Article on the Nolan Amphora
http://irisonline.org.uk/index.php/lite/lite-archive/109-nolan-amphora
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Friday, 26 October 2012
Halloween meets Hellenism
This year the Classical Society does Halloweed in style: five monsters, five teams and a LOT of competition. Here's a little guide to our chosen creatures, in case you were running low on costume ideas....
The Minotaur was the infamous child of Minos' wife Pasiphae and a bull that she had inexpicably conjured a sudden lust for. Its bizarre origins and terrible strength caused King Minos to hide it in Daedalus' labyrinth and feed it only once a year, on the flesh of young men and women.
When creating a minotaur costume, you're probably safest to go for the classics. Ring through the nose, cardboard hooves, and some badass horns. If you're feeling particularly confident stick with the traditional hide loincloth, but always remember that October weather is rarely -ahem- forgiving. It's also best to remember that Medicine usually has a 'No Massive Evil-Looking Axes" rule.
The Furies, or 'Erinyes' were the godesses of revenge. In the Oresteia, they pursued Orestes for the crime of matricide (although he was eventually saved by Athena.) They are generally portrayed as fearsome women, sometimes with blood dripping from their eyes and snakes entwined around their waist.
In order to really capture the spirit of the Erinyes, think dark. Think: angry. We're looking for greys, blacks and reds here, with maybe a little side-helping of snakeskin and feathers. Go heavy on the kohl and light on the fake tan; these are creatures of Dis, after all.
NB: above picture is for illustration, and not recommended for direct imitation.
Centaurs, like the Minotaur, are a half-animal half-human hybrid. In this case, they are obviously half horse. They have appeared in myths as both soldiers and teachers; they famously battled the Lapiths in a long and bloody conflict. Centaurs are traditionally the symbol of untameable nature and strength, mostly depicted with a bow and arrow (as above.)
This costume presents some obvious problems i.e. our lack of quadrapedal status. There are a few solutions to this problem, each less practical than the last. First, you could create some kind of extra legs from a spare pair of jeans attached to your belt or several milk cartons taped together and painted a disturbing shade of brown; second, you could convince a particularly suggestible friend to follow you round all night, bent in half like the back end of a pantomime horse; or lastly, you could actually attach your torso to the body of a horse and earn a place in the 'Most Interesting Deaths' hall of fame. Just don't forget the bow and arrow.
The phoenix is not a particularly prominent character in Greek mythology. It appeared in basically all early myths, from Persia to Greece to China. It was portrayed as a fire-creature (hence the name phoenix, from the Greek for 'crimson') and it was said that Apollo stopped his chariot every morning to listen to its song.
Though the Phoenix may not be a popular animal in mythology, it certainly presents some very exciting costume options. My recommendation would be to just go crazy with all the fire colours you can find; sparkle, shine and glitter as much as possible. Sequins are ideal, as are coloured hairsprays in red or gold. Feathers are an obvious yes, although potentially difficult to find and/or apply in the quantities you'll be needing. I would definitely not recommend trying a Katniss Everdeen and literally setting fire to yourself before heading out on the town. Third degree burns may ensue.
The Cyclopes are primordial giants, possessing one eye in the middle of their forehead and, usually, a terrible temper. According to Callimachus they were assistants at Vulcan's forge, and in Homer Odysseus escapes the cyclopic monster Polyphemus by blinding him. They are rarely portrayed as having any particular supernatural place except as blacksmiths, owing to their massive strength but relatively undeveloped nature.
Much like the centaur, you can probably see the big problem with a cyclops costume. If you're unwilling to go the whole hog and poke your eyes out in the name of Classics, it's probably best to just draw one on your forehead and hope it'll distract everyone enough to get away with the whole 'other eyes' thing. Hooves are also a good idea, and as rudimentary clothing as you can find. A few smudges of soot wouldn't go amiss for authenticity; after all, you have been at the smithy all day forging Zeus' thunderbolts.
The event will be held on Wednesday 31st in Medicine (we'll be the strangely dressed ones at the back.) Looking forward to seeing all your inventions!
Minotaur
The Minotaur was the infamous child of Minos' wife Pasiphae and a bull that she had inexpicably conjured a sudden lust for. Its bizarre origins and terrible strength caused King Minos to hide it in Daedalus' labyrinth and feed it only once a year, on the flesh of young men and women.
When creating a minotaur costume, you're probably safest to go for the classics. Ring through the nose, cardboard hooves, and some badass horns. If you're feeling particularly confident stick with the traditional hide loincloth, but always remember that October weather is rarely -ahem- forgiving. It's also best to remember that Medicine usually has a 'No Massive Evil-Looking Axes" rule.
