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Sophie Ploeg

@sploeg

Art Historian. Ancient Rome. Early Modern. Ex artist. Also spaniels, tech and books. πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§πŸ‡³πŸ‡± https://history.sophieploeg.com

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19.09.2023
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Latest posts by Sophie Ploeg @sploeg

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This FOl enquiry for the Guardian has taken up a great deal of my life for the past 2 years. (1/3)

07.03.2026 21:56 πŸ‘ 226 πŸ” 98 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 7

If Masters degrees’ fees are so insanely high that few would want to add that to their already sky high student debt, surely they are aiming for only those that can get PGR funding (which usually means PhD)… and so many won’t even consider it #highereducation #universitiesUK #studentloans

06.03.2026 07:55 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Rare Roman lead ingots found by metal detectorists in Ceredigion The objects, which were used to produce tools and weapons, were found on grazing land in west Wales.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

05.03.2026 15:09 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Straight from a fantasy novel!
Oh wait, I mean, from Norway... c. AD1200😍

05.03.2026 13:26 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

ah nice! Thanks so much. :)

05.03.2026 13:24 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I don't suppose anyone has some photos of this relief from the Museo Capitolini (hall)? Am studying it but could do with some better photos.... Thanks! #AncientBluesky #Classics #AncientRome
www.museicapitolini.org/fr/opera/ril...

03.03.2026 11:43 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
My photo shows the so-called β€˜Trier Gold Treasure’ in a museum display case. It is a Roman coin hoard made up of some 2,650 gold aurei. The small round gold coins are spread randomly in a dense pile across a light-coloured display case surface. To the upper right of the coin mound is the broken bowl-shaped bottom of the original copper alloy vessel that held the hoard. The metal is coloured green with corrosion. Several gold coins are scattered inside the bowl. In the lower left corner of the display case is another large, irregular fragment of the original container.

Museum information label: 

In 1993, a bronze vessel with 2650 Roman gold coins (aurei) is discovered in Trier. It is the largest Roman gold coin treasure ever found. The Aureus was in the 1st and 2nd Century the standard coin of the Roman gold minting with an average weight of 7.27 g, with a very high fineness of approx. 980/1000. The coins depict 29 different emperors, empresses or relatives of the imperial house. The oldest coins were minted between 63 and 64 AD, the youngest between 193 and 196 AD. The coins were inside the vessel, which was accidentally discovered by an excavator, rolled up in leather bags. The bags were decorated with leather straps and closed enamel seal capsules.

The treasure revealed numerous secrets in its scientific processing: it probably did not represent private assets, but a state treasury that was carefully managed and over a longer period of time and enlarged. During a civil war, the gold coins were finally buried in a cellar in 196 AD and then fell into oblivion. Presumably the former administrator of the treasury took his knowledge of the hiding place with him to the grave.

My photo shows the so-called β€˜Trier Gold Treasure’ in a museum display case. It is a Roman coin hoard made up of some 2,650 gold aurei. The small round gold coins are spread randomly in a dense pile across a light-coloured display case surface. To the upper right of the coin mound is the broken bowl-shaped bottom of the original copper alloy vessel that held the hoard. The metal is coloured green with corrosion. Several gold coins are scattered inside the bowl. In the lower left corner of the display case is another large, irregular fragment of the original container. Museum information label: In 1993, a bronze vessel with 2650 Roman gold coins (aurei) is discovered in Trier. It is the largest Roman gold coin treasure ever found. The Aureus was in the 1st and 2nd Century the standard coin of the Roman gold minting with an average weight of 7.27 g, with a very high fineness of approx. 980/1000. The coins depict 29 different emperors, empresses or relatives of the imperial house. The oldest coins were minted between 63 and 64 AD, the youngest between 193 and 196 AD. The coins were inside the vessel, which was accidentally discovered by an excavator, rolled up in leather bags. The bags were decorated with leather straps and closed enamel seal capsules. The treasure revealed numerous secrets in its scientific processing: it probably did not represent private assets, but a state treasury that was carefully managed and over a longer period of time and enlarged. During a civil war, the gold coins were finally buried in a cellar in 196 AD and then fell into oblivion. Presumably the former administrator of the treasury took his knowledge of the hiding place with him to the grave.

The Trier Gold Hoard!

The largest #Roman gold coin hoard ever found!

More than 2,650 Roman aurei, weighing 18.5 kg, were discovered inside a bronze vessel wrapped in leather bags, during construction work in 1993. The coins date from 63 AD to 196 AD.

Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier πŸ“· by me

02.03.2026 18:12 πŸ‘ 381 πŸ” 81 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 6
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I don't suppose anyone has some photos of this relief from the Museo Capitolini (hall)? Am studying it but could do with some better photos.... Thanks! #AncientBluesky #Classics #AncientRome
www.museicapitolini.org/fr/opera/ril...

03.03.2026 11:43 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Teaching and Research Associate in Herculaneum Papyrology This is aΒ full-time,Β fixed-termΒ post (24 months) from October 2026 to September 2028, based in the Faculty of Classics.

Teaching and Research Associate in Herculaneum Papyrology
www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2026/03...

02.03.2026 20:35 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Rembrandt's Vision of Zacharias in the Temple rediscovered after 65 years The painting, created by the Dutch master in 1633, had disappeared after being sold in 1961.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

02.03.2026 15:12 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Rembrandt Prints Discovered in Dutch Private Collection - CODART Dozens of Rembrandt prints have been discovered in a previously unknown private collection in the Netherlands. According to the Dutch regional broadcaster Omroep Gelderland, the etchings have not seen...

www.codart.nl/art-works/re...

01.03.2026 14:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I’m a linguist with Tourette’s – here’s what I want people to understand after Baftas controversy I often feel that I live in my body alongside another person who wants to continually move and say things.

Understanding is important….. theconversation.com/im-a-linguis...

28.02.2026 17:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Oh and I hadn’t noticed the tolos similarities. Nice!!

24.02.2026 19:13 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Closeup of the bridal vessel, showing the bride on the right, wearing her transparent white veil, and a female attendant right behind her, wearing a grape-leaf wreath on her head and banging on a large tympanum (hand drum). The background is a vivid pink madder. The woman playing the drum has a beautiful ensemble of a pale blue-green chiton with a large lilac border, and a reddish-orange himation (cloak).

Closeup of the bridal vessel, showing the bride on the right, wearing her transparent white veil, and a female attendant right behind her, wearing a grape-leaf wreath on her head and banging on a large tympanum (hand drum). The background is a vivid pink madder. The woman playing the drum has a beautiful ensemble of a pale blue-green chiton with a large lilac border, and a reddish-orange himation (cloak).

Fresco fragment depicting a flying maenad wrapped in a billowing cloak, with a wreath on her head, holding a tympanum (hand drum), and a thyrsus. The background is black, so it probably comes from a triclinium, a dining room. The fresco, which was originally at the center of a panel of a wall painted in the Fourth Style, represents a chronological and iconographic comparison with similar Dionysian scenes done with inlay, from the House of the Colored Capitals in Pompeii.

Herculaneum (no exact findspot). Third quarter of the 1st century CE.

Fresco fragment depicting a flying maenad wrapped in a billowing cloak, with a wreath on her head, holding a tympanum (hand drum), and a thyrsus. The background is black, so it probably comes from a triclinium, a dining room. The fresco, which was originally at the center of a panel of a wall painted in the Fourth Style, represents a chronological and iconographic comparison with similar Dionysian scenes done with inlay, from the House of the Colored Capitals in Pompeii. Herculaneum (no exact findspot). Third quarter of the 1st century CE.

Closeup of a tympanum player (hand drummer) from a mosaic emblema in opus vermiculatum made from polychrome tesserae, signed by Dioskourides of Samos.

The scene, inspired by the New Comedy, depicts three itinerant musicians with their faces covered by masks: a musician playing cymbals in the centre, another - this one - with a tympanum (a sort of hand drum) and wearing a wreath on his head, to the right, and a woman with an aulos (double flute) to the left. A boy on the left follows the procession. Very vivid clothing, wearing a tunic with yellow, dark blue, light blue, and green striping, and a pink-salmon colored himation (cloak) tied around his waist. His mask is pink with very red cheeks.

Pompeii, so-called Villa of Cicero, outside Porta Ercolano
Late 2nd - early 1st century BCE

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN)

Closeup of a tympanum player (hand drummer) from a mosaic emblema in opus vermiculatum made from polychrome tesserae, signed by Dioskourides of Samos. The scene, inspired by the New Comedy, depicts three itinerant musicians with their faces covered by masks: a musician playing cymbals in the centre, another - this one - with a tympanum (a sort of hand drum) and wearing a wreath on his head, to the right, and a woman with an aulos (double flute) to the left. A boy on the left follows the procession. Very vivid clothing, wearing a tunic with yellow, dark blue, light blue, and green striping, and a pink-salmon colored himation (cloak) tied around his waist. His mask is pink with very red cheeks. Pompeii, so-called Villa of Cicero, outside Porta Ercolano Late 2nd - early 1st century BCE Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN)

