Seth Schein, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, University of California, Davis: Cognitive Science and Greek Meter: Hermann’s Bridge in the Homeric Hexameter and the Interpretation of Iliad 24

Recent work in Cognitive Neuro-Linguistics provides a more solid theoretical basis for the study of meter as a pathway into the literary interpretation of Homeric epic than do aesthetic approaches on which scholars have previously relied.  Drawing on research into “Event-Related Brain Potentials” (ERPs), Professor Schein’s paper focuses on Hermann’s Bridge as a point of departure for discussion of the opening of Iliad 24, where there are conspicuous violations of this metrical norm in lines 35 and 60.  He argues that these metrical anomalies resonate meaningfully with other metrical and stylistic features in this part of the poem, with the presence in the opening of Book 24 of mythological details familiar from the Cyclic epic, the Kypria, with the Homeric representation of Thetis, and with central themes and values of the Iliad.

Seth Schein,  Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, will present Cognitive Science and Greek Meter: Hermann’s Bridge in the Homeric Hexameter and the Interpretation of Iliad 24 on Tuesday,  April 23, 2013 at 5:00pm in HUMN 180. This lecture is sponsored by The Classics Department and the Graduate Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and is free and open to the public; a reception will follow in HUMN 350.

Reflections of Alexander: The First Annual Celia M. Fountain Symposium in Classical Studies

The Symposium will be held on the 5th floor of Norlin Library in the Center for British Studies: http://www.colorado.edu/campusmap/map.html?bldg=LIBR ; this event is free and open to the public with no registration required.

Nicholas Purcell, Camden Professor of Ancient History at Oxford: Not Just About Slavery: Selling People in Greco-Roman Antiquity

The University of Colorado Program in Mediterranean Studies Presents a Free Public Lecture by Nicholas Purcell, Camden Professor of Ancient History, Oxford Fellow of Brasenose College titled Not Just About Slavery: Selling People in Greco-Roman Antiquity. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 16th from 5:00-6:00 pm in the British Studies Room of Norlin Library, Fifth Floor, West Side. Reception to follow.

Marathon Read-Aloud of the *Odyssey*

A marathon read-aloud of the entire *Odyssey* will take place on Tuesday, April 9th in the ground-floor lobby of Eaton Humanities (CU Boulder Campus). This takes around 12 hours to read, so reading will begin at 9:00am and continue till we get to the end of the work. Please join us in completing this team endeavor by signing up for a 10-minute read-aloud slot! A sign-up sheet is posted outside the Classics Departmentt office (HUMN 340), or you can e-mail Nick Romeo (romeonick@gmail.com) or Beth Dusinberre (ermd@colorado.edu) with your preferences and they will try to fit you in at the time you wish. Snacks will be provided at 3:00 and again at 6:00.

There will be copies of Fagles' translation for use, but if you prefer a different translation feel free to offer this (all readings in English please).

This event is co-sponsored by the Classics Department, the Classics Club, the Center for Western Civilization, and the Center for Humanities and the Arts.

Anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate! No prior knowledge of Greek, the *Odyssey*, or pronunciation of names is necessary.

Professor Christopher Pelling, Regius Professor of Greek, Oxford University: How the Greeks explained history: the case of Herodotus

Professor Christopher Pelling, Regius Professor of Greek, Oxford University: How the Greeks explained history: the case of Herodotus
Wednesday, March 20th, 5:30 pm, HUMN 250

Abstract: 'Are scientific and historical explanations felt as operating in the same way, and in particular need they imply inevitability or even predictability? That is an issue still; it was also an issue in the fifth-century BCE, when both historiography and (in particular) medicine were simultaneously developing explanatory concepts and categories. In this talk, Professor Pelling will explore some points of contact between Herodotus and the early Hippocratic writings, and see whether they have anything to tell us still about the practice of writing -- and particularly of reading -- history.'
This lecture is free and open to the public, and sponsored by: the Graduate Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Center for the American West, the Department of Classics and the Center for Western Civilization.

