View Article  Why was Rome called Rome?
How many times have we read: Romulus, the eponymous founder of Rome?   more »
View Article  A personal experience of walking on Hadrian's Wall
the one that most captivates walkers is Hadrian’s Wall.   more »
View Article  Studying Roman technology
Perl and his classmates are learning first-hand how the ancient Romans engineered and built architectural monuments like the Pantheon and the Colosseum, Roman baths, aqueducts, mosaics, and catapults. At the same time, they are learning about Roman daily life, from art and architecture, to transportation and urban planning.   more »
View Article  Antonine plague (smallpox) in Gloucester - they think
It's worth visiting the link and watching the video of the Points West report.   more »
View Article  Iris 6 is out in May
The sixth issue of Iris magazine will be out in May. This edition focuses on the search for truth in the ancient world, and includes:   more »
View Article  Latin in the Park - Oxford Mail report
The Oxford Mail reports on Lorna Robinson's initiative.   more »
View Article  Schools Event at Yorkshire Museum
Lizzie Belcher has sent details of an epigraphy day at the YM on June 23rd.   more »
View Article  Classics job going in Saffron Walden
See the advert here for Latin at both GCSE and Advanced Level. Currently over 20 students are studying Latin GCSE.   more »
View Article  Deva Victrix
Our primary function was to parade through the streets of Chester during the summer as a tourist attraction.   more »
View Article  3-dvd edition of The Fall of the Roman Empire reviewed
Finally, a third DVD delivers a series of short films, commissioned by the Encyclopedia Brittanica, which offers a classroom like take on Roman History (this material is only available as part of the limited edition package).   more »
View Article  Another site for sharing Classics teaching resources
"The Classics Library is a month old, and I hope you’ve been able to make some use of it!"   more »
View Article  CIRCE wins an EU award
It's a long time - too long - since I visited the CIRCE site. The news page announces that the project has won an award:   more »
View Article  From Lorna Robinson: Radio 4 report on Latin in the Park
I've only just been told! Radio four recorded a Latin in the Parks session   more »
View Article  Sharing experiences and tips about school trips
A suggestion that a Classics teachers' TripAdvisor be set up.   more »
View Article  Roman gate found in Cologne
A town gate that was probably built with a grant from Roman Emperor Nero has been discovered in Cologne   more »
View Article  Editor of Technology Review re-learning Latin
I am hoping that memorizing the language's endless conjugations and declensions, and submitting myself to its exacting syntax, will keep my brain plastic as I cruise into my 40s.   more »
View Article  Some bits of Roman Britain news
Roman Britain is alive and popular, and being dug up or exhibited   more »
View Article  OUP Classical Studies Catalogue 2008 now available online
I pass on this notice that came to me from OUP   more »
View Article  Doctor Who still available - just!
Here is the link to the BBC player. It's available for only 7 days after broadcast.   more »
View Article  Hellenic Bookservice is moving up the road and holding a party
You are cordially invited to the launch of The Hellenic Bookservice’s new shop, 100 metres from our current address   more »
View Article  CICERO competition in Malvern
A slideshow with comments.   more »
View Article  CICERO competition - report on the Spanish section
The CICERO experience on April 18th was truly wonderful   more »
View Article  Roma - my airport novel
Roma by Steven Saylor, 663 pages of mixed fascination and irritation.   more »
View Article  The Romans at Stonehenge
Under the provocative title 'Is Stonehenge Roman?', Current Archaeology reports on a Time Team dig which really has found Roman stuff there.   more »
View Article  Liverpool University drive to 'get students more interested in ancient history of languages'
"As part of the initiative we have set up a ‘Classics Club’, held on Saturdays for students over the age of 14, which is proving highly popular."   more »
View Article  Does truth matter in the Classics?
What should the university do when a professor insists on teaching demonstrable untruths?   more »
View Article  Round-up of what came up while I was on holiday
Round-up of what came up while I was on holiday in Germany   more »
View Article  Weather forecasts in Latin
Try here.   more »
View Article  Iris Project's Latin in the Park
The scheme is aimed at local communities, and will take the form of a series of taster sessions held in local parks. The sessions are designed to be fun, relaxed and informal, and will involve teachers combining talks on aspects of ancient culture with an introduction to Latin.   more »
View Article  Bringing Classical Texts to Life in the Classroom
The course in Venice has a website.   more »
View Article  Roman gardens - an article
There's an article that might be useful for pupil research at   more »
View Article  £5,000 raised on Hadrian’s Wall – by Romans
A team of employees from shower manufacturer, Roman, raised over £5,000 for two local charities by completing a challenge to walk Hadrian’s Wall, coast to coast, over Easter weekend.   more »
View Article  The first cuckoo - I mean American Latin Exam result
All of these students have put forth hard work and conscientious effort to win these awards. They were joined by over 134,500 others from all 50 states and eleven foreign countries.   more »
View Article  Start your own classroom museum?
I was interested to find that a Roman glass jug has just been sold on e-bay for just $9.90.   more »
View Article  Appian Way being vandalised by the rich
In ancient times the Appian Way, which links Rome to the southern city of Brindisi, was known as the regina viarum, the queen of the roads. But these days its crown appears to be tarnished by chronic traffic congestion, vandalism and, some of its guardians grumble, illegal development.   more »
View Article  Roman attitudes to disability - a good article from a wheelchair
Many aspects of ancient Rome are familiar to us. Think of the Romans and we conjure up images of mosaics, baths, aqueducts, the Coliseum and Pompeii. But what do we know about disability in the Roman Empire? What role did disabled peopleplay in Roman society? What were Roman attitudes towards disability?   more »
View Article  Very listenable talk on Herodotus - Radio 3
I've just listened to an excellent talk in the Radio 3 Essay series. Prof Christopher Pelling has an engaging manner of speaking, and filled in the background to Herodotus expertly and ended with something a bit controversial.   more »
View Article  Should the Classics community set its own exams?
