Overview

⏱️Schedule:  Doors 18:30 → Talk 19:00→ Q&A → Mingle

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Why is there a Roman-style sculpture of Priscilla Zuckerberg in Mark Zuckerberg’s garden? What was going on with Elon Musk’s “Roman salute” moment – and why do aliens and Atlantis keep showing up together in memes and documentaries?

In everyday life, we’re surrounded by references to antiquity and archaeology: in self-help posts, influencer aesthetics, TikTok history threads, TV documentaries, video games, and fringe YouTube channels. The interest is real – but the stories we’re told about the past are often less about history and more about identity, power, and ideology in the present.

This session looks at how pop culture, conspiracy theories, and extremist narratives selectively (and creatively) rewrite the ancient world – and what that does to our understanding of history today.

Together, we’ll explore:

• Why references to Rome, Greece, and “ancient civilizations” are everywhere right now – from internet jokes to political symbolism.

• How ideas about “Aryans,” aliens, and Atlantis became staples of pseudo-archaeology and conspiracy culture.

• How the past is appropriated to construct (or invent) historical identities and justify today’s power structures.

• How actual archaeology works – and how to spot the difference between evidence-based history and ideological storytelling.

Expect an evening that’s part myth-busting tour, part media literacy training: lively, slightly unsettling, and very fun.

Speaker

Jens Notroff

Archeologist

Jens Notroff is an archaeologist and public educator specialising in how the ancient past is used (and misused) in modern culture. He works at the intersection of archaeology, pop culture, and ideology, debunking pseudo-archaeology and exploring how stories about antiquity shape our politics and identities today.