09/01/2026
Not only is today the first day of classes, but it's also World Letter Writing Day!
Here we have a selection of writing tools (courtesy of the British Museum): ink pots, styluses, wax tablet, and an actual letter on papyrus.
Cicero and Pliny the Younger were both prolific letter writers, whose letters are not only one of our best sources for social and cultural history, not to mention historical events (see in particular Pliny on the eruption of Mt Vesuvius!), but also excellent examples of Latin, of Roman literature, and rhetorical style.
Would you like to be able to read Cicero and Pliny and all the Latin authors, in Latin? Take LATIN 101 this term!
Would you like to learn more about Roman literature? CLASS 221 and CLASS 322 are for you! Is it Roman history you're interested in? We have so many courses on so many different areas of Roman history! Check out the course offerings on our departmental home page! Is it archaeology you're interested in? Start with CLASS 220: Intro to Archaeology!
Remember to write letters, especially physical letters on real paper with real ink, and send them off to your loved ones and tell them all about your experiences here at U Alberta! Letters are one of the best records we have about what people are thinking about their world. Do future historians and literary scholars a favour, and write letters!
