- Media/News Company
- Artist
- Politician
"As ancient historians, we should not be affirming the authority of science and DNA in defining racial identity, but rather speaking for the need for better understanding of the categories and contexts in which such science operates. This means not only working to clarify the meaning of race in antiquity itself, but also speaking against any attempt to impose today’s ideas about race onto ancient bodies, especially in the service of narratives that seek to define where people are 'from' and so inherently 'belong'— propositions that can have devastating consequences at a time when human migration and the very idea of 'home' is so fraught."
Denise McCoskey on the impact of genetics and DNA science on our study of classical antiquity.
This week: bingo cards, better childhoods, "guilty pleasure" books, heist films.
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CALL FOR PITCHES: Eidolon is planning a special issue on parenting and Classics, to be published online early this fall. Do you do Classics while parenting, parent while Classics-ing, or feel like you fail at both in equal measure? We invite pitches that deal with the intersection of modern parenting and ancient studies.
Please send ideas to pitches@eidolon.pub by Friday, June 29. Find our pitching guidelines here: https://eidolon.pub/how-to-pitch-especially-to-eidolon-7d92….
"We may not believe every etymology we hear, but if it confirms our biases, it will be hard to unhear. We know that 'history' is not, at its root, his story, but the etymological wordplay nevertheless bespeaks a truth that its true etymology does not."
Bill Beck writes on sexism in folk etymologies for his new column, Diacritical Remarks.
"And yet I would suggest that there is an ethical dimension to Byzantine Studies, and that Byzantine Studies is, whether we like it or not, both implicitly and explicitly engaged in these same kinds of debates, and we must either resist such movements or become complicit with them."
Adam Goldwyn writes about appropriations of Byzantine Studies, and what we can do to combat them.
This week: bad hair, sex sounds, scammer season, cauliflower.
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We're finishing off our #tattoo special with some ink inspiration from the Eidolon community. Check out some of our favorite Classics tattoos that you shared with us!
“If you work in a digamma into your tattoo, consider competing in the hipster world olympics.”
Luke Madson writes for our #tattoo issue, sharing some important advice for those considering a Classical tattoo.
"The emphasis on the martial aspects of the classical past when it comes to support tattoos is obvious at first glance. These images are the result of very specific cherry-picking, which makes this type of 'consumption' of antiquity all the more one-sided and problematic. There is also the danger that such 'consumers' might become susceptible to political movements that invest in the bonds of violence, mass mobilization and a glorified past — namely, fascism."
Vasileios Varouchakis writes about tattoos as expressions of identity for European football fans in the newest installment of our special #tattoo issue.
This week: mac and cheese, #MeToo jail, glamorous scams, tuna.
"For the LOTR nerd: γνῶθι Σαύρον"
On our editorial blog, idle musings, Managing Editor Sarah Scullin collects some Classics #tattoos that you definitely should not get inked.
"I’d like to return to the question: 'What does it mean to be professional?' I have asked myself this question after many conversations with senior scholars who conceived of their commentary on my self-presentation as acceptable advice for 'professional development.' To those scholars, professionalism consisted of critiquing a young woman’s body and the way she presents that body, without ever reading her writing, hearing her present her research, or watching her teach a class. This notion of professionalism must change."
Kelly McArdle writes about tattooed Classicists and the meaning of professionalism for our #tattoo special.
As part of our special #tattoo issue, Flint Dibble curated a special Twitter thread featuring trippy tats and toxic substances in ancient magic spells. Check it out!
"...And I WILL TATTOO on your head a massive bold rock
The one that hangs, even in Hades, over the head
Of Tantalus, the price of his brainless tongue..."
To kick off our #tattoo issue, Johanna Hanink translates the so-called “Tattoo Elegy” by Hermesianax, in which he threatens to tattoo a mythological scene onto his enemy’s body.
This week in #WeeklyLinks: Meghan Markle's veil, vegan bodybuilders, Philip Roth and Wikipedia, saturation divers.
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"Sarah: Wow, we are on a roll! Next you’ll affirm that 'If you build it, they will come!' is still a good way to teach Future More Vivid clauses
Donna: I know this is from Field of Dreams but cannot support using this reference. Come on.
Tori: Is that from that movie about the guy who franchises McDonald’s?
...Yung In: Is that from the bible?"
In a new piece on our blog, Idle Musings, Managing Editor Sarah Scullin and the rest of the editorial team reveal their ages and pop culture knowledge. How many of these do you know? What pop culture references do you use in the Classics classroom?
"But does Hamilton not help us see that the Iliad, too, tries to have it both ways? Whether consciously or unconsciously, the reticence (some might say, tact) in gesturing toward a homosexual love points toward a fundamental cultural conflict. What these two epics have in common, then, is that their statuses as national epics offer up a compromise on how sexual love between men is depicted."
Mark Buchan on love, The Iliad, and Hamilton: An American Musical.