For further information, please contact Jackie.Elliott@colorado.edu

Latin Poetry Night

Join us on Monday, March 18th at 7PM for Latin Poetry Night - read and translate a poem in Latin. Community members, Grad students, Professors, and brave Undergrads are welcome to join in the fun. The event will be held at the Innisfree Coffee Shop: 1203 13th Street  Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 579-1644.

ATTIC NIGHTS: Tyler Lansford, University of Colorado Department of Classics: Footprints of the Emperors - Death and Transfiguration in the Architecture of the Eternal City

Just a reminder that Tyler Lansford will present “Footprints of the Emperors, Death and Transfiguration in the Architecture of the Eternal City” tonight. This lecture will be held at 7:00 pm  in the Canyon Theatre at the Boulder Public Library.

 


ATTIC NIGHTS: Tyler Lansford, University of Colorado Department of Classics: Footprints of the Emperors - Death and Transfiguration in the Architecture of the Eternal City
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Canyon Theatre, Boulder Public Library
*This lecture is the third in this year's general-interest public lecture series ATTIC NIGHTS, presented by the CU Department of Classics with the generous support of Mary E.V. McClanahan*

Professor Lauri Reitzammer, CU Boulder: From A(phrodite) to Z(eus): An Introduction to Ancient Greek Religion

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

7 pm

1001 Arapahoe, Boulder CO

Canyon Theatre, Boulder Public Library

The ancient Greek polytheistic system---characterized as it is by jealous gods and goddesses who fight amongst themselves---appears deeply strange to our way of thinking. This lecture offers a survey of a few fascinating aspects of the "twelve Olympians" (certainly one of the more peculiar families to be documented by any culture) and suggests that an examination into such a radically different system might cause us to look at our own religious concepts with fresh eyes.

Archeological Institute of America (AIA) Distinguished Lecture Series: Elspeth Dusinberre, Ph.D., University of Colorado Department of Classics: “Governing Ancient Persia”

Elspeth Dusinberre, Ph.D., University of Colorado Classics Department, will present a free Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) lecture, “Governing Ancient Persia” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6 at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.

The Achaemenid Persian empire (ca. 550-330 BCE) was enormous, incorporating thousands of miles and many different cultures within its boundaries. This has caused Professor Dusinbere to ask the question and research, “How in the world could a sociopolitical entity this size manage the affairs of governance in an age before rapid transit or instant communication?” Thanks to textual, visual, and archaeological materials, Dusinberre will explain how the intricate and sophisticated ways this empire governed its people in the centuries before it was conquered by Alexander the Great can be reconstructed. This talk considers archives, palaces, food and alcohol, gender relations, the original Pony Express, and the (literal!) use of smoke and mirrors in its analysis of Ancient Persia.

Michael Vickers, Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus): Wandering Stones: Recycling the Ancient World

A walk through many a Mediterranean city with a classical past reveals pieces of ornamental marble and other stones that were once part of Greek or Roman buildings, but which have changed either their shape or significance, or both over the centuries. This study of spolia (the technical term for such recycled material) will pay particular attention to Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Venice, a city built on mud-flat in a lagoon but whose buildings are encrusted with marble brought from the eastern Mediterranean. Porphyry will figure large, as will Pentelic and Proconnesian marble. Fragments of the Parthenon turn up in a most unexpected quarter.

Michael Vickers of Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus) will present "Wandering Stones: Recycling the Ancient World'" at a free public lecture on Tuesday, February 26th at 7:00pm, sponsored by the CU Department of Classics. This lecture will be held in Hellems Room 201 at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Manana Odisheli of the Centre for Archaeological Studies of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi (emerita): The art of mosaic

The art of mosaic flourished during Roman times and had been produced on an industrial scale for emperors and wealthy citizens.  Floor mosaics with lavishly decorated mythological scenes and patterns applied to luxury villas and baths  throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.

Many mosaics withstood time due to durability of its technique and remain one of the major sources for our knowledge of paintings, murals and textiles of antiquity. Roman craftsmen travelled widely as did their pattern books, spreading the art of mosaic throughout the Roman provinces creating major centres in Asia Minor (notably Antioch), North Africa or Britain.

