UKZN’s Classics department’s roundtable on Classics in South Africa featured Mr Michael Lambert, author of The Classics and South African Identitiesas well as Professor Tanja Itgenshorst of Freiburg University in Switzerland.

Lecturer in Classics, Ms Helen Lenahan said: ‘The visit was organised in order to foster collaboration between UKZN and international research institutions, to provide UKZN students with the opportunity to engage with prominent international academics and their research, and to raise international awareness of the study of Classics in South Africa’. 

Itgenshorst discussed how political concerns, particularly around the decolonisation of curricula, have affected the study of Classics in Europe and the United States.

This sparked a discussion on shared issues in South African Classics, the discipline’s evolving identity, and the subject’s applicability to students in South Africa and throughout Africa.

Undergraduate and graduate students were urged to think about what they want to see in the field of Classics going forward and to advocate for the subject’s continued relevance in South Africa.

Itgenshorst shared her research on the ancient Greek historian Appian, who was born in Egypt in 95 CE and later lived in Rome as a Roman citizen, writing accounts of Roman history for a Greek-speaking audience. She addressed Appian’s account of political violence in Rome in the year 133 BCE, and how his interpretation of this period of Roman history influenced the work of modern historians.  

According to Lenahan, ‘Students in the undergraduate module, Roman Words and Ideas are currently studying the history of the Roman Republic, including this period’s frequent incidents of political violence, and their causes and outcomes.’ Her research enriched this section of the curriculum and was an excellent example to students of how their undergraduate studies may lead to more advanced research. 

Ms Brianna Christopher, a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Civilisations and History student said, ‘I had a great time at the round table. I hope that future partnerships will proceed as smoothly as this one did. I am really appreciative of the chance to interact with scholars from other countries’.

On behalf of the Classics Discipline, Lenahan expressed gratitude to Itgenshorst for generously offering her time and expertise, as well as Lambert for his collaboration and assistance.