I think there is room for discussion as to whether there is space for a profession-based examination independent of the state examinations, which are subject to political vagaries.   more »
View Article  Exhibitions this Summer in the North of England
'The face of an emperor -- Hadrian inspects the wall' and 'Bede & Beijing'   more »
View Article  Berlusconi boasts of 'good' Latin
Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi claims he speaks Latin well enough to engage Roman emperor Julius Caesar in lunchtime conversation.   more »
View Article  More on the temple of Apollo at Bassae
I first visited the temple in September 1958, after my first year as a Classics student. My friend Mark and I travelled by train to Athens (with an adventure on the way that must be for another time), a journey that cost £18 return.   more »
View Article  Automatic collector of blog stuff.
Not sure about that one.   more »
View Article  Does this confuse the issue? An Italian Certamen Ciceronianum in Arpino
The more Classical events the better, but I hope people don't get confused between the international CICERO competition that I've been reporting here, and this one in Arpino   more »
View Article  Guy de la Bedoyere writes to The Times on the new coins
The Romans first utilised the Greek idea of the seated female figure to represent Roma on the coins of Nero, though Roma’s helmeted bust had appeared centuries earlier on the silver coins of the Republic. The coin of Elagabalus in fact shows Roma, not Athena. It was struck at Rome in AD218.   more »
View Article  Drawings of Bassae temple frieze now in Cuba
THE Museum of Fine Arts Universal Art collection is exhibiting, for the first time in Cuba and in Latin America, 23 chalcographies depicting friezes from the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, Greece, accompanied by plaster casts of three blocks of friezes, donated by the Winckelmann Institute.   more »
View Article  Circus Maximus to be (very partially) rebuilt
But now, after the centuries of neglect and years of debate and campaigning, Circus Maximus is finally to get some attention. Beginning on 20 June, the city's archeological authorities are to begin a careful and respectful restoration.   more »
View Article  Silchester page in Google Earth Hacks
A page with basic information about Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester), but, more interesting, an aerial view.   more »
View Article  Classical website links organised on del.icio.us
A useful, and growing, page of links indexed by keywords - and an interesting question.   more »
View Article  Roman house design updated in Florida
An article about a Florida house called Tradewinds, showing how ideas used by the Romans still work well.   more »
View Article  The Paris section of the CICERO Latin Competition
An account by the Director, M. Patrick Voisin.   more »
View Article  Film "Fall of the Roman Empire" coming out on DVD
The Weinstein Company's Miriam Collection -- a premiere label that restores and releases high-quality vintage classics, contemporary classics, and notable foreign films -- has announced the upcoming DVD release of The Fall of the Roman Empire on April 29th.   more »
View Article  The Telegraph (and Times) report the Latin and Greek Festival
Rap songs performed in Latin are being held up as an antidote to the dumbing down of English and French at a festival in Europe.   more »
View Article  Update on Roman Britain
Various news items today   more »
View Article  Historical detective fiction
Although their writing styles are chalk and cheese, I love both authors. I like Davis' knowing anachronisms and her hero's all too transparent attempts to hide his decent and, let's face it, softie self under macho talk. From Saylor I expect, and get, the feeling that I really know people like Sulla, Catiline and Cicero.   more »
View Article  'Dinner with Socrates' podcast
I'm interested that Mary Beard chose to take Xenophon's portrait of Socrates rather than Plato's. This fits with what I have always privately believed, that Plato ...   more »
View Article  Children’s Archaeology Day at Whittlesey
Throughout the day, children and their parents or carers, will be able to have a go at a range of different activities and even meet some “Romans”.   more »
View Article  'Roman Mysteries' series 2 is coming to BBC this summer.
Parthenon Entertainment, the UK-based producer and distributor of factual and children's programming, has concluded two new major territory deals for BBC children's drama Roman Mysteries, including a sale to the all-important US market.   more »
View Article  Fishbourne videos
The retirement of the director of Fishbourne Roman Palace (blogged yesterday) is marked by an article in the Littlehampton Gazette linking to videos of various Fishbourne treasures.   more »
View Article  Tacitus & Gibbon on Augustus' fake republicanism
The Roman History Books blog has well chosen excerpts from Syme, Tacitus and Gibbon on the character of Augustus and his fake republicanism.   more »
View Article  Roman invasion celebrates World Book Day
There was no escaping World Book Day at Leighton Park with a whole week of book-related events across the school, arranged by school librarian Chris Routh, culminating in a visit by the Romans.   more »
View Article  Oxford bones may be Roman
A team of archaeologists has been excavating a site between St Giles and Blackhall Road since mid January - and last week the diggers struck bone, uncovering what could be a mass grave.   more »
View Article  Fishbourne director retires - a history of the palace.
THIS week sees the retirement of David Rudkin, the director of Fishbourne Roman Palace. David was director for 29 years, during which time the education department was expanded, a new wing for conservation, storage and visitor events was built and a new roof was put over the mosaics.   more »
View Article  Lodi slide show
Some of the pictures from the CICERO competition at Lodi   more »
View Article  More on CICERO
Here you can see photos of the school itself, pictures of some of its past pupils and a current English class who showed us their wall display about the history of Britain.   more »
View Article  CICERO competition - report on the Italian and French sections
I have just returned from the town of Lodi, not far from Milan, which hosted the Italian CICERO competition on Saturday 29th March at the Istituto Sperimentale Statale “Maffeo Vegio”.   more »