Blog

  • Romans and more at Bloxham Village Museum

    I have been meaning to visit Bloxham Village Museum for quite some time but life and work always seem to push it down to the ‘would be nice to’ end of the priority list. However, news that the museum was putting on a temporary exhibition ‘Romans in Bloxham’ meant I just had to visit. The… Read more

  • Behind the tweets at the British Museum

    Why is the Roman Empire like a carrot? Cause men need vegetables five times a day. That joke’s not particularly good but it is mine, and riffs on the now well-known meme that men, and particularly men struggling with modernity, think about the Roman Empire five times a day. It was probably in some similar… Read more

  • Party on dudes in the British Museum’s Legion

    Been to meet academic girlfriends for a museum day and really enjoyed it. This Christmas has been hard, and now things are picking up a little I badly need to enjoy myself a bit. I’ve treated myself to a new sweatshirt – it’s pale blue and has ‘Reading for Pleasure’ embroidered on it. There’s a… Read more

  • Hello agents, my genre is archaeologist.

    This week I’ve cracked open the champagne because – drumroll – I’ve signed with a publisher for my first academic book. ‘Military Households of Roman Auxiliary Commanders in Western Europe and North Africa: Latin inscriptions, Vindolanda letters and praetorium archaeology.’ A bit of a mouthful that tells a reader what they’re going to get. It… Read more

  • Death came early for Christmas

    Death came early for Christmas. My father-in-law, in hospital, had assessed his chances and agreed with the professionals: no resuscitation, please. Midwinter’s eve he spoke on the telephone to his son, my husband. He promised another visit, tomorrow; an hour later his heart stopped, giving up at 18 years since the heart attack he’d had… Read more

  • Behind the labels at the museum

    I’m working on some new fiction (which it’s far too early to say much about) and part of my research was a visit to the History of Science Museum at Oxford to see their magical and alchemical objects. This marble copy of an engraving of John Dee’s Holy Table in particular caught my eye. Dee… Read more