When I’m not doing other things (dog-walking, scooting, reading detective novels, cooking things up…), I’m Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Birmingham. In the time that sits around this variety, I’m also by discipline and inclination a Classicist. When I am in my role as Professor of Classics, I get to spend time thinking, talking, and writing about ancient Romans doing ditto (you can see what my colleagues do by clicking here).
This means I’m primarily interested in what we think Romans thought about themselves (as reflected in texts), how they conceptualized themselves as a people, and how they responded to (and were shaped by) the world they lived in. And all the stuff that feeds in and from that.
This blog is home to thoughts which don’t have an obvious outlet elsewhere, but run to more than 140 characters. Hence ‘partigiana’: I have a lot of opinions, and sometimes they are suitable for releasing to the world. This blog has no bearing on my professional self, and does not represent (except accidentally) the views or opinions of the University of Birmingham or its employees. The Liberal Arts & Sciences gang has a blog where you can see more about what I do in that role. Just thought I’d put that in there…
Diana Spencer
Rome and all that... 