Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

3.6K followers 1K following 12K posts

Reader at the Classics dept at Royal Holloway; mater; deacon in the C of E; comms for RHUL UCU; feminist. Sharing my thoughts, not those of my employer. She/her. #TinyJoys curator.

Posts Replies Media Videos

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

The unswept pavement mosaic would like a word.

Photo of a Roman mosaic floor. The floor itself is white with a brown frame. Inside the frame, rubbish appears to be strewn all over the floor, including animal bones, what appears to be a couple of sea urchins, and a couple of green leaves. The impression is that someone is a very messy eater.

November 11, 2025 at 12:16 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Well.

Photo of Liz, a white woman with shoulder length brown hair, sitting in a car, wearing a blue and white dress with a clerical dog collar.

September 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Here we go. See you on the other side.

September 11, 2025 at 1:02 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Bit on the nose from the BCC England news page there.

Two stories one above the other. The top one is headlined 'tube strike enters fifth day as bike use soars'. The bottom one is headlined 'e-bike injuries are a massive burden, say surgeons'.

September 11, 2025 at 8:47 AM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Well, yes, and given that this is more or less my mental image of hyacinths, it came as something of a surprise as a descriptor.

A photo of hyacinths in bloom, looking somewhere in the purple blue zone.

August 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Apparently we're starting with vaguely supernatural waffling, so what could possibly go wrong.

Screenshot of a Word document. Text reads: You’ve heard people talk about going into a house and feeling something was wrong there. They might be the most sceptical, solid, earth-bound people of your acquaintance – but, when going to visit someone new or perhaps house-hunting, they walked into the building and they knew something wasn’t right. Perhaps you have had the sensation yourself – of something intangible but inescapably present, setting your teeth on edge, nipping at your heels until you can’t wait to be out from under that roof, back under the clear sky, taking a breath.
How we live in houses changes them. Houses know how they have been lived in, and by whom. Houses hold on to those memories. Houses hold on to their ghosts.

August 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

This is giving me strong Nero in Quo Vadis shorts by Munsingwear vibes.

A white man wearing gaudy boxers covered in spears and Roman armour plus a vest and a gold laurel wreath plays the violin. A line-drawn woman clutches her chest and swoons in the background. The text reads 'Make like Nero in Quo Vadis Shorts - speed up the process by showing your empress this page. Munsingwear - at better stores everywhere.'

August 1, 2025 at 1:14 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

At the top of the stairs, for some reason the closing image is Ajax and Odysseus arguing over who gets Achilles' armour after his death. Why? I have absolutely no idea, and I didn't guess which scene it was before being told. It's so... random. Utterly random. Makes very little sense.

Photo of final painting. Two men in armour, cloaks and helmets on the left are Odysseus and Ajax, arguing over the golden armour of Achilles that sits at their feet. The right hand side of the painting is filled with soldiers in dull grey and red uniforms, inside a tent, watching how the confrontation plays out. They all have beards.

The same painting from a little way down the stairs, to give it some context, and with a bit of the ceiling painting in frame at the top of the photo.

July 20, 2025 at 5:50 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

This image is on your right as you ascend the staircase. Chiron and Achilles are in the rondel at the bottom, Hephaestus and the Cyclopes make Achilles' armoor above, overseen by Thetis. Note the Cyclopes have one eye *but also* two sockets where normal human eyes would have been, for... reasons?

Photo of wall painting. Various men raise hammers to strike at an anvil in front of a flaming forge; Thetis lies langorously on a rock allowing her to watch them from above. At the level of the bannisters, there is stone-effect painting including Chiron the centaur instructing a young seated Achilles in a round frame.

July 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

This image dominates your vision as you begin to ascend the staircase. It is when Achilles is discovered on Scyros, where his mother Thetis has hidden him before the Trojan war in a vain attempt to stop him getting pulled into it. Note Hermes falling out of heaven above, breaking the frame.

Photo of a painting alongside the staircase, with a young man holding a spear and shield in mid-frame; a group of elderly men stand to the left, pointing meaningfully at said spear while various women stand to the right of the painting.

July 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

We have had a weekend in Coventry, coming back via Hanbury Hall, mainly to see the Ridiculous Classical Reception Staircase that @aimeehindsscott.bsky.social told me about a couple of years ago. And it is *ridiculous*, and #puer had a wonderful time spotting which Greek god was which in the ceiling.

Photo taken from the bottom of a rather grand wooden staircase in a country house, leading up through a series of paintings. The individual paintings are in the following images.

Photo of the painted ceiling above the staircase. It is covered in a massed cloud of the Olympian gods. You can identify Jupiter by his Christ-like halo to the top left, and Athena who is sitting on a cloud with battle armour in the middle of the scene. There are also loads of other divinities and mythical figures scattered about the place. It's typical 18th century painting with lots of diaphanous cloth fluttering about the place.

July 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

It has been far, far too long since I had a really bimbly Saturday.

There was also a cathedral.

Photo of the interior of Coventry Cathedral taken from behind the high altar so you can see some of the stained glass.

July 19, 2025 at 5:48 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

I am inexorably reminded of this infographic of the differences between US/UK men/women and what animal they thought they could beat in a fight.

A table of the results of a YouGov poll of US and UK men and women about which animals they think they could beat in a fight. American men are wildly optimistic about their chances; British women are wildly conservative about their changes. Men, regardless of country, are more likely to think they can beat a rat, a house hat, a goose, a medium-sized dog, an eagle, a large dog, a king cobra, and a chimpanzee.

July 17, 2025 at 11:23 AM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

And now to walk back along the sea.

Photo of a view out over the sea, with banks of seaweed reaching out from the land. Purple flowers grow on the cliff edge. There is a another ruined building in the background.

July 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

A ruined medieval cathedral to St Andrew, obviously. Grounds closed but might try to get there at some point over the next few days.

Photo of the front and back arches of a stone cathedral. Apart from some low walls, they are all that survive.

July 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Another building where we'll be spending some time, again marked by its modest architectural program.

This building is not modest. It is built to look like a neo-classical temple, including levels and stacking and Greek key friezes and my goodness does it stands out on the high street.

July 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

Where we'll be spending some of the conference program. Just something small and modest, you understand.

Photo of a quad with grand stone buildings on two visible sides. It is not small and modest. Sitting under a cloudy sky, it oozes Scottish landed gentry.

July 10, 2025 at 4:38 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

So, I escaped from the student halls of residence... #CA2025

Photo of a view over a low hedge, overlooking a sea view with a curving sandy beach.

View of the sea taken through standing trees.

July 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM

Rev. Dr. Liz Gloyn

@lizgloyn.bsky.social

My ember cards have just arrived - with a huge thanks to @corabeth.bsky.social for the design.

If you would like one, please drop me a DM and the best postal address.