I had several weird conversations today, but this one is definitely in the top ten.
“Do you realise you are getting rarer and rarer?”
(Don’t call the grammar police, I didn’t make it up.)
“Yes, why?”
“Why do you still wear a mask? Do you really want to be the last one left alive?”
Three-month paid summer internships are up on @romtoronto.bsky.social careers page along with some other contract positions!
#MuseumWork #Internships
www.rom.on.ca/work-with-us...
On display @romtoronto.bsky.social
Screenshot of article abstract and title: Inscriptions, Writing Cultures, and Epigraphy as Play in Video Games Abstract: This article explores the intersection of epigraphy, archaeology, and game studies within the reception of writing cultures in video games. It argues that video games serve as a unique medium for experiencing ancient material culture, a medium wherein digital inscriptions act as intermediaries between designers and players for worldbuilding and immersive storytelling. We offer a cursory typology with which to research the variety of ways that historical writing cultures interact within both historical and fictive ludic settings: epigraphy in games (or the in-game representation of attested real-world inscriptions), epigraphy of games (or the fictional epigraphy creatively invented by and embedded in contemporary games), and epigraphy as games, where the act of deciphering, reading, and inscribing become gameplay mechanics that fosters a deeper, more active engagement with historical and fictional writing cultures. Ultimately, the article shows that these digital inscriptions shape player perception of historical "truth" and cultural depth, demonstrating that the interactive nature of video games provides a unique pedagogical space for experiencing the materiality of the past in an increasingly digitized world. Keywords: Video games, inscriptions, epigraphy, digital humanities, museum studies, archaeogaming, worldbuilding
Happy to report that @alexvandewalle.bsky.social's and my article will be published in the forthcoming inaugural issue of the American Journal of Classical Reception. Hopefully it serves as an entryway piece for anyone interested in the intersection of games, epigraphy, and digital humanities.
Bonampak Stela 2
benjaminesqueda.artstation.com/projects/lxk...
mayaruins.com/bonampak/a1_...
This is Maya. Stela 2 from Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico.
Great letter from Dr. Filiatrault on clean air and need for respiratory protection in hospitals.
montrealgazette.com/opinion/lett...
On March 01, learn about how ROM curators, technicians and other Museum professionals lead their fields in scientific research, care for cultural belongings, + collaborate with experts to preserve Canadian contributions and narratives for future generations.
www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...
“Almost 5 years after the WHO acknowledged that COVID was airborne, many people — including public health officials and infection prevention physicians — still do not openly acknowledge that breathing infectious aerosols is the main way to catch and spread COVID.”
montrealgazette.com/opinion/lett...
Re-upping this because it still reflects the reality in healthcare today.
Happy Year of the Horse to all who observe the Lunar Calendar! I could post a beautiful antiquity, but instead here is my favourite fictional horse: Maximus!
Well, you could say he is the namesake of a Roman emperor 😁 collections.rom.on.ca/objects/422449
They are pushing AI adoption hard on management types. It's a weird vibe. They're all too happy - like they're on antidepressants, or perhaps they are AI.
The news has been tough lately. If you’re feeling triggered, Canada offers the Hope for Wellness Helpline. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer immediate support and crisis intervention.
The toll-free Helpline at 1-855-242-3310 or look for the online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca
Obverse side of a bronze coloured tetradrachm coin with the bust of Roman Emperor Probus, facing to the right. He crowned with a laurel wreath. Dated to 278 CE.
Reverse side of a bronze coloured tetradrachm coin with a standing eagle facing to the right with wings arrayed.
I have been busy photographing #Roman coins minted in Alexandria, #Egypt in the collection @romtoronto.bsky.social This one of Probus is dated to 278 CE. I like the standing eagle on the reverse. Browse the whole series online here: collections.rom.on.ca/search/910.2...
#MuseumWork #Numismatics
Photo of four athletes seated at a press conference table, all wearing face masks, with microphones in front of them. A blue backdrop behind them shows sponsor logos (including P&G, Samsung, TCL, Visa, Salomon) and Olympic branding. WHN branding “whn.global” appears at the top left. Large yellow text over the lower half reads: “Olympians are still masking in 2026” Smaller white text below reads: “At the Winter Olympics in Italy, some athletes are still masking and isolating, aware that COVID and other respiratory illnesses are not over.” Footer text: “The World Health Network is a network devoted to global compassion—working together to inspire collective action through science for a safer, healthier world.”
At parts of the Winter Olympics in Italy, COVID precautions remain, grounded in the reality that respiratory illness is still circulating. When your lungs are your livelihood, prevention is part of performance.
#COVID #COVID19 #PublicHealth #InfectionPrevention #Olympics #LongCOVID #MaskUp #N95
In case anyone is interested, the book is Princes, Dervishes and Dragons
edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-princes...
#tiles #ceramics #ships
"Airborne transmission dominated, ... whereas contact ... and direct deposition ... played minimal roles."
They use the words "dominance" and "dominated". Those are strong words. Leaves little room for doubt.
#COVIDisAirborne #COVID19 #COVID
This image shows gauges with the Jan 17 - Jan 30, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: VERY HIGH - 12.1 Alberta: VERY HIGH - 12.3 British Columbia: HIGH - 8.1 Manitoba: SEVERE - 19.2 New Brunswick: VERY HIGH - 11.2 Newfoundland & Labrador: VERY HIGH - 11.3 North: VERY HIGH - 12.9 Nova Scotia: SEVERE - 17.6 Ontario: VERY HIGH - 10.9 Prince Edward Island: HIGH - 9.8 Quebec: VERY HIGH - 12.3 Saskatchewan: SEVERE - 17.9 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'
Canadian COVID Forecast: Jan 17 - Jan 30, 2026
SEVERE: MB, NS, SK
VERY HIGH: CAN, AB, NB, NL, North, ON, QC
HIGH: BC, PEI
MODERATE: none
About 1 in 95 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.
#archaeogaming #architecture
Both of my daughters play Sims, so I thought I would give it a go. I made a Sims version of the monastery in Syria where I did fieldwork for some years, Deir Mar Musa.
If the “improve ventilation” and “wear respirators” messaging comes from Forbes will executives finally listen?
"To a lawyer trained in occupational safety regulation or human rights litigation, this is not an academic disagreement. It is a warning that existing standards may now be legally indefensible"
www.businessupturn.com/trade-policy...
Signed!
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#OntarioArchaeology #FirstNations 🏺 #CulturalHeritage #TRC
Trying to pin down this North Elmham pottery at the ROM. This group is mostly Thetford Ware, 3 Ipswich Wares, & 3 St. Neot's ware. The latter has shell (you can see it in this photo). Ipswich ware is supposedly grittier than Thetford Ware. Time to break out the microscope.
#MedievalSky #Archaeology
Multiple citations of papers that do not exist… the academic publishing model is so cooked.
Flu hospitalizations nearly double as H3N2 spreads across Canada
For the week ending Dec. 13, Canada saw 11,646 new cases of the flu being detected, which means 27.7 per cent of all the tests conducted in the country came out positive.
It's taken a while and it took a little prod from YouTube to remind me that, while we've been heads down working to get orders finished before Christmas, we've neglected to post content. So here it is #Archaeology, #Romans, #Pottery🏺 #ancientbluesky youtu.be/ucXOm-GQtvo
