UAlberta Classics

It's August, which means the summer research and conference season is almost over. What exciting conferences did your instructors get to this term?

The Celtic Conference in Classics (the largest Classics conference in Europe) was held at at Maynooth University in Ireland in July and saw a large contingent of U of A Classicists, presenting on ancient Thessaly in a panel co-organized by Prof Haagsma.

Prof Haagsma along with Prof Gino Canlas (former U of A graduate student and instructor, now faculty at Western) presented on their work in Thessaly ("Echoes in stone: tholos tombs and the afterlife of Mycenaean Thessaly").

Gino Canlas also presented on an element of Hellenistic Thessaly: "The survival of sanctuaries in defunct poleis."

Prof Pownall presented on "Thessaly in Xenophon's Hellenica."

Former *and* returning instructor Dr Ed Middleton presented on "Agricultural and imperial exploitation in Hellenistic and Roman Thessaly."

Current graduate student Chryssa Varela presented on Thessaly as well ("Uncovering old Halos: insights into urban life in Hellenistic Thessaly").

And former graduate student, currently working on his PhD at the University of Groningen, Adam Wiznura, presented on "Localizing Thessalian sacred border zones."

An excellent showcase of U Alberta expertise and research!

(Photos by Rosanagh Mack and Margriet Haagsma)

Did you enjoy Nolan's Odyssey? Are you looking for your next great Classics movie? How about a movie about Emperor Diocletian, all in Latin?

Need to brush up on your Latin before the movie? Sign up for LATIN 101/102 today!

The spectacle about Diocletian is the first of its kind in Croatian production (VIDEO) The "Diocletian" project consists of two separate products: the feature-length feature film "Diocles" (136 minutes) and a hybrid, documentary-fiction series of five one-hour episodes, titled "The First Split Citizen", with Mladen Badovinac as presenter and narrator, writes HRT.

Looking for a 4th year seminar / graduate course? We have a new one, just for you!

And of course, if Nolan's Odyssey has inspired you to learn ancient Greek to read the epic in the original, we can help you with that! Sign up for GREEK 101/102 today!

Would you like to read more about the Trojan Horse and the Sack of Troy? Take CLASS 321: The Trojan War: Beyond the Iliad (Fall term with Prof MacFarlane)

You've seen the movie. Now learn the myths and read the texts that inspired it (No pre-reqs are needed!):

CLASS 102: Greek and Roman Myth (multiple sections Fall and Winter term)

CLASS 221: Greek and Roman Literature in Translation (Fall term, with Stephanie Dennie)

Visiting Bath in England? Try the new student-led Latin audio guide to the Roman Baths, read by Sir Stephen Fry. https://buff.ly/bIhXrZc

À découvrir à Bath, en Angleterre : un guide audio des thermes romains entièrement en latin, conçu par une étudiante et lu par Sir Stephen Fry.
https://buff.ly/bIhXrZc

On the importance of Latin! Excerpt below is from a review of an edition with translation of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895)'s Alaudae, his journal, in Latin, with poetry, fiction, book reviews, reports on current world affairs, etc.

Why did he keep his journal in Latin? Because he knew that Latin *was* a language (and certainly not a "dead language"!) that could be used to communicate with real people about real things of real interest to the real world, and so he wanted to revive the use of Latin as a language for public and academic communication.

Students: the use of Latin as a language didn't end with the "fall" of Rome, and a knowledge of Latin will serve you well in both Classics and Neo-Latin studies! Sign up for (more) Latin for the upcoming academic year, and see where your skills can take you!

Classicists and Neo-Latinists: embrace one another as fellow scholars of the Latin-language!

Administrators: cutting ancient language programmes harms so many areas of study! Support your ancient language programmes!

The world needs more Latin!
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"Although Classical Studies primarily focuses on Graeco-Roman antiquity, the fact that Latin—in more or less petrified form—remained actively used and relevant throughout the medieval and early modern periods has inspired many a classicist to dedicate part or even all of their efforts to post-ancient Latin. This has even led to the emergence of new, dynamic disciplines such as Neo-Latin Studies. The increasing recognition by scholars of classical antiquity of this long-standing Latin-language tradition as a legitimate extension of their field is evidenced by its occasional appearances in classicist publications, including (rarely, but still) the current journal. The reason for this is not merely linguistic—the entire Latin literary tradition, on multiple levels, is deeply rooted in its ancient sources, with which it continuously engages."

Alaudae: the original Latin text of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, with English translation and explanatory notes – Bryn Mawr Classical Review BMCR 2026.06.30 Alaudae: the original Latin text of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, with English translation and explanatory notes Llewelyn Morgan, Michael Lombardi-Nash, Alaudae: the original Latin text of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, with English translation and explanatory notes. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 20...