Alexandra Sills

@belovedofoizys.bsky.social

592

Followers

493

Following

513

Posts

Ancient Historian. Probably thinking about gladiators. Public history devotee.
ClusterC. Sweary. Expect typos. Birkbeck alum, currently Uni of Leicester.

https://linktr.ee/alexandrasills

Posts Replies Media Feeds

I'm talking about women in the arena once again, and this time I'm asking if our effusive enthusiasm for female gladiators is actually as feminist as we think it is. Plus: beans, barley and ash drinks... beware of generalisations! shows.acast.com/history-hack...

History Hack: Female Gladiators | History Hackshows.acast.com A twice-weekly history podcast bringing you the history you love and that you didn‘t know you would love until now.

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

We were asked for expert comment about Gladiator II, but our contributors @drjeball.bsky.social and @belovedofoizys.bsky.social gave too good a set of answers - they ran the article as an interview instead! AncientBluesky ClassicsBluesky ⚱️ www.iflscience.com/the-gladiato...

The Gladiator II Trailer Looks Epic, But Is Any Of It Accurate? We Asked The Expertswww.iflscience.com It's definitely a spectacle, but how much is fact and how much is fantasy?

The contract is signed, I'm writing a pop history book on eastern gladiation! ancientalexandra.weebly.com/blog/and-i-n...

And I Need a Job, So I Wanna be a Paperback Writerancientalexandra.weebly.com Well, the dissertation was submitted and marked and I will be graduating with a Distinction. I think I was right to be so worried about it, because I really only managed to turn my behemoth of a...

Question: the abandoned site of Olympia was buried in alluvial deposits. During its long period of use, do we know if Elis had to regularly keep on top of maintenance to prevent this happening?

I have the official confirmation from uni! I'll be graduating from Leicester with a nice, shiny MA (w/ Distinction)

Do any ornithologists know which bird of prey this is?

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

youtube.com/shorts/sND5J... Podcasters, what is your profession? If it's bragging about how you don't have a job, then you might be a #Spartan! We return once again to the film that launched a thousand memes: Zack Snyder's 2006 adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel #300 #AncientBlueSky #Podcast

Movies We Dig Revisits 300 with Role Konijnendijkyoutube.com Podcasters, what is your profession? If it's bragging about how you don't have a job, then you might be a #Spartan! We return once again to the film that lau...

Absolute powerhouse of an article by @esing.bsky.social on @workingclassicists.bsky.social that should be required reading: www.workingclassicists.com/post/trojan-...

Trojan Horse Universities: How tech billionaires and alt-right figures legitimise intolerance in Classics.www.workingclassicists.com A dangerous movement in Classics is using a Trojan horse of respectability and free-speech to promote much uglier ideas.

I've seen the news about the new Hunger Games novel and movie. I was sceptical about Snow needing an origin story but I am already seated to see young Haymitch and the second Quarter Quell. What do you think @ecfleming.bsky.social @voguearchaeology.bsky.social @movieswedig.bsky.social?

I'm going to miss spending every day with my gladiators, I've grown so fond of them.

My MA dissertation is in, with 7 hours and 19 minutes to spare. It's been three minutes since the system confirmed the upload, and already I feel like a loose end. Just as well I have a 10k article due at the end of June or I'd be at a complete loss. My MA is finished!

Diss text reworked. Structure close to getting there. Somehow only 50 words over. Three days to go. Still the nagging feeling I've not done my research justice...

I chose to create a dataset of inscriptions in a language I can't read, but who knew the hardest thing about this dissertation would be making tables landscape in Word?

300 words available with much more than 300 words yet to say. Normal service has resumed.

Does the scene of Herakles wrestling Death occur outside of Euripides? Apollodorus just has 'Herakles saved Alkestis' - doesn't elaborate further

Why finish writing the diss when I can decide to add yet another GIS layer on a psychopathic whim?

Well, the good news is that I no longer have a blank dissertation page, and I am back to my normal status (about to bulldoze over the word limit and have to frantically edit it down.)

