Classical Studies Support

Today I’d like to acquaint you with some Big News. Now, make sure you’re sitting down for this, because it’s dramatic.

At the end of my street, as I type this now, workers are building… a Roman playground.

Yes, this is absolutely true – it’s not just something I dreamed. Here is the current view from my window:

 

 

 

And here are the plans:

 

 

 

Now, I will concede the possibility that this is not being built specifically for me. However, the fact that it is actually visible from my window and is being built at a time when I have a child around to give me an excuse to use it… well, I think you’ll agree that there’s something Mysterious about that. The Fates may be taking a hand in my entertainment.

(My son, being much the more grown-up of the two of us, is appalled by the whole prospect. He’s anticipating me standing at the prow of the ship declaiming Caesar. He knows me far too well.)

So over the next several weeks I will keep you posted on the building progress. There will be photos. Don’t worry – the builders are used to me lurking now.

 

In other areas it’s been a week of unexpected projects. I was supposed to be taking a week off work (I haven’t even had a day off since the pandemic started!) – but it’s amazing how things pop up to fill the gap, all of which need to be done immediately. So I’ve been writing a thing for the all-staff newsletter, recording myself looking positive and encouraging (!) for a video which promises to be… interesting (I’ll let you know when it comes out), putting together reading lists, approving timetables and mapping out a Big Project which may or may not come to anything. And at the same time I’m still trying to decorate my house. So the week off has rather disappeared. But my birthday’s coming up in a week and a half, so I will definitely take at least the day off then, to watch telly and eat cake.

Honest.

 

Finally, a huge thank-you to everyone who commented, emailed, tweeted or phoned in response to last week’s post. You’re all very kind! I didn’t expect any response at all – and instead I spent the whole weekend reading through lovely supportive messages. You really are the best readers a girl could have.

 

 

 

 

This week’s links from around the Classical Internet

 

 

News

Roman brooch in Yorkshire – The Yorkshire Post

Roman villa building site in Corby – BBC

Fishbourne fundraising success – The Chichester Observer

Bronze Age detectorist find – BBC

Pompeii unveils new secrets – Wanted in Rome

 

 

Comfort Classics this week

Comfort Classics: Andy Keen

Comfort Classics: Jamie Heath

Comfort Classics: Ersin Hussein

 

 

Comment and opinion

Was Augustus good or bad for Rome? – History Hit 

Trumpets for Athena – Blogging Ancient Epigram 

What did the emperors look like? – Artnet

Syntax as a weapon – Eidolon 

Visiting 123 sites from Roman Britain – Keener Classics

Deeds, not Words [thanks for the shout-out, Gavin!] – ad astra per mundum 

Veritas reactions – Variant Readings

Ancient covidiots – Neos Kosmos

 

 

 

 

Podcasts, video and other media

Combat trauma, with Owen Rees – The Ancients 

Aristotle on The Good Life, with Edith Hall –The Investor’s Podcast Network

Defining Greek identity – History Hack

Machetes and Philinnion – Creepy Classics