Roberta Mazza
@robertamazza.bsky.social
Papyrologist and Ancient Historian
https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/r.mazza/en
https://facesandvoices.wordpress.com/
https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/r.mazza/en
https://facesandvoices.wordpress.com/
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Indimenticabili ❤️
youtu.be/sppynyZh9AI?...
youtu.be/sppynyZh9AI?...
Alberto Sordi il dentone - scena con le gemelle Kessler - "I Complessi" (1965)
YouTube video by Memorie Cinematografiche
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Indimenticabili ❤️
youtu.be/sppynyZh9AI?...
youtu.be/sppynyZh9AI?...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Fascinating world of ancient #glass ! A small-scale but colourful mosaic glass inlay depicting an Ibis. This inlay, originating from a workshop in Roman-era Egypt, was discovered in Tawern, near Trier, Germany.
The ibis was considered a sacred animal of Thoth, the Egyptian deity...🧵1/2
📷 me
🏺
The ibis was considered a sacred animal of Thoth, the Egyptian deity...🧵1/2
📷 me
🏺
November 15, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Fascinating world of ancient #glass ! A small-scale but colourful mosaic glass inlay depicting an Ibis. This inlay, originating from a workshop in Roman-era Egypt, was discovered in Tawern, near Trier, Germany.
The ibis was considered a sacred animal of Thoth, the Egyptian deity...🧵1/2
📷 me
🏺
The ibis was considered a sacred animal of Thoth, the Egyptian deity...🧵1/2
📷 me
🏺
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
It came out last year, but circled back to BICS to read “Domestic violence & vulnerability in the Roman world: setting the scene*” by Eleanor Cowan and @senex64.bsky.social. Definitely wanted to engage after reading about Augustine’s mother Monnica’s abusive marriage academic.oup.com/bics/article...
Domestic violence and vulnerability in the Roman world: setting the scene*
This volume arises from a project born in part of statistics, or rather of the reality those statistics reveal. Globally, one in every three women in the t
academic.oup.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:08 PM
It came out last year, but circled back to BICS to read “Domestic violence & vulnerability in the Roman world: setting the scene*” by Eleanor Cowan and @senex64.bsky.social. Definitely wanted to engage after reading about Augustine’s mother Monnica’s abusive marriage academic.oup.com/bics/article...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
After you read this, then… read this by @robertamazza.bsky.social www.sup.org/books/histor...
Stolen Fragments | Stanford University Press
In 2012, Steve Green, billionaire and president of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, announced a recent purchase of a Biblical artefact—a fragment of papyrus, just discovered, carrying lines from...
www.sup.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:26 PM
After you read this, then… read this by @robertamazza.bsky.social www.sup.org/books/histor...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
We’re thrilled that @robertamazza.bsky.social is at the CSMC today! Tonight, she will give a talk on ‘Papyrology and Reparations’, addressing the regimes of violence, injustice, and inequality that papyrology has been enmeshed in since colonial times.
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
October 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
We’re thrilled that @robertamazza.bsky.social is at the CSMC today! Tonight, she will give a talk on ‘Papyrology and Reparations’, addressing the regimes of violence, injustice, and inequality that papyrology has been enmeshed in since colonial times.
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
Hybrid event, all welcome!
uhh.de/csmc-mazza
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
‘Thanks to journalists such as Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues who risked their lives, for over six hundred days the genocide has been live-streamed for the world to see. And yet we are told we must wait for the experts.’
Stefan Tarnowski on Gaza and the media: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/au...
Stefan Tarnowski on Gaza and the media: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/au...
Stefan Tarnowski | Plausible Deniability
From the sieges within the siege, Palestinian journalists are smeared as terrorists and assassinated by airstrike. Even...
www.lrb.co.uk
August 19, 2025 at 10:55 AM
‘Thanks to journalists such as Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues who risked their lives, for over six hundred days the genocide has been live-streamed for the world to see. And yet we are told we must wait for the experts.’
Stefan Tarnowski on Gaza and the media: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/au...
Stefan Tarnowski on Gaza and the media: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/au...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Currently compiling a mailing list for my blog. If you would like to be added to the list to receive updates about new posts and related presentations, please send me a brief message at the address given here:
About
This blog is dedicated to the dispersed manuscript heritage of St Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai, Egypt. The library of this ancient monastery hosts one of the world’s most important manuscript ...
medisi.hypotheses.org
August 19, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Currently compiling a mailing list for my blog. If you would like to be added to the list to receive updates about new posts and related presentations, please send me a brief message at the address given here:
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Okay I'm going to join in.
One like, one fact/opinion about portrait panels/Roman Egypt.
One like, one fact/opinion about portrait panels/Roman Egypt.
I'll play.
