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Classics and the Creative Communities

Summary of the impact

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).

Submitting Institution

University of Liverpool

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Engaging with practitioners: the impact of Classical Receptions

Summary of the impact

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.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Informing and Enhancing the Public Understanding of the Classical World

Summary of the impact

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.

Submitting Institution

Newcastle University

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Religion and Religious Studies

Pop Classics: the reception of the Ancient World through blogging

Summary of the impact

Dr Juliette Harrisson's blog based on her research has had an impact on wider society:

  • By enriching the lives and imaginations of readers both nationally and internationally, increasing their knowledge and understanding of the ancient world, ancient literature and of classical reception studies.
  • By informing and influencing the education of school children, especially secondary school students learning Latin.
  • By preserving and presenting cultural heritage.

Submitting Institution

Newman University

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Understanding modern Greek identity – Byron and the founding of the Greek nation-state.

Summary of the impact

Following on earlier research which re-examined the construction of modern Greece, in 2008-12 Beaton researched the contribution of Byron (and Romanticism) to the creation of the Greek nation-state in the early 19th century, and has published the results in his 2013 book (3.4). The principal impact of Beaton's researches has been to challenge traditional Greek cultural and social assumptions about the continuity of their national identity from the ancient world. The main pathway is his distinctive contribution to the 200-year Greek debate about their national identity which has been intensified by the current socio-economic crisis. The principal beneficiaries are the Greek people, as reflected in public discourse in their mass media, and the non-Greek public interested in these issues. Other nascent beneficiaries are the worldwide community of Byron enthusiasts through cultural enrichment in their knowledge and understanding of Byron's role in creating modern Greece.

Submitting Institution

King's College London

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Ancient History Beyond the Academy: Herodotus, Persia and the Greeks

Summary of the impact

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:

  1. Teaching and learning of Ancient History in UK Classrooms
    Working with partner institutions, such as the Oxford Cambridge and RSA awarding body (OCR), the Historical Association and the Reading Odyssey project, it has:
  • contributed to the professional development of secondary teachers of Ancient History;
  • improved the educational experience of secondary students (indirectly through CPD, and directly through the provision of resources),
  • shaped the awarding body's thinking on future changes to the curriculum,
  • increased the uptake of Ancient History as a school subject in the UK.
  1. Public understanding of Ancient History outside the Classroom
    Through popular publications, exhibitions, webinars, and through influence on popular historians, it has:
  • extended and deepened public understanding of the ancient world and its interfaces with the present.

Submitting Institution

University of Liverpool

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Religion and Religious Studies

Performance reception of Greek and Latin drama

Summary of the impact

The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD) project approaches the understanding of Greek and Roman tragedies and comedies through gathering evidence about their performance and traces their evolving significance through the way they have been received in performance practice. The APGRD has had significant impact on theatrical performance through its lively interaction with practitioners in the theatre and other performing arts, which has expanded the repertoire of classical drama, and through the commissioning of new work. This research has provided significant cultural and pedagogical benefits through being presented in various public forums (radio, lectures, exhibitions) and through the creation of a searchable open-access online database of more than 11,000 productions from the Renaissance to the present.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Promoting Awareness of Greco-Roman Culture and Literature through Papyrology

Summary of the impact

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.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Framing and advancing social, cultural and political debates on gender, sexuality and identity in contemporary Greece

Summary of the impact

Papanikolaou's regular writing in mainstream media and public speaking on queer theory, Cavafy, the history of the gay movement and cultures of sexuality in Greece, have aroused public interest, improving understanding and liberalising attitudes. In Greece a dynamic queer movement is emerging, but in the current crisis, homophobia is also increasing. His insights have attracted wide attention on the internet and social media, with gay activist groups using his research to further their debates. He has affected policy, notably proposals for a gay marriage bill and legislation against homophobia, by advising policymakers. Publishers have consulted Papanikolaou to expand their lists to include queer theory; and he advised the Greek Ministry of Culture on cultural and educational policy.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Using Research Collections to Inform Public Understanding of the Ancient Greek and Etruscan Past

Summary of the impact

Research at Newcastle has been instrumental in developing an internationally recognised research collection of ancient Greek and Etruscan artefacts. Research insights directly influenced how the Shefton Gallery was presented in the Great North Museum: Hancock (GNM), and in particular informed the labelling and interpretation of the objects. By adding meaning and context to the artefacts, the research thus enabled museum staff to: i) deliver public lectures on the research collection thereby resulting in loans to national and international museums; and ii) develop educational resources and events (including worksheets, workshops and object loan boxes) to support innovative teaching in schools and universities. The research has therefore informed the understanding of the Ancient Greek and Etruscan past of the hundreds of thousands of visitors who visit the GNM annually as well as thousands of school-age children and students.

Submitting Institution

Newcastle University

Unit of Assessment

Classics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

History and Archaeology: Archaeology, Curatorial and Related Studies, Historical Studies

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