An Amusing Graffito

Pompeii and Herculaneum provide some 11,000 inscriptions for scholars to study, most of them bring in Latin (although there are many still which are Oscan, Greek, Etruscan and at times, combinations of these). These inscriptions give a glimpse of what life was like at Pompeii from around 30 BCE to 79 CE shortly before its destruction, so it is easy for modern scholars to appreciate them. But apparently this wasn’t always the case. Unaware of his city’s impending doom and the usefulness of the writing on the wall, one rather interesting fellow lamented the following:

Ad miror te paries non c[e]cidisse qui tot scriptorum taedia sustineas.

Translation (given by Rex E. Wallace):

O wall, I am amazed that you have not fallen down since you support the loathsome scribblings of so many writers.

As Wallace aptly puts it in his An Introduction to Wall Inscriptions from Pompeii and Herculaneum (2005), “While we can understand the sentiments of the writer, at the same time we are grateful to those who have, by means of their scribblings, provided us with an invaluable means for gaining insight into the affairs and the language of the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the first century AD.” (pp. xxiii-xxiv)

New Years Resolutions

These are not necessarily resolutions as much as they are personal goals:

1. I want to publish at least 3 books this year; at least two of these books will be published academically.
2. I want to submit or contribute at least 10 articles to academic journals, series, or seminars (20 would be ideal).
3. I want to publish at least 4 blog posts a month (at least 1 a week); it would be ideal to publish 8 blog posts a month.
4. I want to sow the seeds for future book projects (to be written next year) and gather the resources and data to do so.
5. I want to read 2 new books a month.

Resolutions:

1. To allow for more tolerance of different ideas and perspectives
2. To be more strict in methodology
3. To lose weight and eat better (Isn’t this the standard New Years resolution?)
4. To buy James Crossley, James McGrath, Jim West, Emanuel Pfoh, Roland Boer, Niels Peter Lemche, Philip Davies, and Thomas Thompson a drink (Best to start saving now)
5. To jump another 8 ranks on N.T. Wrong’s Biblioblog Top 50 (Watch out Jim West!)
6. To be a better boyfriend, provider and bestfriend.
7. To be a better son.

Staying the same:

1. Critically examine every claim
2. Shape my opinions in accordance to the evidence (never the other way around)
3. Stay awesome
4. Still not a fish

Dilbert on the Interwebs

Thanks to Wayne for the strip.

Mr. Deity Season 1

Check out Mr. Deity here.

Gossip from Pompeii: A Brief Excursus

I know I have not written anything in a while, partly because I have been so busy with working on a new collection of essays I am putting together with Bob Price and partly because I have been working on articles for another collection of essays I am contributing to, that I have not had the time to blog (even though I really, really want to).   In between drilling myself silly with book proposals, abstracts, and contacting contributors, I have managed to start working on the article concerning ancient literature, literacy and model use in antiquity that I promised a few months ago.

During my research for the article, I have been very interested in Pompeii as a possible example for one of the points I make throughout.  In Pompeii, there are some 11,000 instances of the written word.  Some of these instances show signs of bilingual semi-literates (where something is written in Latin, but in the Greek alphabet), which belay the influence of Greek culture on the region prior to the war which later brought that region of Italy into the Roman empire.  Other instances are far more elaborate (like official inscriptions) or less than fascinating (like who is in love with who).

The questions that I feel are important concerning literacy rely primarily on the banal.  Much of this will be covered in the main article, however the question must be asked; if the common man or woman (much less frequently) could write graffiti on the side of a building, or could even write their name, what does that imply about their level of literacy?  Who would be able to read the graffiti anyway?  What purpose would literacy even have in the commoners life?  These questions aside (like I said, answered in the main article I am working on), while reading through some of the graffiti, I had more than my share of chuckles.  I thought as a quick blog post I would share some of them with you.  You might see similar graffiti above urinals in a public restroom. (The Complete Pompeii, p. 102)

• Samius to Cornelius: go hand yourself!
• Chios, I hope your piles irritate you so they burn like they’ve never burned before!
• Lucilla was making money from her body.
• I hate poor people.  Anyone who asks for anything free is a fool; he should hand over his money and take the goods.
• At Nuceria, look for Novema Prumgenia near the Roman gate in the prostitute district.
• Virgula to her broke Tertius: you’re a dirty old man.

To be Wright or Wrong?

The quest for the Historical NT Wrong is in full swing on James McGrath’s blog.  I have been called out as the ‘man behind the Wrong!”  But clearly it cannot be me.  One will make note that I’ve had conversations on Wrong’s blog here and here.  It could be that somebody clever enough could have arranged this conversation, and who better than I, if I were the real NT Wrong, but I don’t think I’m that clever.

I also do not have the stunning wit nor the UK email address necessary to be Wrong, and clearly, as a product of American public schools, I could not even identify where Barnsley, South Yorkshire is on a map.

James’ analysis of my name is equally wrong (no pun intended), as I have written on its origins (in some degree) here.  Also, in my “About Me” section of my blog, I write that I am “Not a fish,” which would indicate that I can not swim.  Since the UK is an Island, I cannot be Wrong, despite the possibility that Wrong is indeed a name of a pet fish that the elusive writer of Bishop Wrong’s blog may have caught while fishing in the waters around his home.

And, while James may be correct about my analysis of the evidence, the reason why I am less likely to be a fictional creation is that my name is not eponymous (unless you suggest that by the name Thomas I am calling myself “the Twin” of NT Wrong, thereby claiming that I am him), but NT Wrong’s blog clearly states that the name “NT Wrong” is, in fact, an eponymous creation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why “N.T. Wrong”?
“N.T.” stands for “New Testament”, a collection of writings which turn out to be mostly wrong.

This used to be up in his FAQ, but I now, no longer, see it there.  The author realized we were on to him and quickly replaced it with his Biblioblog list.  The fact that this early version of Wrong’s redaction here is clear evidence that the author NT Wrong is a eponymic name for an anonymous blogger (or group of bloggers).  Hereby validated my position that NT Wrong is not a historical person.  Clearly, as Paul suggests that Jesus’ name was given, NT Wrong is a title taken on as a badge of honor, to right the “Wronged” in scholarship.  While we quibble over who this “historical” NT Wrong is, we fracture NT Wrong’s blog up so much that we loose sight over the edifying narratives within.  We completely miss out on such wonderous and thought-provoking posts like NT Wright’s delusions about the undead in Jerusalem or Wrights ever increasing  fanaticism.

In any event, my case is that clearly NT Wrong is a title that did not come about ex nihilo, but neither did his blog.  That we can all agree on.  But we must not lose sight of the wonderfully funny things that “Wrong” has done, when explained in the narrative of a blog post.

Prop 8 Meets Jesus Christ Superstar!

Thanks to John over at Shuck and Jive!

more about “Prop 8 Meets Jesus Christ Superstar!“, posted with vodpod

Jason and the Argonauts – Skeleton Fight

This is one of my favorite scenes from any 1960’s movie dealing with mythology.  The scene here is at the end of the movie.  I still think the animation here is better than CGI in a lot of movies.  (But I have a bias, as Jason and the voyage of the Argo is one of my favorite cyclic epics from antiquity)  Enjoy.

(Added) This is a scene from Sinbad; I just really like the skeleton fight scenes.

My 2nd Favorite Calvin and Hobbes Strip

Why I Blog at All Hours of the Night

Thanks to James McGrath for this delightful cartoon!