One like, one Athenian legal case.
One like, one Athenian legal case.
I'm knackered after a full day of travelling yesterday, so let's do this.
One like, one curse tablet.
One like, one curse tablet.
August 7, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Okay I'm going to join in.
One like, one fact/opinion about portrait panels/Roman Egypt.
One like, one fact/opinion about portrait panels/Roman Egypt.
When students are better than those who teach them...
The student newspaper.
This fell. To the student. Newspaper.
This fell. To the student. Newspaper.
Stanford University’s student-run newspaper sued two senior Trump administration officials Wednesday, challenging Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s ability to revoke student visas and deem an individual deportable based on the content of their speech.
August 7, 2025 at 7:59 AM
When students are better than those who teach them...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
By the way, it's a very interesting podcast, thank you for working on that with the BBC! For those who haven't listened to it yet: pca.st/6qsrnxx4
Intrigue
Ben Lewis unravels the tangled story of a Christian billionaire family, stolen relics, fake treasures and the scholar turned sleuth who exposed the scandal of biblical proportions. Intrigue: 'Jaw-drop...
pca.st
August 6, 2025 at 7:16 AM
By the way, it's a very interesting podcast, thank you for working on that with the BBC! For those who haven't listened to it yet: pca.st/6qsrnxx4
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Second Rare Inscription Honoring Justinian and Theodora Unearthed in Kosovo’s Ancient City of Ulpiana - Arkeonews
arkeonews.net/second-rare-...
arkeonews.net/second-rare-...
Second Rare Inscription Honoring Justinian and Theodora Unearthed in Kosovo’s Ancient City of Ulpiana - Arkeonews
A second rare inscription dedicated to Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora has been unearthed at the ancient city of Ulpiana, offering new
arkeonews.net
August 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Second Rare Inscription Honoring Justinian and Theodora Unearthed in Kosovo’s Ancient City of Ulpiana - Arkeonews
arkeonews.net/second-rare-...
arkeonews.net/second-rare-...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
This was an incredible season to record. I would like to thank our season 4 guests for sharing their wisdom and making our fields better through their scholarship and advocacy. They demonstrate everyday that things do not need to go on as they always have.
For the final episode of #PeoplingPodcast Season 4, we are joined by Dr. Yannis Hamilakis to discuss his vision for a decolonial future for ancient archaeology.
peoplingthepast.com/2025/07/29/p...
#Ancient #Mediterranean #Archaeology #Decolonialism #CulturalHeritage /1
peoplingthepast.com/2025/07/29/p...
#Ancient #Mediterranean #Archaeology #Decolonialism #CulturalHeritage /1
July 29, 2025 at 4:10 PM
This was an incredible season to record. I would like to thank our season 4 guests for sharing their wisdom and making our fields better through their scholarship and advocacy. They demonstrate everyday that things do not need to go on as they always have.
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Project Brazen, producer of the “Dynamite Doug” podcast, has published 3 letters illustrating some of the historic collaboration between London dealer Spink & Son and indicted trafficker Douglas Latchford. There are many interesting details. Here are a few. (Thread)
shorturl.at/jabhT
shorturl.at/jabhT
Explosive Rockefeller Letters Expose Met Museum's Looted Harihara
At Whale Hunting, we illuminate hidden worlds and expose closely-held secrets. Today, we’re pulling back the velvet curtain on one of the world’s most prestigious museums: the Met.
Our latest investi...
shorturl.at
July 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Project Brazen, producer of the “Dynamite Doug” podcast, has published 3 letters illustrating some of the historic collaboration between London dealer Spink & Son and indicted trafficker Douglas Latchford. There are many interesting details. Here are a few. (Thread)
shorturl.at/jabhT
shorturl.at/jabhT
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
This seems to have resonated on here too (I cannot tell you how happy this makes me) so I'll add some of the reasoning:
I asked a lot of friends & family who are not academics (often not readers of non-fiction what they would do if they wanted to know more about a topic they were interested in).
🧵
I asked a lot of friends & family who are not academics (often not readers of non-fiction what they would do if they wanted to know more about a topic they were interested in).
🧵
A lot of people have mentioned they loved the 'Want to Know More?' section of my book – basically an annotated bibliography but with a clear statement on citation ethics (shout out to Sara Ahmed) and a focus on *accessible* scholarship.
That means blogs, podcasts, books for a popular audience.
🧵
That means blogs, podcasts, books for a popular audience.
🧵
July 9, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This seems to have resonated on here too (I cannot tell you how happy this makes me) so I'll add some of the reasoning:
I asked a lot of friends & family who are not academics (often not readers of non-fiction what they would do if they wanted to know more about a topic they were interested in).