Furies
The Furies, or 'Erinyes' were the godesses of revenge. In the Oresteia, they pursued Orestes for the crime of matricide (although he was eventually saved by Athena.) They are generally portrayed as fearsome women, sometimes with blood dripping from their eyes and snakes entwined around their waist.
In order to really capture the spirit of the Erinyes, think dark. Think: angry. We're looking for greys, blacks and reds here, with maybe a little side-helping of snakeskin and feathers. Go heavy on the kohl and light on the fake tan; these are creatures of Dis, after all.
NB: above picture is for illustration, and not recommended for direct imitation.
Centaur
Centaurs, like the Minotaur, are a half-animal half-human hybrid. In this case, they are obviously half horse. They have appeared in myths as both soldiers and teachers; they famously battled the Lapiths in a long and bloody conflict. Centaurs are traditionally the symbol of untameable nature and strength, mostly depicted with a bow and arrow (as above.)
This costume presents some obvious problems i.e. our lack of quadrapedal status. There are a few solutions to this problem, each less practical than the last. First, you could create some kind of extra legs from a spare pair of jeans attached to your belt or several milk cartons taped together and painted a disturbing shade of brown; second, you could convince a particularly suggestible friend to follow you round all night, bent in half like the back end of a pantomime horse; or lastly, you could actually attach your torso to the body of a horse and earn a place in the 'Most Interesting Deaths' hall of fame. Just don't forget the bow and arrow.
Phoenix
The phoenix is not a particularly prominent character in Greek mythology. It appeared in basically all early myths, from Persia to Greece to China. It was portrayed as a fire-creature (hence the name phoenix, from the Greek for 'crimson') and it was said that Apollo stopped his chariot every morning to listen to its song.
Though the Phoenix may not be a popular animal in mythology, it certainly presents some very exciting costume options. My recommendation would be to just go crazy with all the fire colours you can find; sparkle, shine and glitter as much as possible. Sequins are ideal, as are coloured hairsprays in red or gold. Feathers are an obvious yes, although potentially difficult to find and/or apply in the quantities you'll be needing. I would definitely not recommend trying a Katniss Everdeen and literally setting fire to yourself before heading out on the town. Third degree burns may ensue.
Cyclopes
The Cyclopes are primordial giants, possessing one eye in the middle of their forehead and, usually, a terrible temper. According to Callimachus they were assistants at Vulcan's forge, and in Homer Odysseus escapes the cyclopic monster Polyphemus by blinding him. They are rarely portrayed as having any particular supernatural place except as blacksmiths, owing to their massive strength but relatively undeveloped nature.
Much like the centaur, you can probably see the big problem with a cyclops costume. If you're unwilling to go the whole hog and poke your eyes out in the name of Classics, it's probably best to just draw one on your forehead and hope it'll distract everyone enough to get away with the whole 'other eyes' thing. Hooves are also a good idea, and as rudimentary clothing as you can find. A few smudges of soot wouldn't go amiss for authenticity; after all, you have been at the smithy all day forging Zeus' thunderbolts.
The event will be held on Wednesday 31st in Medicine (we'll be the strangely dressed ones at the back.) Looking forward to seeing all your inventions!
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Locusta - Rome's Professional Poisoner
Blog article from The Ancient Standard:
http://ancientstandard.com/2011/06/16/locusta-romes-professional-poisoner/
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Fontanalia Strikes Back
Friday, 19 October 2012
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Wooden roof uncovered at Herculaneum
A photo of the new find at Herculaneum.
http://joliheroics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/roman-wooden-roof-uncovered-in.html
http://joliheroics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/roman-wooden-roof-uncovered-in.html
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Beauty in Pannonian Budapest
by Liz Wilson
Hungary’s beautiful
capital, Budapest, literally blasts its tourists with an amazing list
of sites to see, things to do and memories to cherish.
The city itself is made
up of two halves separated by the blue Danube, Buda and Pest. These
were each two cities which joined to form one along during the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. No surprises, then, when the whole of the
city has a very 18-19th Century feel: between the
magnificent Széchenyi Fürdo Spa in Pest to the Castle district
of Buda, the picturesque is never far away.
However, cross just
outside of the city to the large county beyond and there is a third
cultural spot. Óbuda, Latin: Pannonia, is a not a long trip from
central Budapest, taking less time that it would to go from Egham to
London. From the centre, take the metro (tube) to Batthyány Tr,
where you will find the hev (train). This will drop you off at
Aquincum.
