Classics, Ancient History, Linguistics, Academia and more
I've just finished reading James Clackson's new book Language and Society in the Greek and Roman Worlds - a book I will undoubtedly be adding to all my undergraduate reading lists before next term starts. The book offers an accessible but thorough introduction to the languages of the ancient world and how they were used across time and space -... Continue Reading →
Like many academics, I have a thing for stationery. When you spend so much of your life reading and writing, getting the tools of your craft right become really important. For me, it comes down to a few basic requirements: I don't want my stationery to be inconvenient or distracting to use, I want to... Continue Reading →
If you live in Cambridge, you might have been aware of a petition to stop the privatisation of the top floor of the Central Library. This would involve turning part of the library that is currently free to all into a paid-for space. To quote from the petition: Cambridge Central Library is one of the... Continue Reading →
This recent piece by the influential gender linguist Deborah Cameron really unpacks the difficulties of creating gender equality in all kinds of public discourse. People have given many relatively simple explanations for why women appear less frequently than men in public life, and why they say less when they do appear, but Cameron shows just how complicated... Continue Reading →
From January to March 2015, I held a Rome Award at the British School at Rome. This was a fantastic opportunity, and I can't recommend it enough, especially to PhD students and Early Career Researchers. The BSR provides a perfect research environment for anyone interested in any period of Italy history, and all the sights (and... Continue Reading →
There are two words for “elephant” in Latin, and both have to do with Greeks in Italy. The first one, elephantus (or sometimes elephas or elephans), is fairly straightforward. It’s used in Latin from about the second century BC, and it’s a borrowing of the Greek word ὁ ἐλέφας, –αντος. That’s the normal Greek word for both African and Indian elephants, and is... Continue Reading →
Welcome to my blog! I've enjoyed blogging as part of the Greek in Italy project for the past year or so, and so I've decided to start this blog of my own as well. In general, I'm hoping this will become a place for me to write about on my research in progress, to discuss topics that might never... Continue Reading →
Katherine McDonald 