Listening: Reading: And a somewhat related coin to keep it legal: AKARNANIA, Argos Amphilochikon Very Rare. 7.15g, 21.1mm. AKARNANIA, Argos Amphilochikon, circa 350-270 BC. Calciati pg. 524, 6 (same dies). O: Pegasos with pointed wing flying right, beneath dog lying right, AP. R: Head of Athena left; AM above helmet; behind, tubula and A.
I've been enjoying Ryan Stitt's History of Ancient Greece Podcast on my commutes lately. I'm only up to Episode 9. We're starting to emerge from mist and mythology and get into real history, but they haven't invented coins yet.
I've finally gotten around to reading Herodotus' "The Histories". I'm currently up to Book IV. Listening? All over the map. Glad to see the Pogues, Genesis and the Dead Kennedys, some of my favorites, show up in this thread. Would be nice if Gram Parsons made an appearance, too. But the one album that still, 58 years later, gets played in my home more that any other is Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue": Truly a masterpiece, from first note to last. Oh. And a recent coin purchase: Diocletian Augustus A.D. 284-305 Bronze Nummus Treir mint, A.D. 301-305 Obv: IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG Rev: GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI - Genius, modius on head, naked but for chlamys hanging from shoulder, holding patera and cornucopiae PTR in exergue; S in left field, F in right RIC 582a 26mm, 7.7g.
Currently reading Russel Banks (in french I'm afraid) : And listening quite a lot of things, but the most I play these days is blues music from these guys : Q Edit : Oh, I forgot to have it coin related, sorry My last but one purchase :
Sipping some Havana Club rum I bought in Cuba last year, and smoking a Cohiba while listening to some classic Salsa music And I'm reading this on my Kindle...the third book in a historical fiction series set during the reign reign of Commodus, his downfal, and the Civil Wars that brought the Severan Dynasty to power. The first book starts in 180CE, and by the time of the 3rd book, the events cover the time around 185-187CE
Interesting thread! I got a lot of great book ideas from it (especially the Pasternak book). Currently reading: A scientific/sceptical look at these legendary cryptids. A wonderful children's series from the author Caroline Lawrence (The Roman Mysteries). The setting is the last years of Domitian's reign. Listening to: http://www.darkhistories.com/ Spooky true crime/unsolved mysteries podcast with a sceptical bent.
I'm halfway through this book, which I'm already convinced is a must-read for anyone interested in the modern college milieu, whether as a student, faculty member, or parent... This is the blurb from Amazon... Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising—on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen? First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education: What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker; always trust your feelings; and life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths contradict basic psychological principles about well-being and ancient wisdom from many cultures. Embracing these untruths—and the resulting culture of safetyism—interferes with young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. It makes it harder for them to become autonomous adults who are able to navigate the bumpy road of life. Lukianoff and Haidt investigate the many social trends that have intersected to promote the spread of these untruths. They explore changes in childhood such as the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised, child-directed play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade. They examine changes on campus, including the corporatization of universities and the emergence of new ideas about identity and justice. They situate the conflicts on campus within the context of America’s rapidly rising political polarization and dysfunction. This is a book for anyone who is confused by what is happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines.
I haven't read the book that John Anthony recommends, but just going by the Amazon blurb, I think "The Anthropology of Childhood" by David Lancey would be an excellent follow-up.
As I type this I am listening to "Cross Eyed Mary" from Jethro Tull. Listening to "Aqualung" through Spotify. Not sure what my next selection will be???
Suddenly, I am transported back to high school . . . . . .aah, the days of lying in the basement with my head between the speakers, looking at the haze of smoke swirling above me, thinking about the future and the meaning of life . . .
I enjoyed reading The Wonky Donkey to my grandson. If you buy the book, you can listen to the song by Craig Smith. or if you want immediate satisfaction this clip of a grandmother reading the story is great! Rome vs Carthage, War at Sea had a pic of an anchor on a cast bronze bar. I had to read this book. I would like one of these. This one is mine.
Moved on to "461 Ocean Boulevard". Probably do "Slowhand" after that. Can't go wrong with E.C. Yeah that sounds familiar. Don't forget the large bag of Doritos and two liter of Sprite???
Main book at the moment is Beard’s SPQR. Secondary is Medieval Coins of Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. Just got the newest volume of the Haskin’s Society Journal in the mail, so will be starting that soon. Currently have Christmas music on regular rotation, but usually enjoy a healthy dose of Sabbath and Dio. This gem came to my attention today:
Awesome! My better half is a University professor (not tenured yet) and she had already joined Haidt's "Heterodox Academy" and had heard of the book, but we just bought it thanks to your reminder. She's basically a garden variety libertarian centrist but is made to feel like a morally decrepit Nazi by the lunatics running the asylum, and it's quite sad as she is a very dutiful and principled person. I guess having standards is transgressive nowadays. As Millennials basically all of our friends have gobbled up the poison fruits of Postmodern deconstructionist Critical Theory, and regurgitate cultural and economic Marxist nonsense as objective gospel truth in spite of their ideology eschewing the notion of objective fact/truth, but who needs philosophical consistency in 2018! Here's a book I've been waiting to find a cheap used copy of, trusted reviewers say it is excellent: