David Rafferty
@davidrafferty.bsky.social
Roman historian in South Australia. Current project: “How Republics Die: Rome’s democratic breakdown in the 1st century BCE”. Husband and father. I’m the one who set cats and dogs against each other.
Reposted by David Rafferty
If you are thinking, "wow, I wish a resource like this existed for office holders in the Roman Republic" - it does, albeit in book form, as T.R.S. Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic (1951, 1952, 1960) in two volumes, both hosted online: onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/...
November 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
If you are thinking, "wow, I wish a resource like this existed for office holders in the Roman Republic" - it does, albeit in book form, as T.R.S. Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic (1951, 1952, 1960) in two volumes, both hosted online: onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/...
Reposted by David Rafferty
On this day 40 years ago, a stream of charged particles was fired at Gordon Lightfoot, splitting him into Chris Pratt and Bryan Cranston
November 9, 2024 at 10:41 PM
On this day 40 years ago, a stream of charged particles was fired at Gordon Lightfoot, splitting him into Chris Pratt and Bryan Cranston
Good enough to upstage Basil Rathbone for the villain crown in The Best Film Ever Made (Robin Hood).
Hands up who knew Claude Rains, who starred in Gaslight, Casablanca, Notorious, Now Voyager, 3 other Bette Davis pictures (among umpteen others) was born in Clapham in 1889, one of 12 children only 3 of whom survived, and taught John Gielgud and Charles Laughton at RADA? Happy Birthday, Claude.
November 10, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Good enough to upstage Basil Rathbone for the villain crown in The Best Film Ever Made (Robin Hood).
Reposted by David Rafferty
Who made this and why are you choosing nerd violence? ✍️ I mean, it is true, but still.
November 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Who made this and why are you choosing nerd violence? ✍️ I mean, it is true, but still.
The great album of the century so far.
November 9, 2025 at 2:40 AM
The great album of the century so far.
This is not my area but: the answer is just ‘racism’, right? Like, this is pretty much the reason racism was invented?
November 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM
This is not my area but: the answer is just ‘racism’, right? Like, this is pretty much the reason racism was invented?
Reposted by David Rafferty
I talked to the @unibonn.bsky.social magazine forsch about perfectionism, the Middle Ages, and why we could do with more creativity in scholarship. This is the English translation.
www.uni-bonn.de/en/universit...
www.uni-bonn.de/en/universit...
Effortlessly flawless?
www.uni-bonn.de
November 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
I talked to the @unibonn.bsky.social magazine forsch about perfectionism, the Middle Ages, and why we could do with more creativity in scholarship. This is the English translation.
www.uni-bonn.de/en/universit...
www.uni-bonn.de/en/universit...
This is a roundabout way of announcing they will join the Sterling Currency Area.
November 6, 2025 at 8:58 PM
This is a roundabout way of announcing they will join the Sterling Currency Area.
Reposted by David Rafferty
Excited to share that I am one of the ‘talking heads’ for the National Geographic series ‘Gladiators: Warriors of the Ancient World’. The series airs on National Geographic TV (US), but the first episode is on YouTube: youtu.be/9ssD7rNNv88?... #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky #BlueSkyClassics
October 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Excited to share that I am one of the ‘talking heads’ for the National Geographic series ‘Gladiators: Warriors of the Ancient World’. The series airs on National Geographic TV (US), but the first episode is on YouTube: youtu.be/9ssD7rNNv88?... #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky #BlueSkyClassics
Again, the troops should learn from the Spanish Army of Flanders: take control of a nearby town and hold it as their own until all backpay has been settled.
Army closes only dining facility on Kansas base due to government shutdown trib.al/5WGvUOq
Army closes only dining facility on Kansas base due to government shutdown
The only dining facility for junior troops at the Army’s Fort Leavenworth in Kansas has been closed due to funding issues.
trib.al
November 6, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Again, the troops should learn from the Spanish Army of Flanders: take control of a nearby town and hold it as their own until all backpay has been settled.
I know sport isn’t as prominent on here as it should be but: Club Brugge v Barcelona. Have a look at the highlights. What a game of football.
November 6, 2025 at 6:38 AM
I know sport isn’t as prominent on here as it should be but: Club Brugge v Barcelona. Have a look at the highlights. What a game of football.
Reposted by David Rafferty
I fucking love this... this is what the internet was meant for neal.fun/space-elevat...
