Event time:
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 - 5:00pm
Location:
PH 401
Event description:
“Augustan literature in Greek and Latin: rethinking literary tradition at Rome”
Augustus’ reign over the Roman empire is often remembered as one of history’s most fertile periods of literary production: Latin authors like Vergil, Horace and Livy have acquired an almost mythical status. It is less widely recognised that Augustan Rome also nurtured writing in Greek, a substantial amount of which still survives. This talk explores how we can rethink Augustan literature to encompass not just Latin but also Greek texts. Such an approach can enable us to better understand the cultural and political circumstances that produced our textual corpus, while also providing a basis for thinking and reading across the linguistic divide in new ways. Greek-Latin bilingualism was a defining feature of Roman literary culture and I suggest that it ought to be placed at the center of how we conceptualise Roman literature as a historical phenomenon.
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The talk will be preceded by a meet-and-greet over coffee at 4pm and followed by a reception. All are welcome.