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Daniel Osland

@oslandd

Claim to be a Roman archaeologist, actually work on late Roman Iberia, very interested in Portuguese soccer, NZ politics, California Nü Punk, and tertiary education. Personal views here, none endorsed by my employer (the University of Otago).

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01.08.2023
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Latest posts by Daniel Osland @oslandd

Trump's people may be essentially stupid in many realms, but in the pump and dump and market manipulation they are unmatched.

04.03.2026 18:16 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Classics at the University of Otago 🥳 We wish to congratulate our friend and colleague, Dr Arlene Allan, on her retirement from the University of Otago this week, after more than 20 years of dedicated teaching and research activity. At....

A celebratory post, but with mixed emotions. Congratulations, Arlene, and we'll miss you! www.facebook.com/OtagoClassic...
#BlueskyClassics #AncientBluesky

04.07.2025 01:47 👍 11 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
Our people Find out more about Classics programme staff, including our Head of Programme, academic staff, postgraduate students and support team.

Facebook public announcement of two new colleagues in Otago Classics! www.facebook.com/OtagoClassic...
Staff profile pages for Dr Hannah Sorscher and Dr Davide Morassi here: www.otago.ac.nz/classics/staff
#AncientBluesky

24.06.2025 02:39 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Classics at the University of Otago We are very pleased to announce the recent arrival of two new permanent members of academic staff, Dr Hannah Sorscher (PhD, UNC) and Dr Davide Morassi (DPhil, Oxford). Both having come from the...

www.facebook.com/OtagoClassic...

24.06.2025 02:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Classics at the University of Otago The age-old question: "treasure" or "not treasure"? Fun little set of (apparently all silver?) Roman coins from Britain.

BBC story via Otago Classics FB: www.facebook.com/OtagoClassic... #ancientbluesky

17.06.2025 21:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

AncientBluesky

19.05.2025 08:59 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Public Lecture: Stolen stories of a (lying) Roman Empire Event in Dunedin, New Zealand by Classics at the University of Otago on Thursday, May 22 2025

Otago Classics PhD candidate Jaymie Orchard will give a public lecture for the Otago Classical Association this Thursday at 6pm. Full event info on the FB: www.facebook.com/events/69166...

19.05.2025 08:57 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Step Into a Painstakingly Recreated 3D Model of the Parthenon, Now Restored to Its Ancient Glory A researcher simulated the Athenian temple’s lighting conditions at different times of the day, discovering that its interior was actually "quite dark and dim"

Digital reconstruction of the interior of the Parthenon. This appeared in my world about four weeks too late for my first-year class on classical archaeology, but I think the students will appreciate the visualization as we're now talking about the Pantheon. www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...

14.05.2025 22:54 👍 10 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
Redirecting...

Public lecture at the University of Otago this evening (17 April), Dr Hamish Cameron of Victoria University Wellingon, "In the Shadow of Roman Giants: The Language of Ruins in Valhalla's England". In person, from 6pm (drinks and nibbles from 5:30pm). Details at link

www.facebook.com/share/18xG1Y...

16.04.2025 21:43 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I can't make my brain accept that reporters just let them answer like this and move on to the next thing. "OK, he thinks it's legal, but how is it NOT an abuse of power? Saying 'he did it so it's done' doesn't answer that question. Where are you, reporters?

16.04.2025 21:38 👍 26 🔁 0 💬 3 📌 0

Uh-oh, looks like elon took the chainsaw to facebook, which is currently experiencing a widespread outage. Maybe he'll offer to have xhitter cover that branch of the CIA's operations?

27.02.2025 02:35 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A bit late with this, but a huge congratulations to the ASCS 2025 OPTIMA winner Elizabeth Leaning and to our joint runners-up Jemima McPhee and Jaymie Orchard! Pictured here with the prize committee. Classicsbluesky

08.02.2025 21:49 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

classicsbluesky

03.02.2025 01:31 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Full house for Prof. James Ker's (UPenn) keynote lecture, 'Seneca's First Intervention' at the Australasian Society for Classical Studies Conference (ASCS46) at Australian National University, Canberra

02.02.2025 22:27 👍 10 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Awesome!!!

18.12.2024 00:59 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Pūkenga | Lecturer in Classics Join Te Kura o ngā Reo me ngā Tikanga-ā-iwi - School of Languages and Cultures as a Lecturer on a permanent, full-time contract.