Boasting the largest
ancient Roman settlement to have been excavated, second only to Rome
herself, Aquincum is a large park of the remains of broken villas.
The disappointment in only seeing stone walls lacking the grandeur of
Herculaneum or Pompeii was quickly rectified by the little quirks the
archaeologists and caretakers of the park had taken care to put in
place to inspire the interest of the classicist, the tourist and the
children dragged along.
Myself, I was dragging
a ten-year-old around a bunch of stone walls, in the baking sun, and
whilst I was enjoying trying to translate the Latin on the side of
the sarcophagi and explaining things to him, he grew progressively
more and more irritable and, dare I say it, bored. There is nothing
worse than a bored and irritated kid to ruin the ruins. So I gave up
looking and deciphering what was left of the limestone tombs and
busts; I took him to the house of the painter.
This was a refurbished
house made of plaster in a style that was believed to be akin to the
houses of the era. I admit to being rather sceptical about the fact
that it had a triangular roof with no rain hole in the top. The tour
and explanation of a painter’s job for the town, however, seemed
accurate enough, so I let it drop.
Next to this was a
“Roman Games Hut”. Clearly not Roman architecture, inside were
several board games, believed to have been in use during the roman
era. Believe me, playing chess with regulation pieces which more no
distinguishing features made this one hell of a hard game. It was a
real shame that none of the explanations were in English and my
Hungarian was, and still is next to nonexistent.
The museum, situated
next to the Mythological Playground, offered a much-of-a-muchness in
terms of exhibits. Unfortunately, one oil lamp does not differ wildly
from another, nor do glass vases, clay jugs etc. The real interest
crept in when the downstairs interactive play area and puzzles were
unleashed. Games of dice and varying puzzles, ranging from
put-the-broken-pot-together and make-the-mosaic (which was very
difficult). The game that interested me was a board game which seemed
to coincide with something the Latin Language and Reading class had
talked about while discussing the Emperor Nero. On the board were
written four words, which escape me. There were five or six counters
and each had to be placed on a letter, the purpose of which escaped
the “let’s try and figure it out” process, due to lack of
explanation.
The two most
interesting features were the Chronoscope and the Mythological
Playground. The latter had really taken its role seriously and
adapted the myth to the game in a minimalistic, superficial yet
pretty accurate way. To be honest, that’s more than most films, and
children’s games demand less.
The Chronoscope was the
highlight of this visit: a periscope viewer of the ancient city. It
looked a bit like the tourist binoculars you find on the Eifel Tower
or the Lion of Waterloo. This, however, did not give you a close up
of the far off view. It recreated it. For 180°, the chronoscope
offered you an oil painter’s recreation of what Aquincum would have
looked like were it still standing today. There were even a few
people dotted around. Not bad for 300 HUF (approx £1) entrance fee!
Back to the hev, by
which point the kid had had enough and we returned to central Pest.
However, had this not been the case, there is the Roman Bath Museum,
a military bath that has lasted down the generations. When I return
to Budapest, which I feel is inevitable, this will be the first thing
for me to see!
Monday, 8 October 2012
Putting A Tragedy On Its (New Robotic) Feet
by Alexander Woodward
Hello. For much of the
past six months I have been up to my eyebrows in the Oresteia
as I was fortunate enough to perform with By Jove Theatre
Company’s inaugural production The Women Screaming Beyond.
We took the myth apart, closely scrutinised each part of it, and with
the aid of modern dramatic techniques put it back together again to
suit our purposes. It was recognisably the same myth with which we’d
started but it was now better, faster, and stronger. It was like the
Six Million Dollar Man but with Homer, Classical Athens, and
Brecht instead of blood, muscle, and carbon fibre. It was the most
interesting theatrical thing of which I’ve been a part. This said,
theatre, like gin, is something for which I have a great love but
rather limited technical knowledge, so I shall instead share some of
the reasons why this was the most interesting Classical thing of
which I’ve been a part. I shall limit myself to simply my most
important realisations because I’m needlessly loquacious and
senselessly sesquipedalian and space is limited; and will only become
more so once I crowbar in another gin reference for my own amusement.