Long shot - does anyone know of scholarship on the ancient reception of the Aeneid in the greek east? ancientbluesky

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

And if you have not already, check out our earlier episodes on #BloodandSand with @belovedofoizys.bsky.social and #GodsoftheArena with @mythsbaby.bsky.social. Then stay tuned for our final episode covering #WaroftheDamned! #AncientBluesky #Academicsky #Podcast #RomeonTV #MWDSeason4

#Vengeance might be the true sleeper season of the Starz #Spartacus series. It's got a little bit of everything! Be sure to check out our most recent episode with @drchristinah.bsky.social at movieswedig.com or wherever you get your podcasts! #AncientBlueSky #AcademicSky #Podcast #MWDSeason4

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

Present ears for listening and broach subject! Joined by our special guest, author and host of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby!, Liv Albert @mythsbaby.bsky.social, to break down Gods of the Arena. Hear us discuss this show's hyper-stylized cocktail of blood, sweat and sex! #AncientBluesky #Podcast

On attempting to write my MA dissertation whilst battling post viral fatigue syndrome: ancientalexandra.weebly.com/blog/limping...

Limping to the Finish Lineancientalexandra.weebly.com I am so tired. I am tired all of the time. I had Covid again in October '23, and it was totally unlike my first bout. The first one was just over a week of very intense illness, but then bouncing...

A couple of weeks ago @drchristinah.bsky.social and I discussed how metal bands have featured Spartacus. The Hitler Youth make an appearance. It's now on YouTube if you fancy a listen: youtu.be/CBpCFJHUDHk?... ancientbluesky

Alexandra Sills & Christina Hotalen,youtu.be Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II online conference, hosted by Miami University, 15-17 March 2024Full conference program: https://sites.miamioh.edu/heavy-...

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

Believe it or not, Spartacus likes to bill itself as a "Historical action-drama ROMANCE" Not sure if we fully agree, but we do ship Barca and Pietros:) Listen to the latest episode w/ @belovedofoizys.bsky.social at movieswedig.com or wherever you get your podcasts. AncientBluesky Academicsky

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

Such a fun conversation with @ecfleming.bsky.social and @belovedofoizys.bsky.social! You might be surprised to learn that we don't hate this show. We just love to make fun of it:) AncientBluesky Academicsky Archaeology Podcast

When Colin is out of town for the week, @voguearchaeology.bsky.social and @ecfleming.bsky.social decide to host a Girls' Night with @belovedofoizys.bsky.social! The show? Spartacus: Blood and Sand! Available now! AncientBluesky Archaeology AcademicSky Podcast

Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), with Alexandra Sillsopen.spotify.com Listen to this episode from Movies We Dig: The Ancient World on Film on Spotify. The ladies decided to have a good ol' Girls' Night! And what better series to discuss than the first season of Starz's ...

I had a great girls' night with @movieswedig.bsky.social discussing Starz' Spartacus: Blood and Sand - a series that can never decide what it wants to be. When it gets spectacle right it gets it REALLY right, and when it gets it wrong it's FUBAR ancientbluesky www.movieswedig.com/podcast/spar...

Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), with Alexandra Sills – Movies We Digwww.movieswedig.com

I've put my CA conference paper transcript on researchgate, because why not www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) Roman Spectacle in Science Fiction and Fantasy on Screen: Race, Gender and Sexuality in Speculative Fiction Arenaswww.researchgate.net PDF | Examining the gladiatorial narratives of speculative fiction on screen in regards to race, gender and sexuality. | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

Help a first gen out - is there a dress code for the CA conference, spoken or otherwise?

I don't suppose anyone knows offhand where the quote "mors omnia solvit" comes from?

Reposted by

Alexandra Sills

Classicists, Ancient Historians, and scholars of antiquities in Solidarity with the people of Palestine You can still sign via the link 👇🏼 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Classicists and Ancient Historians in Solidarity with the people of Palestinedocs.google.com We, the undersigned classicists, ancient historians, and scholars of antiquities affirm our commitment to the Palestinian people, both in the face of the most recent acts of genocide instigated by the...

Meanwhile, on Twix:

Anyone who knows me was expecting this inevitable blog post about the NWCC report. If I sound angry, it's because I'm furious. The results were exactly what I expected, and I anticipate zero fucking change and a dose of gaslighting: ancientalexandra.weebly.com/blog/a-respo... ancientbluesky