Each fall, a special endowment named for Charles Moore enables us to host a prominent scholar to speak about the ongoing significance of Greek language and culture.

 October 27, 2020
Athenian Ostracism: New Light on an Ancient PracticeJames P. Sickinger – Florida State University

A lecture hosted by the Department of Classical Studies and featuring James P. Sickinger, Salutatorian of Trinity Class of 1986, Associate Professor of Classics at Florida State University. Ostracism was a form of temporary exile that allowed ancient Athenian citizens to vote into temporary exile powerful individuals thought to pose a threat to their democracy. The practice took its name from the potsherds—ostraka—onto which voters scratched the names of those persons they wanted to banish. Excavations in Athens have uncovered thousands of these inscribed ballots over the past century, and their study has provided new and often unexpected details not only about ostracism but also about its intended victims and even the literacy of ancient Athenian voters. This lecture discusses some of this material and examines how ongoing excavations and recent publications continue to revise and enhance modern understanding of ostracism and Athenian voting methods.

Click here to view the recording

Co-sponsored by the departments History and Political Science and the AIA-Hartford Society

November 5, 2019

The Grammar of Being Human: Greek Grammar and American Slavery

Emily Greenwood – Yale University

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching & Learning and the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Monday, October 22, 2018

Made of Words – Euripides’ Helen & The Art of Verse Translation

Diane Arnson Svarlien – Independent Scholar & Professional Translator

Thursday, November 9, 2017

African-American Intellectuals & The Study of Ancient Greek after the Civil War

Michele Valerie Ronnick – Wayne State University

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Greek for Amazons: Wonder Woman’s Words through the Ages

Vincent E. Tomasso – Trinity College

 

 

October 19, 2015

Must There Be Blood? Ritual Sacrifice at Rome

Celia Schultz – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor