David Roberts

Ffs BBC. Didn't read the headline on this one. Saw the guardian had changed theirs.. for goodness sake we should be past this language.

Open access and hot off the presses for anyone interested in the end of Roman Britain.

Human values By Hetan Shah 7th December 2025 * SUNDAY READING Hetan Shah suggests solutions to counter the current pressures on arts and humanities Pressures on UK higher education finances are affecting all disciplines, but cutbacks are particularly pronounced in the arts, humanities and some parts of the social sciences.

I’ve written the @resprofnews.bsky.social Sunday Read this week. I’ve looked at the value and importance of the arts, humanities and social sciences and what policymakers might do to support them at a time we are seeing major cutbacks in universities www.researchprofessional.com/news-article...

It is important, too, that the call for specialisation in the white paper does not take a one-size-fits-all approach across disciplines. Humanities and social sciences tend to have few capital costs, and it is possible to maintain strong research departments across many institutions in a way that may be trickier for some stem subjects.

The recent White Paper called for more specialisation in HEIs. But let’s avoid a one size fits all mindset here for research - social science, humanities & arts (SHAPE) don’t tend to have the high capital costs of some STEM disciplines & so you can have excellent departments in many institutions

We are seeing cuts to provision, with individual vice-chancellors making difficult decisions in their institutional context. At scale, and cumulatively, that could have major regional or national implications. For example, whose job is it to stop a 'cold spot' developing for students wishing to study modern languages in the East Midlands? The Office for Students should therefore pick up the role once played by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in relation to monitoring the health of disciplines so that we do not accidentally close all our departments in areas of vital strategic interest, such as Russian or Chinese language training. We are already seeing departments closing in rural and coastal areas, where students are least likely to be able to travel far to study in another part of the country.

In the meantime, we are seeing big changes in universities. I suggest that in England the Office for Students should take on the mantle that HEFCE used to have to monitor the health of disciplines and to watch for ‘cold spots’ of provision

Phwoar. What a job..

Terrific find
"It was initially believed the mosaic depicted a scene from Homer's Iliad. But new research has determined the piece presented an alternative version of the Trojan War story, first popularised by the Greek playwright Aeschylus"
As you might have read in British Archaeology in Dec 2021

thetimes.com 三 THEy TIMES Log in Subscribe Home UK World Comment Money Life & Style Roman slaves were better fed than many citizens, Pompeii reveals

A new report on dietary findings in a select area of Pompeii likely inhabited by enslaved people came out in Scavi di Pompei. Many newspapers are now running w/a headline about Roman slaves “eating better” than free Romans. pompeiisites.org/e-journal-de... Let’s discuss why this is problematic

This article suggests the possibility of training AI on pre-existing proposals and their review reports, scores and related decisions. I.e. training them on a system which is known to preferentially award larger amounts of money to white men. What could possibly go wrong?

Very much looking forward to next week’s @royalarchinst.bsky.social lecture @antiquaries.bsky.social by Dr Al Oswald - ALL WELCOME!

#Neolithic

Lots of good stuff in this new Wessex Arch book, including (briefly) a nice little Roman building.. but I'm mainly there for a nostalgic return to / interesting new evidence in the landscape of, my earlier work on Neolithic pits with the excellent AVT, Pete M, Ruth P, et al!

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Study of Religion (289814) | University of Bergen Job title: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Study of Religion (289814), Employer: University of Bergen, Deadline: Friday, March 6, 2026

Please share!
Two new postdoc positions have opened in the RADHEART project at the University of Bergen.
The first is on ancient Rabbinic literature from the 2nd – 7th century CE.

#AcRel #sblaar #AncientBlueSky

www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

What a wonderful story - and a beautiful illustration of the power of the arts.

Great writing expands our imagination. It helps us to see the world in new ways.

And that has consequences that can never be measured by "average starting salaries" or "contribution to GDP".

Labour lied to voters when they said they would protect peatland in their manifesto. For over a year Labour has actively harmed peatland by delaying the ban on peat compost, which was good to go.

