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Sebastian Heath

@sebhth.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.5K following 464 posts

Mediterranean & computational archaeologist. ISAW/NYU. Child of immigrants. Opinions/typos mine. Original work CC-By. gaerhf.org p-lod.org palp.art roman-amphitheaters.org isaw.nyu.edu/publications/isaw-pape…

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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Students are doing data entry for "Global Approaches to Early Representations of the Human Figure". I want to let them engage more with underlying turtle-serialized RDF. So a. notebook to encourage that. I will also show it in "Databases and Network Analysis" class tomorrow as example of practice.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Tagging @paregorios.bsky.social because his asking me about this generally was the prompt to do a better job of making these RDF triples available. Thanks!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New amphitheater in Austria: www.vienna.at/2000-years-h... . Shown north of town in 3d rendering. I estimate it at roughly long, lat: 14.5655 , 48.2220 .
vienna.at
2,000 Years Hidden: Researchers Discover Roman City in Lower Austria
Alle Nachrichten aus Wien und den Bezirken sowie aktuelle News aus Österreich und der Welt mit vielen Themen wie Sport, Politik, Stars, uvm.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
@isawnyu.bsky.social Open House for Prospective Students will be Nov. 5th. isaw.nyu.edu/events/open-.... I welcome any student using computational methods in their research. Beyond Rome OK. We can advise any area. In Roman archaeology, connecting specific phenomena to big picture is of interest.
screen shot of even registration page.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Gasoline-powered leaf blower doing its high-pitched thing next door while I'm trying to write. Oh well. And yes, that's my contribution to today's #AcademicChatter!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Following up: The real win here is moving CV to markdown. Claude did that conversion well. Character for character where it needed to be. And now the source is very lint-able and editable with all that .md plain-text ease. Not using any pre-existing stack. Claude made a lightweight .css that works.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
How dare you question my power! All shall love me and despair!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I see issue. “Helped me get to this task that had been hanging over me and causing professional guilt every time I submitted the full version.” But that phrasing put me over character limit!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
My CV needed work. Cruft and poor formatting had accumulated in an MS-Word doc of ancient origin. So yeah, "Update my CV in HeathCV.doc to refactor sections and convert to Markdown with command to generate" worked well as a prompt to Claude. YMMV. But helped me get to this. #AcademicChatter
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Younger Scott Bessent is both appalled and thrilled.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Electrified gloves are cruel and unusual.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Harrison Ford didn't sneak out of Air Force One.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Summer's penultimate writing task is 2000+/- word review of a digital resource. I want to be thoughtful. And I want to get it done. Add in a family gathering spanning this weekend and submitting a week from today is goal. No especial ambition in that schedule! Steady on will do it! #AcademicChatter
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Matt Damon turned out to be the Sea Peoples and the administration turned out to be its own Vandals. From the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, we've got it all these days.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The DOJ should be renamed the Department of Prosecutions. DOPs. Pronounced “Dopes”.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I was pretty sure I hadn't included it in my dataset of amphitheaters. But allow me to confess that I did (re)check. I hadn't!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Great to see @isawnyu.bsky.social student Lylaah Bhalerao's article "Black Feminisms in Roman Archaeology? Approaches Beyond Critical Fabulation, from Pompeii to Hadrian’s Wall" now published in Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal (TRAJ). doi.org/10.16995/tra... Congrats!
doi.org
Black Feminisms in Roman Archaeology? Approaches Beyond Critical Fabulation, from Pompeii to Hadrian’s Wall
Is it possible to do Black feminist Roman archaeology? In this article, I reflect on how effectively Black feminist thought has been integrated into the study of the Roman material past, with some the...
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Seen in the news... "Italian conman jailed for building fake Roman amphitheatre": www.euronews.com/culture/2026...
euronews.com
Italian conman jailed for building fake Roman amphitheatre
In Italy, a structure promoted for years as an "ancient Roman amphitheatre" has turned out to be a fake, constructed recently using modern materials.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Trying to remember who was president when all this was going on.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Googling "Andrea LaFlamme". Found @andrealaflamme.bsky.social .
