Hull Classical Association

History lovers won't want to miss this fascinating journey into Hull’s past. Local historian and YouTuber Jamie Topliss-Yates (Hull History Nerd) explores the story of Hull’s town walls, from their status as some of Europe’s earliest brick defences to their destruction as the city entered the Industrial Revolution. Enjoy an informative talk followed by audience questions.

📅 Saturday 5 September, 1pm–2pm.

🎟️ Tickets £5. Booking essential.
Book your ticket at https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/museum-events/hulls-town-walls-hull-history-hour-talk

Whilst many eagerly await the release of Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" later this month, some historians have questioned the historical accuracy of some of the costumes and movie set.

The Odyssey was first composed during the 8th or 7th century BCE, by "Homer" (precisely who "Homer" was, we don't really know). The story follows the return home of the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, after the Greek victory at Troy in the 13th or early 12th century BCE - the Mycenaean Bronze Age.

The costumes of the 2026 movie have been criticised for being anachronistic - that is, they are not accurate for the time period in which the Odyssey was supposed to take place. Particular issue has been taken with the armour, some of which is made from iron, which was not used during the Bronze Age.

The style of the armour is also historically inaccurate, with warriors depicted in later forms that are more typical of the Archaic period. However, it has been noted that the stories contained within the Odyssey have been retold and anachronised since the earliest days of ancient history, with characters depicted on pottery in the armour of the later Archaic and Classical Greek styles by artists during those periods.

So, are Christopher Nolan's stylistic choices any different? Do the themes of the Odyssey matter more than these kinds of details?

Image depicts the oldest-known manuscript fragment of the Odyssey, produced in Ptolemaic Egypt during the 3rd century BC. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

🪏 Hear about the past, from the team that dug it up 🪏

Humber Field Archaeology's Peter Connelly lifts the curtain on Medieval Hull, and this towns earliest origins.

Talks are FREE entry, and begin at 12:00 in the Minster chancel.

https://hm.churchsuite.com/events/kp5p790z

Aristophanes' comedy "Frogs" is well known for its unique croaking chorus - "Brekekekex koax koax". However, these famous frogs make only a brief guest appearance (if they appear at all - some academics think they were heard but not seen) before they are shouted down by the main character, Dionysus. They add nothing to the plot and are quickly replaced by a more dignified chorus of processing mystic initiates, followers of Dionysus. The initiates do have relevance to the plot and it is they who go on to fill the choral function of singing, dancing and commenting on the action.
So why were these irrelevant frogs introduced at all?

One ingenious suggestion is that they were an afterthought by Aristophanes, created to make fun of his rival in the drama competition of 405 BC. That rival was comic playwright, Phrynichos, whose name in Greek has the unfortunate meaning of "Toadlike".

Phrynichos' play "The Muses" may have already been seen by the audience earlier that day. So, according to this theory, when the character Dionysus drowns out the frogs' discordant croaking in a mini-competition within the play, Aristophanes was suggesting to the judges that so should his play prevail over Phrynichos' "Muses".

Which it did. The Frogs took first prize.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Stephen Spender Prize About the Stephen Spender Prize The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual competition for poetry in translation that celebrates the creativity of young people across the UK and Ireland – and their teachers! The Prize has categories for schools, teachers...

Thank you to everyone who came to the last Hull Classical Association talk on Friday! Jennifer Porter discussed "What Made the Romans Laugh?" and the lesser-known Roman performance genre of mime.

We are putting together an exciting schedule of speakers for next year. We expect a mix of mythology, ancient history and archaeology talks from some of the pre-eminent classicists in the UK.

For now, we wish everyone a very good summer and we will see you in the autumn!

A reminder that the final Hull Classical Association talk before we break for the summer is this evening, 7pm at Oasis Hub (310 Newland Avenue, Hull HU5 2NB). Jennifer Porter will be discussing "What Made the Romans Laugh?"

We look forward to seeing you then!

Thank you to everyone who attended Professor Walton's talk last Friday!

Following Professor Walton's talk about what made the Greeks laugh, our next talk is this coming Friday, when we welcome Jennifer Porter to talk about "What Made the Romans Laugh?"

As always, our events are free. Donations are very welcome, but not expected. Tickets can be obtained here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1990108395784?aff=oddtdtcreator

Jennifer Porter is co-chair of the Hull Classical Association along with Kate Williams. She is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where her research focuses on Roman comedic performances and the ways in which dramatic actors were paid, as well as cheating and fraud in business transactions.

Her talk next Friday will discuss the most popular - but less well-know - form of Roman entertainment: mime. This rambunctious, provocative, and always lewd genre endured for hundreds of years and was banned by some emperors. But what do we actually know about it? And why was it so popular? Most importantly, however, what did Roman laughter even mean?

We look forward to seeing you at 7pm on Friday, at Oasis Hub (310 Newland Avenue, Hull, HU5 2NB).

A reminder that the next Hull Classical Association talk will be at 7pm on Friday 29th May, at the Oasis Hub (310 Newland Avenue, Hull, HU5 2NB).

We are looking forward to welcoming Professor Walton to talk to us about Greek comedy and what made ancient Greek people laugh.

As always, tickets are free. We welcome donations, but there is no obligation. Everyone is welcome to attend, so if you have ever had an interest in Classics or Ancient History, do join us!

Tickets can be reserved here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1988799027428?aff=oddtdtcreator

We look forward to seeing you on Friday!