BBC News - Unlocking the scrolls of Herculaneum
They've found a library in Herculaneum, which is near Mount Vesuvius and was buried (along with Pompeii) when Vesuvius erupted.
Piso's grand villa, which has come to be known as the Villa of the Papyri, also contains the only library to have survived from the classical world. It is a relatively small collection, some 2,000 scrolls, which the eruption nearly destroyed and yet preserved at the same time.
The scrolls were almost impossible to read and many were destroyed in the attempt. But Science has come to the rescue and they can be read now.
Despite being found in Italy, most of the recovered material is in Greek. Perhaps the major discovery is a third of On Nature, a previously lost work by the philosopher Epicurus.
But many of the texts that have emerged so far are written by a follower of Epicurus, the philosopher and poet Philodemus of Gadara (c.110-c.40/35BC). In fact, so many of his works are present, and in duplicate copies, that David Sider, a classics professor at New York University, believes that what has been found so far was in fact Philodemus's own working library. Piso was Philodemus's patron.
I am on hold with my dentist, waiting to get an appointment so I can find out why a sharp piece of BONE is now sticking out of my gum. No, I haven't been punched in the face lately.
Merry post-Christmas?
I am also going to the dentist today, but not because I have BONE sticking out of me, OMGWTFBBQ.
Yeah, it's a little weird. Fortunately, according to Dr. Google, it's not unheard of, and not a sign that I'm mutating or anything. And it stopped hurting once the bone actually poked through the skin.
not a sign that I'm mutating or anything
You ought to get a few superpowers when your bones start moving in new directions.
Fortunately, according to Dr. Google, it's not unheard of, and not a sign that I'm mutating or anything.
There are so many uncouth and puerile jokes I want to make about boner superpowers right now, but I must go to a team lunch at a crab house.
Ba dum tsh.
It is a bone spicule? I got those after I had my wisdom teeth out, and was failing at Googling, not knowing a NAME. Teppy saved me.
It's been years since I had my wisdom teeth extracted. Actually, that was my first guess -- I only had three wisdom teeth, and I don't remember where the missing one was, so I thought maybe it had finally appeared.
Yikes, Dana! I hope your dentist can help out.
And yikes, Theo! Sore toes!
I blew off most of yesterday reading Yuletide, and I think I'm now maxed out. I have a meeting with a career counsellor in 45 minutes, so I should probably change out of my dog-walking clothes into something that indicates my professionalism. Bah.
It's really hard to get back into the job-search mode. It's still the holiday week, and my nieces are still here for me to play with (although my nephews took all their Hot Wheels and stuffed manatees back to Colorado yesterday). But the firm that didn't want me because I didn't have transportation experience just posted an announcement for an on-call senior PM with pretty much exactly my qualifications. So I'm emailing the recruiter again...
Just as well. Since NYE is tomorrow, I have no good reason to do anymore baking. I need to start some new projects, one of which is going to be rehabbing my brother's company's website.
