In 41/40 BC, the Romans were at war – with one another. At the town of Perusia, forces loyal to Mark Antony found themselves besieged by the troops of Octavian, the young man who went on to become the Emperor…
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The Roman Intelligence Officer who was stationed in Britain – Podcast 3
The Roman Army wasn’t just legionaries and building roads… In our third podcast, we look at an unusual funerary inscription on display in the Ashmolean’s Randolph Gallery. It was set up for a speculator, an intelligence officer who was stationed…
(Re)visiting an old friend from Hadrian’s Wall – Podcast 2
Back in early September, AshLI challenged Twitter followers of @AshmoleanLatin to read a tiny bronze plaque in the Ashmolean Collection. By the end of the day, we were really getting somewhere: After some clever sleuthing from classics-lovers and amateur epigraphers,…
The Roman teenager who was his mum’s little superhero – Podcast 1
This month’s Latin inscriptions blog comes to you as a short podcast, recorded in the Ashmolean Museum’s beautiful Randolph Gallery. Hear AshLI’s Professor Alison Cooley and Dr Jane Masséglia talking about one of the team’s favourite objects. Listen to the…
Love Letters – How did the Romans write about the people they loved?
As the feast of Saint Valentinus (a Roman, no less) is upon us, we’ve been thinking about love letters, or rather the different kinds of texts written by Romans about the people they loved. We know about the fiery passions…
What year are we in? How did the Romans talk about years before BC/AD was invented?
It’s the year AD 2015. Happy New Year everyone! For those of us who’ve grown up describing years as BC and AD, it can be hard to imagine doing it any other way. But describing a date as Before Christ…
On the Feast of Saturnalia, my master gave to me…
A Roman Slave’s Carol As the shortest day of the year drew near, the Romans crossed their fingers for a kind winter and people from all walks of life made a break in their usual routine to honour the harvest…
Classics Teachers get special access to Ashmolean on “Teaching with Ancient Artefacts” Day
On 22nd November 2014, 38 teachers from around the UK came to Oxford for a one-day course on how to use ancient artefacts in their teaching. The day was organised by the Ashmolean Latin Inscription Project (AshLI), and delivered by…
The Roman soldier who went to Newcastle and punched Hercules
Test your decipherment skills on a bronze plaque from Roman Britain On a shelf in the Ashmolean’s Rome Gallery, eagle-eyed visitors might spot a tiny bronze plaque, with a rectangular body and triangular handles (a shape called a tabula ansata).…
Teaching with Ancient Artefacts: Classics Teachers’ INSET day at the Ashmolean Museum, 22nd November 2014
Secondary teachers of Classical subjects (Classical Civilization, Ancient History, Latin and Ancient Greek) who would like to use more ancient artefacts in their teaching, are warmly invited to a training day at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on 22nd…