Jeremy Simmons
@caeliambulator.bsky.social
Historian at UChicago working on Indian Ocean trade and the wider ancient world. More than occasionally talks about the doggo. Opinions my own.
Pinned
I’m thrilled to announce that my book, provisionally titled “Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade” is now under contract with @princetonupress.bsky.social. Excited for it to be out in the world in 2026!
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
This essay by @johannawinant.bsky.social is beautiful on what can happen in the classroom, and on the importance of *argument* to literary studies. I especially like how she writes about helping students to "believe in their own significance"
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review
Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.
www.bostonreview.net
November 26, 2025 at 4:47 PM
This essay by @johannawinant.bsky.social is beautiful on what can happen in the classroom, and on the importance of *argument* to literary studies. I especially like how she writes about helping students to "believe in their own significance"
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
End of an era in American Jewish history.
Breaking News: Saul Zabar, who over seven decades made the Upper West Side food emporium Zabar’s a New York institution, is dead at 97. nyti.ms/42qGl2n
October 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
End of an era in American Jewish history.
Happy start to the autumn quarter to all who celebrate!
September 29, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Happy start to the autumn quarter to all who celebrate!
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
This is much more comprehensive than my own list, and reassuringly familiar from my experience of marking. I’ll be sharing the list with my students, both to think about writing for different audiences (encyclopaedia articles) and being aware of the weakness of LLM generated text.
Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
This is much more comprehensive than my own list, and reassuringly familiar from my experience of marking. I’ll be sharing the list with my students, both to think about writing for different audiences (encyclopaedia articles) and being aware of the weakness of LLM generated text.
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
September 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
The Association of Ancient Historians meeting will be in Iowa City from April 16-18, 2026. For those new to the AAH, we have preset panel themes; you pick 1 to apply to. The theme overall is Ancient Exchanges in a Global Antiquity. See CFP: abstracts are due by December 1. aah.conference.uiowa.edu
AAH Annual Conference 2026 | The University of Iowa
The 2026 AAH Annual Meeting will take place in person at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA from April 16-18, 2026. We invite abstracts for papers of 15-20 minutes in length. Please submit anonym...
aah.conference.uiowa.edu
September 15, 2025 at 7:43 PM
The Association of Ancient Historians meeting will be in Iowa City from April 16-18, 2026. For those new to the AAH, we have preset panel themes; you pick 1 to apply to. The theme overall is Ancient Exchanges in a Global Antiquity. See CFP: abstracts are due by December 1. aah.conference.uiowa.edu
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
Interested in a global antiquity? There is a new, open access vol. _Classical Art and Ancient India_edited by Peter Stewart. 🌏
“This volume explores India's connections with the Med. and Western Asia during Graeco-Roman history, highlighting artistic exchanges” www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress...
“This volume explores India's connections with the Med. and Western Asia during Graeco-Roman history, highlighting artistic exchanges” www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress...
September 14, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Interested in a global antiquity? There is a new, open access vol. _Classical Art and Ancient India_edited by Peter Stewart. 🌏
“This volume explores India's connections with the Med. and Western Asia during Graeco-Roman history, highlighting artistic exchanges” www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress...
“This volume explores India's connections with the Med. and Western Asia during Graeco-Roman history, highlighting artistic exchanges” www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress...
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
really dig this piece in the nation today www.thenation.com/article/soci...
An Open Letter to Our Students: Universities Do Not Deserve You
At the start of the school year, two professors provide some hard truths about the state of academia and what you should fight for.
www.thenation.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
really dig this piece in the nation today www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Another important review
Dolia: the containers that made Rome an empire of wine – Bryn Mawr Classical Review
bmcr.brynmawr.edu
August 29, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Another important review
An important review
‘The coast exerts an increasing pull on the collective cultural imagination as Greco-Macedonian ships enter new waters under Alexander and his successors.’
@josephinequinn.bsky.social on the coast in the ancient world: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@josephinequinn.bsky.social on the coast in the ancient world: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Josephine Quinn · Born on the Beach: Ancient Coastlines
Seas are repetitive creatures, working in cycles of tides, migration and climate change, which is normally to say the...
www.lrb.co.uk
August 28, 2025 at 11:46 PM
An important review
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
After the Roman Republic fell in 27 BC, the Roman Empire flourished for another 450 years. Could the same thing happen here?
August 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
After the Roman Republic fell in 27 BC, the Roman Empire flourished for another 450 years. Could the same thing happen here?
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
I did it the other way
August 23, 2025 at 2:49 AM
I did it the other way
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
Considering getting this passage from the NYT article printed on totes for our art history majors. Too much?
August 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Considering getting this passage from the NYT article printed on totes for our art history majors. Too much?
