The use of fasces by alt-right groups is another attempt to commandeer the insignia of ancient Rome to connect their movements to the bygone power and legitimacy of the Roman empire.
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 Misuse of an Ancient Roman Acronym by White Nationalist Groups
SPQR initially stood for Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and Roman people), but a growing number of white supremacists have adopted the acronym to symbolize their movement.
Posted inArt
Archaeologists May Have Discovered a Church Built on the Site of Constantine the Great’s Conversion to Christianity
During work along the right bank of the Tiber this summer, the archaeological group Cooperativa Archeologia uncovered what was first thought to be a villa, but later considered to be a church.
Posted inArt
Discovery of Jewish Mosaics in Israel Bring Color to Biblical Accounts
A site in Israel continues to turn up stunning polychromatic mosaics from the late Roman empire that challenge current notions of ancient Jewish aesthetics and the art of depicting scripture.
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AP World History Makes a Turn Toward Eurocentrism
The College Board’s recent decision to begin their curriculum for Advanced Placement (AP) World History at the year 1450 CE will omit millennia of global human history and may further support a Eurocentric view of the world within US high schools.
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Should the Getty Return Its Famed “Victorious Youth” Statue?
In the Italian city of Pesaro last month, a court ruled that the Getty Museum’s prized “Victorious Youth” statue should be returned to Italy, and in response, the J. Paul Getty Trust issued a public reply, noting that Italy has no cultural claim on the statue.
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The Political Uses of a Figure of Male Beauty from Antiquity
One of the most celebrated statues from antiquity, the “Discobolus” remains a cautionary tale about the ways in which we speak about ideal bodies through the art we curate and display.
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British Exhibitions of Ethiopian Manuscripts Prompt Questions About Repatriation
Exhibitions at British cultural institutions have lately underscored the artistic output of Ethiopian scribes, and in the process, have also renewed questions around whether museums that have benefitted from acts of imperialism and colonialism should now return looted objects.
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Barbarians and Sculpture’s Color Barrier in Ancient Rome
Examining the clothing and also the color that Romans used to visualize those they defined as “barbarians” gives us a clue as to how Romans differentiated themselves from their foes
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Soon You May Be Able to Text with 2,000 Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Collaborations among Egyptologists and digital linguistics promise global visualizations of what was written on inscriptions, papyri, wall paintings, and other sources of Hieroglyphs. It may also allow for more popular knowledge of Egyptian Hieroglyphs and encourage its assimilation into popular language-learning apps like Duolingo.
Posted inArt
Can Art Museums Help Illuminate Early American Connections To Slavery?
Would you think differently about a work of art if you knew it depicted a slave owner? New labels installed at the Worcester Art Museum are drawing attention to the connections between art, slavery, and wealth in early America.
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After Uproar, University of Texas Decides Not to Relocate Its Fine Arts Library
Last year, it appeared as though the bulk of the holdings of the UT-Austin Fine Arts Library would be moved but, after a concerted campaign, a plan to keep them on campus was adopted.