A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A look at history and popular culture
Note from the Editor: This week, Michael Taylor joins us to present A Defense of Classics. The last decade or so has seen Classics (the study of Mediterranean antiquity or more narrowly the study of Greece and Rome) in a hard sort of quandary. On the one hand, the field faces pressure from the outside … Continue reading Meet a Historian: Michael Taylor on Why We Need Classics
Fireside this week! A little break after wrapping up our look at Europa Universalis IV. The next things coming up on the blog are going to be a look at who the Romans were and who they thought they were and an extension of our examination of EU4 into one of Paradox's other titles, Victoria … Continue reading Fireside Friday: June 4, 2021
It's the first week of classes, so fireside this week. Next week, we'll dive into a short series looking at the question of the 'universal warrior,' the idea - too often repeated - that there is either a single consistent experience or personality true to all combatants to the present day. Also, for those who … Continue reading Fireside Friday, January 22, 2021
This week I want to explain how the academic side of history (the part that happens in research universities, a term I will define in a moment) leads to the history content that the public at large consumes.
Welcome! Fireside again this week (but Collections next week!). Pull up a chair. The Classicist in his natural environment: hiding behind a small mountain of Loebs, OCTs, Teubners and Cambridge Green-and-Yellows. I actually don't own any Budés, which are much like the Loebs, but in French (published by Les Belles Lettres), but they're also very … Continue reading Fireside Friday: March 13, 2020