Laurence Totelin
@ltotelin.bsky.social
Historian of Ancient Mediterranean science and medicine. Mother of two. Feminist. Plant lover. Trade unionist. Super Belgie. Welsh by adoption. Many typos.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
#MosaicMonday
Fragment of a floor mosaic depicting a woman with a sistrum, probably priestess of Isis cult -Late #Roman period, 4th century AD - from a domus in #Carthage, #Tunisia - now in the British Museum.
#History #art #Archaeology
Fragment of a floor mosaic depicting a woman with a sistrum, probably priestess of Isis cult -Late #Roman period, 4th century AD - from a domus in #Carthage, #Tunisia - now in the British Museum.
#History #art #Archaeology
November 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM
#MosaicMonday
Fragment of a floor mosaic depicting a woman with a sistrum, probably priestess of Isis cult -Late #Roman period, 4th century AD - from a domus in #Carthage, #Tunisia - now in the British Museum.
#History #art #Archaeology
Fragment of a floor mosaic depicting a woman with a sistrum, probably priestess of Isis cult -Late #Roman period, 4th century AD - from a domus in #Carthage, #Tunisia - now in the British Museum.
#History #art #Archaeology
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
this is amazing news - the HPV vaccine promises to eliminate cervical cancer in countries where uptake is high.
November 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
this is amazing news - the HPV vaccine promises to eliminate cervical cancer in countries where uptake is high.
My thoughts are too rude for good society. But also, why is a letter about the USA Liberal Arts system published in a UK newspaper? (A partly rhetorical question)
“Fears about “dumbing down” degrees or commodifying education can be addressed through market accountability and employer feedback.”
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
It’s time to stop worshipping the liberal arts | Letters
Letters: While such institutions have intrinsic value, that doesn’t mean they are entitled to be socially favoured or economically exceptional for ever, says Jianyang Geng
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:26 PM
My thoughts are too rude for good society. But also, why is a letter about the USA Liberal Arts system published in a UK newspaper? (A partly rhetorical question)
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
“Fears about “dumbing down” degrees or commodifying education can be addressed through market accountability and employer feedback.”
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
It’s time to stop worshipping the liberal arts | Letters
Letters: While such institutions have intrinsic value, that doesn’t mean they are entitled to be socially favoured or economically exceptional for ever, says Jianyang Geng
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:38 PM
“Fears about “dumbing down” degrees or commodifying education can be addressed through market accountability and employer feedback.”
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
What do my liberal #arts people think about this hot-take…?
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Sigh... very big sigh
Threshold for repaying student loans to converge with minimum wage
Surprise move from chancellor means some university graduates in England may have to pay back debts sooner
www.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Sigh... very big sigh
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Nora's an OG internet friend so I'm biased to believe her, but I've seen this "tech revolution is over" take from multiple sources now (inc. ppl who work in robotics/ML/silicone valley etc). I'm a bit out of the loop for #histTech and philtech stuff & wondering if it's in the academic discourse too?
this is exactly why theres such a push for generative ai as the next thing because the smartphone is peak computer and the tech industry has been reduced to being an appliance maker when was the last big revolution in refrigerators or microwave ovens? tech as a growth sector is dead
November 26, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Nora's an OG internet friend so I'm biased to believe her, but I've seen this "tech revolution is over" take from multiple sources now (inc. ppl who work in robotics/ML/silicone valley etc). I'm a bit out of the loop for #histTech and philtech stuff & wondering if it's in the academic discourse too?
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
One thing with librarians is that they’re acutely aware of *who uses libraries* - many of us might go though our whole adult lives without setting foot in a library, but for people who are a little lost and need somewhere to be, they’re a lifeline.
Sometimes I think it’s going to be the librarians who will save us all.
November 26, 2025 at 7:38 AM
One thing with librarians is that they’re acutely aware of *who uses libraries* - many of us might go though our whole adult lives without setting foot in a library, but for people who are a little lost and need somewhere to be, they’re a lifeline.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
'Kendall believes the government can neither be too directive and must allow curiosity-driven research to prosper. It should also not be too permissive, funding must be directed toward government priorities particularly when it comes to translation and application.' 1/3
A change in approach means research may never be the same again
A new dawn has broken has it not? James Coe looks at the politics of the government’s new approach to research and a change of direction for UKRI
wonkhe.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:06 AM
'Kendall believes the government can neither be too directive and must allow curiosity-driven research to prosper. It should also not be too permissive, funding must be directed toward government priorities particularly when it comes to translation and application.' 1/3
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
So I'm editing the Edinburgh Edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Relatedly, if you're in the UK and you or your library possess the deluxe large paper British edition (1912 or 1914 versions), please let me know. It's the version with Iguanodon footprints on the cover.
