Tag Archives: Humanity

Worth a fart(h)ing?

Posted on March 5, 2018 by

There are many things one may say about Petronius‘ famous Neronian-era novel Satyricon; that it shows much sympathy for Rome’s lower and lowest social classes, however, or for those who managed to escape their social predicament and reached a certain … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour disputes, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Escape Routes

Posted on January 25, 2018 by

Probably in A. D. 474, Gaius Sollius Modestus Sidonius Apollinaris, more commonly known just as Sidonius Apollinaris, a Gallo-Roman aristocrat, Bishop of Clermont (eventually canonised), as well as an acclaimed poet, wrote a letter to one Magnus Felix, a former … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Reading, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hard shell, soft core

Posted on February 5, 2017 by

The late antique poet Claudian wrote a series of seven short epigrams on a fluid inclusion (or ‘enhydro’); these poems form part of a collection of Carmina minora (‘Shorter poems’), where they feature under the title De crystallo cui aqua … Continue reading →

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

When Harmony Disintegrates

Posted on January 21, 2017 by

You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family, the saying goes. And it made me wonder: considering that Roman literature is full of stories about family relations, how much do we really know about family life in … Continue reading →

Posted in Carmina Epigraphica, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fake News and Post-Truth Politics

Posted on December 11, 2016 by

There is a widespread, distinct feeling that Western politics has entered a phase of what tends to be called ‘post-truth politics‘. The term ‘post-truth politics’, often accompanied by references to fake news and disinformation campaigns, looks like a euphemism for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Winter is coming

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

In his poem De Bello Gothico (‘On the Gothic War’), the late antique poet Claudian describes the Roman general Stilicho‘s movements in wintery Germany (Claudian, De Bello Gothico 350–386; transl. from here): Near to the Hercynian forest the uplands of … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hope, Freedom, and Being Human: A Poetic Approach

Posted on November 17, 2016 by

The 2016 Being Human Festival – a festival of the Humanities, sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy – commences today. This year’s theme is ‘Hope and Fear’, and my university, the University of Reading, … Continue reading →

Posted in Carmina Epigraphica, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What have the Syrians ever done for us…?

Posted on September 6, 2015 by

Things are difficult – and not particularly cheerful – at the moment. The so-called migrant crisis, the barbarism of ISIS troops in Syria and elsewhere, the humanitarian and fiscal crisis of Greece, Europe’s politicians’ utter inability to defend the human(e)ly … Continue reading →

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

Displaced Human Beings: Seneca, the Refugee Crisis, and Human Migration

Posted on August 25, 2015 by

In A. D. 41, long before he became one of Rome’s most powerful political figures, the Roman politician, Stoic philosopher, and writer Lucius Annaeus Seneca got to experience first hand what hundreds of thousands of people are enduring at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment