Trump and Philip of Thessalonica Undermining Authorial Control

What do Donald Trump and Philip of Thessalonica have in common? In this blog, Oriol Febrer argues how both of them challenge the power of other artists to determine the meaning of their creations. They purposely change the meaning of previous texts by shaping new contexts.

Oriol Febrer i Vilaseca • October 17, 2024

Who’s Afraid of a Queer Achilles?

Queer theory offers original perspectives from which to revise theoretical framings of Classics as a discipline. In this post, LUCAS postdoc in Latin literature Francesco Busti reflects on the urgency of queering Classics amid the current surge in nationalist and anti-LGBTQIA+ stances across Europe

Francesco Busti • June 25, 2024

It’s all fun and games until Diogenes shows up: wit, Homeric quotations, and death-images in the anecdotes regarding our most favourite Cynic

Can Homeric parody be a means of criticizing society? In this blog post Giorgia Garuti, PhD candidate at the University of Pisa and visiting researcher at LUCAS until last May, explores the function of Homeric quotations in two anecdotes regarding Diogenes of Sinope.

Giorgia Garuti • June 19, 2023

Off-Beat: Did Galen Really Pioneer Diagnostic Use of the Pulse?

The internet presents a maelstrom of misinformation when it comes to ancient medicine. In this blog, Glyn debunks a claim about an important ancient medical author: Galen. He examines several older biological texts to refute that Galen was the first to use examination of the pulse in diagnosis.

Glyn Muitjens • June 30, 2022

Over my Dead Sheep’s Body!

As long as there have been taxes, people have tried to avoid them. Bob van Velthoven shows what a case of English window tax and an Ancient Greek anecdote can teach us about the preoccupation with paying as little tax as possible, and gives some tips on how to avoid taxes yourself this Christmas.

Bob van Velthoven • December 23, 2021

Make it New but Make it Old! Anchoring Innovation in Second-Century Celebrity Culture, Taylor Swift, and The Beatles

Modern artists are concerned with originality, while art in Antiquity was devoted to imitation, right? At least, that is how the story is often told. By looking at ancient and modern pop stars, this blog post shows that imitation and originality are not as irreconcilable as you would think.

Bram Demulder • December 09, 2021

LUCAS Explains #10: Why is it so important to us to feel comfortable in our own skin?

In this time of social distancing, physical contact, and therefore our skin, has become the subject of discussion on a global scale. Has the skin always been this important in the social life of human beings? And in what ways? Glyn examines these questions for Greek antiquity.

Glyn Muitjens • September 29, 2020

V-Steaming: On Paltrow and Hippocrates

What do Gwyneth Paltrow and the Hippocratics have in common? Both endorse(d) vaginal steaming! Glyn discusses the ancient Greek phenomenon of uterine vapour baths, focussing on similarities between the cultural ideas underlying Hippocratic treatments and modern discussions of ‘v-steaming.’

Glyn Muitjens • May 07, 2020

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