Man ... I must have really offended Nemesis; after complaining about press releases (see below) I am now up to number three ... this one comes from Fresno State:

Josiah Ober, a professor of Classics at Princeton University and author of books and articles on Greek history, culture and political thought, will lead off the College of Arts and Humanities 2004 Fall Lecture Series with a speech on Thursday, Sept. 30.

Ober will present the Phebe McClatchy Conley Lecture on “Theogenes the King, Fragments from the Life of an Athenian Everyman” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Music Building Concert Hall. His appearance is in conjunction with the Classical Studies Program in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

All programs in the fall Intellectual and Artistic Exploration series are free and open to the public.

Ober holds a joint appointment in Classics and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton. He published works focus on various aspects of ancient Greek history. His book “Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens” won the Goodwin Award of Merit in 1989. In recent years his interests have centered on Athenian democracy and Greek political thought.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree and doctorate in ancient history from the University of Michigan.

The Hexham Courant has an update on the excavation of that Roman bridge first mentioned over the summer:

A MAJOR archaeological rescue dig revealing the largest stone bridge in Roman Britain is nearing its end.

Experts working on the summer excavation on the River Tyne, in Corbridge, have uncovered the most completely preserved construction of its type in the country.

The dig, carried out by archaeologists from Tyne and Wear Museums, revealed huge stone blocks, up to a ton in weight, and carved masonry, showing the scale and decoration of the bridge.

Backed by a £300,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and commissioned by English Heritage, the excavation has enabled locals to get involved and help in the project.

It was found that the course of the River Tyne has turned 45 degrees since the Roman period and it still poses a threat to the survival of the remains.

The team also discovered evidence of how a substantial portion of the masonry could be put back together, with stones in their original positions.

Detailed discussions are in progress to decide how a display could be created on the site, which would provide a rare opportunity to see the remains of a great work of classical architecture which has been invisible for centuries.

Keeper of archaeology at Tyne and Wear Museums, Margaret Snape, from Hexham, said: “The site will remain open throughout September, and through October, so the public can still come by and have a look.

“The digging is nearing its end, and we now have the results. The results have exceeded our expectations.

“It is really sensational, and the site looks absolutely wonderful.”

The bridge, which carried the main Roman road from London to Scotland, was built to proclaim the power of the Roman Empire and particularly the Imperial House.

A massive ramp, almost 12 metres wide, which would have carried the Roman Great North Road onto the bridge, was uncovered, as well as a 19 metre long retaining wall to protect the south-east side.

Fallen from the bridge superstructure is a huge decorated octagonal stone, thought to be the capital from a pillar or monumental feature which once marked the point where the road rose onto the bridge.

The evidence uncovered will allow the archaeologists to work out the original appearance of the bridge.

Keith Bartlett, Heritage Lottery Fund Regional Manager for the North East said: “HLF is dedicated to conserving our heritage and this project is leading the way in ensuring that our heritage is preserved to give everyone the opportunity to learn about, experience and enjoy it.

“It is also wonderful that this excavation has also allowed volunteers to get involved and experience the joy of discovering their heritage first hand.”

Of course, when I complain about lack of press releases about Classicists 'on tour' (see next entry), the next email I open has just that. Here's one from Hamilton College:

Oberlin College Assistant Professor of Classics Kirk Ormand will give the Winslow Lecture at Hamilton College on Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 4:10 p.m. in the Red Pit, Kirner-Johnson building. His lecture, which is sponsored by the Classics Department, is titled “Electra in Exile” and is free and open to the public.

Ormand is the author of Exchange and the Maiden: Marriage in Sophoclean Tragedy (1999) and of articles on Sophocles, Homer, Ovid, Lucan, and Clint Eastwood.  He has a particular interest in gender and sexuality in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in critical theory.  His most recent publication is "Oedipus the Queen: Cross-Gendering without Drag" (Theatre Journal 2003).  He is currently writing an article on virginity in the Greek novel and beginning a book titled Structures of Marriage in the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women.

His talk will focus on the political implications of the unusual setting for Euripides' version of the Electra story.  That is, to what extent is Electra's removal from the city of Mycenae an exile from the political state, and to what extent has her citizenship been compromised by this geographical relocation?

Kirk Ormand received his bachelor's degree from Carleton College and his master's and Ph.D. from Stanford.  Before going to Oberlin, he taught at Loyola University Chicago and spent four years in the business world as a project manager.

I wish more universities would put out press releases when Classicists are "on tour"; especially for lectures which are open to the public ... here's one from the College of the Holy Cross:

John Peradotto, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, will give a talk, titled “The Greeks Revolutionize the Alphabet” on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. in room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Peradotto’s lecture will examine the non-alphabetic system used by the ancient Greeks and their subsequent adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet. He will focus in particular on how the adaptation addressed problems associated with its Phoenician predecessor and how the new alphabet’s superior analysis of the spoken language put reading skill within anyone's reach, thus laying the groundwork for democracy. He will also address the fact that the New Testament was written not in Hebrew, but in the Greek alphabet, which was a major factor in the speed and relative ease with which Christianity spread.

The Andrew V. Raymond Chair of Classics at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1984 – 99, Peradotto most recently served as Benedict Visiting Distinguished Professor at Carleton College in 2003. He is the author of Classical Mythology: An Annotated Bibliographical Survey (1973) and Man in the Middle Voice: Name and Narration in the Odyssey (1990), as well as numerous articles and reviews on Greek myth, epic and tragedy. Peradotto has delivered over 100 invited lectures on these and other topics at more than 50 universities and colleges and at meetings of professional associations.

A restaurant review in the Sun Times begins thusly:

In Greek mythology, Gigantes were giants who sprang from the ... I am not sure that the rest of that sentence belongs in a piece about dining, so you will have to look up the rest to get the full story about Gigantes.

As a public service, of course, I'll complete the story. Gigantes were giants who sprang from the blood of Uranus after he was castrated by Cronus. Their siblings, interestingly and fittingly enough were the Erinyes (divinities of revenge/retribution). As it happens, Gigantes is also the name of one of the more useful Yu-gi-oh cards (picture courtesy of deckboosters):

Actually, there are a number of Classically-inspired cards in the Yu-gi-oh game; I'll post a few from time to time ... Restaurants, Greek mythology, and Yu-gi-oh all in the same post; now that's rogueclassicism!

Nothing of interest ...