A script is a good starting point for a piece of theatre but we had a way to go to get to this point. There are several surviving versions of the myth we wanted to portray, or rather versions of parts of it. The differences between the versions varied from the precise details of character biography to full-on alternate realities – the differences between Aeschylus’ Eumenides and Euripides’ Orestes are like those between Batman as portrayed by Adam West and Christian Bale. Even once we’d settled on which storyboard we wanted to hang our play’s message we had to think about which bits of the myth needed to be showed to the audience, which could just be dealt with by exposition, and which could be quietly cut (sorry, Pylades, I love you, but you are just dead weight). We had fiddled with the myth extensively to get a version that made the points we wanted within the time an audience could reasonably be expected to sit on uncomfortable chairs in a Shoreditch theatre, but it was still definitely the same story. It doesn’t matter that what Euripides spent an entire play exploring in his Medea Ovid passes over in a single line in Book VIII of his Metamorphoses; they’re using the same gloriously flexible starting material to make masterpieces as different in their aims as they are magnificent in their execution.
The second point I have to make is one that, considering the likely audience of Non-Sequitur, you might say I don’t need to make. I am going to make it anyway because I believe it is fundamentally important to keep it in mind at all times. The point is this: having people properly educated in the ancient world (and other areas without direct relevance to specific careers) is vital. The director of the piece knew more about the plays relevant to the project than I do; the man who played Apollo knows more than his share of myth; the cast were all diligent in their research for their characters, but despite this there were times when their knowledge was not enough. At those times one of the Classicists in the company was able to resolve the query quicker than a library and more reliably than Wikipedia. We could jump in on the factual, ancient stuff because some excellent titbit Jonathan Powell once mentioned while resolutely not making eye-contact had happened to stick. We could help in the non-specific problems where our colleagues couldn’t because we’d immersed ourselves in different Great Works, ideas, and ways of thinking and so could approach the same problem from a different and more fruitful direction. For any education policy-makers who happen to be reading this, I suppose what I’m trying to say is this: You might not like gin, you might be genuinely confused as to why anyone choose to drink gin, but don’t go around smashing up the gin distilleries because you might find out the only thing that will make the mugger release your daughter is the flask of Bombay Sapphire that I happen to have concealed in the folds of my toga.
A script is a good starting point for a piece of theatre but we had a way to go to get to this point. There are several surviving versions of the myth we wanted to portray, or rather versions of parts of it. The differences between the versions varied from the precise details of character biography to full-on alternate realities – the differences between Aeschylus’ Eumenides and Euripides’ Orestes are like those between Batman as portrayed by Adam West and Christian Bale. Even once we’d settled on which storyboard we wanted to hang our play’s message we had to think about which bits of the myth needed to be showed to the audience, which could just be dealt with by exposition, and which could be quietly cut (sorry, Pylades, I love you, but you are just dead weight). We had fiddled with the myth extensively to get a version that made the points we wanted within the time an audience could reasonably be expected to sit on uncomfortable chairs in a Shoreditch theatre, but it was still definitely the same story. It doesn’t matter that what Euripides spent an entire play exploring in his Medea Ovid passes over in a single line in Book VIII of his Metamorphoses; they’re using the same gloriously flexible starting material to make masterpieces as different in their aims as they are magnificent in their execution.
The second point I have to make is one that, considering the likely audience of Non-Sequitur, you might say I don’t need to make. I am going to make it anyway because I believe it is fundamentally important to keep it in mind at all times. The point is this: having people properly educated in the ancient world (and other areas without direct relevance to specific careers) is vital. The director of the piece knew more about the plays relevant to the project than I do; the man who played Apollo knows more than his share of myth; the cast were all diligent in their research for their characters, but despite this there were times when their knowledge was not enough. At those times one of the Classicists in the company was able to resolve the query quicker than a library and more reliably than Wikipedia. We could jump in on the factual, ancient stuff because some excellent titbit Jonathan Powell once mentioned while resolutely not making eye-contact had happened to stick. We could help in the non-specific problems where our colleagues couldn’t because we’d immersed ourselves in different Great Works, ideas, and ways of thinking and so could approach the same problem from a different and more fruitful direction. For any education policy-makers who happen to be reading this, I suppose what I’m trying to say is this: You might not like gin, you might be genuinely confused as to why anyone choose to drink gin, but don’t go around smashing up the gin distilleries because you might find out the only thing that will make the mugger release your daughter is the flask of Bombay Sapphire that I happen to have concealed in the folds of my toga.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Do the Flaws in the Perseus Word Study Tool Matter?
The Classics students amongst you will be well versed in the ways of Perseus, a website that has often proved invaluable for translation and linguistic information. But the night before a seminar when you have 200 lines of Ovid to prepare, how closely do you look at what Perseus is telling you?
Below is the link to a blog post exploring the accuracy of Perseus sources - but also the wider ramfications of the problems presented.
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2012/07/10/more-on-the-perseus-word-study-tool/
Below is the link to a blog post exploring the accuracy of Perseus sources - but also the wider ramfications of the problems presented.
