Students and visiting academics took part in a debate on Histories of Freedom of Speech, Ancient and Modern.

Dr Suzanne Frey-Kupper introduced the event, part of the Humanities Research Centre's Warwick 50 celebration, by highlighting two anniversaries, the 50th anniversary of the University of Warwick and the 75th anniversary of the war-time Coventry Blitz.

Aristophanes' female characters Mika (Maheen Rizvi) and Lysistrata (Sasha Desai), as performed by Warwick undergraduates, demonstrated the problems of free speech within Athenian democracy, our first taste of the complications of ancient free speech. Thomas Matthews-Boehmer and Emma Johnson, directors of our undergraduate Classics plays, spoke about the complications of transferring Aristophanes' comedies, with their ancient ideas and humour, to the modern stage.

Our guests Prof Paul Cartledge, Dr Katie Fleming and Prof Robert Fine each spoke briefly about the history of free speech, from Athens to the present day, Socrates to Charlie Hebdo, demonstrating that it has always been a problematic and contested idea; Dr Dan Orrells then chaired a lively discussion between the panellists and students in the audience.

Highlights and more pictures from the event via Storify