Politics in the ancient world, broadly understood
The politics of the UK and US over the past two years has led to an upsurge in populist politics. How far this is distinctively new is open to question—leaving aside precursors in British and American politics, similar trends have been well in evidence in continental Europe and there is a long and ugly history… Continue reading →
As part of the project on Hero of Alexandria and his Theatrical Automata, I’ve been looking at the history of automata in Greek and Roman antiquity. As well as Hero’s treatise, there are occasional brief references to devices that may (or perhaps may not be) automata. The evidence is tantalising and gives hints about how… Continue reading →
One of the research projects currently underway in Classics at Glasgow is looking at the fragments of Roman oratory from the Republican period. This project (‘The Fragments of the Republican Roman Orators, www.frro.gla.ac.uk), funded by the European Research Council, aims to gather and make sense of all the evidence for public speech in the Republican… Continue reading →
The Greek polis of Gaza in Palestine underwent, in common with other cities, a profound transformation during the fifth and sixth centuries CE in society, economy and religion. What is unique about Gaza in these decades is its thriving and wide-ranging culture, as documented by ample literary and also material evidence. Speeches, letters and philosophical… Continue reading →
Sadly enough, the city of Gaza is nowadays mostly associated with the eruption of fierce violence, even with outright war, and reminds us that a convoluted relationship between ethnic, religious and political groups can easily set a whole region on fire. What a world of difference seems to lie between contemporary Gaza and the very… Continue reading →