We're hiring! VUW Classics is looking for a generalist and particularly encouraging specialists in Greek history and Roman art and archaeology to apply. Full details here: ejye.fa.ap1.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

18.12.2024 00:46 👍 27 🔁 23 💬 3 📌 2

I sort of discarded the ear spoons idea because those things seem to big to me. It seems to me we need a "mostly military" explanation for this particular set of objects.

08.12.2024 21:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Easier to publish "significant" research if there's a cool theme. When I read the article, I thought it was a very bold stretch based on the evidence presented. But I haven't thought of a nice conservative interpretation of the baby spoonlings, maybe someone else out there has an idea?

08.12.2024 20:55 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

I love this for them. Sorry, people, spoilers! In LoTR, Sauron is ultimately defeated, perhaps even utterly destroyed, by some sort of elf-like thing with hairy feet and no powers whatsoever beyond not being completely selfish and evil.

06.12.2024 00:29 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Student Services Fee, Home, Student Services | University of OtagoRed X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick iconClear searchOpen searchClose searchOpen menuClose menuHome You, the University of Otago and OUSA work together to determine how to best provide you with the right services to enhance your student experience.

Looking at their Example 2 for a semester paper in Arts (FREN232), the 2025 cost is $1,040.70 - I would imagine there is some additional application fee, but distance students are exempted from the Student Services Fee (www.otago.ac.nz/studentservi...) so that's a small win.

05.12.2024 23:47 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Fees, Studying at Otago | University of OtagoRed X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick iconClear searchOpen searchClose searchOpen menuClose menuHome This is a guide to help you calculate your fees, understand the different fees that are charged, and how and when to pay your tuition fees.

I can't say what they'll be in 2026, but here's all the official information for 2025 (I think the govt.-permitted maximum increase year-on-year is 6%): www.otago.ac.nz/study/fees

05.12.2024 23:47 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Both languages are still offered in-person, on-campus at the University of Otago Dunedin campus. (forgot, AncientBluesky )

05.12.2024 21:15 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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The world has been warming faster than expected. Scientists now think they know why | CNN Last year was the hottest year on record, oceans boiled and glaciers melted at alarming rates, and it has left scientists scrambling to understand exactly why.

Study says "the planet 'has darkened'," I buy it. edition.cnn.com/2024/12/05/c... Where are all those weather machines and hurricane generators to deal with this one?

05.12.2024 19:55 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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New York police release new photos of 'person of interest' in killing of insurance boss - live updates The NYPD says the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan was

I still think it looks a lot like Jake Gyllenhaal in this photo. Probably there's a good facial recognologist on here who can explain how very wrong I am.

05.12.2024 19:36 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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05.12.2024 07:59 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Advice for U.S. Government Scientists: Lessons Learned From the ‘Muzzling’ of Their Canadian Counterparts • The Revelator The next four years will be awful for the science and conservation community. By learning from past experiences, we can minimize the damage.

Not exactly in the thread line, but someone shared this little gem today: therevelator.org/scientists-m... An interesting read for people who work in the US or people who work in a country whose ministers occasionally display Trumpistic fantasies...

05.12.2024 01:00 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Yes, I meant they could afford to make a principled statement against this decision and risk their position at the Royal Society, as they're still very comfortably positioned at Auckland.

05.12.2024 00:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Probably, realistically, not in a position to say much of any significance in this situation (beyond reiterating that "The Society’s statutory role is to advance and promote science, technology, and the humanities"). In my view, worth risking the job over a robust critique of the decision, though.

04.12.2024 23:11 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Bronze snakes and perfectly intact eggs among treasures found at ancient Italian thermal spa Trove had been preserved by warm waters and mud at the Tuscan springs near Siena

Bronze snakes and perfectly intact eggs among treasures found at ancient Italian thermal spa.

04.12.2024 21:06 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
A picture of three people ostensibly studying, using laptops and tablets at a picnic table in the sunshine.

A picture of three people ostensibly studying, using laptops and tablets at a picnic table in the sunshine.

Classics at the University of Otago is now offering Ancient Greek and Latin by distance. These classes are open to anyone interested in studying the languages by distance. For further information or details about how to enrol as a non-Otago student, visit: otago.ac.nz/classics/lan...

02.12.2024 21:01 👍 29 🔁 14 💬 3 📌 0