Roman cultural impact became more evident in ancient Georgia (Iberia) from the third century AD. At Dzalisi, mentioned by Ptolemy (Geogr. 5. 10.3) excavations revealed an elaborate architectural complex the floors of which were paved with figurative mosaics.  Scenes involving Dionysus the wine-god predominate. The cult of Dionysus is attested in Georgia from the classical period and was very much at home in the land of winemaking and feasting.

Manana Odisheli of the Centre for Archaeological Studies of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi (emerita) will present "The art of mosaic" at a free public lecture on Thursday, February 21st at 7:00pm, sponsored by the CU Department of Classics. This lecture will be held in Hellems Room 201 at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Michael Vickers, Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus): Roman Murrhine Ware: 'The Most Costly Product of the Earth's Interior'

A certain category of costly vessels (vasae murrhinae) were said by the Elder Pliny to be made from a material that was 'the most costly product of the earth’s interior'. Moralizing writers stressed its fragility, but rich Romans spent fortunes on its acquisition. We shall examine the various suggestions that have been made over the centuries as to quite what this material actually was (in fact fluorite, imported from Persia), before looking at the few surviving examples and their glass evocations. The same material was mined in Castleton in England in the18th century, and was known as Derbyshire Blue John.

Michael Vickers of Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus) will present "Roman Murrhine Ware: 'The Most Costly Product of the Earth's Interior'" at a free public lecture on Monday, February 18th at 7:00pm, sponsored by the CU Department of Classics. This lecture will be held in Hellems Room 201 at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Manana Odisheli of the Centre for Archaeological Studies of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi (emerita): The Elite Burials of Ancient Georgia in Roman Times

The ancient Georgian kingdom of Kartli or Iberia as it was known to the Greco-Roman world, was involved in Roman politics from the time of Pompey onwards. Over the centuries the relationship between ancient Georgia and Rome changed from being hostile to diplomatic, based on mutual interests.

It was in Roman times that Georgians were gradually drawn towards a western lifestyle and aspired to western ideology and values. Georgia’s geo-political location made the region into a crossroads where influences from Roman, Persian and North Caucasian cultures merged and inspired local craftsmen to produce exquisite gold jewellery, carved gems and silver vessels.

Extraordinary finds came from the capital of Iberia Mtskheta, where elite burials have been found, containing important inscriptions, diplomatic gifts and luxury goods. Aristocratic sarcophagi from the remote provinces have also yielded artefacts which matched the high artistic quality of the capital. The objects were carefully chosen to demonstrate the wealth and importance of the deceased, whose name and status were often revealed by the imported luxury goods from Persia or Rome inscribed with Greek and Armazian (a local version of Aramaic) inscriptions. A wide range of remarkable luxury artefacts from second-fourth century Iberia provide valuable information about their provenance as well as the historical and artistic background of their time.

Manana Odisheli of the Centre for Archaeological Studies of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi (emerita) will present "The Elite Burials of Ancient Georgia in Roman Times" at a free public lecture on Wednesday, February 13th at 7:00pm, sponsored by the CU Department of Classics. This lecture will be held in Hellems Room 201 at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Michael Vickers, Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus): The Caryatids on the Erechtheum at Athens: questions of chronology and symbolism

Michael Vickers of Jesus College/Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (emeritus) will present "The Caryatids on the Erechtheum at Athens: questions of chronology and symbolism" at a free public lecture on Thursday, February 7th at 7:00pm, sponsored by the CU Department of Classics. This lecture will be held in Hellems Room 201 at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Classical Greek To Be Offered Online In Summer 2013

New Research on Old Pots: Developments in Southwestern Ceramic Analysis

Archeological Institute of America (AIA) Lecture Series

University of Colorado, Boulder and Archaeology Southwest preservation archaeologist Deborah Huntley, Ph.D. will present a free Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) lecture, “New Research on Old Pots: Developments in Southwestern Ceramic Analysis,” 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 23, at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.