Three archaeologists in hard hats smile at the camera, their faces are framed by the kiln walls

A gloved hand holds a small fragment of pottery which has been decorated with a crimped design

Three archaeologists on site excavating the preserved remains of a kiln structure

This Roman kiln is one of many incredible finds the #OCAArchTeam are discovering on site @sizewellc.bsky.social that build up the story of Suffolk's past - want to learn more? Dig in here: oxfordcotswoldarchaeology.org.uk/project/sizewell/

@cotswoldarch.bsky.social #suffolk #heritage #archaeology

Bridging the Species Divide: Animal minds and the human-animal relationship (Ref: RDF26/HW/PSY/RENNER) at Northumbria University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Bridging the Species Divide: Animal minds and the human-animal relationship (Ref: RDF26/HW/PSY/RENNER) at Northumbria University, listed on FindAPhD.com

Are you interested in doing a PhD about what humans infer about animal minds?

Check out this opportunity @northumbriapsy.bsky.social with me, @mdconstable.bsky.social and Lee Shepherd!

Deadline 23 Jan 2026

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Just reposting this, as I've got the CIfA bulletin and seen a Community Collections officer at £24462, and an EH assistant interpretation curator at £25906. Both fractionally fewer hours than the 40 used to calculate MW rate below, but still. Dire pay for roles requiring complex specialist work.

'In a survey of almost 400 academics and professional services staff conducted as part of the study, the majority of respondents strongly disagreed with all aspects of using AI in the REF.'

Access report here, 2/3

Greek and Roman Studies | Faculty of Arts Discover all the good reasons to choose uOttawa. From programs made for you, co-op opportunities and more.

🎉 EXCELLENT NEWS!

The University of Ottawa has lifted the suspension of admissions to Greek & Roman Studies.
Thank you to everyone who signed, shared, wrote letters, and raised their voice. Apply now for next year's cohort: buff.ly/1i2Iw0B #SaveTheHumanities #SOSClassicsUO #AncientHistory

If you have the means I highly recommend the cause of supporting a fellow scholar

Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck. How on earth did that AI slob actually got published by @nature.com?

Please have a look, @retractionwatch.com @elisabethbik.bsky.social

"A system built on specialisation, efficiency", that right there is the death knell for the current university system in the UK, if (big if) government pushes it through. They actively don't want HE to grow, they will intervene, apparently, to help it shrink.

per this morning's education committee.

This is what happens when the Centre Left follow far right policies on immigration. Is Labour watching? Those Danish immigration policies still looking attractive?

Photo of Professor David Olusoga OBE

Photo of Dr Ross Austin Burns

We’re delighted to announce that our Honorary Fellows elected by the Fellowship for 2025 are Dr Ross Austin Burns and Professor David Olusoga OBE!

www.sal.org.uk/2025/11/hon-...

Why Ashes series are every bit as epic as The Odyssey and The Iliad Why wait for Christopher Nolan’s film of The Odyssey? England and Australia are about to create their own version

Why Ashes series are every bit as epic as The Odyssey and The Iliad www.theguardian.com/sport/the-ni...

The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care? The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...

AI Is Hollowing Out Higher Education Olivia Guest & Iris van Rooij urge teachers and scholars to reject tools that commodify learning, deskill students, and promote illiteracy.

“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”

Does Britain value culture any more? Ask the striking workers at the British Library | Zadie Smith The dispute over pay at this great national institution gets to the heart of our misplaced priorities, says novelist Zadie Smith

Does Britain value culture any more? Ask the striking workers at the British Library | Zadie Smith www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

What’s the difference between the period before Alexander the Great died and the period after he died?
One is kinda nistic, the other is hella nistic

A view from Norwich Castle of the wonderful Church of St. Peter Mancroft. The Church was built in one phase between 1430 and 1455. 📸 My own. #SteepleSaturday #StPeterMancroft #Norwich