There's a broken cuneiform tablet from the Old Babylonian period, nearly 4,000 years ago, which preserves a tiny portion of a dialogue between two friends. It feels a bit like the conversations I've been having for the past week, so I wanted to share it.

Guy on the bus just got everyone's attention to ask us what the five great lakes are, and my little Michigan-born heart has never felt more right-place-right-time

Can I put "I'm a good hang" in an application for a virtual/in-person institute? additional details: they're asking what I bring to the table.

My comps/quals: 1. Akkadian 2. History of Astronomy 3. Babylonian Astronomy 4. Historiography (...of Babylonian Astronomy) 5. Babylonian History 6. Cuneiform tablet identification 1 oral, 5 written (3 4-hour and 2 24-hour)

Really enjoyed speaking about Babylonian maths in games yesterday with the SIGMA project. So here's a throwback to one of my first bits of "public" writing. A lot I would change now, but I like the premise and I LOVED writing with First Person Scholar! www.firstpersonscholar.com/out-of-conte...

Today at 11:00 am ET! Join me for some fun maths and games talk.

Just supported @dustinholland.bsky.social's kickstarter for a new, illustrated version of The Gods of Pegana! So excited for cool fantasy and cool art. www.kickstarter.com/projects/wig...

I love that Cambridge Elements are usually open access to read for the first two weeks after publication. That means _Sex and Sexuality in the Ancient Near East_ by Stephanie Lynn Budin is free to resd until March 10! This is part of the Elements in the Ancient Near Eastern World and the Bible.

Keep an eye on July! Thank you to @berghahnbooks.bsky.social for your incredible support and for being such an amazing press to work with for this project! #Archaeology #archaeogaming #newbook #forthcoming #videogames www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Rhodes...

I'm so excited/honored to give a SIGMA Seminar this Wednesday, March 4! Join me to learn about how Babylonian maths are depicted in games. I promise the math content will be cool and approachable.

I'm giving a *free* talk on the spring equinox in the ancient Mediterranean with World Virtual Tours this Saturday, February 28, at 12 noon ET! Join if you want to hear someone talk about spring while sitting in three feet of snow.

Donning my purple gloves to say happy birthday to our 1000-year-old astrolabe #histsci 📜 www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

A detail from Rivera's mural highlighting indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants of all sorts

OK, it finally happened! My new article, "Gradience as a cognitive principle for evaluating numerical notations", is now out today in @pnas.org. By focusing on numerals' use for communication instead of arithmetic, we have a new tool to assess their efficiency. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Math is everywhere! Here's a tale where a couple of archeologists, Marion and Matthew Stirling, used a bit of number theory to prove that the Olmec civilization must be very old. johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/s... (1/n)

ICOHTEC 2026: Deadline fast approaching! This conference invites reflections on how the history of technology intersects with evolving methodologies, theories, pedagogies, and other branches of historical study, submit your paper at: icohtec2026.hs.duth.gr

Any mutuals in Philadelphia? I'm attending a conference in late July and I'm looking to find a (cheap) place to stay! Happy to trade services (proofreading, childcare, manual labor, et al.) in exchange for a couch to sleep on.

My presentation that highlights a lengthy period of hybrid analog-digital photography in astronomy.Includes some interesting examples like JPL engineers colouring an image with crayons, and the first astronomical CCD image. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsXX... #histsci #sts #astronomy #hps #photography

Don't miss out on this killer Gods of Pegāna sticker sheet!! Available now! www.kickstarter.com/projects/wig...

Did one of my fav activities yesterday -- building paper astrolabes with my History of Technology class. Love to "un-exoticize" these tools and give students a tangible object to hold

Help a recent PhD and new mom make rent AND get a taste of Mesopotamian astrology with your very own BABYLONIAN HOROSCOPE! www.etsy.com/listing/4428...

The British Museum posted Al slop and quietly deleted it. Here's what it was and why it matters. #archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history

Do you think a depressed person could make this?!

Cylinder seals from ancient Mesopotamia — tiny objects carved with images and text — were early signatures. People rolled them over wet clay tablets and envelopes, and they tell us a lot about identity and authenticity. Interesting, brief read by Serdar Yalçin theconversation.com/signatures-m...

