Department of Ancient Studies Stellenbosch

Good turnout at Open Day today. We hope to see many of you in our first-year classes next year!

We have another research seminar next week and you’re invited. This one features the research of one of our postdocs, Marlene Meyer. She’ll address us on the topic ‘Sitting on Unity: How the Placement of the sema tawy Motif influenced its Iconography’.
This one’s online only (link in bio).

Recently, Dr. Westwood was featured on the podcast Dialogues in Judaic Studies, which is hosted by Ari Barbalat, available on Buzzsprout, Spotify, etc.
They spoke about her monograph, Moses among the Greek lawgivers, published in 2023, based on her doctoral thesis. She mentioned it was fun to revisit this book and its ideas in a completely different format.

About Dr Ursula Westwood: After doing her undergrad in Classics and French at UCT, and then an MPhil in Greek and Roman history at Oxford, Dr. Westwood completed her DPhil in Ancient History in 2020 at Oxford University, under the supervision of Professor Martin Goodman. She then joined the Ancient Studies Department in Stellenbosch in July 2022 after a few years of teaching Greek and (some) Latin for the Oxford Classics Faculty.

Swipe through our first batch of photos. Enjoy this look at our Honours Students’ outing to Social History Resource Centre in Cape Town, on 4 February this year.

We are delighted to have Prof. Franziska Naether back in the department and, in particular, to have the privilege of listening to some of her latest research. Can we promise that _you_ will receive an oracle at the seminar this Tuesday? No. But you’ll never know if you don’t attend 😉. For online attendance, see the link in our bio (Instagram only).

Rita Lucarelli is joining us in the department for a short while. Catch her seminar on Egyptomania & its afterlives this Tuesday (24 March, 17h10), where she'll even touch on Egyptimania as expressed in Afrofuturism (swipe for abstract). Don't miss out, as room 332 has limited seating, so arrive in good time.
Light refreshments will follow.

The seminar this past Tuesday (17 March) was presented by Prof. Herbert Niehr — Professor Emeritus, Tübingen, & extraordinary Professor in our department. He spoke on ‘Şapūnu: Ugarit’s Sacred Mountain & It’s Reception in Jerusalem. As it turns out, the talk was exceedingly well attended & was enjoyed by all.

As you’ll see in the final slide, a few of us even nipped out for some dinner at with Prof. Niehr (pictured with Prof. Niehr are Dr Samantha Masters, Dr Renate van Dijk-Coombes & Prof. Franziska Naether of Leipzig University & research associate in our department).

Soft relaunch in maroon.

What kind of content are you keen on seeing on our socials?

Not to be missed!

You’re invited!

We were blown away by the production of An Iliad, a one-man show featuring , directed by Geoffrey Highland with sound design by Charl Johan Lingenfelder. It’s on at the Baxter until 14 March. If you’re in Cape Town and surrounds, you’re in for a treat. Please go!