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
So, if humanities produce good job outcomes, humanities have a secure ROI that bring in more than they cost, and STEM now has an even lower ROI due to grant cuts…. shouldn’t we invest more in humanities where less $$ goes a longer way? Apparently not. We should ask why not. /9
July 24, 2025 at 10:37 PM
So, if humanities produce good job outcomes, humanities have a secure ROI that bring in more than they cost, and STEM now has an even lower ROI due to grant cuts…. shouldn’t we invest more in humanities where less $$ goes a longer way? Apparently not. We should ask why not. /9
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
as someone who doesn't have to imagine, let me tell you that it's ass
Imagine being a Columbia alumnus and watching Linda fucking McMahon, the pedo queen of pro wrestling, take a victory lap like this because the other pedos in the administration dogwalked the university and made them eat shit and now they're all having a big laugh about it
Linda McMahon on Columbia settlement: "This is a monumental victory for conservatives who wanted to do things on these elite campuses for a long time because we had such far left-leaning professors."
July 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
as someone who doesn't have to imagine, let me tell you that it's ass
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.
July 13, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.
We certainly did *not* have Pompeii to ourselves—hot, crowded, and too much touching (had to tell off someone reaching for plastered human remains in the antiquarium!). But we managed to see some old and new favorites, as well as a friend who is excavating there
July 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM
We certainly did *not* have Pompeii to ourselves—hot, crowded, and too much touching (had to tell off someone reaching for plastered human remains in the antiquarium!). But we managed to see some old and new favorites, as well as a friend who is excavating there
We (amazingly) had a lot of ancient stuff all to ourselves today. First, a series of *spectacular* hypogea, tombs in (re)use from the fourth c. BCE on. Such amazing details preserved on the walls and funerary couches. I got a kick out of the modern lamp bases next to the ancient painted candelabra
July 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
We (amazingly) had a lot of ancient stuff all to ourselves today. First, a series of *spectacular* hypogea, tombs in (re)use from the fourth c. BCE on. Such amazing details preserved on the walls and funerary couches. I got a kick out of the modern lamp bases next to the ancient painted candelabra
Had a bit of a time getting here (a wild flight delay), but started strong with some treats in Naples and on Ischia
June 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Had a bit of a time getting here (a wild flight delay), but started strong with some treats in Naples and on Ischia
We’re off to the Bay of Naples for some much needed R&R—with plenty of ancient sites and delectable eats @heintgestae.bsky.social
June 29, 2025 at 12:16 AM
We’re off to the Bay of Naples for some much needed R&R—with plenty of ancient sites and delectable eats @heintgestae.bsky.social
Congrats to the newly minted Dr. @heintgestae.bsky.social! So proud of her 😊
June 26, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Congrats to the newly minted Dr. @heintgestae.bsky.social! So proud of her 😊
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
The linked article lists Classical Studies as one of the departments at Indiana University that "could lose its main offerings."
This is a major US university with a distinguished tradition in Classics.
Dire news.
This is a major US university with a distinguished tradition in Classics.
Dire news.
This is very, very bad.
A new state law will likely force the closure of hundreds of low-enrollment programs at Indiana University. The cutoff is 15 graduates/year for undergrad majors, 7 for Masters programs, and 3 for PhD programs, averaged over 3 years.
wfiunews.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/h...
A new state law will likely force the closure of hundreds of low-enrollment programs at Indiana University. The cutoff is 15 graduates/year for undergrad majors, 7 for Masters programs, and 3 for PhD programs, averaged over 3 years.
wfiunews.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/h...
Hundreds of IU degree programs at risk of disappearing
By Ethan Sandweiss Indiana University could lose hundreds of degree programs as part of compliance with an array of new laws affecting higher education that passed at the 11th hour of the legislati…
wfiunews.wordpress.com
June 25, 2025 at 12:30 AM
The linked article lists Classical Studies as one of the departments at Indiana University that "could lose its main offerings."
This is a major US university with a distinguished tradition in Classics.
Dire news.
This is a major US university with a distinguished tradition in Classics.
Dire news.
Reposted by Jeremy Simmons
In my book on the polis, I argue that despite of nativist ideology, the realities of citizenship, based on communal acceptance & successful performance of duties, meant a certain porosity. I.e. precisely not the maximalist cruelty of Miller's immigration policy, carried bout by ICE thugs.
June 23, 2025 at 9:10 AM
In my book on the polis, I argue that despite of nativist ideology, the realities of citizenship, based on communal acceptance & successful performance of duties, meant a certain porosity. I.e. precisely not the maximalist cruelty of Miller's immigration policy, carried bout by ICE thugs.