Oliver Clarke
@astroclassicist.bsky.social
Curatorial Assistant, Greek Coins, Ashmolean Museum. Former DPhil at New College, Oxford on Hellenistic Cities and Kings in Asia Minor. Quizzer, rower, lapsed Brummie.
One of the loadbearing tweets of the last decade
September 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
One of the loadbearing tweets of the last decade
It is, the perspective is just off in the first picture - the big stones in front are actually further from the standing one than it appears -
September 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
It is, the perspective is just off in the first picture - the big stones in front are actually further from the standing one than it appears -
Thanks to @yuanyiz.bsky.social 's review this astonishingly stupid quote from Clegg's new book is going to be rattling around my head all day
September 4, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Thanks to @yuanyiz.bsky.social 's review this astonishingly stupid quote from Clegg's new book is going to be rattling around my head all day
Looks plausible
August 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Looks plausible
Officially Dr Clarke
July 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Officially Dr Clarke
That's a faked photo - it was made to sell to tourists as a postcard afterwards
July 15, 2025 at 2:53 PM
That's a faked photo - it was made to sell to tourists as a postcard afterwards
Underreported by our ancient written sources about Augustus was that he derived some of his political power from having the goddess Nike as his personal hairdresser.
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/2691
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/2691
July 9, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Underreported by our ancient written sources about Augustus was that he derived some of his political power from having the goddess Nike as his personal hairdresser.
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/2691
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/2691
And they have excellent Disraeliana- his standing desk (later used by Churchill), this fan signed by all the delegates in Berlin, his unused chair from his first election, the copy of Faust Victoria had made for him
July 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
And they have excellent Disraeliana- his standing desk (later used by Churchill), this fan signed by all the delegates in Berlin, his unused chair from his first election, the copy of Faust Victoria had made for him
The preserved Victorian side of the house is a fascinating aesthetic mix of the pleasing and the OTT
July 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
The preserved Victorian side of the house is a fascinating aesthetic mix of the pleasing and the OTT
Visited Hughenden Manor on Sunday as an escape from Oxford for the first time in weeks. Perfect sized country house and parkland for a few hours wandering - particularly enjoyed the various techniques the Disraelis employed to get gothic ceilings cheaply.
July 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Visited Hughenden Manor on Sunday as an escape from Oxford for the first time in weeks. Perfect sized country house and parkland for a few hours wandering - particularly enjoyed the various techniques the Disraelis employed to get gothic ceilings cheaply.
Prousias II of Bithynia with some impressively curly sideburns on this coin (later on he has some quite stylish stubble)
July 4, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Prousias II of Bithynia with some impressively curly sideburns on this coin (later on he has some quite stylish stubble)
Recently came into possession of fascinating documents for family history:
1) the recollections of a great great grandfather, going back to his grandfather (born 1748)
2) the admittance records of (on another side of the family) my great great grandmother to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orp...
1) the recollections of a great great grandfather, going back to his grandfather (born 1748)
2) the admittance records of (on another side of the family) my great great grandmother to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orp...
June 29, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Recently came into possession of fascinating documents for family history:
1) the recollections of a great great grandfather, going back to his grandfather (born 1748)
2) the admittance records of (on another side of the family) my great great grandmother to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orp...
1) the recollections of a great great grandfather, going back to his grandfather (born 1748)
2) the admittance records of (on another side of the family) my great great grandmother to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orp...
While looking through the coinage of Magnesia on the Maeander, I had to chuckle at this Roman era coin I stumbled upon. The description of the reverse says "infant Dionysus seated right on cista mystica around which is coiled a serpent" but I see something else...
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/7.1/56...
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/7.1/56...
June 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
While looking through the coinage of Magnesia on the Maeander, I had to chuckle at this Roman era coin I stumbled upon. The description of the reverse says "infant Dionysus seated right on cista mystica around which is coiled a serpent" but I see something else...
