After several years of research, the first half of a two-part paper on the symbolic value of Roman bread has been released. Abstract: When duplicated, the single icon of a monument, deity, or object, could recall entire narratives of divine intervention, great ancestral feats, and desirable ‘Roman’ attributes. The common, round, and quartered loaf of wheat-bread was produced and eaten […]
ArchaeologyGrrl has been a little quiet for a few months, largely because of various exciting developments we can’t wait to share with you all. There are new academic positions, new pages being built, and new resources for you to tap into. We may have a little less time, but fear not there’s a lot of content coming up for you […]
Recently, the Classics Department of the University of Reading was delighted to announce the release of a special video called What Can a Dog Called Margarita Teach us About Ancient Rome? In this video Prof. Peter Kruschwitz (University of Vienna), Prof. Xavier Espluga (University of Barcelona) and Dr. María Limón (University of Seville) discuss the lettered world of ancient Rome […]
The Ides of March 44 BCE is remembered each year by history enthusiasts as the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination. The execution of the most prevalent Roman leader of his time by the co-governing senate was no small matter and is often marked as a turning point in Roman politics. Before this infamous day, however, the 15th March was already […]
If there is one thing Lockdown number 5,409 has taught the collective ‘us’, it’s adaptation. With enforced periods of dull, gray nothingness, Covid has presented many of us with time to think, reflect and redirect our unspent energies. As an experienced archaeologist and a relatively green Classicist, I find myself confronted more and more with questions such as Why is […]
Some spooky stories with a classical twist for you, from the genius of The Petrified Muse. Gory, gruesome, and grotesque: two ancient vampire tales
Once again the University of Reading’s Archaeology Department has done a sterling job organising and running a field school for its students. Alongside undergraduate and postgraduate students, local residents, archaeology enthusiasts, A-Level students and long-time Silchester volunteers arrived to help excavate, record and decipher the Roman Bathhouse of Calleva. The areas opened in 2019 were a combination of extensions from […]
Upon my return from the Eternal City, I gathered my site-gear and head out into the fields of Silchester Roman town. Everyone has been working very hard and after setting up my tent and meeting this years students, I found myself in the midst of teaching in week 3 of the excavation. All three trenches are now well underway with […]
Day 57 – Our final Monday on the City of Rome course was spent at the Mausoleum of Hadrian the Castel Sant’Angelo. Here we were greeted by Paolo Vitti, a scholar in architecture with a wealth of knowledge about the tomb and the challenges it presented to those who built it. Built in the 1st century CE for the emperor […]
Day 51 – On Tuesday of week 8, the fellows of the City of Rome walked along the Via Salaria to the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza. This tomb for the daughter of Constantine sits high on a hill and still houses some magnificent pieces of mosaic artistry. The building is circular and in the concave ceiling that runs above the […]