Activities and Events
2015–16
Annual Parilia Conference
Date: Friday, April 15, 2016
Location: Hamilton College
The Classics Department of Skidmore College will attend a one-day undergraduate research conference concerning the various aspects of Classical Studies, including: Greek, Latin, Ancient History and Archaeology. Skidmore College students and faculty will be joined by Union College and Hamilton College, as a few students from each institution will present their papers followed by discussions. A new aspect of this year’s conference will be the addition of Poster Papers, while a select few students will present their papers to the entire conference, other students will have the opportunity to present their work on posters to their fellow peers and faculty.
David Porter Classical World Lecture
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2016
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Davis Auditorium
The David Porter Classical World Lecture is one of the Classics Department’s most anticipated events, and is part of the department’s gateway course, CC200: Classical World.
Skidmore College welcomes Barry Strauss, Professor of Classics, Professor and Chair of the History Department, and the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University to discuss his book, The Death of Caesar, for this year’s lecture.Strauss breathes new life into one of history’s most famous assassinations, by delving into the dramatic cast of characters, especially the assassins themselves, within the historical context of Rome’s Civil Wars. Through an examination of the Ides of March, Strauss will lead the audience out of the Roman Republic and into the age of the Empire.
Homerathon 2016
Date: February 16, 2016
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, 2nd floor: pizza, cookies and Homer!
Homerathon! (a marathon reading of the Greek poet, Homer) is one of the Classics Department’s most anticipated yearly events, a time for students, faculty, staff, and other friends to gather in celebration of our earliest Western poet. Coupled with our Classical World course (CC 200), the Homerathon! reminds us that the ancient art of storytelling is alive and well.
Classics Department Honor Society Induction
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Time: 5:30–7 p.m.
Location: Murray Dining Hall, Conference Room
The Department inducts students into the national honor society in classics, Eta Sigma
Phi.
Veterans’ Voices: Ajax in America
A staged reading of Sophocles’ Ajax
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2015
Time: 7–9 p.m.
Location: Gannett Auditorium
A town-hall style meeting and reception in the Class of 1967 Lobby will follow
Veterans’ Voices is a local group of armed forces vets interested in how ancient literature
can elucidate the trauma of warfare. On November 12, the group will perform excerpts
from Sophocles’ quintessential war tragedy, Ajax.
The play tells the story of the dishonored soldier, Ajax, cheated of his due in the
Trojan War and humiliated before his wife and fellow soldiers. His suicide remains
one of the most shocking acts ever dramatized on the Greek stage, and one that resonates
with an equally shocking statistic: each day, on average, 22 American veterans choose
to end their lives.
The members of Veterans’ Voices hope to engage the audience in a broad conversation
about the human cost of war from antiquity to modernity, and to raise awareness of
the challenges our veterans face when they return home from war—as well as the challenges
faced by their families, caregivers, and communities. Please join us for this extraordinary
event.
Meet the cast!
Click here to view the event on Livestream
Classics students and faculty gather for food and conversation in the test kitchen of the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall once a month for a classics dinnertime symposium. Meal tickets provided if requested.
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2015
Time: 5:30–7 p.m.