Classics at the CUNY Graduate Center

"Although ice core records show that Arctic lead pollution was up to 40-fold higher during the highest historical peak in the early 1970s, the insight gained from this study demonstrates how "humans have been impacting their health for thousands of years through industrial activity..."

"The study found that atmospheric lead pollution began during the Iron Age and reached a peak during the late 2nd century BCE at the height of the Roman Republic. It then declined sharply during the 1st century BCE... before increasing around 15 BCE..."

"In adults, high levels of lead exposure are linked to infertility, anemia, memory loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and reduced immune response... In children, even low levels of exposure have been connected to reduced IQ, concentration challenges, and reduced academic success."

Lead pollution likely caused widespread IQ declines in ancient Rome Lead exposure is responsible for a range of human health impacts, with even relatively low levels impacting the cognitive development of children. DRI scientists have previously used atmospheric pollution ...

"Ancient lead pollution stemmed largely from silver mining, whereby the lead-rich mineral galena was melted down to extract silver."


phys.org/news/2025-0...

www.msn.com/en-us/ne...

How I uncovered a potential ancient Rome wine scam Cretian raisin wine was incredibly popular with Romans but the real deal takes a long time to make.

NOT THE CRETANS!!

"What my archaeological investigations of a wine production site... [have found] is that Cretan wine-producers may have been deceiving their Roman-era customers with a knock-off version of passum."

theconversation.com/...

A New Portland Pop-Up Is Recreating Food From Ancient Rome “There’s no tomatoes, there’s no eggplants, there’s no coffee, there’s no chocolate, there’s no peppers, there’s no pasta”

"After months of experimenting with Roman food, Caraway has launched a new project called Salona that is surely the only ancient Roman food pop-up in the Portland area...

Caraway is planning more pop-ups in the future. Follow Salona on Instagram for updates."

pdx.eater.com/2025/5...

A hidden Roman villa? A pair of "remarkable" swords might have just unlocked its ancient secrets Two rare Roman cavalry swords discovered in a Gloucestershire field have sparked the excavation of a previously unknown Iron Age settlement, and possible Roman villa

"...archaeologists from Historic England and Cotswold Archaeology confirmed the existence of the Iron Age site, along with evidence of a possible Roman villa contemporary with the swords. The settlements, located near the village of Willersey, were previously unknown."

www.historyextra.com...

Four Bewildering Bronze Lions' Heads With Slightly Different Facial Expressions Found in Ancient Roman Grave in Israel Similar examples of ancient lion artifacts appear to have been used as door knockers. But the newly discovered discs may have served a different purpose

“Surveying our storage units, we found about 40 samples of such lions,” many of them holding rings in their mouths, Haddad says to Haaretz. “When the ring was in the mouth, it was a door knocker.”

www.smithsonianmag.c...

Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection | The Art Institute of Chicago This exhibition brings to North America, for the first time, a selection of 58 rarely seen ancient Roman sculptures from Italy’s storied Torlonia Collection.

"From large-scale figures of gods and goddesses to portraits of emperors and magnificent funerary monuments, this exhibition brings to North America, for the first time, a selection of 58 rarely seen ancient Roman sculptures from Italy’s storied Torlonia Collection."

www.artic.edu/exhibi...

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall Archaeologists uncover unusually large Roman shoes at Magna fort, revealing insights into ancient military life near Hadrian’s Wall.

archaeologymag.com/2...

A job advertisement for a 'Lecturer in Digital Classics.' The role is a two-year fixed term, 0.7 FTE Lecturer B (pathway 1) position in the Department of Classics and Ancient History, covering for Prof. Genevieve Liveley, funded until 30/09/2027. Responsibilities include teaching 2–3 undergraduate units in Greek and Roman History and Culture, supervising dissertations, administrative tasks, personal tutoring, conducting research, and collaborating with the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security. Applicants should have (or be near completion of) a PhD in a related field, plans for research publication, and teaching experience at undergraduate or postgraduate levels.

University of Bristol
Lecturer in Digital Classics

LINK TO INFO:
www.bristol.ac.uk/jo...

#ClassicsGC #HumanitiesGC #AncientBluesky #ClassicsBluesky #BlueskyClassics

‘The Odyssey’ Uses American Accents in Ancient Greece, Stirring Debate — World of Reel Jon Bernthal is in full gravel-throated American mode, like he’s prepping for a a bar fight. Then there’s Tom Holland, fully submerged in an American accent. John Leguizamo too.

Thoughts?

www.worldofreel.com/...

Job Vacancy at the University of Nottingham: Assistant Professor in Roman History The Department of Classics and Archaeology seeks to appoint an Assistant Professor in Roman History from 1 September 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter).We are delighted to offer this exciting opportunity to join our thriving Classics and...

The Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Nottingham is hiring an Assistant Professor of Roman History. This is a full-time research & teaching post with no fixed term. Full details thru link.

jobs.nottingham.ac.u...

#AncientBluesky #ClassicsBluesky #BlueskyClassics

ICYMI: Governor Hochul Announces College Financial Aid for More New York Veterans – The City University of New York Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of New York State's Veterans Tuition Awards Program, which will enable more veterans to access critical financial aid for college. Under this historic expansion, all veterans who served at least four years on active-duty now qualify for full-tuition awards.

"Under this historic expansion, all veterans who served at least four years on active-duty now qualify for full-tuition awards."

www.cuny.edu/news/ic...

#ClassicsGC #HumanitiesGC #4thofJuly #Veterans

Visit Vilnius | Unexpectedly Amazing Boring isn’t an option in Vilnius! It’s a city packed with action, art, inspiration, history and more than a few unexpected adventures along the way.

Who knew Vilnius was so cool?

www.govilnius.lt/vis...

Two women stand in front of a stone wall at a scenic overlook, with a panoramic view of Vilnius, Lithuania in the background. The cityscape features red-tiled roofs, church towers, and clusters of trees under a cloudy sky. The woman on the left wears a blue jacket, and the woman on the right wears a white jacket over a teal shirt.

Front view of a grand Baroque-style church with peach and white tones, ornate columns, and sculpted details. The building features twin towers with domes and a central pediment above the main entrance. A person stands at the open door at the top of a staircase, while another sits nearby on the right. The sky above is cloudy and dramatic.

Gothic-style church built from red brick, featuring tall, narrow spires with crosses and intricate detailing. The facade includes pointed arches and vertical ornamentation. Behind it stands a larger red-and-white church with a stepped gable and arched windows. Several people walk on the street and sidewalk in front, with trees framing the scene and a clear blue sky above.

Do you ever wonder what our GC Classics Professors do with their summer? Here is Professor Jennifer Roberts (GC/CCNY) in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania!

#ClassicsGC #HumanitiesGC #IheartVilnius #baroque

@thegraduatecenter.bsky.social

This year, thousands turned to our events, in person and online, for inspiration — engaging with leading writers, artists, and thinkers on the most pressing issues of our time.

www.gc.cuny.edu/publ...

A promotional collage thanking attendees for an inspiring season in 2024–2025, featuring six speakers in a 2x3 grid. Top row, left to right: a woman with long red hair in a light-colored blouse speaking into a microphone; a man in a blue blazer gesturing while speaking at a podium; an older woman with white curly hair and glasses smiling. Bottom row, left to right: an older woman with short hair and glasses in a blue blazer speaking into a microphone; a man wearing a hat and glasses holding a microphone with a serious expression; an older man with gray hair and a beard, wearing glasses and a suit, speaking into a microphone.

The CUNY Graduate Center's public programs have a reputation for offering insight into diverse topics, space for thoughtful dialogue, meaningful ideas, and informed perspectives.

www.gc.cuny.edu/publ...

—no luxury item, it appears, was off-limits to importation from India, which rapidly became Rome’s greatest trading partner."

A Deeply Globalized Ancient World: On William Dalrymple’s The Golden Road It was my first visit to Tokyo. Thanks to a lost-in-translation miscommunication with my scientific colleagues, I found myself with an unexpectedly open daytime schedule. This is how I ended up alo…

"For those who think about the Roman Empire once a day, Dalrymple has an astonishing array of new evidence to consider. From pepper and spices to ivory to emeralds to “Indian eunuchs” to the wild animals fighting in the Colosseum...

lithub.com/a-deeply-...

The Simple, Ingenious Design of the Ancient Roman Javelin: How the Romans Engineered a Remarkably Effective Weapon Back in the time of the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire, all of Rome's enemies must have had a plan until pila punched through their shields. A kind of javelin with a wooden shaft and a sharp iron shank, the pilum came in both long and short lengths.

"Back in the time of the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire, all of Rome’s enemies must have had a plan until pila punched through their shields."

www.openculture.com/...

Roman gladiators really fought big cats, ancient bite marks suggest  This is the first skeletal evidence of an ancient Roman gladiator show — or execution — involving an exotic animal.

"The pattern and depth of marks on the man’s pelvis most closely matched a lion’s bite."

www.snexplores.org/a...

One of the cool things you can do in NYC is take advantage of the Secret Science Club! Although they do have events online too-- how very modern of them.

secretscienceclub.bl...

#SecretScienceClub

The 'Lost' Sanctuary Of Apollo Has Been Rediscovered In Cyprus — Along With New Artifacts The Sanctuary of Apollo was first excavated in 1885 but was then refilled and lost.

"During the most recent excavations, archaeologists uncovered the walls of the sanctuary courtyard, as well as over 100 statue bases... Researchers also found statue fragments which, for whatever reason, had not been documented back in the 19th century."

allthatsinteresting....

Ancient Mesopotamians felt love in their liver and anger in their feet, Akkadian texts reveal A recent study analyzing Akkadian cuneiform texts from 934–612 BCE reveals how emotions were understood in ancient Mesopotamia.

"Both modern and ancient individuals associate love with the heart, but Mesopotamians also connected it to the liver and knees. This association may reflect the emotional intensity symbolized by bending or bringing someone to their knees."

archaeologymag.com/2...

Screenshot of a news headline from Artnet News. The headline reads, "Greek Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Marble Workshop Filled With Unfinished Statues." Below the headline, a short description says, "The latest ancient Greek archaeological find to cause a stir is a Hellenistic marble workshop, discovered during a dig on Paros,...". On the right side is a small image of a broken, reddish marble fragment with partial carvings visible.

Images of Aphrodite and other female figures have been uncovered on the island of Paros.

news.artnet.com/art-...

How Ancient Rome Inspired Bulgari’s New Collection ‘Polychroma’ unites elements of the past and present, both of the heritage jewelry house and the eternal city in which it was founded.

"“As Mr. Bulgari taught me, ‘One eye on the past but one on the future. Never copy yourself,’ ” she says."

www.townandcountryma...

Teacher's collection of over 130 ancient Roman coins auctions for over $1 million The collection of over 130 Roman coins was collected by a Latin teacher from Connecticut.

What a fabulous collection!

www.cbsnews.com/news...

"...Nevertheless, this debt cancellation must not be presented as if it were a form of social emancipation. It was merely a way of restoring the pre-existing social order, which was rife with forms of oppression."