November 25, 2025 at 8:02 AM
So I'm editing the Edinburgh Edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Relatedly, if you're in the UK and you or your library possess the deluxe large paper British edition (1912 or 1914 versions), please let me know. It's the version with Iguanodon footprints on the cover.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
'It is notable that in the last Research Excellence Framework exercise the Department of American Studies at Nottingham was ranked third in the Area Studies unit of assessment and was one of the top-performing units across the whole of the University of Nottingham.' 1/2
RED ALERT: the University of Nottingham is threatening to close its Department of American Studies, putting all staff at risk of redundancy, and ending any American specialist knowledge in the Faculty of Arts.
Sign the petition here to save jobs:
www.change.org/p/save-ameri...
Sign the petition here to save jobs:
www.change.org/p/save-ameri...
Sign the Petition
SAVE AMERICAN STUDIES TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
www.change.org
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
'It is notable that in the last Research Excellence Framework exercise the Department of American Studies at Nottingham was ranked third in the Area Studies unit of assessment and was one of the top-performing units across the whole of the University of Nottingham.' 1/2
A little outside of my budget, but what a stunning house.
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
Iconic Stahl House, a Midcentury Modern stunner, up for sale
The Stahl House is selling for $25 million. The current owners say its tour program will continue for now.
www.latimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
A little outside of my budget, but what a stunning house.
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
November 24, 2025 at 6:19 PM
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Seriously, UK establishment, try to show your humane side in this.
International students are reading these headlines, and they are seeing how they’re turned into a political football, not the learners in a very precarious position that they are.
International students are reading these headlines, and they are seeing how they’re turned into a political football, not the learners in a very precarious position that they are.
Props to the first journalist who asks how international students are actually doing while being turned into a political football.
Could start with the dangers of reporting bullying and the way university’s research reputations are upheld by those they make most precarious (and try to silence):
Could start with the dangers of reporting bullying and the way university’s research reputations are upheld by those they make most precarious (and try to silence):
November 24, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Seriously, UK establishment, try to show your humane side in this.
International students are reading these headlines, and they are seeing how they’re turned into a political football, not the learners in a very precarious position that they are.
International students are reading these headlines, and they are seeing how they’re turned into a political football, not the learners in a very precarious position that they are.
And the death spiral spins faster and faster now. Just so sad.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 23, 2025 at 11:43 PM
And the death spiral spins faster and faster now. Just so sad.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
I don't think (successive) governments who ignore the financial crisis in universities really realise what it will look like in cities, including northern cities like mine, if the higher education sector collapses. Newcastle's economy is *really fucking really* propped up by students
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 23, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I don't think (successive) governments who ignore the financial crisis in universities really realise what it will look like in cities, including northern cities like mine, if the higher education sector collapses. Newcastle's economy is *really fucking really* propped up by students
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
How to make tortillas, from Girolamo Benzoni, La Historia del Mondo Nuovo (Venice, 1565)
![A woodcut of three women in a thatched hut grinding maize, forming and cooking tortillas
text reads:
"Modo di fare il pane
Le donne Molandaie che lo macinano pigliano una quantità di questo grano, & la sera inanzi lo bagnano con acqua fredda; la mattina con due pie[tre]..."
["Method of making bread
The miller women who grind it take a quantity of this grain, and in the evening they soak it in cold water; in the morning, with two stones..."]
https://archive.org/details/la-historia-del-mondo-nuovo/page/n123/mode/1up?q=pane](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xkjqfvtcfakukddedpzrefm2/bafkreie5ckcwezde2tw27yjpfojkr6xgakcjqbyvs4biebhy6aebtg544a@jpeg)
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
How to make tortillas, from Girolamo Benzoni, La Historia del Mondo Nuovo (Venice, 1565)
A very difficult, but important, read.
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
As Esau Lopez was asphyxiated for the first 17 minutes of his life on Earth, the atmosphere in the room remained serene, even ecstatic. Acoustic music crooned from a speaker in a modest two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Pennsylvania. “You are a queen,” murmured one of three friends in the room.
