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Andy Keen

@keenerclassics.bsky.social
475 followers 411 following 200 posts

Teacher of Greek, Class Civ, Latin, Cuneiform, Middle Egyptian, EPQ. Bristol, UK

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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
“Eros the melter of limbs (now again) stirs me— sweetbitter unmanageable creature who steals in” - Sappho, poem 130 (tr. Anne Carson)
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Now scheduled for 22 October…
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Further postponed to Wed 7 Oct, just to keep you in suspense! 🤣
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Coming up next week: Simon Armitage’s new translation dramatised for Radio 4: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Gilgamesh
A dramatisation of Simon Armitage's exhilarating translation of this ancient epic poem.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Now looks like it’s going to be 29 Sep
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Due to be released tomorrow, narrated (in Latin) by me! 😮 open.spotify.com/show/6pjYR0w...
open.spotify.com
Short Stories in Latin for Beginners: Read for pleasure at your level, expand your vocabulary and learn Latin the fun way!
Olly Richards · Audiobook
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Listening to an excellent talk from Robert Harris about #Agrippa, brilliantly interviewed by Shahida Bari
Two comfy chairs separated by a table supporting the book Agrippa by Robert Harris. They are on a wooden stage with a black and white rug.A close up of two glasses of water on a table next to a hardback copy of Robert Harris’s book Agrippa.A view of a large projection screen saying ROBERT HARRIS SHAHIDA BARI and a picture of a Roman army helmet, all above two chairs and a table on a stage.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Another classical cartoon in the latest Private Eye #GenZeta
Cartoon in the style of an ancient Greek vase painting: four figures in classical dress walk in procession, with an older warrior lagging behind three younger companions. Caption: “It’s Gen-Zeta’s sense of entitlement that really grates!”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Cartoon in the current edition of Private Eye #classics #icarus
Cartoon of the myth of Icarus: Icarus flies towards the blazing sun on wings made of feathers and wax, while Daedalus stands on a rocky shore below, holding up a bottle of sun cream and shouting, “Icarus, come back! You’ve forgotten your SPF 50!”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Ancient Roman shipwreck discovered off Sicily coast www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ancient Roman shipwreck discovered off Sicily coast
Italy's culture minister says it is one of the most important underwater archaeological finds in years.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Well, no Microsoft Word - that's kind of the point... #Book19 #Homer #Odyssey #Penelope
A translation of the Odyssey (Emily Wilson's) - the end of Book 19. The phrase "she cried for her dear husband" has a pop-up box from MS Word, with the words "Grammar: Possible Word Choice Error" and the word "dead" to replace the word "dear"...
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Looking forward to today's seedtalks #Ancient #History Summit online. Speakers: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (on #Babylon), @drcdavenport.bsky.social on Emperors, @shelbyjudge.bsky.social on Medea, Steph Holton on Epicureanism, and Eve MacDonald on Carthage! #ancienthistorysummit
Promotional graphic for Seed Talks’ “The Ancient History Summit”, an online event on Sunday 2 August from 11am to 5.10pm. Large white lettering appears on a dark blue background, with stylised ancient Greek warriors, shields, spears, an owl and clouds along the bottom. The graphic includes “@seedtalks” and “#ancienthistorysummit”.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
A #Roman sarcophagus fragment from #Pula, with accompanying dubious description. Apparently the Battle of #Marathon was a sea battle…
Fragment of a Roman marble relief depicting a chaotic battle scene, mounted against a rough stone wall. Several armoured soldiers are shown in high relief, though many heads and limbs are missing through damage. One figure in a short Roman military tunic stands over a fallen opponent, while another raises an arm in combat. Despite its fragmentary condition, the carving retains deep folds in the clothing and a strong sense of movement and violence.Museum label for a Roman sarcophagus fragment depicting Greeks and Persians. Curiously, it identifies the scene as a “sea battle at Marathon”—despite Marathon (490 BC) being famous as a land battle rather than a naval one.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
And the original, now in Pula. Note the letters spilling off the right hand side showing the sculptor’s lack of forward planning!
