Malta Classics Association

21/09/2026

Homer, Dante, Ovid, Shakespeare, Vergil, Sappho and so many others. This lecture series has it all. Read more about it below and make sure to save the dates.

The National Library of Malta’s latest public lecture series explores how Greek and Latin culture endured through centuries of copying, print and literary reinterpretation This autumn, the National Library of Malta, in collaboration with the Malta Classics Association, will organise the ninth edit...

16/09/2026

We are extremely honoured and excited to be working with National Library of Malta in organising this series of lectures. We look forward to seeing you there! We thank all the scholars and colleagues collaborating with us on this journey.

📚 Secular Threads: Greek and Latin Culture in Later Print

The National Library of Malta, in partnership with the Malta Classics Association, presents its 9th Public Lecture Series, exploring the enduring legacy of the Classical world.

From October 2026 to May 2027, join us for eight fascinating lectures by leading scholars and speakers. Highlights include Petrarch, Dante & Machiavelli, Shakespeare and the Classics, Vergil & Horace, Dante’s Classical Demons, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Ulysses in Italian Literature, Homer in Malta, and the mystery of Sappho.

📍 National Library of Malta, Valletta | 🕡 18:30
🎟️ Free admission • No booking required • Lectures in English

08/09/2026

Our next lecture is called “Let Us Go to Athens!” On the Bottiaean Migration Account Transmitted by Plutarch, Greek Questions 35 (298F-299A) and Theseus 16. You can view the event here: https://fb.me/e/aBVc6tJLF

This paper examines the Bottiaean migration narrative transmitted by Plutarch in Quaestiones Graecae 35 and Theseus 16, focusing on the striking ritual refrain allegedly sung by Bottiaean girls during festive dances: “Let us go to Athens.” Rather than treating this detail as a marginal antiquarian curiosity, the paper argues that the refrain is the key to understanding the ideological architecture of the whole narrative. Through it, the Bottiaeans articulated a complex memory of origin that linked their historical settlement in the Chalcidic-Thracian area to Crete, Delphi, Iapygia, and, above all, Athens.
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Carmine Nastri received his PhD in Greek History from the University of Salerno (RAMUS) in February 2026, with a dissertation on Plutarch’s Quaestiones Graecae awarded Excellent with honours and special commendation. Beyond Plutarch, his research focuses on Delphi (its oracle and institutions) Greek religious practices, local and fragmentary historiography, and Archaic homoeroticism. Since 22 February 2023, he has been a member of the editorial board of “Ἑλληνικά. Studies in Greek History” (LED). He has participated in and organized numerous national and international conferences.

11/08/2026

Due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight's lecture has been cancelled!

Next online Lecture: https://fb.me/e/22Pn7zqCof

This paper reinterprets the cursus publicus, long understood primarily as an imperial transportation and courier system, as a crucial component of Rome’s intelligence and internal security apparatus. Far from being a purely logistical institution, the cursus publicus enabled strategic communication, rapid information transfer, and discreet surveillance across the empire, making it one of Rome’s most effective but least studied instruments of power.
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Dr. Martine Diepenbroek is a Dutch Classicist and Ancient Historian, who works on communication security in Greco-Roman warfare. She currently works as a Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Classical Cultures and Mythologies at the University of Johannesburg. In 2024, her first monograph was published with Bloomsbury. She is currently working on her second monograph on Roman intelligence systems with Palgrave MacMillan.

07/08/2026

Next online Lecture: https://fb.me/e/22Pn7zqCof

This paper reinterprets the cursus publicus, long understood primarily as an imperial transportation and courier system, as a crucial component of Rome’s intelligence and internal security apparatus. Far from being a purely logistical institution, the cursus publicus enabled strategic communication, rapid information transfer, and discreet surveillance across the empire, making it one of Rome’s most effective but least studied instruments of power.
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Dr. Martine Diepenbroek is a Dutch Classicist and Ancient Historian, who works on communication security in Greco-Roman warfare. She currently works as a Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Classical Cultures and Mythologies at the University of Johannesburg. In 2024, her first monograph was published with Bloomsbury. She is currently working on her second monograph on Roman intelligence systems with Palgrave MacMillan.