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/7.1/56...
rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/7.1/56...
This wonderful coin from Mallos in Cilica (c. 340-330 BC) had passed me by before - on the reverse, Nike is carving her own name, part of the legend, with a stylus! greekcoinage.org/iris/id/mall...
June 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
This wonderful coin from Mallos in Cilica (c. 340-330 BC) had passed me by before - on the reverse, Nike is carving her own name, part of the legend, with a stylus! greekcoinage.org/iris/id/mall...
Not very good photos, but one of the many aspects I loved about the RSC's Titus Andronicus is that the stage itself is inscribed with lines from Ovid's version of Philomela and Tereus (the text becomes ever more legible to the audience as more blood is spilled across it through the two acts)
June 5, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Not very good photos, but one of the many aspects I loved about the RSC's Titus Andronicus is that the stage itself is inscribed with lines from Ovid's version of Philomela and Tereus (the text becomes ever more legible to the audience as more blood is spilled across it through the two acts)
Today I'm going through the wonderful but desperately understudied silver double sigloi issued by Pamphylian Aspendus pleiades.stoa.org/places/638776. This 5th-4th centuries coinage, wrestlers/slinger was minted in great quantities, and almost certainly associated with funding the Persian fleet.
June 3, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Today I'm going through the wonderful but desperately understudied silver double sigloi issued by Pamphylian Aspendus pleiades.stoa.org/places/638776. This 5th-4th centuries coinage, wrestlers/slinger was minted in great quantities, and almost certainly associated with funding the Persian fleet.
2) currently sketching out some questions about how Hellenistic kings spent their time/can we even think about reconstructing their day-to-day
(Classic anecdotes from Plutarch about Demetrius I attached)
(Classic anecdotes from Plutarch about Demetrius I attached)
May 7, 2025 at 11:12 AM
2) currently sketching out some questions about how Hellenistic kings spent their time/can we even think about reconstructing their day-to-day
(Classic anecdotes from Plutarch about Demetrius I attached)
(Classic anecdotes from Plutarch about Demetrius I attached)
Or, in (not great quality gif form):
April 29, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Or, in (not great quality gif form):
Last few hours in the most blessed plot in England
April 21, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Last few hours in the most blessed plot in England
Good day for a walk
April 12, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Good day for a walk
"In those days, the obols had pictures of bees on 'em. 'Gimme six bees for a drachma!', you'd say."
April 8, 2025 at 1:42 PM
"In those days, the obols had pictures of bees on 'em. 'Gimme six bees for a drachma!', you'd say."
Fragment from newspaper (?) headline (?), possibly recording an official response to an otherwise unattested earthquake (?) during the reign of Truman
Date ca. 1950-2050
...
...[r]ocks tumble as Trum[an?]...
[o?]ffs
This fragment has been dated to the rule of President Truman, c.1940-60
Date ca. 1950-2050
...
...[r]ocks tumble as Trum[an?]...
[o?]ffs
This fragment has been dated to the rule of President Truman, c.1940-60
April 7, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Fragment from newspaper (?) headline (?), possibly recording an official response to an otherwise unattested earthquake (?) during the reign of Truman
Date ca. 1950-2050
...
...[r]ocks tumble as Trum[an?]...
[o?]ffs
This fragment has been dated to the rule of President Truman, c.1940-60
Date ca. 1950-2050
...
...[r]ocks tumble as Trum[an?]...
[o?]ffs
This fragment has been dated to the rule of President Truman, c.1940-60
A book proposal: quotes from excessively acrimonious academic disputes over recondite matters
April 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
A book proposal: quotes from excessively acrimonious academic disputes over recondite matters
In doing a further search, I have found this line drawing ripped from its context, which is even better for "birds on top of omphalos", but have so far completely failed to find out more about it!
March 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
In doing a further search, I have found this line drawing ripped from its context, which is even better for "birds on top of omphalos", but have so far completely failed to find out more about it!