Space Elevator
Take a trip to space!
neal.fun
November 5, 2025 at 12:02 AM
I fucking love this... this is what the internet was meant for neal.fun/space-elevat...
There are some organisations that would seriously tarnish their image by doing something like this. But for FIFA, everyone’s response is “Yeah, that tracks.”
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
November 5, 2025 at 9:27 PM
There are some organisations that would seriously tarnish their image by doing something like this. But for FIFA, everyone’s response is “Yeah, that tracks.”
It will never not be funny how often Stephen Maturin abuses his doctor’s privilege to tell his best friend “You’re too fat. Stop eating so much, fatty.”
November 5, 2025 at 8:57 PM
It will never not be funny how often Stephen Maturin abuses his doctor’s privilege to tell his best friend “You’re too fat. Stop eating so much, fatty.”
Cheney’s grave will presumably be in the United States, a boon for a country notoriously short of public toilets.
"He got to spend seven years deciding who the bad guys were and how to kill them. He got to scrawl the simplest possible moral calculus across the world in blood. He lived the dream."
defector.com/dick-cheney-...
defector.com/dick-cheney-...
Dick Cheney Departs The World He Made | Defector
At its heart, American conservatism is a fantasy. It’s a vision of a world too evil to be saved or cared about, and fearsome enough to justify any and every impulse toward cruelty and violence that a ...
defector.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Cheney’s grave will presumably be in the United States, a boon for a country notoriously short of public toilets.
Sex and the City and Just Shoot Me. I want George Segal’s character dating Samantha.
Name movie or tv universes that aren’t connected but should be.
November 4, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Sex and the City and Just Shoot Me. I want George Segal’s character dating Samantha.
His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
Hakeem Jeffries says Zohran Mamdani is not the future of the Democratic Party.
November 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
Oh no, I’m not falling for that one.
Heidi Klum was Medusa for Halloween. See the photos. - CBS News
www.cbsnews.com/news/heidi-k...
www.cbsnews.com/news/heidi-k...
Heidi Klum was Medusa for Halloween. See the photos.
Heidi Klum donned green scales and squirming snakes to transform herself into Medusa for Halloween on Friday.
www.cbsnews.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Oh no, I’m not falling for that one.
Reposted by David Rafferty
"Person standing next to the principal at graduation (in charge of handing the principal the diplomas)"
x.com/dailyportalz...
x.com/dailyportalz...
November 2, 2025 at 9:57 AM
"Person standing next to the principal at graduation (in charge of handing the principal the diplomas)"
x.com/dailyportalz...
x.com/dailyportalz...
Reposted by David Rafferty
November 2, 2025 at 9:47 AM
They misspelled “after Actium”.
November 2, 2025 at 11:07 AM
They misspelled “after Actium”.
Reposted by David Rafferty
Redditor, on Melb last night.
Fuck the media haters.
Fuck the media haters.
November 1, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Redditor, on Melb last night.
Fuck the media haters.
Fuck the media haters.
Literature people punching a hole through the wall at this point.
“What is Proust, chopped liver?”
“What is Proust, chopped liver?”
November 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Literature people punching a hole through the wall at this point.
“What is Proust, chopped liver?”
“What is Proust, chopped liver?”
Either he said this in a written statement (and therefore does not know the difference between wreak and reek) or it was transcribed from him speaking (and the Washington Post does not know the difference between wreak and reek).
Vice President JD Vance drew scrutiny this week by saying he hopes his Hindu wife converts to Christianity.
Vance said criticisms of his comments “wreak of anti-Christian bigotry.”
Vance said criticisms of his comments “wreak of anti-Christian bigotry.”
Vance defends saying he hopes his wife converts to Christianity
The vice president told students on Wednesday that he hopes his wife, Usha, who is Hindu, converts to Christianity someday.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Either he said this in a written statement (and therefore does not know the difference between wreak and reek) or it was transcribed from him speaking (and the Washington Post does not know the difference between wreak and reek).
“Mr President, do you feel that, as President, there is any law you must obey?“
US President Donald Trump has justified his attacks on boats in the Caribbean as a necessary anti-drug campaign.
US strikes on alleged drug boats 'unacceptable', says UN human rights chief
US President Donald Trump has justified his attacks on boats in the Caribbean as a necessary anti-drug campaign.
www.abc.net.au
November 1, 2025 at 12:16 AM
“Mr President, do you feel that, as President, there is any law you must obey?“