Category Archives: Uncategorized

Charlie Hebdo, Barbarism, and Terrorism

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Lucas

In describing the attacks the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris last week the term “barbaric” was invoked a number of times. Individuals like Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission and Tony Abbot, the Australian prime … Continue reading →

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Vladimir the Great’s Christianization of the Kievan Rus’

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Lucas

The conversion of Vladimir the Great (c. 958 – 1015) and the Rus’ to Christianity was an event orchestrated by the prince himself. While earlier in his reign Vladimir attempted to organize a pantheon of Baltic and Slavic gods, he … Continue reading →

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Update, books, and note taking

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Lucas

Wow, I really have been neglectful of the blog this term. I haven’t abandoned it, but it was the last fall term of my MA degree, which means I was busy with Ph.D. applications, grant applications, writing, and finishing up … Continue reading →

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A Serial Review

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Lucas

This is the part where I will discuss the relative merits of Shreddies against Frosted Flakes. Or perhaps not. I’ve actually been pre-occupied with two main matters as of late: thesis research and figuring out what I am going to … Continue reading →

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This week in stupid quotations…

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Lucas

I don’t normally write about current events, but this week a few statements of such remarkable stupidity have come to light that I can’t help but repeat them. Counting down from least to most ridiculous, here they are. Keep in … Continue reading →

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Introductory works on Byzantium

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Lucas

In the past week, I’ve been asked almost half a dozen times to recommend some general books on Byzantium, and amazingly enough, it has not all been by the same person having to ask me repeatedly. Given that I’ve been … Continue reading →

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Book Review: ‘The Construction of Authority in Ancient Rome and Byzantium: The Rhetoric of Empire’

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lucas

This is a difficult book to give a star rating to, simply because while so much of it is quite good, there are some serious problems that detract from the overall authority of the thesis. Lakacs argues that the purpose … Continue reading →

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Notes on the genesis of Byzantium

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Lucas

I wrote this yesterday for two reasons. Someone asked me a question on a forum that deserved a good reply, and I was teaching my thesis supervisor’s class the next day, so I thought that it would be useful. I’ve … Continue reading →

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Review: Rome and Constantinople: Rewriting Roman History during Late Antiquity

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Lucas

This term ensures that I won’t be posting much of anything, but I decided to put up a book review to prove that I’m still alive. Raymond Van Dam masterfully sketches out how two of the greatest cities of the … Continue reading →

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A Summer’s Worth of Reading

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Lucas

A completely frivolous and irrelevant post! Since I was asked the other day what I all read this summer, I figured that I ought to compile a list. Articles and other such things are not included. Warfare, State, and Society … Continue reading →

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