Spencer McDaniel

This is clearly a break from ancient tradition, since Pliny the Elder in his 'Natural History' 16.251.1 describes a druid as performing the ritual of oak and mistletoe wearing a white robe. What self-respecting druid would drink mistletoe elixir wearing a *brown* cloak? What a laughingstock.

Your yearly reminder to check your kid's Halloween candy, just found Socrates corrupting the youth in my child’s Snickers.

To be frank, this is approaching Charles I's attempt to arrest the Five Members in 1642 and we ought to treat it with the same gravity. And perhaps remind those involved how things turned out for Charles I after 'all his birds had flown.' How about we not restage this particular episode?

A poet versed in Greek and Latin being praised, a speech in front of the acropolis, public executions of criminals, and a delegate to Greece faces bribery charges. Please check in on your ancient historians as time itself appears to collapse.

The event all Minoan scholars have been waiting for - World Octopus Day 🐙

If anything this man said or did could still shock me, I would be shocked to hear the president of the United States openly invite Iran to "take out" two of the U.S.'s largest cities, calling the lives of over five million American civilians "a very small price to pay."

"Everyone knows Frodo’s the hero of Lord Of The Rings, but he’s not in this case, which—I mean, evil is a form of innovation, right?” — Peter Thiel

In a world where Drexel University can close down the nation's oldest natural history museum just because they want to raid its endowment and develop the land, we have to ask if our corporatized universities can be trusted with museums or if museums should separate themselves as quickly as possible.

A recent survey found that 92% of U.S. adults have delayed or avoided medical care due to high costs. Meanwhile, a new study from Yale estimates that Medicare for All would save over 114,000 lives and $1 trillion a year. If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have universal healthcare.

*Roman historian voice* And while he was embroiled in wars abroad and tumult at home, the emperor declared a ceasefire with Neptune.

A pair of researchers has claimed that the myth of the Pleiades as "Seven Sisters" is 100,000 years old. In this blog post, I explore the real history of the myth and why it probably *isn't* nearly that old. #GreekMyth #classics #astronomy #Pleiades talesoftimesforgotten.com/2026/09/15/i...

Not to brag, but our product has been foldable since 1828.

In 2026, a far-right government with neo-fascist ties is in power in Italy, an expansionist autocrat is ruling Russia, and a far-right ethno-nationalist party is gaining momentum in Germany. It sure makes you wonder if anyone learned any lessons from that stuff a hundred years ago.

“Often and quite contrarily, we look down on a laborer while delighting in his work.” πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τοὐναντίον χαίροντες τῷ ἔργῳ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καταφρονοῦμεν #Plutarch

This detail of an Athenian vase shows Thebe & Dionysus at the wedding of Peleus & Thetis. Thebe’s incredible dress is decorated with sphinxes, lions and goats while Dionysus waves a vine clipping heavy with grapes. 🕰️C6th BC 🏛️BM 📷me

I continue to absolutely detest the word “Herstory.” Let’s leave aside that history comes from the Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (“inquiry”); it’s just ridiculous to separate out the experience of women from the umbrella of history. I don’t want two versions or a binary. I want women implicit in all histories.

It's such a tragic coincidence that two of the twentieth century's greatest gay icons, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, both passed away on the same day at the same age (eighty). I hope that Cher and Liza Minnelli are doing ok. (Both of them are also eighty.)

It's very telling that both of the professors from IU who signed the Cofnas letter are from the Kelley School of Business, and one of them is the (now-retired) professor who caused a controversy back in 2019 for his tweets claiming that women are "destroying academia."

Me, a US-based academic: I don’t care what any scholar believes, we all need to stand up publicly whenever someone’s academic freedom is threatened Me, continuing: also, the first time this has happened, motivating me to sign my first ever open letter, is in late 2026, to a race scientist, in Ghent

Fun fact: "Dr. Seuss" was a pen name. His real name was Theodore Geisel. Funner fact: "Geisel" is a German cognate to the archaic Old English "gisl", which is inscribed in runes on the back of the Franks Casket

Gary, Indiana is without power for the 11th straight day after storms. This is climate injustice.

How did a Bronze Age religious symbol become a defining symbol of lesbian feminism? In this blog post, I answer that question, exploring the strange, complex, nearly 4,000-year history of the labrys or double-headed ax. #lesbian #feminism #classics #labrys talesoftimesforgotten.com/2026/08/16/h...

The Castellani family in Italy specialized in creating exact reproductions of ancient Greek and Roman jewelry. Below, two gold nereid-hippocamp pendants and a matching necklace strung with 'acorns'. All three pieces were created in 1864-76. 🏺 1/ V&A Museum, London. 📸 me

Garffeld