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2012/07/10/more-on-the-perseus-word-study-tool/
Friday, 5 October 2012
CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM: A MISCELLANY OF CURIOUS FACTS, BIZZARE BELIEFS & SCANDALOUS GOSSIP FROM ANICENT GREECE AND ROME
Reviewed by Michael Brandon
We all have those kinds
of books. You know, those books. The easy-reference books that
you quote out of at a party or meeting, which you hope will come
across as interesting or humorous (and usually does). They are easy
to read, easy to enjoy and easy to remember. From books filled with
gut-busting funny jokes to fascinating facts about the world around
us, there is a reference book for probably everybody out there. For
the dedicated Classicist, Classical Compendium is a strong
choice for such a read.
Classical Compendium is
a miscellany on various facts and stories originating from ancient
Greece and ancient Rome, arguably the two most important Classical
civilizations. The book is near 200 pages long and is filled with
quotes, stories and facts, ranging from believable to wacky, within
multiple sections such as “Odd Jobs”, “Bizarre Beliefs” and
“The Gossip Column”.
Written by Philip
Matyszak, the author of titles such as Chronicles Of the Roman
Republic (2003), a doctorate in Roman history from Oxford book
gives confidence that many of these facts present in the book are
well-researched and believable. This especially comes across in the
writing and presentation of the book, which is well-ordered and
includes a section on acknowledgements (which credits Frontinus and
the younger Pliny for much of the gossip). The subtitles and bullet
points help divide the information into bite-sized chunks that is
easy to understand and absorb, making it particularly easy to
remember and therefore quote at your next Classics society meeting.
Humour is the main
trump card of Compendium, showing that Matyszak has an eye for
picking out the parts of history that seem most bizarre and
preposterous to a modern world. Just looking at the blurb gives you a
good impression of this. “A Roman suffering illness could be cured
by being rubbed with puppies”. “Julius Caesar’s horse had toes
instead of hooves”. “Hannibal won a naval battle using exploding
clay pots filled with poisonous snakes”. If you didn’t at least
raise an eyebrow at those examples, then this book is still worth a
gander, for there are many more stories and anecdotes that may make
you smile.
While
humour is certainly present in Compendium, it is by no means
the only value the book has; it is pretty educational too, as you’d
expect. From basic Classical facts such as the different types of
Roman Gladiators (from the Secutores to the Laquerii) to the names of
different second-hand Roman vehicles (from the Arcera to the
Postellum) to the detailed list of Roman Emperors, dated and all, you
can pick up a lot about Rome…and Greece too! We also have profiles
for many famous classical individuals such as Socrates and Sappho,
which is particularly useful to those that are only just starting out
with Classical knowledge and want to get onto an even keel with
classics-loving pals. And of course, there are all the quotes too.
Great to read and great
to quote too, Classical Compendium is not a bad purchase for
the aspiring Classicist at all. For those already greatly familiar
with Classics, this is still a good pickup. But the greatest
beneficiary of this book would be anyone who has a rough, basic
knowledge of Classics who wish to further their knowledge by filling
in missing holes, all the while enjoying themselves along the way.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
September Edition
Nonsequitur has been distributed this evening - I hope you all enjoy reading it.
As always, I'm here for any questions or submissions.
The unabridged versions of articles that were edited will be going up on here over the next few days, so keep visiting!
As always, I'm here for any questions or submissions.
The unabridged versions of articles that were edited will be going up on here over the next few days, so keep visiting!
Pula, Croatia
Another follow-up on last night's forum: here are some pictures of our choice of destination for the summer trip to get you all excited :D
RAG Week Plans
As some of you may have heard at the forum, we're planning on holding some charity events this year. Follow the link below to learn more about the Iris Project and what they do:
http://irisproject.org.uk/
As always, we're open to suggestions for events and fundraisers so please get in touch. Post on our Facebook wall or email me at Eleanor.Halstead.2010@live.rhul.ac.uk
http://irisproject.org.uk/
As always, we're open to suggestions for events and fundraisers so please get in touch. Post on our Facebook wall or email me at Eleanor.Halstead.2010@live.rhul.ac.uk
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Committee Meeting currently in process...
Hope you've all renewed/signed up for membership in time for the Forum tonight!
For anyone still unaware, we're holding a forum tonight at 6.30pm in ALT2. Come to vote on play and trip bids - this will affect a lot of your social calendar this year, so make sure you have your say!
For anyone still unaware, we're holding a forum tonight at 6.30pm in ALT2. Come to vote on play and trip bids - this will affect a lot of your social calendar this year, so make sure you have your say!