Caught them having a midnight cuddle session.

Someone was very brave at the vet yesterday after he tore one of his nails during a walk. I know what you’re thinking and no, the Seleukid historian didn’t ask for the elephant-themed bandage.

Our weekend pilgrimage to the university’s Fanta Fountain.

Visiting the numismatic collection in the Spurlock Museum. Also spotted a wild Napoleonic medal commemorating his conquest of Egypt among the rows!

Need a cigarette after the anxiety of that horrible Secret Lair queue experience, but gobbos acquired!

Doesn’t bode well for Netflix’s Aeneid merch either.

One of my AirPods is missing, now searching for the other half and truly understanding Aristophanic love and the pursuit of the whole.

I will only be publishing in German venues from now on. The urge of making my name even longer with “Prof. Dr.” is too strong.

Speaking of the Seleukids, proofs hot off the press!

I am eternally grateful that I am able to write on Seleukid bureaucracy while also getting the chance to write an article titled "Gotta Dig ‘Em All: The Psychology of Archaeology in Pokémon" after the proposal was accepted for the forthcoming The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: Pokémon.

Scheduling conflict means I get a research assistant today. Let’s hope his German is good.

Final day of ancient game pitch presentations featured an ancient medicine roguelike, a cooking management game set in a Pompeiian thermopolium featuring custom music, and an Ace Attorney-like take on ancient philosophical dialogues. Week has been made.

New academic title goal thanks to MtG

Marked myself safe during the 2026 UIUC Cow Incident

Delighted to share our Parthenon at Illinois project website is now live — in English AND in Greek! go.illinois.edu/parthenon Excited to share our progress and (as a little preview) here’s some mini replicas of the statue outside the library that Mary made to test the equipment ☺️

Every promotional university campus Instagram highlight reel becomes a source of terror lest my fast little gay walk appear blurred in the background like Bigfoot footage.

What these admins will never tell you is that the *courses* in these majors are often full. Students don't *major* in these fields, but they really want to take the classes. They use number of majors as a metric on purpose so they can achieve their cuts.

“It wasn’t a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was a syncretic deity incorporating aspects of Sol Invictus, Asclepius, and Mithras.”

Even Herculean labor is being affected by automation.

I see we’re at the Apocolocyntosis stage of empire.

Honored to be joining the list of Center for Hellenic Studies fellows. Will be working on my book on Seleukid archives and recordkeeping and a little project on impiety and Hellenistic law. Looking forward to visiting the CHS and DC next spring!

The second post in our Earth Month series is now live! And this round is a graduate student feature with Emily Lime 👇

No teaching today means writing, grading, and building a Magic EDH deck in the office.

Pyrrhus coming back to Epirus after intervening in Italy and Sicily, being unable to control the Strait of Messina from the Carthaginians, and turning Rome into a regional superpower.

The cuteness of the sausage link toy quickly turned to horror as we realized we’ve given Attalos nunchucks.

Ancient Greek students asked to read more temple regulations, not knowing the Pandora's jar they have opened...

“And then he said in perfect Latin that Asia est omnis divisa in partes tres…”

Our latest instalment of the #PeoplingBlog, features the exciting pedagogical work of @egarcmol.bsky.social. Here, he takes us through his course “The Ancient World in Video Games” to highlight the value of bringing gaming into the modern university classroom: peoplingthepast.com/2026/03/27/b...

The Instagram algorithm is going to force me to write on the (mis)usage of the word "twink" in online humor about Greek and Roman sexuality, isn't it?

What a dystopia, the Humanities without the human.

Decided to show off on campus his 10/10 stick. The back of my knees are destroyed from him following behind me.

Had the pleasure of being invited by one of our grads to give a brief prepper on Latin epigraphy for her LAT 102 class. Students played Valete vos viatores, playing as Roman stonecutters, as I manically gestured and explained abbreviations.

Breaking: Pyrrhus to declare victory after reopening the Strait of Messina.

Deranged autocrat in charge while a fire breaks out in Rome? I’ve seen enough. Welcome back, 64 AD.

Me if I worked customer service at one of the three terminals in Charles de Gaulle airport: “de Gaulle est omnis divisa in partes tres”

More imperial Rome instead of another era of antiquity (*cough* Hellenistic *cough*) but my congratulations to Nero reception scholars.

A thing of wonder that we can draw a direct line from the law courts of ancient Athens to the Afroman trial. I now have “Lemon Pound Cake” thoroughly stuck in my head.

The current administration is really living up to its promise of bringing back Spartan military ethos by talking loudly and losing more than winning.

Working on book proposal, feels similar to writing the dissertation prospectus (albeit with much more scaffolding since it's an evolution of the dissertation). Can't envision the end, but tentative excitement to dive back in.

What caused the collapse of human civilization in Pokopia? There can only be one answer: The Sea Peoples.

Student emailed me to ask if we can read more inscriptions for upper-level Ancient Greek. Brb wiping the tear from my eye at the slow corruption of the youth to appreciate ancient tax exemptions.

The shade of Pyrrhus looking at the current war and praying victory is declared so his name stops being associated with a worthless and costly battle and subsequent failure in war.

Orion looking down disapprovingly from his constellation.

The instances of Romans consulting the sacred chickens before engaging in a battle is emblematized by the motto Nulla noxa, nulla gallina or “No harm, no fowl.”

One of the pleasant surprises of my first year teaching here was my Greek Civ students asking for more material on battles and formations. The kids yearn for the Macedonian syntagma.

Notably, according to the Roman architect Vitruvius, Corinthian columns are more feminine and intended to evoke a young virginal girl.

Caesar walking into the Senate meeting today in 44 BC.

Breaking: Timothée Chalamet faces backlash over his comments dismissing the traditional phlyax plays of Magna Graecia.

I guess I didn’t wake up thinking I needed to know the names of the 279 named triremes ⛵️in the 4th century BCE Athenian navy, but it appears we all do. link.springer.com/article/10.1... I do like that 3.58% had animal names like Λεοντῆ (lion skin) and Λέαινα (lioness). Greek epigraphy is fun! 🪦

Happy to report that @alexvandewalle.bsky.social's and my article will be published in the forthcoming inaugural issue of the American Journal of Classical Reception. Hopefully it serves as an entryway piece for anyone interested in the intersection of games, epigraphy, and digital humanities.