“Southwestern archaeologists,” according to Huntley, “have always studied pottery to help them to understand past human behavior.”  In her talk she will share how analyzing pottery can reveal information about past foodways, ethnicity, trade, migration and religious beliefs of those communities who created them. Southwestern ceramicists have increasingly been using high-tech techniques from 3D modeling to nuclear reactors to understand and find answers to some of these questions. This talk explores some of these techniques and the advances Southwestern ceramicists have made in using pottery to understand past cultures. Pots from the museum’s collection will be on display to illustrate this talk.

Dr. Huntley’s research interests include prehistoric Southwestern socio-political organization; technological, compositional, and stylistic analyses of ceramics; migration and long-distance interaction; and interpreting archaeology for the public.  Her work has been published in American Antiquity, the Journal of Archaeological Science, and Kiva and she has co-directed the Preservation Archaeology Field School since 2011.

The museum is located in the Henderson Building at 15^th Street and Broadway. Limited parking is available to the public in lot #208 on the south side of the museum. The cost for parking after 5 p.m. at this and all CU parking lots is $3. The museum is easily accessed by bike, B-cycle, foot, and bus (16^th and Broadway/Euclid stop).

For information on the Archeological Institute of America (AIA) contact Boulder AIA President Steve Lekson at lekson@colorado.edu or 303-492-6671. For information on the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, to receive exhibit, talk, lecture, Family Day and workshop invitations and to sign up for regular museum updates visit: http://CUmuseum.Colorado.edu or call 303.492.6892.

ATTIC NIGHTS: Tyler Lansford, University of Colorado Department of Classics: Footprints of the Emperors - Death and Transfiguration in the Architecture of the Eternal City

ATTIC NIGHTS: Tyler Lansford, University of Colorado Department of Classics: Footprints of the Emperors - Death and Transfiguration in the Architecture of the Eternal City
Monday, January 28, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Fairview High School
1515 Greenbriar Boulevard, Boulder
*This lecture is the second in this year's general-interest public lecture series ATTIC NIGHTS, presented by the CU Department of Classics and Fairview Latin Club with the generous support of Mary E.V. McClanahan*

ATTIC NIGHTS: Professor Noel Lenski, CU Boulder: The Uses of Cleopatra

Professor Noel Lenski, CU Boulder: The Uses of Cleopatra

Monday, December 3, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Canyon Theatre, Boulder Public Library

This lecture is the first in this year's general-interest public lecture series ATTIC NIGHTS, presented by the University of Colorado Department of Classics and the Boulder Public Library with the generous support of Mary E.V. McClanahan.

Professor Philip Holt (University of Wyoming): "What is a Hero Cult? Definitions and Borderlines."

Monday, November 12th at 5:00p.m.
HUMN 135 

Professor Philip Holt (University of Wyoming) will give a talk entitled "What is a Hero Cult? Definitions and Borderlines." Greek hero cult is an extension, magnified, of the tendance or cult of ordinary dead.  Can we distinguish between the two, and how can we tell whether what we are looking at is a hero cult or not?  This talk will examine the question, setting out some criteria and testing them against some borderline cases of actual cults.
A reception will follow in HUMN 350.

Dimitri Nakassis, University of Toronto, AIA Lecture - Paupers and Peasants and Princes and Kings: Reconstructing Society in Late Bronze Age Greece

Thursday, November 15th at 7:00PM
Humanities Room 135

Dimitri Nakassis, University of Toronto, AIA Lecture
Title: Paupers and Peasants and Princes and Kings: Reconstructing Society in Late Bronze Age Greece

Abstract: Studies of Mycenaean Greece often focus on the vast divide between the most powerful and the least powerful individuals: the king and the officials of the palace on the one hand, and lowly laborers on the other.  Between those extremes, however, were local leaders, administrators, and skilled craftsmen whose activities we can document through texts and the archaeological record.  This paper proposes a new model of Mycenaean culture that incorporates evidence about kings, slaves,and the middling ranks of society.