iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Might one as easily say “Cinema lacks many of the elements that make literature great”? Poetry can’t do some things which film can, and vice versa.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Our new PM made my heart leap a little: "My message to young people is this - whether you choose construction, coding or classics…, you'll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve”. So glad my subject begins with <c> so it can feature in his alliterative list 🙂❤️ #AncientBluesky

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The link didn’t quite work, apologies. The reference is to Ian Hollenbaugh, Journal of Greek Linguistics, Vol 21, Issue 1, June 2021, pp58-150, “The development of the Imperfect in Ancient Greek from simple past to imperfective as a blocking phenomenon”

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The Hollenbaugh article thus also casts doubt on how much heavy-lifting the imperfect in Il 1.5 can undertake in support of the notion that the Dios boulē is an ongoing strategic process to end the race of heroes. Has our common understanding of the Greek imperfect been, er, imperfect?

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

“The imperfect tense of the verb ἀμφίεπον shows an action that is ongoing but not yet complete”…does it though? 🤔 See www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/... with its conclusion: “The Imperfect did not entail imperfective aspect (defined as tE ⊇ tA) at any stage of Ancient Greek”. 👀

sciencedirect.com

Discover research: Wiley, ACS, RSC, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier | ScienceDirect

To help researchers discover relevant scientific research and insights more efficiently and faster, several scholarly publishers are partnering to bring their content to ScienceDirect.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

The closest would be the Dios Apate (Seduction of Zeus) in Bk 14

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Is the red indicating blood coming from the dismemberment? 🤔

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Excited to be crossing the shining ocean in March to Mobile, AL to deliver a paper on Iliad: Major Battle Episodes and Structure. It’s a bit old school, so will be interested to see how it goes down at CAMWS2026… #iliad #classicsbluesky

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

I know nothing about the subject, but…would sacrifice generally need to be of something alive, and a fish out of water would already be dead, so unless the sacrifice is conducted under water it wouldn’t work? Can one sacrifice a corpse?

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

If only she’d wailed <oimoi talaina> instead of that visceral shrieking into the well… Opportunity missed 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Same. Made me realise I should have chosen Greek rather than German to study at age 14 (Greek and Latin included literature, German and French just language, and Aen II was one of the texts). That led to summer vacation Greek cramming and eventually Classics rather than Modern Langs at uni.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

I bet it’s brekekekek koax koax 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

A whole series beckons (albeit a short one)… pi for maths types, delta for change managers, alpha and omega for theologians. Must be some others too…

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Not sure this counts as a fun design being way too easy, but… a nice big simple capital lambda for the often maligned Lakedaimonians 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

At home to Weymouth in the next round

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Disappointingly it’s Christchurch FC

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

I reckon “Romanes eunt domus” is more likely 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

My paperback Lattimore translation finally gave up the ghost after nearly 40 years’ service. Pleased to report that it broke at Book 16. #Iliad #classicsbluesky

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Paestum…wonderful site, particularly liked the fact that it has retained its Latin name, rather than becoming Pesto 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

3/n: We can’t now access the tree, but by considering its image we can say interesting things about the tree, while recognising that discussion of the tree requires significant, speculative leaps. By contrast we’re on solid ground in talking about the image of the tree - in the end we have the text.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

2/n: The fixer of the text (Homer, if you will) inevitably, like any painter, interpreted the object before him (tree/oral epic) i.e. made decisions about how to depict it, what would be included in or omitted from the canvas/text etc.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Really enjoyed the book, thank you 👏 Love the tree analogy but have something to say about it that will require >1 comment 🙂 Here’s 1/n: The Iliad as we have it today is less a tree, more an image of a tree. The development of our Iliad was halted at the time its text was (more or less) fixed.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Imperialists’ motto always and everywhere: Think local, act global.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Just putting in a word for Alcaeus on the last one 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I was a repeat attender in the 80s - beginners to get me ready to do O level in one year, intermediate to get me ready to do A level in one year, advanced just because I loved it! Part of my Head of Classics’ not so subtle plan to steer me away from modern languages and onto the true path ❤️

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Took me 30+ years to get round to reading it, but James Redfield, Tragedy of Hector: Nature & Culture in the Iliad. Loved its simplicity and clarity compared to the complexity and obscurity that seems to me to be a feature of a lot of Homeric scholarship.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Feeble joke for y’all… What’s Homer’s favourite Christmas decoration…? 🤔 #homer #ClassicsBlueSky

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Wherever and whenever the Iliad was first being performed in something like the form we have it today….assuming that’s at least 2,500 years ago…. Might answer a few questions 👀

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

No, not heard of him, thanks. I’ll have a look 👍🏼

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Am trying sthg ambitious - re-researching my 1989 undergrad thesis on Iliadic battle episodes to re-write so it’s fit for journal peer review. Not found much on battle scenes yet. Fenik & Krischer are great, but….a bit past their sell by dates. Grateful for any recommends! TY #ClassicsBlueSky #Iliad

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 21/10/2024

Apollo for me - insight, coolness under pressure and ruthlessness

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 17/09/2024

Highly recommend Emily Wilson’s translation - it really zips along 👍🏼

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 06/09/2024

Hmmm, tempted to say <yarn> rhymes with <scone> but that would be a straight up lie… 🙂 Just consulting a daughter who knows way more about linguistics than I

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 05/09/2024

…but Irish English isn’t much spoken there to be fair…

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 05/09/2024

Where I come from (Devon, England) <gone> rhymes with <yarn>, so…. 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 01/09/2024

How about the tales he tells of trickery to escape danger - Polyphemus, Sirens etc.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 01/09/2024

It is amazing, but I haven’t liked it. It’s like English football - loses excitement when the same teams keep winning the trophies imo.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 31/08/2024

Should we be talking about <privilege> more than <class>? My father (son of postie and domestic servant/home-maker) had huge privilege of parental ambition and drive for him to succeed, though clearly working class. He became an academic, clearly middle class. I’ve inherited vast privilege.

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 22/08/2024

I’m saying the English got it from the Dutch. Some would say I’m talking poppycock though 🙂

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 22/08/2024

Joined up a couple of weeks ago. Can’t remember what interests I chose, don’t seem to be able to find out. Question: is it just me or is everyone’s feed dominated by authors? Not complaining, it’s a nice change from the Muskrat site where all I get is Russia-Ukraine and Exeter City FC #author #book

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William Clapp @williamclapp.bsky.social · 15/08/2024

Adopting this as my motto as I prepare to relaunch myself in a small way into Iliadic scholarship 35 years after I was last involved. Not that I’m fully senex just yet….

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