21/07/2026

The MCA would like to invite local artists to submit their classics related art and we will promote it on our page! Simply send us an email to [email protected] with up to three artworks, and a simple bio with your socials. We look forward to seeing your art.

If you're an international artist feel free to share your art with us as well!

The MCA values human creativity and will not accept any AI generated content.

13/07/2026

What a wonderful initiative! Congratulations to all involved and good luck to all the young daring Classics Cosmonauts!

Classics and Archaeology at UM

🚀 Blast off into the ancient world! 🏛️

The Department's Classics Cosmonauts Summer School has just officially launched!
Today, our student astronauts begin their epic journey through time, exploring ancient civilizations, mythologies, and languages.

30/06/2026

NEXT WEEK: https://fb.me/e/4u6ZMoufv

The "Roman" theater as a political allegory in the first half of the 20th century.

During the interwar period and World War II, plays set in ancient Rome became a favoured medium for allegories of totalitarianism. In various countries, plays emerged that portrayed classical rulers as stand-ins for Hi**er and Mussolini and compared the Roman plebs to the masses of the 20th century. This was made possible by a general conception of Rome as a city where absolute power could be attained through demagoguery, repression, and propaganda, resulting in a socio-political system easily linked to 1930s Europe. In parallel, and with a longer history, a similar approach would be applied to peplum cinema, with titles such as "The Sign of the Cross" or "Quo Vadis?"
This paper proposes an analysis of three key examples, each belonging to a different national context, featuring authors with differing ideologies, and set at distinct points in Roman history: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar adapted by George Orwell, Cervantes’s Numancia adapted by Rafael Alberti, and Albert Camus’s Caligula. These examples by no means exhaust the phenomenon, but they are significant enough to allow for a representative and transnational analysis.
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Lucas Tamargo is a pre-doctoral researcher in Ancient World Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), and a graduate of the Interuniversity Master’s Degree in History and Science of Antiquity —Máster Interuniversitario en Historia y Ciencias de la Antigüedad (MIHCA)— offered jointly by the UAM and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). He specializes in studies of classical reception in contemporary historiography and cultural production. He has published articles and given lectures on the reception of ancient Rome in film, literature, and press.

26/06/2026

STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL takes Greek Mythology and modernises it by combining what we love about contemporary musical theater with video games where character and story take center stage.

In a modern fantasy world, college dropout Grace is granted the power of a Muse - power she’ll need to find out the truth behind her predecessor’s death before time runs out. You’ll decide who Grace allies with, who she can trust, and who may betray her in this beautifully hand-illustrated roleplaying musical.

Delve into a hidden world of mythic Greek gods and monsters as you get to know a cast of hilarious, enigmatic, and compelling characters. Forget what you know about these mythological beings - in Stray Gods you’ll forge friendships and find foes with many familiar names, but not so familiar stories. Play as star and stagehand as you determine the story you want to tell through conversation and song. Build friendships with mortals and Gods alike. Stoke the fires of romance if you so choose - explore, pursue, and confess your love with four potential paramours.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1920780/Stray_Gods_The_Roleplaying_Musical/

23/06/2026

FINAL FANTASY XIV is an Online multiplayer RPG with multiple expansions in which you play as a character named and designed by you. The game is set on Hydaelyn, a fictional world of diverse environments across multiple continents, focused on the region of Eorzea.

One of the main antagonistic forces in Final Fantasy XIV is the Garlean Empire; which draws heavy inspiration from ancient Rome. The ranks within the Garlean military are not only modelled after those of the Roman Empire, but Garlean citizens possess names such as "Gaius", "Nero", "Livia", and "Menenius" to name a few.

Later on in the game you also meet the Ancients, a civilisation based off of Ancient Greece, so it's hard to deny that the game takes inspiration from the classics.

https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com