The first vessel is thought to depict a bridal scene. The inclusion of an attendant wearing a grape-leaf wreath and banging on a tympanum (hand drum) may be Dionysian. Is the bride being inducted into the Dionysian mysteries? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈπŸΊ 2/

πŸ“Έ me

24.02.2026 18:35 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Your posts are always ace πŸ‘. Reminds me of the Villa of the Mysteries fresco. Stunning photos btw and wow to all that pigment ❀️❀️

24.02.2026 19:11 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Is this even real πŸ˜‚πŸ€―

24.02.2026 08:50 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

what even is the fucking point

23.02.2026 15:34 πŸ‘ 2867 πŸ” 725 πŸ’¬ 213 πŸ“Œ 297
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β€˜Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, β€˜If it can happen to me, i...

A retired British primary school administrator with a British passport and a valid visa was shackled, chained and detained for six weeks by ICE

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

21.02.2026 06:54 πŸ‘ 7242 πŸ” 4210 πŸ’¬ 250 πŸ“Œ 631
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How tech turned against women As AI-generated sexualised images proliferate and app-facilitated abuse spreads, we are sleepwalking into a new age of gender inequality. It is time to regulate properly

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

21.02.2026 13:26 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Blue Box (2025) by Hanie Soltani.
Oil on canvas.

19.02.2026 06:02 πŸ‘ 43 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Classical Association conference 2026

Classical Association conference 2026

Booked! Looking forward to my first @classicalassociation.org conference in my old hometown Manchester! Hoping to meet loads of fellow ancient history nerds πŸ™Œβ€οΈ #classics #ancienthistory

18.02.2026 11:47 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Trying to imagine a visual representation of history as exempla (always current) vs a chronological historicist view of history. Hm struggling. 😜🀯 (Roller)

16.02.2026 08:49 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I do find it a shame that much/some art historical writing is so preoccupied with its social, political, etc context (all vital) that it overlooks the actual artwork itself. Exhibitions catalogues or labels write on everything around the art work but forget the thing in the centre …. #arthistory

16.02.2026 07:43 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Art History. Is. Economic. Political. Social. History.

People underestimate the discipline (I'll never forgive Obama on this score) in part because of ignorance, in part because of the number of blockbuster exhibitions that refuse to engage with complex scholarship (yes, yes, not all museums).

15.02.2026 21:36 πŸ‘ 58 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Love a bit of rebellious art history writing! But seriously πŸ‘‡

16.02.2026 05:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Back to the Future: What can we Learn about Future Thinking from Late Medieval and Early Modern Merchant Correspondences from the Low Countries

FRIDAY FEB 13: Jeroen Puttevils on β€œBack to the Future: What can we Learn about Future Thinking from Late Medieval and Early Modern Merchant Correspondences from the Low Countries.” 5:30 pm London time, IHR Wolfson Rm 2 and online. Register here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

11.02.2026 15:21 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Amsterdam memorial plaques

Amsterdam memorial plaques

Plaques Amsterdam
Memorial holocaust

Plaques Amsterdam Memorial holocaust

Along this part of the canal every single house has a plaque. Around 80% of the Jewish population in Amsterdam was murdered during the war. Before the war there were nearly 80,000 Jewish people, after, around 5,000. Chilling. This is around the corner from the Holocaust memorial. 2/2 #holocaust

08.02.2026 16:20 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Amsterdam memorial
Plaques

Amsterdam memorial Plaques

Along a canal in Amsterdam there are plaques commemorating the families taken from their homes bij the Nazis and taken to concentration camps to be murdered. 1/2 #secondworldwar #holocaust #Amsterdam

08.02.2026 16:20 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Hello everyone! If you’re watching Channel 4. If not, why not? ALL NEW ROMAN EMPIRE BY TRAIN ON RIGHT NOW!!!

07.02.2026 21:07 πŸ‘ 583 πŸ” 54 πŸ’¬ 65 πŸ“Œ 5
The execution scene, drawn by eyewitness Robert Beale

The execution scene, drawn by eyewitness Robert Beale

439 years ago, on the 8th of February 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded after being found guilty of conspiring to assassinate her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. She had been forced to abdicate as Queen of Scotland 19 years prior. #otd #history πŸ—ƒοΈ

08.02.2026 07:27 πŸ‘ 94 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1