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Late to posting this job: "Research Software Engineer in Data Science and Cultural Heritage". apply.interfolio.com/188823 And while it's not @isawnyu.bsky.social specific, we do have a great DH/Digital Archaeology community here and I look forward to welcoming whomever takes this position to NYU.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I'm in the district where @bradlander.bsky.social beat Dan Goldman in the Democratic Primary for the House. Many reasons for Lander's victory. There are policy/position discussions to have. I focus on the retail politics. Brad Lander has been here. In the community. He shows up with us. That worked.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
In other news... AirPods 3s can survive two consecutive cycles in a washing machine. But signal "weak" in "Find My" app and, no, "Play Sound" not hearable. That wasted a bunch o' my time.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
There is now a "Polygon Select" tool in GAERHF. Pic shows using timeline to show objects earlier than 2700 BCE and the polygon covering India, China, and Oceana. Other pic is clicking to see all figures in the gallery. gaerhf.org#yangshao-ves... . Early version of the UX/UI. An experiment.
Screen shot showing polygon over India, China, and Oceana.Screenshot of gallery.Location of polygon widget at left of screen.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
An aspect of moving the Pompeii Artistic Landscape Project (PALP) website to client-side javascript was that caching results broke. Now re-implemented. Means that palp.art/browse/#pomp... will load quickly. The top-left "pane" especially. Image (bottom-right) may still be slow. Cache TTL is 2 hours.
palp.art
PALP Browser
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
TACOs are expensive. Especially when you get nothing in return. 🌮
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
There are now "thumbs" on GAERHF "Time Scale" to select date range. Option click on right one to enter -8000 for about 10000 BP/8000 BCE. That's map shown here. Click on "palette" near top right and then "Threshold Slider" to adjust colormap. Try at gaerhf.org Grid at lower left to see all figures.
Human figures up to 8000 BCE currently in GAERHF.Threshold slider location at top right.Thumbnails for all figures on map. Shown by clicking "grid" icon at lower left corner.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Dear SCOTUS, Really? www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/u... . I’m not shocked. We have a political court. There you have it. But still… Really? Can’t quite get past that reaction.
nytimes.com
Supreme Court Rejects Virginia Democrats’ Effort to Reinstate New Voting Map
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Small bit of news re: gaerhf.org . More soon...
gaerhf.org
Global Approaches to Early Representations of the Human Figure
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Simple update that I should have done a while back: Selectable base layers on the GAERHF map. An upcoming step is to capture that state in a shareable URL. In the meantime: gaerhf.org#mohenjo-daro... lets you start selecting your own baseman via widget at top right.
Oman petroglyphs on terrain basemap.Harrapan dancers on satellite baseman.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The Ekven cemetery, Russia is all but on the Bering Strait. Its burials produced a number of human figures, one now in GAERHF. The location demonstrates how the (developing!) 3D view is useful. Allows this part of the world to be a nexus, not split at each end of a map. gaerhf.org/3d/#ekven-ce...
Screenshot with location of Ekven cemetery in easternmost Russia and "Crouched Figure" info box showing.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
First go at a #3D globe for GAERHF. Various UI/UX details to iron out. But try it at gaerhf.org/3d/#eyrarlan... . There's also a link from main page.
Screen shot of 3D globe with GAERHF markers.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Serious question: Is everything the Virginia legislature has ever done after the start of any early voting now challengeable? Worth a shot to challenge? How fundamental is this new legal principle?
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
More PALP development. Images now have a dedicated display. Try palp.art/browse/#luna... . Current functionality: Move center "handle" to expand image. Click "Adjust" for filters. #IIIF Zoom/pan with mouse(pad). There's more info and links to display. Other improvements to come. But a start...
