Log in
Classical Receptions at the OU raises awareness of how Greek and Roman texts, ideas and material culture have been interpreted, used and reworked, particularly in society today. Our research provides cultural and arts practitioners around the world — translators, poets and actors — with the tools to interpret ancient texts in modern contexts. Much of our research is presented in open-access assets — website, journals, seminars, workshops, conferences — thus providing resources both nationally and internationally. Working with the creative industries and beyond, we also help the wider public to gain a fuller understanding of the place of the classical within the contemporary world.
Reappraisals of modern responses to antiquity by members of Liverpool's Receptions Research Group (Paul, Hobden and Harrison) from 2004 to 2013 have had impact upon the methods, perspectives, and practices of members of creative communities internationally. Our research thus enables new ways of thinking and forms of expression and benefits practitioners in terms of their personal and professional development.
Three separate examples are included in this case study:
(1) Film-makers: Analysis by Paul of the biopic Alexander (2004) led Hollywood director Oliver Stone to re-appraise his approach to the subject (2009) and thereby reflect upon his methods as cinematic story-teller.
(2) Media practitioners: Hobden's research into ancient world documentaries and the associated Documenting Antiquity workshop (2013) has created opportunities for British media professionals to explore and refine understanding of their own practice, thus contributing to their professional development.
(3) Theatre producers: Harrison's work on Herodotus and empire inspired Australian artist Alison Richards to reconceptualise how performance theatre might contribute to political conversations in `X marks the spot', a theatrical performance paper by the artist (performed in August 2010).
Papyrological research since 1993 by Oxford scholars has led to important new discoveries that have promoted increased public understanding and discussion of ancient literature and history. Research on documentary papyri has led to greater awareness of daily life in Oxyrhynchus, a Graeco-Roman provincial capital in central Egypt. The publication and translation of a new poem by Sappho has led to its inclusion in new translations of Sappho and ancient Greek lyric by leading publishers. Major Digital Humanities projects, Oxyrhynchus Online and Ancient Lives, have made the Oxyrhynchus papyri available to the public through the use of a web interface. Mass participation facilitated by the project has received wide publicity for increasing the engagement of the public with the methods and materials of scientific research. The website has had a major pedagogical impact through its use in schools.
Research on the historian Herodotus, the history of the Achaemenid Persian empire, and the complex relationship between Greek and Persian worlds in the Classical period has had an impact in two main ways:
Public understanding of the classical world has been informed and enhanced through new editions of the prestigious and internationally acclaimed Oxford Classical Dictionary (OCD) and its spin-off publications. These key reference items, which have sold in high numbers and been translated into several languages, are available in specialist, university, college and public libraries worldwide, thereby benefitting a wide range of users, including the general public, students, school pupils, and fellow professionals.
University of Glasgow researchers have utilised cutting-edge 3D imaging techniques to enlarge miniature 4th century Greek theatre masks into life sized objects, transforming how these masks are displayed as museums artefacts and used in performance. Full-size reconstructions of the masks are now on permanent display in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow — seen by more than 1 million visitors annually — and exhibitions featuring the reconstructions have toured across the UK and Ireland. These masks are also now incorporated into the work of theatre groups in the UK and Italy, highlighting the influence of a lost European masked theatre practice on the foundation of modern drama.
IMAGINES is an interdisciplinary project and research group exploring the influence and impact of antiquity on modern cultures. The project addresses the reception of antiquity in film, theatre, dance, opera, sculpture, architecture, painting, graphic novels, design and photography and other forms of visual culture. The project has sought to make its work accessible to the public through a series of exhibitions and talks, while it has also sought to engage members of the creative and cultural industries such as art professionals in the fields of architecture, music, graphic novels, and the theatre.
Research at UCL has underpinned two significant activities which bring our work to students, non-traditional learners and the wider world: the UCL Greek play and the programme of events surrounding the London Olympics. These exemplify the profound public impact of our research in Greek performed poetry in its social context. Each year, almost 2,000 people attend the Greek play, along with workshops and lectures about staging, interpretation, and the play's relationship to its social and historical context. The research also informed the development of a collaborative programme of cultural events celebrating the 2012 Olympics, with emphasis on the festival's ancient roots. Open lectures, workshops, debates, interviews and exhibitions were supplemented by websites, which increased the range of our educational and public information impacts by sharing research-led activities with thousands more people.
Dr Juliette Harrisson's blog based on her research has had an impact on wider society:
Persian Past-Iranian Present is a programme of research into cultural perceptions of Iran's ancient past, in particular, Achaemenid Persia. Through a series of public lectures, debates and workshops, summer school teaching, TV broadcasts, a blog, travel tours and textbook publication, this research has improved the British public's understanding of Iran's history, and enhanced the exchange between the Iranian and Scottish communities within and outwith Edinburgh. The research has also informed the organisation and delivery of travel tours organised by international travel companies, thus benefitting the tourism industry globally.