Classics and Semitics @ GWU

Odds are, you’ve seen the ‘300′ about five times now (give or take). Doesn’t matter–come watch it again. “THIS IS SPARTA” will never, EVER, get old.

Basically—
We’ll be having our monthly movie night this Thursday, November 8 at 8:00 pm in Corcoran 111. We’ll have something light–chips and popcorn–or you can bring your own food (though I’ll forever disavow any knowledge of it to Academic Scheduling).

Hope to see everyone Thursday!

If so, come to the Classics (and Archaeology) Major Lunch and Advising Fair on Monday November 5th from 11am-12:30pm and have some pizza and get your registration hold lifted! If you are new to the department, now is the time to meet other majors or minors and faculty.  Learn as well about our new Semitics Minor (Hebrew and Arabic)–perfect for those of you headed of to do Near Eastern Archaeology!

Prof. Cline will be  there to sign your registration forms.

Catherine Keesling (Associate Professor and Chair at Georgetown University) will talk on “Greek Portrait Statues: Who, When, and Why” on Thursday, November 1 (see below for more information):

The study of ancient Greek portraiture has been treated as a question of origins since the Roman author Pliny the Elder, who was concerned to show that the characteristics of portraiture most familiar to his contemporary Roman audience in fact had an ancient and distinguished Greek pedigree.  Modern scholarship, hampered by the lack of preserved Greek originals and relying heavily upon Roman marble “copies” of lost Greek portraits, has often taken a similar tack. The result is that most modern studies of Greek portraiture concentrate on the fifth century B.C., a period in which portraits were seldom identified as such by their accompanying inscriptions.

Herodotus, writing in the 420s B.C., mentions more than 60 sanctuary dedications in his Histories, but only a handful of portraits; only a few of the public monuments commemorating the Greek victories in the Persian Wars of 490 and 480-479 B.C. included portrait statues.  The epigraphical evidence of inscribed statue bases strongly suggests that a real explosion in the practice of portraiture in both the public and private spheres in the Greek world took place in the fourth century B.C.  The epigraphical evidence also sheds new and surprising light upon the complex histories of Greek portrait statues.  In addition to being copied by Roman sculptors, Greek portraits were also literally recycled as portraits of Roman subjects.  Retrospective honorific portraits of the fourth century and later—that is, posthumous portraits of subjects long deceased—have also obscured the history of Greek portraiture, making it more difficult to see that Greek “portrait culture” is largely a phenomenon of the fourth century and later.

Tomorrow the Greek Embassy cultural center will be hosting a lecture on the new Parthenon Museum in Athens!

The lecture will be held in the lower level of the Embassy at 2217 Massachusetts Avenue (at Sheridan Circle). The lecture begins at 7 pm and should last until about 9 pm. No reservations are required.

Dumbarton Oaks
Pre-Columbian Studies

Public Lecture

Jean-Pierre Protzen, University of California, Berkeley

Inca Architecture: Building a World


Machu Picchu

Thursday, October 25^th 2007
5:30 P.M. in the Music Room of Dumbarton Oaks
1703 32^nd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007

Illustrated

The lecture is open to the public without charge.
For additional information: pre-columbian@doaks.org or 202-339-6440.

Abstract
In the expansion of their power base, the Incas launched a massive construction program consisting mostly of works of infrastructure: roads, bridges, agricultural terraces, reservoirs, irrigation canals, and storage facilities. In parallel, the Incas also built new administrative centers, temples, and settlements. In all their construction work, the Incas demonstrated a deep appreciation of their environment. Their works reveal a thorough understanding of questions of hydrology, geomorphology, and microclimate as well as an appreciation of the aesthetic values of the landscape. This lecture will explore the design and planning practices of the Incas.

About the Speaker
Jean-Pierre Protzen is Professor of the Graduate School (Architecture) at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Protzen is author of Inca Architecture and Construction at Ollantaytambo and several other publications on design theory and methods, Inca architecture, and construction techniques. Honors include research fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the University of California, and an International Architecture Book Award from the American Institute of Architects. Professor Protzen teaches courses on design theories and methods, logics of design, and research methods. Current research interests include design, planning, and construction principles of ancient civilizations, particularly Pre-Columbian South America. Recent field projects have concerned the architecture and construction of Tiwanaku in Bolivia and Tambo Colorado in Peru.

Directions to the Music Room at Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks is located at 1703 32^nd Street, NW in Washington, D.C. Please enter through the front entrance of the Main Building, and proceed down the hall where you will be guided into the Music Room. For further information or to receive an electronic map of the grounds, please contact Emily Gulick (gulicke@doaks.org; (202)339-6440). We look forward to seeing you there!

Something our Archaeology students may be interested in? Please note that you must contact the embassy at the email provided below to RSVP.

TURKISH EMBASSY LECTURE SERIES

The Embassy of Turkey and the American Friends of Turkey
cordially invite you to

“Tracking the Frontiers of the Hittite Empire”
A Lecture by Dr. Ann Gunter

October 10, 2007 at 6.30 p.m.
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

-PLEASE NOTE: This event will be followed by a reception –

A century ago, excavations at Boðazköy, northeast of Ankara, uncovered cuneiform tablets and architectural remains that identified the site as ancient Hattusha, capital of the Hittite Empire. From about 1400 to 1200 BCE, the Hittites ruled over a large empire extending from western Turkey to northern Syria, and conducted wars as well as diplomacy with the other great powers of Egypt and Babylonia. Recent archaeological investigations over a wide area of Turkey have uncovered significant new information about the empire and its material culture, and dramatic new discoveries have been made at the site of Boðazköy itself. This lecture explores ongoing archaeological investigation of the empire’s frontiers, which shed light on art and architecture as well as imperial administration, trade, and international relations.

Dr. Ann Gunter is Head of Scholarly Publications and Programs and former Curator of ancient Near Eastern art at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.  She received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. Her research specialties include ancient Near Eastern art, Anatolian archaeology, and artistic relationships between ancient Greece and the Near East, and she has published numerous books and articles on these subjects.

Please RSVP with name, title and affiliation to:
(202) 387-3200 or events@turkishembassy.org
ID required at entrance

In honor of Classics 071 having finished Homer’s Iliad, the Classics and Archaeology Club will be sponsoring its first Classics Movie Night.

WHAT: TROY (with Brad Pitt and Eric Bana)
WHEN: Thursday, September 27th 8PM
WHERE: Monroe 352

Popcorn will be provided (but don’t tell the Registrar). Students in 071 may write a short 2-3 page “comparison” paper for one quiz grade’s worth of extra credit.

SEE YOU THERE!

The Welcome Back 2007 Classics and Archaeology Club party was a success. More than 20 students and all the Classics faculty attended and there was much food. The nice thing about hosting this party was that the students brought the food. Of course, they were a little late, but that’s what happens when you put a Greek in charge of the food. Eric Cline, our fearless leader and a world traveler managed to get lost on the way to my house. It wouldn’t be that funny except that he’s been to the house multiple times before and he has GPS in his car. Go figure. The Cutest Baby in the World (no bias here) made a grand appearance instead of napping. Thankfully, Cline brought his babysitter in training, Hannah, to help out.
Below are a few more pictures. For the full album, go HERE.

This year’s Welcome back party for Classics and Archaeology majors and minors will be held at Professor Kennedy’s House of Sunday September 16th from 1-3pm. For more information, visit the Classics and Archaeology Club home page or contact Dr. Cline, Dr. Kennedy or Club President LeBlanc.

All current Classics and Archaeology majors and minors @ GWU and those interested in becoming one are welcome to attend. Sandwiches, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Pictures may be taken.

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Classics and Semitics and the Classics and Archaeology Club of GWU. The University claims no responsibility.