🧵
I asked a lot of friends & family who are not academics (often not readers of non-fiction what they would do if they wanted to know more about a topic they were interested in).
🧵
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
See also Nadia Abu El-Haj's _Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society_ (2002)
July 6, 2025 at 2:16 AM
See also Nadia Abu El-Haj's _Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society_ (2002)
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
The needs of our communities cannot be subject to the whims of the wealthy.
Charity is no substitute for taxation.
Charity is no substitute for taxation.
Priscilla Chan’s decision to stop funding the school she opened to help struggling families shows the risks for communities reliant on wealthy private donors.
The Chan-Zuckerbergs stopped funding social causes. 400 kids lost their school.
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s retreat from funding social issues forced the closure of a school Chan opened for disadvantaged families in Silicon Valley.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 29, 2025 at 6:40 PM
The needs of our communities cannot be subject to the whims of the wealthy.
Charity is no substitute for taxation.
Charity is no substitute for taxation.
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Check out this gorgeous Sri Lankan purple sapphire ring found in a medieval castle in Slovakia. It might have belonged to a bishop. 🏺🧪
Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka
An analysis of a 700-year-old ring found in a Hungarian castle reveals a unique reddish-purple sapphire set in 18-karat gold with a lion decoration.
www.livescience.com
June 20, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Check out this gorgeous Sri Lankan purple sapphire ring found in a medieval castle in Slovakia. It might have belonged to a bishop. 🏺🧪
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Fascinating feature in @theobserveruk.bsky.social about identifying counterfeit objects from contemporary luxury goods to ancient papyrus. @msrachelcooke.bsky.social and @donnalferguson.bsky.social speak to experts on spotting fakes.
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
The real deal: our fascination with fakes – and how to sp...
With talented counterfeiters at the top of their game, how on earth do you spot a fake? And does it really matter anyway?
observer.co.uk
June 16, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Fascinating feature in @theobserveruk.bsky.social about identifying counterfeit objects from contemporary luxury goods to ancient papyrus. @msrachelcooke.bsky.social and @donnalferguson.bsky.social speak to experts on spotting fakes.
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
What’s next on ‘Collecting Religion?’ Kathryn Barush digs into Major Arcana iconography, working across historical collections & her own. Read “Shuffle the Codex: Collecting tarot cards as medieval pilgrimage narratives” here: collectingreligion.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/s...
Shuffle the Codex: Collecting tarot cards as medieval pilgrimage narratives
by Kathryn Barush Twenty years ago, I set off for Dharamsala, a hill station in North India, with a backpack stuffed full of notebooks, watercolor tubes, brushes, masking tape, and folding plastic …
collectingreligion.wordpress.com
June 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
What’s next on ‘Collecting Religion?’ Kathryn Barush digs into Major Arcana iconography, working across historical collections & her own. Read “Shuffle the Codex: Collecting tarot cards as medieval pilgrimage narratives” here: collectingreligion.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/s...
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
What a gorgeous postdoc - for a moment I thought they were looking for a papyrologist with Latin AND Greek AND Demotic, which seemed like a LOT for 34k, but there are TWO jobs on this great project - phew! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNL359/p...
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Papyrology (Demotic Papyri) at University of Exeter
Discover Postdoctoral Research Associate in Papyrology (Demotic Papyri) jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.
www.jobs.ac.uk
June 10, 2025 at 12:02 PM
What a gorgeous postdoc - for a moment I thought they were looking for a papyrologist with Latin AND Greek AND Demotic, which seemed like a LOT for 34k, but there are TWO jobs on this great project - phew! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNL359/p...
👇👇👇
Several German collections hold manuscripts from St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, whose current situation was recently covered by various international news outlets. How and when did they get there? I wrote about this for the Qalamos blog @qalamos.bsky.social. Read here:
@dehypotheses.bsky.social
@dehypotheses.bsky.social
Das Erbe eines Gescheiterten – Überreste der Sammlung Grote in Deutschland
Von Peter Tarras Die Plünderung der Handschriftensammlung des St. Katharinenklosters im Süden der Sinaihalbinsel durch europäische Gelehrte, besonders in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts, ist e...
od-portal.hypotheses.org
June 10, 2025 at 9:20 AM
👇👇👇
Reposted by Roberta Mazza
Excellent reporting on the surge in looting in Syria post-Assad. Featuring @atharproject.bsky.social. @counteringcrime.bsky.social @museumofloot.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Looted from Syria, sold on Facebook: antiquities smuggling surges after fall of Assad
Collapse of once-feared security apparatus, coupled with widespread poverty, has triggered a gold rush
www.theguardian.com
June 9, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Excellent reporting on the surge in looting in Syria post-Assad. Featuring @atharproject.bsky.social. @counteringcrime.bsky.social @museumofloot.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...