End of an era in American Jewish history.

Happy start to the autumn quarter to all who celebrate!

This is much more comprehensive than my own list, and reassuringly familiar from my experience of marking. I’ll be sharing the list with my students, both to think about writing for different audiences (encyclopaedia articles) and being aware of the weakness of LLM generated text.

"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply." me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...

The Association of Ancient Historians meeting will be in Iowa City from April 16-18, 2026. For those new to the AAH, we have preset panel themes; you pick 1 to apply to. The theme overall is Ancient Exchanges in a Global Antiquity. See CFP: abstracts are due by December 1. aah.conference.uiowa.edu

Interested in a global antiquity? There is a new, open access vol. _Classical Art and Ancient India_edited by Peter Stewart. 🌏 “This volume explores India's connections with the Med. and Western Asia during Graeco-Roman history, highlighting artistic exchanges” www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress...

really dig this piece in the nation today www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Another important review

An important review

After the Roman Republic fell in 27 BC, the Roman Empire flourished for another 450 years. Could the same thing happen here?

I did it the other way

Considering getting this passage from the NYT article printed on totes for our art history majors. Too much?

So, if humanities produce good job outcomes, humanities have a secure ROI that bring in more than they cost, and STEM now has an even lower ROI due to grant cuts…. shouldn’t we invest more in humanities where less $$ goes a longer way? Apparently not. We should ask why not. /9

as someone who doesn't have to imagine, let me tell you that it's ass

Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.

We certainly did *not* have Pompeii to ourselves—hot, crowded, and too much touching (had to tell off someone reaching for plastered human remains in the antiquarium!). But we managed to see some old and new favorites, as well as a friend who is excavating there

We (amazingly) had a lot of ancient stuff all to ourselves today. First, a series of *spectacular* hypogea, tombs in (re)use from the fourth c. BCE on. Such amazing details preserved on the walls and funerary couches. I got a kick out of the modern lamp bases next to the ancient painted candelabra

Had a bit of a time getting here (a wild flight delay), but started strong with some treats in Naples and on Ischia

We’re off to the Bay of Naples for some much needed R&R—with plenty of ancient sites and delectable eats @heintgestae.bsky.social

Congrats to the newly minted Dr. @heintgestae.bsky.social! So proud of her 😊

The linked article lists Classical Studies as one of the departments at Indiana University that "could lose its main offerings." This is a major US university with a distinguished tradition in Classics. Dire news.

In my book on the polis, I argue that despite of nativist ideology, the realities of citizenship, based on communal acceptance & successful performance of duties, meant a certain porosity. I.e. precisely not the maximalist cruelty of Miller's immigration policy, carried bout by ICE thugs.

A few new followers, so wanted to mention that Mercator will be a part of the upcoming June Steam Next Fest! It's a shopkeeper game about ancient trade from India to Rome and in between. Check out the trailer and the Steam page: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1pp... store.steampowered.com/app/3268870/...

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Erich S. Gruen Prize is now open for submissions! All graduate students in North America are invited to enter the annual competition for the best graduate research paper on multiculturalism in the ancient Mediterranean www.classicalstudies.org/awards-and-f...

A student brought me baklava (yiayia-endorsed no less) 😋

In the midst of grading papers—lots of feral semicolons—so I just couldn't resist. 10/10

My contribution to this volume, "Coining Koine: Reading Numismatic Images in the Context of Global Exchange," looks at how visual aspects of coinage contributed to an interconnected Indian Ocean world. Check it out—open access! #AncientBlueSky 🏺

Teaching my last classes at UMD. Having all the feels

James Tan brings the economy back in. Our understanding of the Roman economy has advanced hugely in recent decades, but that hasn’t (yet) affected how we interpret the politics of the Republic’s fall. He shows some paths to do that. doi.org/10.1515/9783...

Spending some time with this bad boy in class today www.loc.gov/resource/g32...

India tries to halt auction of Piprahwa gems found with Buddha’s remains, which it says “constitute inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

If I may, I wouls also add this volume books.openedition.org/momeditions/.... More generally the Red Sea Conferences' publications are not cited.

While I agree with much of this article, it's limited by its Anglophone focus (it's also missing some key works in English). Archaeology/material evidence is the fastest growing area of the field, but there has been important work on other aspects too (e.g., textual sources, theoretical frameworks)

I have some personal news to share amidst all the chaos: in the fall, I’ll be joining the History department at the University of Chicago. I’m humbled and excited to be beginning this new chapter. Welcoming any and all Chicago recs!

Ahhh epigraphy

A+

We are offering two FREE, online semi-intensive short courses in #Phoenician and Punic #language in April 🏛️ 🏺 Elementary course info: ics.sas.ac.uk/events/eleme... Intermediate course info: ics.sas.ac.uk/events/inter... Share and Apply by 22 March!

congrats to Columbia, your reward for allowing a violent NYPD crackdown on your own students is being crushed by the federal government

A Brief History of America is in Decline Like The Roman Empire 🧵

The Department of History at the University of Washington is hiring a 9 month distinguished lecturer in ancient or medieval mediterranean history. 4 classes over 3 quarters, salary $100–115k, plus benefits. Review begins April 1st, feel free to email me with any questions apply.interfolio.com/161510

I’m thrilled to announce that my book, provisionally titled “Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade” is now under contract with @princetonupress.bsky.social. Excited for it to be out in the world in 2026!

NEW Analysis of beads from Iron Age Hama, Syria finds they were produced using Baltic amber sourced over 3000km away, highlighting the city’s importance in ancient long-distance exchange networks and indicating a desire for ‘exotic’ goods in Mesopotamia. #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵

Came to my car this morning to find it stuck in some thick ice (still unclear how this happened!). It was hard to problem-solve at first: blame and (self-)loathing were ready at hand. It took a lot of sweat and salt, tough work and kind strangers, but we got out. Felt like a metaphor for the times

What a Beauty! I'm delighted to share the cover for my forthcoming book on Indian history... all of it. 5,000 years, dozens of languages and cultures, 1 author. Coming from @princetonupress.bsky.social to wherever you buy books on June 3, 2025. Preorder: princeton.press/8r8idcye

Love this backdrop for the new production of Aida at the Met Opera