Author Archives: Peter Kruschwitz

About Peter Kruschwitz

Berliner. Classicist. Scatterbrain.

Late Homework: Seamus Heaney’s Aeneid, Book VI

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

The younger Seneca, in his Consolatio ad Polybium, praises Polybius for his translations of the classics: a Latin translation of Homer and a Greek translation of Vergil. Seneca writes (11.5-6): Agedum illa, quae multo ingenii tui labore celebrata sunt, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Seneca on Gender Equality

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

It is a common trope in present-day discourse that feminism and the enforcement of gender equality are destroying the very foundations of our societies and ultimately ruining everything for us, to the detriment of those who seek equality in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Leap Day Harmony

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Vergil‘s eighth Eclogue is a remarkable text. It presents a ‘song battle’ between Damon and Alphesiboeus, two pastoral poets, whose poetry is described in supernatural terms (Verg. ecl. 8.1-5, transl. H. R. Fairclough): Pastorum musam Damonis et Alphesiboei, immemor herbarum … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A is for … the Ancient Roman Alphabet!

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Ever wondered what Latin sounded like? Here is how Martianus Capella, a writer of the early fifth century A. D., describes the phonetics of the Latin alphabet  (De Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii 3.261; cf. Gramm. VIII 307-8 K.): A sub … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sweet Talk for Latin Lovers

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, any respectable Latin lover will, of course, be keen to brush up on their relevant sweet talking skills. Here are are some lines you may wish to rehearse for your Latin wooing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Pancake Day, Roman Style

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

It’s Pancake Day! Would you like to celebrate it, Roman style? Here is a quick and easy recipe from the late antique Roman cook book De re coquinaria, ascribed to one Apicius (7.11.8, transl. W. M. Hill, adapted): Ova spongia … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Harrowing Statues: Pliny, Hannibal, and Cecil Rhodes

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

History is like a bad dream from which one cannot wake. Though undoubtedly related to what once must have been real, history merely exists in our collective and individual imaginations and re-imaginations. It is shaped by our fantasy and wishful … Continue reading →

Posted in Epigraphy, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saxa Loquuntur: The Stones Are Talking

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

Originally posted on Alban Conversations:
On January 16th, Peter Kruschwitz, Professor of Classics at the University of Reading, visited us to lead a study day on the topic of the Latin inscriptions of St Albans Cathedral.  Here is his report:…

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Disarming Hug

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

January 21st. Apparently it is National Hugging Day: a day that ’embraces hugging’ (or so the organisers say). Whatever next? There are a great many hugs and passionate embraces in Latin literature. Among my most favourite Roman hugs, however, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Poem Worthy of a Champion

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Peter Kruschwitz

This was an excellent weekend, as far as my Latin epigraphy geekiness goes. On Friday and Saturday, I had the immense pleasure of preparing and leading a Study Day on Latin inscriptions for the Study Centre of St. Albans Cathedral … Continue reading →

Posted in Carmina Epigraphica, Epigraphy, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment