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
'Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.' 1/2
Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds
Cognitive health in later life is ‘strongly influenced’ by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments, say researchers
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:47 AM
'Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.' 1/2
An uplifting story! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leicester Cathedral reveals sign language wedding held in 1576
Cathedral bosses believe the signed service could have been one of the first in England.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 9:37 AM
An uplifting story! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A beautiful place! Well worth a visit.
February 8, 2026 at 2:08 PM
A beautiful place! Well worth a visit.
This breaks my heart: ‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:35 PM
This breaks my heart: ‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university? www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
The Healthcare and Disability in the Ancient World unit is welcoming papers in the following categories for this year's #SBL Annual Meeting: tinyurl.com/29ene8n6
February 4, 2026 at 5:20 PM
The Healthcare and Disability in the Ancient World unit is welcoming papers in the following categories for this year's #SBL Annual Meeting: tinyurl.com/29ene8n6
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
MMU deleted the page celebrating Mandelson’s appointment as Chancellor in 2016. 🤷♂️
Our neighbours at Manchester Met didn’t get to vote, and management appointed their preferred candidate.
www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-eve...
Lord Mandelson installed as Chancellor
Grand ceremony held at Manchester Town Hall
www.mmu.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
MMU deleted the page celebrating Mandelson’s appointment as Chancellor in 2016. 🤷♂️
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
'A Roman ship with its entire cargo of garum amphorae intact found off the coast of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea'
www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/02/a...
www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/02/a...
A Roman ship with its entire cargo of garum amphorae intact found off the coast of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea
Beneath the relentless transparency of the Ionian Sea, a few miles off the coast of the Italian town of Gallipoli, on the shores of the Gulf of Taranto, the wreck of a large Roman oneraria ship has be...
www.labrujulaverde.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:51 PM
'A Roman ship with its entire cargo of garum amphorae intact found off the coast of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea'
www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/02/a...
www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/02/a...
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Save curiosity. Save learninge. Save lore. Save science. Save researche. All arounde the worlde ther ys an attack on higher educacioun. Banning bookes ys nothinge compared to sneaky defunding that doth destroye knowledge at the root. Protect higher ed.
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...
Hundreds of jobs at risk at major Welsh employer
Swansea University is looking to save £30m with the loss of 55 academic posts from a pool of 204 posts
www.walesonline.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Save curiosity. Save learninge. Save lore. Save science. Save researche. All arounde the worlde ther ys an attack on higher educacioun. Banning bookes ys nothinge compared to sneaky defunding that doth destroye knowledge at the root. Protect higher ed.
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Our expense system at work is now so complicated that it took me an hour to file 5 receipts. Is this the best use of my time? but that's what "efficiency" looks like in the modern university.
First World problems. But it takes as much energy as writing good useful words, or a student supervision.
First World problems. But it takes as much energy as writing good useful words, or a student supervision.
January 30, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Our expense system at work is now so complicated that it took me an hour to file 5 receipts. Is this the best use of my time? but that's what "efficiency" looks like in the modern university.
First World problems. But it takes as much energy as writing good useful words, or a student supervision.
First World problems. But it takes as much energy as writing good useful words, or a student supervision.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
“We must address the demoralising effect of loss of autonomy by getting people to stop being nostalgic for the days when they had more autonomy.”
'We likely require fewer academics with research in their remit, but those that do need greater time allocated, and must be subject to a strategic research management regime'.
I remain very sceptical/negative about the medium- and long-turn impacts of separating research and teaching. 1/2
I remain very sceptical/negative about the medium- and long-turn impacts of separating research and teaching. 1/2
For Everything to Stay the Same, Everything Must Change
... a riposte to academic nostalgia
profserious.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:37 PM
“We must address the demoralising effect of loss of autonomy by getting people to stop being nostalgic for the days when they had more autonomy.”
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
'The 450,000 objects, which are being held in a secret warehouse, include a possible Roman gladiator's tag, a hand axe that may be more than 40,000 years old and 19th Century gold dentures.'
Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 9:29 AM
'The 450,000 objects, which are being held in a secret warehouse, include a possible Roman gladiator's tag, a hand axe that may be more than 40,000 years old and 19th Century gold dentures.'
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Hannah Arendt did not mince words, did she?
'Totalitarianism replaces all first-rate talents with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.'
From "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
'Totalitarianism replaces all first-rate talents with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.'