The original Roman limestone funerary stele, weathered by age and displayed against a rough stone wall. Beneath a triangular pediment with a carved flower motif, a husband and wife are shown in half-length relief, facing forward with one hand across the chest; the man holds a scroll. A deeply carved Latin inscription occupies the lower half of the monument, with sunlight highlighting the worn details of the stone.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Replica Roman tombstone of the Molia family at the Pazin museum, Istria, Croatia
Roman funerary stele carved in pale limestone, showing two half-length figures standing side by side beneath a temple-like pediment. Both wear Roman tunics and cloaks with one hand across the chest; the figure on the right holds a scroll. Below them is a long Latin inscription recording the monument. The stele is displayed indoors against whitewashed walls.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Wait… is this why Count #Binface is called Binface? Because you can’t see his face? “bn-face”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
It has just struck me that we are seeing a rerun of #Aristophanes’ Knights in Clacton, with Farage as Cleon and Count #Binface as the Sausage Seller…
Ancient Greek black-figure vase painting. At left, a seated bearded man on a throne raises one hand while attendants stand behind and in front of him. A flute player performs between the throne and a large horse. The horse is supported on a platform and has a rider seated on its back. A small figure climbs a ladder into the horse while another crouches beneath it with an axe, apparently making final adjustments. Above the horse, a winged figure runs carrying two large circular objects. The scene is a stylised depiction of the construction and presentation of the Trojan Horse.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Lookalikes… #DemetriusI #Bactria
Screenshot of a Private Eye readers’ letters page headed “Lookalike”. Side-by-side images compare a proposed US dollar coin featuring Donald Trump with an ancient coin of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius I. The ancient portrait’s distinctive swept-back hairstyle and stern expression closely resemble Trump’s. The accompanying letter says the similarity was spotted at Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Museum after news of a proposed Trump coin.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Another bit of Classics in this Private Eye cartoon… #odyssey
Cartoon of two people chatting indoors. One asks, “So how was The Odyssey?” The other, wearing a coat and backpack as if only just arriving home, replies, “Really long – I thought I’d never get home.” The joke is that the speaker is describing both Homer’s epic journey and the unusually long runtime of Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming film adaptation.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Another classically-inspired cartoon from Private Eye
Cartoon of the Trojan Horse standing outside the huge gates of Troy. The horse is shabby, with its wooden covering falling apart, while two Trojan guards look down from the city walls. Caption: “Well, I guess that’s what happens when you don’t tackle a military spending deficit.”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Another one from Private Eye
A line drawn cartoon from Private Eye. Man reading big book with picture of character on the front wearing pointy hat carrying a sword. Woman looking at man. Book title says “THE NODDYSSEY”. Man is saying “It’s from Enid Blyton’s Homeric period.”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
From this fortnight’s Private Eye…
A cartoon from Private Eye, signed James. Two gladiators drinking from water bottles as a woman walks past with a tray titled “DORMICE”. One gladiator is missing a hand, which is lying on the ground oozing blood. This gladiator is saying “Are these hydration breaks really for gladiator welfare, or is there a commercial motive?”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Just finished making this lyre from a Build Your Own Lyre kit. Now to use it for a Latin Play!
A blue painted lyre with a yellow sun emanating from the hole in the soundbox. It has seven strings. The painting is a bit rough and ready but charming nonetheless…
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Introduce yourself with 10 bands and singers you’ve seen live Bob Dylan Ride Richard Thompson Katherine Priddy Divine Comedy Peat and Diesel Pixies Richard Dawson They Might Be Giants Nick Cave
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Name ten bands/musicians you’ve obsessed over at some point. Bob Dylan Pixies Ride Leonard Cohen Peat and Diesel The Cure Pulp Neutral Milk Hotel My Life Story The Divine Comedy
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
(Referencing this part of the article): In a comment from the original poster, they added: “He also did When I Paint My Masterpiece... I could swear that on the bridge he sang, ‘Sailing round the world in a crimson Corolla…’ Was this a hallucination, or did I hear this?”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I thought it was “Sailin’ round the world full of crimson and clover”…?
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
An Aventine Hill cake made by my Y11 GCSE Latin students today… with pallid heads and warm blood on the floor! They’re calling it “Hercules and Cake-us”…!
A green iced cake in the shape of a hill with a cave half way up with pink icing and white spheres with black dots to look like eyes.A green iced cake in the shape of a hill with a cave half way up with pink icing and white spheres with black dots to look like eyes. (Close up of the cave)
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Det är korrekt!
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Classics in the current Private Eye…
Article from Private Eye: “THE TIMES NEW ROMAN
• April Fools Day 279BC
KING PYRRHUS DECLARES 'TOTAL AND COMPLETE VICTORY' by Our Military Staff HUGH CYDIDES
celebrated a triumphant defeat of the entire Roman civilisation in a series of recent battles.
King Pyrrhus said the Epirote army had "met and exceeded all military objectives" and that the defeated Romans were begging him for a peace treaty.
"These mad bastards have surrendered in the face of Operation Epirus Fury," the king said. "This is the last you will ever hear of the Roman Empire, and I certainly won't be deposed in a few years' time!"
Pyrrhus added that the Roman 10-point peace plan, which includes Rome retaining total control over the Ancient World, was "not a problem" and showed that, "we will win big TOGETHER!"
Last week the king had been given a message from the Oracle at Delphi that, "A great empire will suffer a crushing defeat", and reposted the message on his tablet, saying, "Even loser Oracle supports me! Make Epirus Great Again!"
However, there are worries that King Pyrrhus might be overstating the nature of what he calls, "this great Pyrrhic victory that will go down in history and never be forgotten, and the name of Donald Pyrrhus will live for ever! Thank you for your attention to this matter."”
