Category Archives: Current events

Remembering Thermopylae – ARGHHHH

Posted on 06/02/2020 by Maria Pretzler

  Right. Long time, no blog. But this one is going to be a heartfelt post that may well put some noses out of joint. But it needs saying. The Greek government is issuing memorial coins for the battle of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, Current events, Europe, Greece, Inventing the Past, Peloponnese, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Sing me, Lord Chilcot, of the wrath…

Posted on 23/08/2016 by Maria Pretzler

During this Edinburgh Festival, non-stop from 8th to 20th August, hundreds of volunteers read the whole Chilcot Report on the decision to go to war in Iraq. The event’s producer said: “[The report] wasn’t expected to be read. The establishment … Continue reading →

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Caster Semenya and women at the Olympics

Posted on 21/08/2016 by Maria Pretzler

I just came across this excellent article about gender and Olympic disciplines or competitive sport more generally, starting with the case of gold-medal winning runner Caster Semenya who has faced so much controversy over whether she should be allowed to … Continue reading →

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Olympic Superstars – ancient and modern

Posted on 13/08/2016 by Maria Pretzler

Some of yesterday’s papers (for example the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph) have a report that Michael Phelps has just beaten a 2167* year-old record which had been held, for all that time, by Leonidas of Rhodes, who … Continue reading →

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On the Freedom to Travel and Unified Continents

Posted on 10/07/2016 by Maria Pretzler

I admit it. When it comes to politics I will always remain a dreamer. I put it down to the fact that I grew up so close to the Iron Curtain, and that 1989 was the most formative year of … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Europe, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s a person’s REAL name?

Posted on 02/07/2016 by Maria Pretzler

As Iceland is playing another game in the European championship we shall yet again see the international media struggle with Icelandic names. The typical newspaper article talks of say, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (Sigþórsson) or Aron Gunnarsson, and then just call them Sigthorsson and … Continue reading →

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Why Boris should have remembered the Ostracism of Hyperbolus

Posted on 30/06/2016 by Maria Pretzler

UK Politics is just too distracting these days. Today we arrived at a point where both main parties are in the middle of differently shambolic leadership contests. These last few crazy days have brought to mind quite a few ancient parallels … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Greece, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to make history historical…

Posted on 16/06/2016 by Maria Pretzler

Yesterday, an entirely farcical event took place on the Thames in London, as a stunt by the Brexit campaign, designed to highlight the concerns of fishermen, turned into a scuffle carried out with water hoses, sound systems and rude gestures. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, History, Inventing the Past | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On Pledges Carved in Stone

Posted on 05/05/2015 by Maria Pretzler

Yesterday, just four days before the election, the Leader of the UK Labour Party, Ed Miliband, unveiled an eight-foot limestone slab, carved with his six main election promises.  Reviews were mixed, but it was a delight to all  who regularly get … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Current events, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Call the Royal Baby Mohammed – here is why:

Posted on 23/07/2013 by Maria Pretzler

As everybody is still speculating about the names for the royal baby, there are two distinct approaches: one is to find the name that would seem silliest with the royal number I behind it, and the other is to speculate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Inventing the Past, Life in the UK | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments