Nathaniel S. Katz
@nathanielskatz.bsky.social
Roman Historian (what happens after emperor gets assassinated?). Lecturer at University of Arizona. Outside academia: rap & metal music, SFF fiction, Seinfeld.
Reposted by Nathaniel S. Katz
Agreed on what the actual ****.
This is reflected of a pretty fundamental failure to understand what historians do, because LLMs do basically none of my job and are completely incapable of most of it.
But they have the ears of the people that write the checks, so this is real bad news. 1/
This is reflected of a pretty fundamental failure to understand what historians do, because LLMs do basically none of my job and are completely incapable of most of it.
But they have the ears of the people that write the checks, so this is real bad news. 1/
Yo, historians, what the actual ****?
I've seen how LLMs handle "history." This is... not good.
🗃️
I've seen how LLMs handle "history." This is... not good.
🗃️
July 30, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Agreed on what the actual ****.
This is reflected of a pretty fundamental failure to understand what historians do, because LLMs do basically none of my job and are completely incapable of most of it.
But they have the ears of the people that write the checks, so this is real bad news. 1/
This is reflected of a pretty fundamental failure to understand what historians do, because LLMs do basically none of my job and are completely incapable of most of it.
But they have the ears of the people that write the checks, so this is real bad news. 1/
I'm late to this, but it's inconceivable to me that Ozzy's gone. He was not only in the first metal band but was probably the first musician I knew of, the one overlap in my dad's musical tastes and mine. Reunion was the first CD my dad gave me. I've been playing it for most of the last two days.
July 23, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I'm late to this, but it's inconceivable to me that Ozzy's gone. He was not only in the first metal band but was probably the first musician I knew of, the one overlap in my dad's musical tastes and mine. Reunion was the first CD my dad gave me. I've been playing it for most of the last two days.
After reading SF/Fantasy my whole life, I finally decided to vote for the Hugo awards. It turned out to be a delightful way to see what's happening now in the field, especially since—left to my own devices—I tend to read more older stuff than newer. I am a historian after all...
July 23, 2025 at 11:23 PM
After reading SF/Fantasy my whole life, I finally decided to vote for the Hugo awards. It turned out to be a delightful way to see what's happening now in the field, especially since—left to my own devices—I tend to read more older stuff than newer. I am a historian after all...
Reposted by Nathaniel S. Katz
It is my immense privilege to share this particular proofs day! For @platanoclassics.bsky.social and I’s chapter! Will be happy to share when it’s appropriate to do so!
April 26, 2025 at 10:56 PM
It is my immense privilege to share this particular proofs day! For @platanoclassics.bsky.social and I’s chapter! Will be happy to share when it’s appropriate to do so!
For my myth class today, the assigned "reading" was Disney's Hercules so we could discuss adaptations. I thought giving them "reading" questions would be free points for the class. Turns out I overestimated how many students would do the reading even when it's a kid's movie...
April 10, 2025 at 9:14 PM
For my myth class today, the assigned "reading" was Disney's Hercules so we could discuss adaptations. I thought giving them "reading" questions would be free points for the class. Turns out I overestimated how many students would do the reading even when it's a kid's movie...
Reposted by Nathaniel S. Katz
*Roman historian voice* The emperor was sound neither of body nor mind, for in a fit of madness he imposed tariffs on the creatures of Neptune.
April 3, 2025 at 12:39 AM
*Roman historian voice* The emperor was sound neither of body nor mind, for in a fit of madness he imposed tariffs on the creatures of Neptune.
From the acknowledgments from the Nicole Galland novel The Master of the Revels. Is the mentioned Andrew Riggsby by any chance @antiquethought.bsky.social?
April 2, 2025 at 5:21 PM
From the acknowledgments from the Nicole Galland novel The Master of the Revels. Is the mentioned Andrew Riggsby by any chance @antiquethought.bsky.social?
February 20, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I appeared on Classical Antiquity Sidequest to talk about Roman imperial assassinations, civil wars, and other forms of regime change, plus just a bit of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Check it out!
New episode! Dr. Nat Katz stopped by to talk about imperial transitions in the Roman Empire. We also have new theme music from Brent Arehart (thanks, @leximcmenamin.bsky.social!). Enjoy!
bullcitycoordinators.com/2025/02/11/s...
bullcitycoordinators.com/2025/02/11/s...
Sidequest 15 – Nathaniel Katz on Imperial Transitions
In follow up to a suggestion by Dr. Kaldellis as to future podcast episodes, I reached to Dr. Nat Katz at Arizona to discuss how the Roman state handled transitions of power. During our discussion,…
bullcitycoordinators.com
February 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I appeared on Classical Antiquity Sidequest to talk about Roman imperial assassinations, civil wars, and other forms of regime change, plus just a bit of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Check it out!
Come work with me at the University of Arizona!
classicalstudies.org/placement-se...
classicalstudies.org/placement-se...
Visiting Lecturer (Full Time, with Benefits) | Society for Classical Studies
The Department of Religious Studies and Classics at the University of Arizona in Tucson invites applications for a one-year visiting lecturer in Classics (full time, with benefits) for the 2025-2026 a...
classicalstudies.org
January 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Come work with me at the University of Arizona!
classicalstudies.org/placement-se...
classicalstudies.org/placement-se...
I was going to post a picture of all the books I got from the SCS, but American Airlines lost my luggage, so that’ll have to wait…
January 6, 2025 at 4:29 PM
I was going to post a picture of all the books I got from the SCS, but American Airlines lost my luggage, so that’ll have to wait…
Off to the SCS!
January 2, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Off to the SCS!
Those of you who prefer your legionary coins content in video form might enjoy this talk I gave two years ago about Severus' legionary coins I just published on as well as earlier legionary coins from the Year of the Four Emperors: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOH7...
November 19, 2024 at 12:28 AM
Those of you who prefer your legionary coins content in video form might enjoy this talk I gave two years ago about Severus' legionary coins I just published on as well as earlier legionary coins from the Year of the Four Emperors: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOH7...
My article The Legionary Coins of Septimius Severus is now out in the Journal of Ancient History & Archaeology! This 🧵unpacks how these coins show us an early stage in how Severus presented himself to the empire, how he linked himself to Augustus, & even the response he got 1/11
November 18, 2024 at 6:39 PM
My article The Legionary Coins of Septimius Severus is now out in the Journal of Ancient History & Archaeology! This 🧵unpacks how these coins show us an early stage in how Severus presented himself to the empire, how he linked himself to Augustus, & even the response he got 1/11
In classes, I use Prima Porta Augustus to talk about the link between art & politics. This study abroad program didn’t do the Vatican, but while in Rome I got to see the statue in person—and so did multiple students, who showed me their pics of doing the pose with Augustus.
June 21, 2024 at 4:34 PM
In classes, I use Prima Porta Augustus to talk about the link between art & politics. This study abroad program didn’t do the Vatican, but while in Rome I got to see the statue in person—and so did multiple students, who showed me their pics of doing the pose with Augustus.
Perks of teaching in Italy this summer: after sending off a chapter on the treatment of the corpses of assassinated emperors, I'm off to Castel Sant'Angelo/Hadrian's Mausoleum to see where Commodus and several other slain emperors ended up.
May 31, 2024 at 10:29 AM
Perks of teaching in Italy this summer: after sending off a chapter on the treatment of the corpses of assassinated emperors, I'm off to Castel Sant'Angelo/Hadrian's Mausoleum to see where Commodus and several other slain emperors ended up.
It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to spend the next five weeks teaching in Italy, but I’m about to get on the plane, so here we go!
May 16, 2024 at 8:57 PM
It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to spend the next five weeks teaching in Italy, but I’m about to get on the plane, so here we go!
Anyone who was curious about my talk on Carthage in Metal Music but missed the Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II conference can now see the talk on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiG...
March 30, 2024 at 7:33 PM
Anyone who was curious about my talk on Carthage in Metal Music but missed the Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II conference can now see the talk on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiG...
Did you know that there are over 250 metal songs about Carthage? This Saturday at 12:15 EST, I'll be talking about how metal remembers Carthage at Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II. Attendance is free but registration is required.
Registration is now open, and the conference website has been launched! See below for links to register and to check out the full program on the website. See you on the Ides of March...
March 13, 2024 at 1:49 AM
Did you know that there are over 250 metal songs about Carthage? This Saturday at 12:15 EST, I'll be talking about how metal remembers Carthage at Heavy Metal & Global Premodernity II. Attendance is free but registration is required.
As I prepare a glossary of Latin terms for my Roman Empire students to be able to tackle some articles on how democratic the republic was, I’m struck by the needless inaccessibility of so much otherwise great scholarship. Translating the Latin wouldn’t have weakened these pieces!
January 18, 2024 at 11:40 PM
As I prepare a glossary of Latin terms for my Roman Empire students to be able to tackle some articles on how democratic the republic was, I’m struck by the needless inaccessibility of so much otherwise great scholarship. Translating the Latin wouldn’t have weakened these pieces!
One of my myth students got her younger sister the Iliad for Christmas, so the next generation of myth students is on the way! That or someone who gets bored by their Christmas present...
December 7, 2023 at 6:48 PM
One of my myth students got her younger sister the Iliad for Christmas, so the next generation of myth students is on the way! That or someone who gets bored by their Christmas present...
I got home from my last class of the semester with a voice so hoarse I can barely whisper. Presumably it’s the after effects of the cold I had on Friday, but it feels more like sixteen weeks of projecting to big lecture classes catching up on me all at once.
December 6, 2023 at 1:41 AM
I got home from my last class of the semester with a voice so hoarse I can barely whisper. Presumably it’s the after effects of the cold I had on Friday, but it feels more like sixteen weeks of projecting to big lecture classes catching up on me all at once.