Plebs rule!
Momentarily banish thoughts of policemen on duty at the House of Commons, and picture a Roman pleb. You will probably…
Herodotus in Sochi
As a result of Russian laws against propagating homosexuality, there are calls to boycott the 2013 Winter Olympics in Sochi…
Notes on…Classic cruising
We arrive at the tiny Greek island of Sikinos on a blustery day, making landing rather difficult. Is there transport…
What the Roman general Vegetius could teach Obama about Syria
So the USA must launch its onslaught against Syria without the Brits. Well, if Obama will make public announcements of…
Varro on The Apprentice
Budding businesswoman Luisa Zissman, with her A in A-level English, has enquired whether ‘Bakers Toolkit’ or ‘Baker’s Toolkit’ is correct.…
Ancient and modern: Modern Egypt vs ancient Athens
Whatever problems Greeks and Romans faced, a politicised priesthood was not one of them. They might have made three observations…
Lucretius vs Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins has been confusing his categories again, comparing Trinity College, Cambridge, with Islam. His attack on religion does precisely…
Epictetus on Twitter
One definition of addiction is repetition of a behaviour despite adverse consequences. Twitter users will know all about it, especially…
Ancient and modern: Herodotus on 111
The NHS 111 line, designed to deal with problems that do not count as emergencies, is in financial and organisational…
Plato on the Today programme
A woman is invited to join the Today programme, and the chatteratae are immediately a-twitter on the subject of female…
Why Egypt needs a Socrates
No one seems to know, or is willing to say, whether the Egyptian army’s intervention in Egyptian democracy was legal…
Ancient and modern: Socrates on TV election debates
Lord Hennessy has been arguing that, as a result of TV debates between party leaders prior to elections, ‘the plausible…
Common enemies
One assumes that it will eventually dawn on those so deeply committed to slaughtering each other in Syria that, whatever…
