I shall sit in my library in my night-cap and powdering gown...

[pemberlybudgie]

1) first of all, clearly the most relevant thing about the last month of my life is that I am currently wearing a striped nightcap that is edged with fur and has bells at the end. This is because one of my housemates, Rachael, is awesome and made me one over break!
2) classes start on Wednesday: I'm taking intermediate German (GESUNDHEIT!), Artes

Comments

[russell_crowe]

Oh man, Mary Beard. Mary Beard. I love "The Roman Triumph." And her work on everything concerning Roman religion ever. "Religions of Rome" was the backbone of my thesis.

I also hear she is a funny bird and wears tights without anything over them. Needless to say, she is my hero.

[pemberlybudgie]

I was pleased by how pretty much the whole book was..."well, the triumph was VERY IMPORTANT IN ROMAN CULTURE and also we have NO IDEA what it meant or what it looked like or...really anything. LET ME EXPLAIN." :D

[russell_crowe]

I had a whole section on Caesar's triumphs in my thesis and yeah, it was a little rough. But it did provide a good paper title! The triumphator painted his face blood red while he was triumphing, so I called it "Painted Red: On Caesar, Religion, and Deification." Because, see, Caesar painted himself red in a religious context and then was stabbed for such things? Yeaaah.

As for books I've read recently! I loved Emily Vermeule's "Aspects of Death in Early Greek Art and Poetry." Which is the most boring name for the most beautifully written and incredibly fascinating book on Hellenic death culture that I have ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough. It has pictures of Mycenaean horse burials. And so many creepy and wonderful quotes about the κῆρες, which are something of a pet interest for me.

[russell_crowe]

Also,

2000 years of sophisication later and we have returned to Lucretius, and terror is in his eyes.

Good god, I've missed you.