Take a FREE tour of the night sky as Babylonian astronomers (and other humans) would have seen it! We'll talk about Babylonian constellations (...and associated stories!), predicting the planetary phenomena, and general practices of observation using a digital planetarium.

Apply! Astronomy! The Adler! At The Newberry! The Celestial Imagination in Indigenous and Early Modern Worlds: mailchi.mp/1222ede5b9c6...

Does anyone want beautiful historical depictions of celestial phenomena? Anyone? Well, here you go publicdomainreview.org/collection/f...

the ghost sequences is so good!!

It’s here! The call for pitches for our deluxe December issue, “A Time of Monsters,” supported by a grant from the Kitchings Family Foundation.

Gap in your syllabus? Need a talking break? Looking for something novel to do, with activities? Tag me in!!

been out of the game so long I had to search how to add a footnote in a google doc (it's in a submenu now? why haven't i internalized the keyboard shortcut yet?)

Need someone to cover a lecture for you this fall? Let me talk about: ✅ Mesopotamia ✅ Astronomy ✅ Mathematics in history ✅ History of science ✅ Archaeogaming I have references and student evaluations! I have things to say! I have activities and lectures oh my! And good Internet and a headset.

Hi! I have a PhD and can research and write for academic audiences! I have professionally worked for websites and can edit and write for general audiences! I have a 1.5 year old son and have reason to stay loyal and keep healthcare! I am a quick study and need work! Hire me??

Need someone to cover a lecture for you this fall? Let me talk about: ✅ Mesopotamia ✅ Astronomy ✅ Mathematics in history ✅ History of science ✅ Archaeogaming I have references and student evaluations! I have things to say! I have activities and lectures oh my! And good Internet and a headset.

#CallforApplications 📣 The GHIL awards a number of #scholarships to #postgraduate students, Habilitanden and #postdocs at German universities to enable them to carry out research in Britain. Scholarships are generally awarded for a period of up to three months. 📜 1/3

Hi! I have a PhD and can research and write for academic audiences! I have professionally worked for websites and can edit and write for general audiences! I have a 1.5 year old son and have reason to stay loyal and keep healthcare! I am a quick study and need work! Hire me??

My mom's upset because I enrolled my 16-month-old son in a Mandarin immersion daycare, so that's my vibe today: disappointing daughter

Remy picked up his first Neugebauer yesterday (Mathematical Cuneiform Texts, natch)

We've gotten a ton of fascinating submissions so far from people who research the past outside of the discipline of history, but we're looking for more! Share widely to help us get this project off the ground.

PSA: get your talented and creative friends to make art for your dissertation (... and pay them!) so that when you're sick of your topic and can't read your own writing ever again you still have something that excites you!!

We're pairing up contingent historians with contingent scholars in other fields for a face off! Click through to learn more and let us know if you want to participate.

📖 Alert : my book "Underground Mathematics" seems to now be available in paperback 🎉 So if you've always been to learn everything about the geometry of mining, mathematical practitioners, their customs and instruments, you can now do that at an almost reasonable price 😋 ... doi.org/10.1017/9781...

Public presentation of my dissertation is July 10 @ 11:00 a.m. on zoom! Come listen if you wanna hear what I've been up to or ask me difficult questions to prepare me for my defense. brown.zoom.us/j/91231155478 (but lmk if you're coming so I can give the department admin a heads up)

browsing itch.io for games to play with my archaeogaming class, and all this gm-less storytelling ttrpg shit is exactly my vibe. game designers are really out there just laying my goddam heart bare for all to see. worldchampgameco.itch.io/press-play speakthesky.itch.io/this-person-...

I am supposed to travel to Brussels tomorrow, and my passport expires also tomorrow. Is there anything I can do, or have I doomed myself with poor planning this time?

It was SUCH a joy to be able to play test this -- watch if you can!!

Attention grad students: The deadline for proposals for the JHI's 2025 Graduate Student Symposium has been extended to June 16. There's still time! See here for more information: