have been quite a murky affair. One possible remedy to this could be to look what glass represented in antiquity. Glass was often seen to be a luxury item, and thus splendior can be translated with its alternate definition: 'more ostentatious/luxurious'. Another way in which the initial translation could be doctored is by looking at the word for glass. The Latin word for glass (vitrum) is also the word for woad, both of which, I believe, were blue in colour - in particular, the untreated Aqua glass of Horace's time. The very fact that the poet is using glass as a simile could be hinting at the fountain's blue hue. The clause can argueably be translated as 'more spectacular than the blue glass hue'... or something like that. I have realised that thus far I have presented the above as fact. I am in fact just musing as a result of my insomnia - my knowledge in both the area of etymology and the seriation of Roman glass is bordering on ignorance. Does anybody have anything to add to this?

I'm game!

"It is far better to use words people understand. Often people in power are using the words because they want to feel self important. It is not right that voters should suffer because of some official's ego." But she just used the word 'ego'...!

Having left one my lessons early by means a rather flimsy excuse about a doctor's appointment, I was well on my way to getting into the City Centre before the shops closed. I was, however, absolutely dismayed to find that my hard-earned wages were yet to come through. I guess I shall have to wait another day to purchase my dream guitar... *sigh*

I have even turned HBO's Rome into a drinking game: my friends and I drink every time we see, or hear reference to, gratuitous nudity or violence. Fun times...

It is very my opinion that, regardless how self-aware an author is, he cannot escape his culture background. I just found it curious that Mattingly does not explore this concept in the context of recent scholarship on Romanisation. Anyway, on a slightly different note, I may be able to arrange an internet interview with Professor Mattingly; mainly because his work ties in with my dissertation, and also, judging by my experiences of him, he would probably be fine with me asking him a few questions. Any thoughts on publishing my (possible) interview on UNRV.com?

I am sorry, but these tactics and logistics of which you speak were made notable by the individual; and were much less the result of an overriding cultural mechanism. Whilst many expects dispute almost every other element of Roman society, there is no denying that Rome - most notably Republican Rome - was a highly militarised society, with war fused into almost everything. But even this only influenced Rome's perception of war, and not her ability to wage it. As in any society, the society of ancient Rome contained individuals of differing abilities, and thus many generals reacted differently in similar situations: compare, for example, Marius's campaigns again the Cimbri with his defeated predecessors. It not surprising, then, that Fabian tactics are named after an individual and not a Roman policy.

While a very interesting read all round, the most interesting were raised in the first few pages on archaeological theory. What was most fascinating about this part, at least in my opinion, was the way in which Mattingly deconstructs the concept Romanisation - i.e. the idea that Rome was a civilising entity on lesser peoples - as an imperialist hangover; but, at the same time, replaces this deconstucted concept with something which is just as imbued with the author's own cultural zeitgeists as the 19th-century architects of Romanisation. By this I mean that his work seems to be rife with the postcolonial guilt of the late 20th century (empire as a negative force etc.). I still am very much in favour of Mattingly's work; it is just find it odd how an author, who has written so much on cultural biases in Roman historiography, was able to miss this huge blip on the radar.

By Hestia's eternal hearth, have a great second(?) birthday, Nephele.

Thank you. I suppose it's all downhill from here.

Hello again, Over the past few months I have neglected this here humble blog. This is mainly because of two things: both my innate sense of laziness and the fact that, as well as being the busiest, this has been one of the most exciting few months of my life. So, I may well begin with where I last left you - as you may well recall, I was wrestling with the Home Office, demanding a passport from them. Well, I got the passport not a moment before darting off to America for a University-run dig in South Dakota. I shan't bore you the details of the site - in fact, after writing a 6000-word report on the excavation, any real discussion on the site's prehistorical context would probably bring me to tears. (but if anybody is curious to know the finer details about the site, I point you in the direction of its web page: www.mitchellindianvillage.org/index.php). All I shall say is that the trip allowed me to experience an interesting piece of Mid-West Americana. Nice though it was, the culture of the local area was highly confusing to me; this being most apparent when the much-avoided subjects of politics and religion came up... I shall not go into the finer details, but let's put it this way: when I mentioned Harry Potter to one of the tourists visiting the site, she asked me 'How can you read such blasphemy? (!?)'; when a friend gave mention of his 'second dad', his comment was greeted with the word 'queer!'. I did find, however, that when certain subjects were avoided, the local people were the most hospitable people whom I have come meet. So an interesting mix, I would say... Also, American the rodeo=fantastic! People ridding pissed off aniamals, and as much free candy as I could eat; I think this was the closest that I'll ever get to experiencing panem et circenses. Anyway, I think I should move on... The experience of the year thickened when I returned to Exeter. While I very much enjoyed the expensive hangover that was my first year, I think it was I enjoyed this one more because I became more involved in Exeter's Classics Society. For some reason, this year's society membership increased threefold, giving us over 200 members. How we achieved such a number is beyond me; I did even know that there were over 200 people in the world interested in the Classical World, let alone in Exeter. So, not only did this increase in membership enable us to have more debauched symposia/socials, it also enable us to fund other projects, such as a trip to Bath (Aqua Sulis), a huge ball, and even a nude calender, in which I assumed the role of Caesar in an assassination scene. (*pause for readers to shudder at the very thought*) My help this year also enabled me to get elected as president of the society for next year. I was thinking that we do more of the same, but go an more excursions, maybe even put on a play. Academically, I think I have had a good year. Not only did I get published (*pause for smug, egotistic facial expression*), but I also seem to be doing well. I started doing Latin again for the first time in years. For some reason, I find it to be somewhat therapeutic and strangely enjoyable... I also had to start thinking about my dissertation this year. After much thought and consideration, I have decided to touch upon the subject of the extent to which 19th-century ideologies have coloured our perception of 'traditional' history. In doing this I shall critically assess a variety of late 18th

Or as Jesus Christ: Supercop...

Boris really is poison to Classics... but at least it would finally give London a common language. *sigh*

This is merely a suggestion, but I have found a great venue/event for a potential Southern meeting in September: http://sogaer.ex.ac.uk/archaeology/confere...programme.shtml Anybody interested?

That's too bad for me as I have been allotted Romania as my team in the

Yes, unfortunately, that is the cutesy influence of George Lucus showing its ugly head... damn you, Jar Jar Binks! I shall.

True. But do we have reason to believe that the rulers of ancient Mycenae married their sisters? Not to my knowledge: this could either be a case of evidence of absence or absence of evidence. Who knows. If we cautiously draw an analogy with Pharaonic practices in Egypt at this time, we could have some sort of grounds for an argument. But to compare these vastly different cultures could be deemed foolhardy. This is just a drawn out way of saying that I know very little about the Bronze Age Aegean...