on the auction market

An interesting tidbit in yesterday's news:

Roman Imperial Marble Bust Sells for a Staggering $23.8 Million at Sotheby's

The title of the article really says it all. What it doesn't say is how astounding it is that the art market still holds so much sway, despite what we know about the problems of private collections for the understanding of archaeological context. Where did this sculpture come from, exactly, beyond the private collection of Clarence Day?

In other news, we're preparing for a week ahead of a massive number of strikes in Greece, the worst being the closing of the airports on Wednesday. I leave next Sunday, and hopefully by then they'll be all finished striking. So much is on strike - public transportation, lawyers, journalists, newspapers, banks, museums, airlines, etc., that it's hard to keep track of. This page is really excellent for continuous updates on the situation(s).

Celebrating Hanukkah

We had a Hanukkah celebration here in Loring Hall tonight, as three of our lovely members are Jewish. It was my first time trying latkes, the traditional potato pancakes, made by Nitzan. And they were delicious! In many ways, they reminded me of one of my favorite Greek dishes, kolokithokeftes - say that three times fast! - which are fried spinach balls, only latkes are made from potatoes.

In any case, great fun was had by all, about 25 of us, including Director Jack Davis and his wife, Shari! One striking absence tonight, however, was my camera: I had thought it would be a small celebration, and I would just drop by. Yet it turned out to be a great dinner, with good friends, songs, and the lighting of the menorah. It never fails, whenever I forget/fail to bring my camera along, I miss all kinds of picture opportunities.

But I digress. In lieu of photos, I leave you with this Hanukkah Song for Classicists, marvelously written and performed by some of last year's ASCSA members: