Oliver Stone's film is to be released in the USA on November 5th. I'm intrigued by a promised interactive desk-top that is promised but not yet released. There's a map that updates automatically every week, and interactive features - well, read for yourself:   more »

One Sunday treat of mine is receiving 'Explorator' by e-mail. Yesterday's Explorator sent me to a long article about what David Meadows as "Roman law and its spinoffs (potential essay crib)." "... Everything that we mentioned, however, could not contribute to forming the European culture without a formidable tool for penetration: Latin, for centuries the Empire's lingua franca. The Latin language carried out a vital function, allowing Roman policies, laws and public works to be understood and accepted by populations having different origins, languages and cultures...."   more »

'We do need to nurture "traditional" areas of study like the classical civilisations and their languages, rather than letting them fade away,' writes Clarke, who was angered by the AQA's failure to consult before dropping the subjects and their refusal to reinstate the exams.   more »

The much-heralded BBC Radio 4 version of the Odyssey had me in its grip this afternoon, the third and last episode. From Odysseus' landing on Ithaca to his long, long night in bed with Penelope the adaptation didn't put a foot wrong, emotionally.    more »

Twins in South Warwickshire gained 22 A* grades between them, and one of them was commended for getting one of the top five Latin marks in the country.   more »

A remarkably silly article from an American newspaper complained that the publishers of Wheelock's Latin Course have updated it. Apparently this course, which seems to be the preferred book in American schools, has cast off the forbidding, crowded, pictureless look of the Third Edition which I possess, and now looks a bit more like a modern textbook.   more »

The eminent Classicist Mary Beard has just been on Radio 4 telling us about this weekend's 3-part version of The Odyssey. First of all she was enthusiastic about how the adaptation by poet Simon Armitage trusts Homer ...   more »

So the Academic Quality Axe has fallen. What is to happen to the successors of the more than 5,000 students who took Latin and Greek with the Academically Quite Appalling board last year?   more »

'STUDENTS will have to produce a lengthy dissertation in addition to their A levels under plans to break the logjam of applicants to top universities, The Times has learnt.' Yes, bring it in! I shall enjoy writing one for my granddaughter in seven years' time.   more »

I came across A. S. Kline's translations today courtesy of David Meadows and Explorator, because he (Kline) has just posted his translation of Ovid's Fasti. After a glance at the Fasti, I looked around to see what else he has translated, and found his Sappho. Here's the one Catullus liked, rendered into down-to-earth English. Is it too down-to-earth for you? I'm trying to work out what I feel.   more »

A gold mask (I have a picture here), much heavier and more costly than the 'Mask of Agamemnon', has been found in Thrace. But millennia later does material wealth mean more than great literature ?   more »

A certain Martin Green, who says he has retired after 18 years as head of a sixth form, claims in today's Independent that there's a conspiracy between government, teachers and exam boards to push results up year after year. He says their motivation is clear.   more »

The A level results for 2004 have come out, and the usual pictures of delighted students hugging each other have appeared in the papers. Good for them, and let no carping about falling standards spoil their joy.   more »

Worried gossip has been flying around the Classics teaching world about Birmingham changes. It looks as though there's no need to panic.   more »

I was looking at David Meadows' copious blog called RogueClassicism and caught a reference to what DM calls ' One ...   more »

It seems students of Roman Britain shall have to learn the name Rangeworthy alongside Aquae Sulis and Caerwent. the Times ...   more »

We used to be told that the hexameter went like this:

Down in a deep dark dell sat an old ...   more »

I believe that some of Horace's Odes from Book 1 are on the A level syllabus at present - someone correct me if I'm wrong - so I've put Ode 1 on line in a hypertext edition ...   more »

Jason and the Argonauts came under the treatment this evening. I must say that on the whole I liked the programme, perhaps just because it was pleasantly old-fashioned. Whoever designed the reconstruction scenes obviously admired the film of J and the A, because the scene of the gods looking onto a miniature sea   more »

I've just added a section of twenty or more photos from the folder in my computer labelled 'Greek religion'. In ...   more »

Question in the Daily Torygraph: Why all the fuss about one GCSE exam board (AQA) dropping Latin and Greek when another (OCR) will continue to offer both subjects? Isn't competition for custom between the boards at least partly responsible for driving down standards? John Clare's answer gets near to OBI standards.   more »

I've just watched Peter Snow and his son Dan on BBC2 taking us through Boudicca's rebellion. They made no bones ...   more »

I used to be snooty about ecclestical Latin, but now it seems to me that, from the point of view of keeping the language alive, any Latin is better than none, and from the spiritual aspect, great spiritual texts in a language that most people understand only in wee glimpses (gloria in excelsis must suggest something to everyone) are a lot more helpful than third-hand sentimentalities set to fourth-rate tunes.   more »

May I emphasise that this is a personal initiative, not part of ARLT policy.
Every now and then I come across an example of wilful ignorance about the Classics, or conduct likely to cause grievous harm to the cause of Classics. It struck me that there ought to be some recognition of these.    more »

It was a Woman's Hour interview that set Lindsey Alison Jones off on this study. She was asked about the life of women on Hadrian's Wall, and at that time had no satisfactory reply. Today, on the other hand ...   more »

I have to confess that I came to this lecture sleepy after a day in the open air on Hadrian's ...   more »

A few notes on videos that were on sale at the ARLT Summer School from the Hellenic Book Service, with comments by teachers who have used them, or observations from myself.    more »

Julian Morgan waxed enthusiastic as he told the ARLT Summer School members about the Circe project that he is involved ...   more »

I have put three sets of photos on this blog today (or, since it's just after midnight, yesterday). The set ...   more »

Taking Homeric archaeology during mods started Oliver on Homer. This April in Athens he heard in a lecture about a newly discovered Hittite epic that sounded very like the Iliad. The theme of the lecture was that Homer gives us a rattling good story, but not history.   more »

Today's report from the ARLT Summer School, where the weather is wonderful, the surroundings are inspiring, and the lectures are intriguing.    more »

I didn't know what to expect, to be honest, when Professor Jeremy Paterson stood up to speak, with a straight face, about Augustus as benefactor of mankind. The fact that he has written about economics (the dismal science) made me more doubtful, but in fact the lecture was positive and full of human interest. Augustus probably was really popular, and what people said in praise of him probably was sincere.   more »

It's stating the obvious I know, but Peter Jones is a constant joy - except of course to those who ...   more »