A new book by classicist and historian Andrew M. Riggsby investigates the types of information technologies drawn, painted, and inscribed on the surfaces of the ancient Roman world.
Sarah E. Bond
Sarah E. Bond is associate professor of history at the University of Iowa. She blogs on antiquity and digital humanities, and is the author of Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professions in the Roman Mediterranean.
Posted inArt
The Origins of White Supremacists’ Fear of Replacement
This fear of being replaced can be traced to the French far right, but racist fears regarding supposed White genocide, and invasion by varied ethnic groups, go back centuries.
Posted inArt
Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages
Animals were an important part of the everyday lives of ancient and medieval people, whether they were real or imagined, and their literary use in the Middle Ages formed a moral language.
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The False Narratives of the Fall of Rome Mapped Onto America
It is disturbing to see how gravely inaccurate 19th-century depictions of the destruction of Rome are used to illustrate news stories today, particularly those that draw parallels between Rome and the United States.
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Archaeologists May Have Found the Place Where Roman Emperors Were Baptized
Excavations conducted around the largest Christian cathedral built in the ancient Mediterranean have yielded new archaeological discoveries.
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The Sensuality of Ancient Art in the Round
In antiquity and in the Renaissance there was an inherent sensuality to being able to visually consume a sculpture from every angle.
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The Lasting Influence of the Waxen Venus on Studies of Anatomy
Modern constructions of beauty and biological race were heavily influenced by the study, replication, and measurement of classical sculpture in eighteenth century Europe.
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What Can Fingerprints Tell Us About Ancient Artisans?
Thousands of fingerprints and footprints survive from the ancient world, while the modern science of fingerprints to identify criminals has relatively recent and racist origins.
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A Virtual Reality App that Reconstructs Ancient Rome May Have Exploited Its Developers
The virtual reality tour of Rome at the heart of Rome Reborn started as a digital humanities project collaboratively developed by dozens of artists, classicists, archaeologists, and 3D modelers.
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Stories of an Assyrian King and What Became of His Empire
A new exhibition at the British Museum underscores the material remains associated with the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, and their display alludes to Britain’s long and fraught history with Iraq.
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Pseudoarchaeology and the Racism Behind Ancient Aliens
Where, exactly, the idea of ancient aliens building the pyramids began — and why some academics think racism lies at the heart of many extraterrestrial theories.
Posted inArt
You Gotta Fight for Your Rhyta to Party
A newly opened exhibition at the Harvard Art Museums features animal-shaped drinking vessels from across the ancient Mediterranean called Rhyta.