Basic Screenshot.Image expanded via handle.Color inverted with adjust widget.Zoom.
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Reposted by Sebastian Heath
Greta Hawes @gretahawes.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
That’s right! All the data you ever wanted about Greek myth now roaming wild, pouncing on unsuspecting passersby
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Reposted by Sebastian Heath
ewan coopey @euuanxcvi.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
MANTO data now released into the wild! www.manto-myth.org/blog/releasi...
manto-myth.org
Releasing MANTO data into the wild — MYTHLAB
Last month, MANTO’s data was made available for public access. Ewan describes the release, how it can be accessed, and what we hope to achieve by releasing it into the world.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Testing a Claude Skill for creating GAERHF records. github.com/gaerhf/gaerh... . Download the .skill file. After install try '/gaerhf Create records for three entries from Roman Gaul.'
Screenshot of Claude transcript.
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Reposted by Sebastian Heath
Global Approaches to Early Representations of the Human Figure @gaerhf-bot.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I'm changing up the GAERHF map interface. Info for each figure in a floating (sub)window. Option clicking opens new window. Interactions are complex so working on those. Single image here is gaerhf.org#figurine-tem... . And paired with gaerhf.org#deposit-figu... . Multi-figure links coming...
Gallic figurine wit mapParing of Gallic figurine and dolls/puppets from El Salvador.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Very cool. Also either way, Orient and Orient YC will be a bit off to port as you head into Gardiner’s. My home port. Fair winds when you do set out.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
And yes, had not tried on phone... Not usable. Will look into that... So even more thanks!
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
And many thanks for looking / replying! Much appreciated. -S.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
(Phone sized screen prob wonky. Beyond that...) When you hover over an image, you should see something on the map. Dependent on context, it may be room, house or larger. Worst case is a too small wall. Overall, there is supposed to be at least some co-ordination between panes. LMK "where" you are.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I really do have other work to do. But asking Claude to adjust the CSS on the PALP start page is a fine way to avoid it... Rounded corners in mid-page table and masking on the clickable top-left, top-right corner images. Possibly somewhat nice looking.
Screen shot of PALP start page.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
A bit of clean up on the PALP start page at palp.art . Nothing fancy. And overall… Much work still to do but this new UI feels like it is coming together. And I do dare say it's clearly better than our first go and that we now have a platform with which we can push this project forward. Onward...
PALP start page.
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Reposted by Sebastian Heath
Pompeii Linked Open Data @p-lod-bot.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
New Pompeii Artistic Landscape Project (PALP) website is live. Try "Mythological Figure": palp.art/browse/#myth... . There's work to do. Exploring what the interface can and should be is absolutely part of the ongoing project...
Screenshot for "mythological_figure"
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Trump (plainly incompetent) took some welcome ideas - if NATO is to work, Europe needs to take responsibility for its own defense + global free trade/low tariffs hurt workers and benefit the global rich - and turned them into actually damaging “policies”. Can anyone run with them and benefit all?
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Hey, @bradlander.bsky.social , did you really drop this sign in our mailbox? Thanks if yes. And either way, superb retail politics. Sign in window! But no extra votes in this household ‘cause we were already on board! (P.s. Thx for joining NYU faculty picket line a few weeks back.)
Note. Possibly from candidate. SignSign in window.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
When @epoehler.bsky.social and I were first using the Luna image server, we thought it was cool that you could adjust contrast & brightness, invert colors, etc. Now working in the new PALP image dialog box: p-lod.github.io/palp-client-... , click an image, click "Adjust". Can bring out detail.
Screen shot with image adjustment tools showing and color of image reversed.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Writing a bit personally… Development is getting to a coherent state for new PALP Browser. Vision becoming clear. Need captions, credits, & links in image dialog box. And improve hierarchical browser for space and the concept vocab. Then I believe @epoehler.bsky.social and I will choose to release.
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Sebastian Heath @sebhth.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Sounds great. Linked Squared. L².
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