A few readers have asked me where I find the news for our Newsreel posts, which to me is an opportunity to write a post about it. i follow a lot of news sites and blogs, which I link to with every article, but I also follow a lot of classicists and medievalists on Twitter, which you can see just to the left. As it turns out, not all faculties and scholars live in the 12th century, and a large number of them like to share current events in the field on Twitter (as well as pictures of their lunch). I thought I’d share some of the more awesome classics resources that I’ve found on social media.
There are a lot of scholars, faculties, societies, and conferences who have Twitter, as well as news sites and blogs that offer a more personal perspective, or focus on some of the more minute elements of the field. At Labyrinth, we follow a lot of them in an effort to bring you the best information we can. Here’s a few great sources on ancient history.
History of the Ancient World
Run by Peter and Sandra of Medievalists.net, History of the Ancient World compiles news about archaeological finds and recent publications on Roman and Greek history, as well as travel advice, podcasts, and reviews of ancient-themed films, books, and games. Theri twitter feed is full of new articles every day, and they’re incredibly active in the online classics community.
Roman Archaeology
This blog hosts articles strictly about finds and events in, you guessed it, Roman archaeology. From debunking the Jesus’ wife myth to criminal activities on dig sites, the site features a number of updates every day, as more of the past comes to light and makes headlines. Also, while not entirely bilingual, it hosts a number of french articles as well, making this great source for news an interesting peculiarity in a sea of English blogs.
But history isn’t the only thing you can get on Twitter. There are also pictures of cats. And dead people, for humour. Follow Batman or the Universe, but at Labyrinth, we follow famous historical figures for fun and hilarity.
Julius Caesar
Yes, yes. Ides of March. Beware. Yada yada. Where were all of you people 2,056 years ago? Bet you don’t do this to
@RealLincoln on 13 April.
This leader of Rome tweets from beyond the grave, complaining about Mahatma Ghandi’s conduct in the afterlife and thumping his nose at Brutus. @Julius_Caesar is acerbic, critical, and always up for a laugh at Sulla’s expense.
Geoffrey Chaucer
Ich did come to thys place to compose innovatif verse yn Englysshe and chewe bubblegumme, and eek nowe no bubblegum doth remayne to me.
Even funnier, though not classical in origin, is Geoffrey Chaucer. If you ever wanted to see Rebecca Black’s Friday in Middle English, or his opinions on music, tv, and other modern media, all in the language of the Canterbury Tales, he’s the man for you. Routinely hilarious, I only narrowly resist the urge to rap battle him.
Those are just a few of the great resources and hilarious classical things you can find on Twitter. To learn more about them, follow us at @UWLabyrinth, and suggest more in the comments!
Leave a Reply