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Dr Naomi Scott

@drnaomiscott.bsky.social

880 followers 340 following 420 posts

A.G Leventis Fellow in Greek Studies at the University of Bristol. Julius Pollux superfan. Expert in Ancient Greek jokes. My research profile: https://tinyurl.com/2fc8fbzh My book: https://tinyurl.com/2x256h64

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · Nov 12

Oh wow it’s suddenly all happening over here! Hello new followers! I occasionally post about Ancient Greek jokes (mostly rude) and ancient encyclopaedias (sadly almost never rude, but weird AF so I mostly forgive them).

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 5h

This is all extremely cool THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 8h

esp. given that the classical texts he cites would largely default to aor. as the standard inf. form! But honestly given I’m supposed to be writing about Pollux’s reception of Classical literature I 100% cannot spend weeks and weeks thinking about this 😬

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 8h

I mean in lots of ways Pollux isn’t really that normative as an ‘atticist’ (but is he?) lexicographer! But then no one is ever normative once you start looking at them closely enough 😂 I’m very intrigued by his apparent preference for pres. over aor. inf. but…

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 9h

This is brilliant thank you so so much!

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 9h

And I’ll look up your work first thing on Monday of course!!

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 9h

Oh my goodness thank you so much! This is really useful for me, since what I’m really interested in is how Pollux’s list (a non-narrative form) is in tension with the narrativity of the sources he quotes. Particularly interesting to think he’s an outlier for his strong preference for infinitives.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 10h

Yes! I’d love for someone to do (have done?) the studies on this because honestly I want the answer but it’s too far away from the core of what I’m doing right now to actually do the immense legwork on this myself.

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 10h

Omg thank you so much this is exactly the kind of shit I need!!!! ❤️ My general vibe from reading a lot of Pollux is that Pollux likes an infinitive (see my previous post from today for a list of some excellent rude and semi-rude infinitives lol) but I need to check the numbers.

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 11h

Pollux tends to list verbs in the present infinitive by default I think (I have not run the data on this truly I am just going on vibes here 😂), is that normal ancient lexicographical practice? It seems like it should be normal but is it actually?

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 11h

I have a suuuuuuuper niche question about tense usage in Ancient Greek lexicography who do I know who might know stuff about this???? All pointers and bibliography suggestions greatly received!!! #ClassicsBluesky #AncientBluesky

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 14h

Every day with Pollux brings new surprises 😳 Truly there is no topic he does not cover.

(One surprise here is that the only author cited in this chapter is Hyperides, the Athenian orator, where I might have expected some nice Old Comic fragments on this ummmm…. rather agricultural topic.)

A section of Pollux’s Onomasticon (V.92) entitled περι μιξεως ζωων (pls excuse lack of diacritics, phone keyboard doesn’t offer polytonic). That translates roughly as ‘on animal sex’. There’s a list of verbs below it, all on this topic.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 1d

See from prior experience I know this to be true and yet, still, it feels impossible that the daily tally will ever make up a whole book 😂

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 1d

Omg very true there is no winning 😂

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 1d

If friends and colleagues could stop referring to this project approvingly as a ‘monumental undertaking’ vel sim that might help lol.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 1d

Amazing how being c. 2,500 words into a draft of a projected 120k monograph actually makes me feel like completion is further away than when I had precisely 0 words.

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 2d

Omg this is absolutely outstanding.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 3d

It’s also one of his bleakest and most morally challenging plays. I love it, though I also struggle to like it if that makes sense? I don’t think it really works as a play in so many ways, but I’m all the more enamoured of it for that fact.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 3d

Yay how exciting, I love the KCL Greek play and I especially love when they do a comedy. IMHO Clouds has some of the best jokes in all of Aristophanes.

King's Classics @kingsclassics.bsky.social · 3d

KCL Students! Apply now for production team roles for our 2026 Greek Play. This year's play is Aristophane's comedy Clouds. Application deadline: 13th October.

Successful applicants will once again be working with the fabulous professional theatre company the Actors of Dionysus.

🏺

Graphic of production team call-out. Roles are Assistant Director, Dramaturgs, Greek Transliterator, Sound Designer, Poster Designer, Costume Designer, Makeup Designer, Set Designer/Props Master, Marketing and Social Media Manager. Please email Laura@actorsofdionysus to apply. Closing date for applications is 13 October.

Production poster. Blue grey background with black hand upraised and holding a globe. Silhouette hands of red, white and black reach towards it. Text reads The Clouds KCL Greek Play 2026. Adapted by Giulia Balsamo after Aristophanes.

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Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 3d

Ah yes but those people are white and middle class so *their* bilingualism makes them clever and cultured 🙄🙄

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 3d

The whole idea of ‘first’ and ‘second’ languages is so weird in a context where we are often talking about bilingual kids who grow up learning and speaking two languages simultaneously. Like that is literally how bilingualism works, guys? It’s…. Quite normal actually?

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 5d

Even weirder is the dried shiitake thing, occasionally she gets into a tub of them and it’s full high on catnip but with mushrooms.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 5d

Every autumn around this time I remember that our cat is suuuuuper weird about moon cakes. Comes running at the smell, licks every surface one has touched, tries to steal the empty boxes to eat the crumbs. Cats are so odd. Or ours is at least 🥮

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 5d

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 6d

Thank you for posting! I was aware there was a consultation but hadn’t found the link. I love the ladies pond and want it to remain the wonderful inclusive space it’s always been.

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 6d

Outstanding

Deanna Kreisel 🌱 @doctorwaffle.substack.com · 8d

In honor of National Poetry Day, the greatest parody rewrite of all time:

Screen cap of parodic version of William Blake's "The Tyger" that begins:
Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright
(Not sure if I spelled that right)
What immortal hand or eye
Could fashion such a stripy guy?
What the hammer that hath hewn it
Into such a chonky unit?
Did who made the lamb make thee,
Or an external franchisee?

Dr Naomi Scott @drnaomiscott.bsky.social · 6d

No Carmelli’s!! I am outraged!! We have always been a Carmelli’s family, my grandparents catered my actual wedding with a huge Carmelli’s order it will always and forever be my favourite of the Golders bakeries
(In all seriousness, lovely list, thank you ❤️)