Only Esau’s mother, Gabrielle Lopez, felt something was wrong. She was pushing hard, but her son would not be born. “Can you help [him] out?” she asked, as Esau crowned. “Baby is coming,” the friend replied. Four minutes later, Lopez asked again, “Can you grab [him]?” Another friend murmured, “Baby is safe.” Six minutes passed. Again, Lopez asked, “Can you grab [him]?” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:40 PM
A very difficult, but important, read.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
hey guys i made a seasonal meme
November 22, 2025 at 5:41 AM
hey guys i made a seasonal meme
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Sir Anthony Weldon, A Cat May Look Upon a King (printed for William Roybould, at the Unicorn in Pauls Church-yard, 1652)
November 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Sir Anthony Weldon, A Cat May Look Upon a King (printed for William Roybould, at the Unicorn in Pauls Church-yard, 1652)
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Cows have rough tongues like a cat's but way longer and more prehensile. They can open locks/pens with them and steal stuff out of your pockets. A curious cow can get into a LOT of things with their tongue which is why cow-proofing things is important in science ^^ But it's also adorable 🥰
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Cows have rough tongues like a cat's but way longer and more prehensile. They can open locks/pens with them and steal stuff out of your pockets. A curious cow can get into a LOT of things with their tongue which is why cow-proofing things is important in science ^^ But it's also adorable 🥰
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Serious question (yes, it can happen):
We all know that a sponge on a stick was used by the Romans for wiping their bums, right? Well, what's the evidence? Seems very impractical to us.
Does anyone know?
We all know that a sponge on a stick was used by the Romans for wiping their bums, right? Well, what's the evidence? Seems very impractical to us.
Does anyone know?
November 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Serious question (yes, it can happen):
We all know that a sponge on a stick was used by the Romans for wiping their bums, right? Well, what's the evidence? Seems very impractical to us.
Does anyone know?
We all know that a sponge on a stick was used by the Romans for wiping their bums, right? Well, what's the evidence? Seems very impractical to us.
Does anyone know?
As UK HE'S crisis deepens, I really hope that not too many will develop a survivor's bias, whereby they think they/their discipline survived because they are 'better'. I'm starting to witness it. It is not pleasant.
November 18, 2025 at 2:23 PM
As UK HE'S crisis deepens, I really hope that not too many will develop a survivor's bias, whereby they think they/their discipline survived because they are 'better'. I'm starting to witness it. It is not pleasant.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
1620: seeking predictions from an angel, Richard Napier asks whether one of his clients will 'live long & prosp[er]' #earlymodern 🖖
![Manuscript image showing part of a paragraph that reads: 'wheather Mr John Monson hayre to Sir Th shall live long & prosp[er] & attayne to honour & good & a happy mariage', then, added later in a darker ink (but not shown in the image): 'he shall'. (NOTE6839 in the online edition.)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:k254wppy2ojyxlyxgi2odu5z/bafkreid5dg4nfnubkseed4f762m3mngvzupzzf4kqfcmdudv7yahs7hoq4@jpeg)
November 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
1620: seeking predictions from an angel, Richard Napier asks whether one of his clients will 'live long & prosp[er]' #earlymodern 🖖
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Does anybody know who is the author of this Lexicon Thucydidaeum, published in 1824?
archive.org/details/lexi...
archive.org/details/lexi...
November 16, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Does anybody know who is the author of this Lexicon Thucydidaeum, published in 1824?
archive.org/details/lexi...
archive.org/details/lexi...
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Want to join the www.codicum.eu project?
3 year PostDoct at SDU (Odense, Denmark) for an Latin expert with palaeographical as well as text and book historical skills.
#Medieval #Manuscript
3 year PostDoct at SDU (Odense, Denmark) for an Latin expert with palaeographical as well as text and book historical skills.
#Medieval #Manuscript
3-year postdoc position in medieval studies
3-year postdoc position in medieval studies The Department of Culture and Language invites applications for a 3-year postdoc position in Dominican studies within the CODICUM project. The position is e...
fa-eosd-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Want to join the www.codicum.eu project?
3 year PostDoct at SDU (Odense, Denmark) for an Latin expert with palaeographical as well as text and book historical skills.
#Medieval #Manuscript
3 year PostDoct at SDU (Odense, Denmark) for an Latin expert with palaeographical as well as text and book historical skills.
#Medieval #Manuscript