Institute of Classical Studies

The latest issue of the Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies has been published, with articles on choral dance, Roman picture galleries, a comic scene on an Apulian bell-krater, the role of πλάσσω in ancient narrative theory, Virgil's Ganymede...and more! academic.oup.com/bics/issue

Register now for the next Digital Classics Seminar:
A Museum of Words and Deeds: Combining artefacts and Latin texts in an online exhibition
Friday 19 June, 1pm

Using the Pedestal3D platform and digitised artefacts from the University of New England Museum of Antiquities in Australia, we look at how online exhibitions can display complex ideas from ancient texts together with object histories. In the exhibition, we employ the objects’ digital surfaces as the direct mediators between text and viewer through the creative use of annotations and invite viewers to consider what we gain and lose by the cultural categorisation of ancient objects.

A Museum of Words and Deeds: Combining artefacts and Latin texts in an online exhibition Museum classificatory systems attribute culture to objects in complex ways. The distinction of what exactly makes something “Greek”, “Roman”, “Egyptian”, a combination, or “Other” can be difficult to explain. These ideas find an interesting point of comparison in Valerius Maximus’ ...

EpiDoc office hour
Weds 17 June, 5pm

The EpiDoc community hosts a monthly online drop-in session or “office hour.” During these open sessions, experienced EpiDoc users or developers will be available to answer EpiDoc-related questions and provide mentorship for your digital projects. If you want to know more about EpiDoc, have specific questions, need technical help, are thinking about a project or just want to hear what other people are up to, please feel free to come with your questions, encoding difficulties, inscriptions or other ancient texts to share, or just to listen in on the conversation.

EpiDoc office hour EpiDoc (epidoc.stoa.org) is the de facto standard for the encoding of ancient epigraphic and papyrological editions in TEI XML for online publication and interchange.

Tony Stark, Odysseus and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Texts and Modern Pop Culture
5pm Thurs 11 Jun: shorturl.at/O82Jj

Peter Meineck will examine the influence of ancient mythology on Marvel films, comics and games and how the Marvel Universe is acting as part of a modern mythic structure.

Tony Stark, Odysseus and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Texts and Modern Pop Culture In this illustrated talk Peter Meineck will describe aspects of his recent book, which examines the influence of ancient mythology on Marvel films, comics and games and how the Marvel Universe is acting as part of a modern mythic structure. Actors from the Aquila Theatre Company will present short ...

Did you miss the recent lecture given by Prof Liv Yarrow on Nemi’s Scattered Treasure: New Methods and Old Archaeological Finds?

Catch up with the video here and learn more about how historic assemblages shed light on economic and religious practices of the Third Century BCE Rome and Italy:

Nemi’s Scattered Treasure: New Methods and Old Archaeological Finds Nemi’s Scattered Treasure: New Methods and Old Archaeological Finds

Classical Antiquity in Video Games: Combining Visual, Narrative and Interactive Elements

Friday 12 June, 5pm
Sarah Rohde (University of London)
https://shorturl.at/iwEuL

This talk will explore the displacement of Classical Antiquity through a corpus of 100 games composed of both popular and lesser-known games, spanning different genres and contexts of productions, and diverse target audiences.

Classical Antiquity in Video Games: Combining Visual, Narrative and Interactive Elements Classical Antiquity in Video Games: Combining Visual, Narrative and Interactive Elements Friday, 12 June 2026, 17:00-18:30 BST Sarah Rohde (University of London) In-person: booking required Streamed live: https://youtu.be/gq9uSzaZ6Fo “As of 2023, there were 3.220 billion gamers worldwide”. The s...

“Tales from the Tropical Gothic”: Juan Luna, the Philippines, and Ilustrado Classicism
Monday 8 June, 12pm Online via Zoom

The painter Juan Luna (1857-1899) occupies a central position in the cultural history of the Philippines. As one of the most prominent ilustrados (“enlightened ones”), Luna utilized classical themes in his art for a range of purposes. In this talk, Dr Andreas (Tom) Zanker (University of Western Australia) considers Luna’s status as an exponent of ilustrado classicism from two different perspectives. First discussing Luna’s background and relationship with José Rizal (1861-1896), the de facto national hero of the Philippines, and commenting on some of Luna’s paintings (e.g. Spoliarium and H***n, oh Hyménée!). Then considering how Luna’s classicism, and that of his ilustrado compatriots, is reflected in Nick Joaquin’s play, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1950). Here, we observe an ageing ilustrado painter (similar to Luna) immediately prior to the destruction of old Manila in the Second World War. His final painting, a double self-portrait, shows himself as both Aeneas and Anchises escaping the flames of Troy, without an Ascanius.

“Tales from the Tropical Gothic”: Juan Luna, the Philippines, and Ilustrado Classicism The painter Juan Luna (1857-1899) occupies a central position in the cultural history of the Philippines. As one of the most prominent ilustrados (“enlightened ones”), Luna utilized classical themes in his art for a range of purposes. In this talk, I consider Luna’s status as an exponent of il...

Final days to apply: Combined Classics Library Bursaries

With the Hellenic & Roman Societies, the ICS is running a small grants scheme (up to £300) to assist unfunded scholars to visit the Library in summer 26 to advance or complete a project of research or scholarship. Deadline 7 June:

Combined Classics Library Bursaries Small grants available to assist unfunded scholars visiting the Combined Classics Library for research projects in summer 2025.

Tony Stark, Odysseus and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Texts and Modern Pop Culture

Thursday 11 June, 5pm
In-person at Senate House

In this illustrated talk Peter Meineck will describe aspects of his recent book, which examines the influence of ancient mythology on Marvel films, comics and games and how the Marvel Universe is acting as part of a modern mythic structure. Actors from the Aquila Theatre Company will present short scenes from works of Greek epic and drama that are mentioned in the book followed by an audience discussion.

Tony Stark, Odysseus and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Texts and Modern Pop Culture In this illustrated talk Peter Meineck will describe aspects of his recent book, which examines the influence of ancient mythology on Marvel films, comics and games and how the Marvel Universe is acting as part of a modern mythic structure. Actors from the Aquila Theatre Company will present short ...

Augustus in Saigon!? Imperial and Post-Imperial Frames of Classicizing Iconography in Ho Chi Minh City
Monday 1 June, 12pm
Online via Zoom

Professor Sven Günther (IHAC, Northeast Normal University, Changchun) will discuss the reception of Classical antiquity in Vietnam through intermediaries. Focusing not only on what messages were conveyed by the use of “classicizing” columns, sculptures, and attributes but also on how they were framed or reframed into consistent narratives, both in French colonial times and in post-colonial Vietnam, continuously mirroring communications of ideology, power, and control.

Augustus in Saigon!? Imperial and Post-Imperial Frames of Classicizing Iconography in Ho Chi Minh City Mapping the Blue Horizon: A Digital Corpus Approach to the ‘Caeruleus-Glaucus’ Complex in Classical Latin Literature Event