Monthly Archives: January 2013

  • ROMARCH: term position in Classical Archaeology and Classics at DePauw University

    24 January, 2013

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    DePauw, photo by Larry Ligget

    DePauw University, 15 Jan. 2013; photo by Larry Ligget

    DePauw University – Greencastle, IN

    The Department of Classical Studies invites applications for a one-year term position beginning August 2013. Rank and salary commensurate with experience. Ph.D. preferred. We seek a Classical Archaeologist with a broad training in Classical Studies. Teaching load is 3/3 and includes courses in archaeology, classical civilization (e.g. Myth), and Greek or Latin at all undergraduate levels. Commitment to undergraduate teaching in a liberal arts environment is essential. For information about the department, please visit: http://www.depauw.edu/academics/departments-programs/classical-studies/.

    Application materials should include the following: an application letter, curriculum vitae, copy of transcripts, three letters of recommendation, statement of teaching philosophy and scholarly interests, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and a short manuscript or offprint. All materials should be submitted electronically to: classicssearch@depauw.edu. Review of applications will begin March 1, 2013 and continue until the position is filled. DePauw University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Women and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

  • ROMARCH: Heraclea Sintica Conference, call for papers

    21 January, 2013

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    Heraclea Sintica: from Hellenistic polis to Roman civitas (4th c. BC – 6th c. AD)

    Dates: September 19-21, 2013;
    Location: Petrich, Bulgaria; Hotel Bats.
    Organizers: National Institute of Archaeology with Museum at Bulgarian
    Academy of Sciences, American Research Center in Sofia, Museum of
    History-Petrich
    Sponsors: American Research Center in Sofia, Municipality of Petrich

    This international conference will bring together leading scholars to present recent work on the site of Heraclea Sintica, situated near the village of Rupite, ca. 12 km northeast of Petrich, SW Bulgaria. The presentations will be arranged in thematic sections devoted to particular topics, such as, but not limited to:

    1. Historical topography of Heraclea and its city territory, including necropoleis;
    2. Recent archaeological excavations on the site;
    3. Diachronic surveys on literary sources and epigraphic documents;
    4. Religious monuments and associated cult practices;
    5. Patterns of coin circulation as related to economy and local markets.

    Continue reading →

  • ROMARCH: Oxford Exhibition; Engraved Gems and the Classical Tradition

    5 January, 2013

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    Engraved Gems and the Classical Tradition A new exhibition in the Upper Library at Christ Church, Oxford.

    Although gems are modest in size, gem engraving was a major art in antiquity. From the Renaissance on Greek and Roman intaglios and cameos were collected, observed and copied. Scholars could learn about the appearance of gem subjects through publications, often initiated by their almost obsessive collectors, but also through the expanding production of impressions and casts of gems in a variety of materials. This exhibition will give examples of a wide range of these, from sealing wax to glass paste. It will also show a number of original gems. Books on engraved gems of the 17th to 19th centuries from the Christ Church Library are illustrated with impressions, electrotypes and casts from Oxford’s Beazley Archive, and intaglios and cameos from private collections.

    A highlight in the exhibition is a sardonyx from the collection of the Earl of Carlisle. The cameo was engraved by Alexander Cesati (1510-64), and shows Cupid taming a lion in the presence of two nymphs. Continue reading →

  • Translating Pliny’s letters about Vesuvius, pt. 6. Fortune Favors the Brave

    1 January, 2013

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    A Roman seaside villa on a sunnier day (fresco from the Villa San Marco, Stabiae)

    6.16.11-12: Fortune Favors the Brave

    This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of Pliny the Younger’s letters (6.16 and 6.20) to the historian Tacitus about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. This is the fourth installment for letter 6.16.

    At this point in the story, the Elder Pliny has set off to rescue citizens trapped in their villas below Vesuvius on the east edge of the Bay of Naples. He is commanding several warships, and noting down his observations of the eruption as it develops. It is likely late afternoon as the ships approach shore.

    Continue reading →