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Turns out a speculative bet on a horse with a Roman name has paid off… #Maximus
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Created and printed a GCSE Class Civ Myth and Religion revision board game. Now to test it out!
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
keenerclassics.wordpress.com/2026/04/07/r...
keenerclassics.wordpress.com
Ramses Exhibition
I went to the Ramses II exhibition at Battersea Power Station. Impressive stuff, would recommend. Here are some of my highlights. Statue of Ramses Il as a Sphinx Offering a Ram-headed Vessel: Limes…
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
One of my highlights of the Ramses exhibition at Battersea: Ostracon Depicting a Cat Herding Geese Limestone, Ink New Kingdom, Dynasties 19-20 Egyptian Museum
Ostracon Depicting a Cat Herding Geese
Limestone, Ink
New Kingdom, Dynasties 19-20
Egyptian Museum
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Sappho 🥰
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Ἔσπερε πάντα φέρων ὄσα φαίνολις ἐσκέδασ’ Αὔως †φέρεις ὄιν, φέρεις† αἶγα, φέρεις {ἄπυ} μάτερι παῖδα.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
This is me 1 Penthesilea 2 Cassandra 3 Andromache 4 Priam 5 Nestor 6 Hector 7 Anchises 8 Memnon 9 Briseis 10 Helen 11 Patroclus 12 Aeneas 13 Ajax Minor 14 Odysseus 15 Sarpedon 16 Paris 17 Diomedes 18 Menelaus 19 Ajax Major 20 Achilles 21 Glaucus 22 Agamemnon
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Excellent. No cheating, your last saved pic of a celebrity is your therapist.
A woman wearing an enormous fluffy hat with tassels. She is singing in front of a microphone. It is one of the musical duo Mermaid Chunky performing live.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
I went to Ravenglass yesterday. Last time I was there was 2015. The bath house was built alongside the Roman fort which once stood here. Once nearby the wooden buildings in the vicus lay along cobbled roads which were alive with soldiers, women and children, traders, sailors, and craftsmen.
The Roman Bath house ruins at Ravenglass, viewed from further awayA 2m high wall of the Ravenglass Roman Bath house ruins, viewed through the birch wood next to itThe exposed brick work of the ruins of the Ravenglass Roman Bath houseAn arch still standing as part of the Roman Bath house ruins at Ravenglass
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Off to spend an afternoon listening to this wonderful man tomorrow #JohnTaylor #GreektoGCSE
A picture of John Taylor in a blue check shirt with a sunny grassy hillside behind
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Off to spend an afternoon listening to this wonderful man tomorrow #JohnTaylor #GreektoGCSE
A picture of John Taylor wearing glasses and a blue check shirt with a backdrop of a grassy hillside in the sunshine
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Classics In Our Time podcasts page updated to include the latest one on the Roman Arena! keenerclassics.wordpress.com/classics-in-...
keenerclassics.wordpress.com
Classics In Our Time Podcasts
This is a list of podcasts from BBC In Our Time. I originally posted this as a Blog Post in 2017, but now updating it to a Page to make it easier to edit. Latest update: 4 September 2025 Greek…
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
This Thursday, In Our Time discusses The Roman Arena: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Roman Arena
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the origins and harsh realities of the gladiator life.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
www.ntathome.com/products/bac...
ntathome.com
Bacchae Premiere and Director Q&A (Rent)
Purchase one-off access to the online premiere of Bacchae. Followed by an exclusive Q&A with Indhu Rubasingham. Friday 6th February | Live at 7:30pm GMT. The women of the Bacchae will not be...
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Happy New Year 2026!
A picture of me (Andy Keen) in a Man United hat and coat, looking into the distance mysteriously…! And a Happy New Year message.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Just to be clear, I love Bob. Even his worst song is better than most people’s best song. Keep fighting the good fight! 💪🏼
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Why? Have you played *all* the other Bob Dylan songs? Because surely this is the worst.
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Today, Chedworth Roman villa (and its snails) and Corinium museum, with 28 students and 4 staff! #classicsbluesky
A partial floor mosaic, with a column behind and various other museum exhibits in Corinium museum, Cirencester UKA large snail in the grass by a Roman wall
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Off on a residential school trip tomorrow morning, visiting Chedworth, @coriniummuseum.bsky.social, @britishmuseum.bsky.social, @bignorvilla.bsky.social, @romanpalace.bsky.social, and @ashmoleanmuseum.bsky.social! #ClassicsBlueSky
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Andy Keen @keenerclassics.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
“The 1st half introduces the characters of Dido, Aeneas, and the mischievous gods through song, music, and visual projections. The 2nd half features a full performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, re-imagined with traditional harpsichord and continuo.” www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bri...
stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
Bristol Grammar School | St George's Bristol
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