Malta Classics Association

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

19/06/2026

If you're looking for something quick and simple to while away a slow day, Marble Age is the ideal option for you. Originally released in 2015 by Clarus Victoria and released in a remastered version in 2020, this game is a turn-based historical strategy game where you need to balance various production chains while reacting to pop-up events. Gameplay is very simple, and the game comes with various difficulty settings to match your mood.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/383740/Marble_Age_Remastered/

17/06/2026

Builders of Greece is a city-building game released by CreativeForge Games in 2025. In this game you play as the leader of an island-based community as you develop it from a small village into a prosperous city. While managing resources and the varying demands of your increasingly refined citizenry, you will also need to fend off pirates and raiders. Interested players should, however, be warned that reviews of this game have been mixed and might want to wait until some of the bugs and issues with the game have been ironed out.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1273100/Builders_of_Greece/