Category Archives: History

How to make history historical…

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

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Why we should all get our roofs from Sparta*

Work on my Peloponnesian League book is finally starting to happen, so it’s time to dust off the blog again. I hope odd little things like today’s discovery will go here. At the moment I am working on what might … Continue reading

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Greek Treasures: ancient and modern

I just came across this opinion piece in the LA times of 26th February by James Romm, a scholar I admire greatly. But here he offers an example of  highly emotional rhetoric which is historically unjustified. At the same time, his article … Continue reading

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A Bankers’ Gospel?

This morning at mass I experienced a remarkable example of how a well-known story can change its meaning when its historical context changes. This week’s Gospel was Matthew 25.13-30, the story of the talents. Here it is in full: 13 “Therefore … Continue reading

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Working Memories

One of those magnificent German words which can’t quite be translated into English is Erinnerungsarbeit. It describes the effort that goes into remembering, into giving the past its due and making sure that important lessons are not forgotten. As you might … Continue reading

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