Well, it’s snowing here in South Shields. Not as much as it is in some parts of the world, true: but enough for me to wonder whether I really like my child enough to walk up the hill and pick him up from school. [Update: I decided that I did – but it was close.]
Cue much reading about snow and Romans. For instance:
This, from Housesteads: ‘You might think that our unpredictable weather and often harsh winters would have been a shock to the troops. It’s a common misconception that the Romans stationed along Hadrian’s Wall came from the warmer Mediterranean climate of Italy. Actually, the troops at Housesteads generally came from Northern Europe’ … but more importantly, when there’s lots of rain or snow, you can watch the Roman toilets flush at Housesteads!
This, from the Roman Military Research Society: ‘a favourite Roman method of keeping out the cold was to wear more than one tunic at a time. The emperor Augustus supposedly routinely wore no less than four tunics at a time (in addition to his toga presumably). Soldiers would certainly have done this. It would not be outside the realms of possibility that a Roman soldier might have purchased a locally made long sleeved tunic and worn it under his Roman type tunic’.
And an interesting point from Vindolanda: ‘The name ‘Vindolanda’ is poetic, and it can be translated to mean ‘white field or white moor’ and it gives us two important clues about life and landscape in the 1st century in the area. The first is that the first Roman forts was likely built upon a farmer’s field. This field sat on a promontory surrounded by steep sides and streams, a good defensive position. The second clue, later to be reinforced by later discoveries, was that fort building was a winter activity, and the white of the ‘white field’ may have been in reference to snow or frost.’
Now I have a mental image of newly-arrived Roman soldiers slogging up the hill in the middle of winter to the site of the future Roman Fort at Arbeia, wearing many tunics and looking despondently at fields covered in frost. Not much different to me walking to school wearing several jumpers, then!
It wasn’t all bad though. At least they could take pride in their toilets.
On another subject entirely – fancy an entertaining day or two in Newcastle? Then do come along to the Authority in Classics conference (Feb 21-22), where I’ll be giving a paper on Classics blogging. (Look: I’m blogging about a paper about blogging. How fashionably meta!) All support appreciated, including but not limited to: cheering, requesting autographs and organising a Mexican wave. I’m nervous about this one!
This week’s links from the Classics Internet
From Classical Studies Support
On Classics and Harry Potter – Classical Pottering
Here’s a link another ‘snow’ post, from February last year: Snow falls…
News
Greeks in space – The Express
Reassembling artefacts – Cyprus Mail
An archaeological mystery woman – National Geographic
Goddesses in the Olympic games – Haaretz
Blackpool Classics – Blackpool Gazette
A golden age of finds at Pompeii – Apollo Magazine
More Elgin Marbles controversy – The Guardian
… and the Creative Act Movie – Sententiae Antiquae
Comment and opinion
Classics at the OU in the 1970s – OU Classical Studies Blog
Classics, colour and Pygmalion – Society for Classical Studies
Non-elite Latin – Sententiae Antiquae
Janus the ‘influencer’ – Caveat Lector: Reading Ancient Rome
Translation as the ‘after-life’ of a text – Society for Classical Studies
Considering Homer’s Calypso – Electric Literature
George Herbert’s Latin – In Medias Res
Reference and reception in novels – Ars Longa
Lectio divina in universities – The SEDA Blog
Athens and memory – The New York Times
The idealized ship – Kosmos Society
Romulus and Remus in the movies – Classical Reception Studies Network
Roman revenge porn – Prospect
Syme and Caesar – The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World
Three months of archaeology (launches today) – What’s Up Archaeology
Art through toys – Medium
Archaeology and tidying up – Forbes
‘Western Civilization’ – Pharos
Pedantry in Classics – Sententiae Antiquae
Roman old age and death – Classics For All
Last meals – Forbes
Ancient awards ceremonies – The Spectator
Racism and responsibility in Classics – Eidolon
Being a Roman re-enactor – Eagles and Dragons
Podcasts, video and other media
Luis Alfaro on Classics in the community – Society for Classical Studies
Sherd nerds – Penn Museum
In search of the Phoenicians – Torch, Oxford
Classics in Leicester – Classics For All
Lego Forum of Augustus – Beyond the Brick
Interview with Emily Hauser – Itinera Podcast
Myth and Aquaman – MythTake
Interview with Jackie Murray – Classics Confidential
Speaking on Augustus in 2014, Tom Hillard mused that ‘if he had died this year, he would have been princeps since the late 1960s’. Imagine that! This timeline imagines that Ovid has just died, Cicero was consul in 1939, Hannibal arrived in 1784 and Rome was founded in 1250AD. pic.twitter.com/0Ozqs2YgmC
— Legonium (@tutubuslatinus) January 30, 2019
Classical Studies Support 