The historian described the abuse as “a torrent of aggressive insults, on everything from my historical competence and elitist ivory tower viewpoint to my age, shape and gender” Michael Leckie/The TimesThe historian Mary Beard has dismissed claims that she is “rewriting history” after a Twitter spat about the ethnic diversity of Roman Britain. The University of Cambridge classics professor had taken to social media to support a BBC education cartoon that featured a high-ranking black Roman soldier and his family. In response to the ensuing abuse, she questioned the wisdom of tweeters, saying that she was losing her “courteous patience” with people, some of whom admitted that they had no knowledge of the subject. Days later, in her blog for the Times Literary Supplement, she described the abuse as “a torrent of aggressive insults, on everything from my historical competence and elitist ivory tower viewpoint to my age, shape and gender”. She added: “One thing…

Source: The Times August 06, 2017 23:04 UTC