From "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
January 29, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Hannah Arendt did not mince words, did she?
'Totalitarianism replaces all first-rate talents with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.'
From "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
'Totalitarianism replaces all first-rate talents with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.'
From "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
Today I feel like I have succeeded as a mum. My son said of the freshly changed sheets: I love when they are all fresh and crinkly. Turned my refusal to iron anything into a positive!
January 27, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Today I feel like I have succeeded as a mum. My son said of the freshly changed sheets: I love when they are all fresh and crinkly. Turned my refusal to iron anything into a positive!
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 PM
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Villa Farnesina Cubiculum B fresco depicting the Nymphs of Mount Nysa caring for the infant Dionysus.
The baby is shown being nursed or tended to by female figures in a lush setting. It is painted in a "Neo-Attic" or "lekythos" style, which mimics the look of 5th-c. BCE Greek pottery.
#FrescoFriday
The baby is shown being nursed or tended to by female figures in a lush setting. It is painted in a "Neo-Attic" or "lekythos" style, which mimics the look of 5th-c. BCE Greek pottery.
#FrescoFriday
January 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Villa Farnesina Cubiculum B fresco depicting the Nymphs of Mount Nysa caring for the infant Dionysus.
The baby is shown being nursed or tended to by female figures in a lush setting. It is painted in a "Neo-Attic" or "lekythos" style, which mimics the look of 5th-c. BCE Greek pottery.
#FrescoFriday
The baby is shown being nursed or tended to by female figures in a lush setting. It is painted in a "Neo-Attic" or "lekythos" style, which mimics the look of 5th-c. BCE Greek pottery.
#FrescoFriday
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
This is such an interesting explainer video
I was chasing sadness yesterday. Now I’m chasing rage. I am watching an opera singer react to and explain how awesome this song is. I recommend:
youtu.be/LWUEL6ecqlM?...
youtu.be/LWUEL6ecqlM?...
My First Time Hearing Rage Against The Machine!
YouTube video by The Charismatic Voice
youtu.be
January 24, 2026 at 7:25 AM
This is such an interesting explainer video
A moving thread. What is happening at Edinburgh is replicated in many institutions.
Missing from the coverage of redundancies at Edinburgh: this was done in such a haphazard, uncoordinated way, there are now core teams who have gone from 5 people to 1 with no change in workload or pressure and huge loss in knowledge of institutional process. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2576321...
Hundreds of staff leave Edinburgh University amid cuts drive
According to the university, 345 of these departures were the result of a targeted voluntary severance (VS) scheme run by the institution in 2025.
www.heraldscotland.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:48 PM
A moving thread. What is happening at Edinburgh is replicated in many institutions.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
What I love about these ‘universities need to set up programmes abroad’ stories is that no one who does work abroad is ever actually consulted. Ever.
January 20, 2026 at 8:08 AM
What I love about these ‘universities need to set up programmes abroad’ stories is that no one who does work abroad is ever actually consulted. Ever.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Spent some time with this beauty today. 1650s King's Bench Plea Roll. TNA KB 27/1777
January 19, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Spent some time with this beauty today. 1650s King's Bench Plea Roll. TNA KB 27/1777
I'm not Starmer's biggest fan on internal affairs, but imho his address to the nation this morning was excellent.
January 19, 2026 at 1:40 PM
I'm not Starmer's biggest fan on internal affairs, but imho his address to the nation this morning was excellent.
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
the European mission to Greenland was fourth in the BBC news running order this morning, which feels a bit like doing a light "and finally..." item about the archduke's motorcade taking a wrong turn in Sarajevo
January 15, 2026 at 10:01 AM
the European mission to Greenland was fourth in the BBC news running order this morning, which feels a bit like doing a light "and finally..." item about the archduke's motorcade taking a wrong turn in Sarajevo
Reposted by Laurence Totelin
Fire-damaged fragment of the Talmud tractate Yevamot, remnant of the Talmud burning of 1553 decreed by the Roman Inquisition [Archivio di Stato di Roma (ASR), MS. Pergamene, Appendice B, Documenti ebraici, n. 264]
January 15, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Fire-damaged fragment of the Talmud tractate Yevamot, remnant of the Talmud burning of 1553 decreed by the Roman Inquisition [Archivio di Stato di Roma (ASR), MS. Pergamene, Appendice B, Documenti ebraici, n. 264]