The videos collected below have been specially created by our Warwick Classics colleagues to sit alongside the GCSE and A-level Classical Civilisation and Ancient History curricula. But our aim has been to expand horizons and to give material which may be new and outside the usual scope of classics taught in the classroom, and to give an idea of some of the areas we are working on or find interesting here at Warwick. We have indicated links to the various modules on the curricula, but these should be taken only as a vague guide, as every video will be of more general interest. We hope that you enjoy these videos and that they will add to your appreciation of the ancient world and its scope.

The Battle of Salamis and its Impact - Prof Michael Scott

Recorded live at the 2021 A. G. Leventis Ancient Worlds Day, in this lecture Prof Michael Scott discusses the aftermath of the Battle of Salamis and the unexpected legacy which the battle had on the Athenians. From Delphi to the Long Walls, 3D laser scans and ancient walls in car parks, Michael brings this eventful period to life. Of interest to all, but with close links to Persia, Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States, Politics and Culture of Athens, Athens in the Age of Pericles etc.

Centering Africa in Greek and Roman Literature - Dr Elena Giusti

Recorded live at the 2021 A. G. Leventis Ancient Worlds Day, in this lecture Dr Elena Giusti discusses the concept of 'race' and examines whether the concept of 'race' as understood today (with its negativity and inherent hierarchical meaning) can be applied to the ancient world, focusing especially on the Greeks and Ethiopians, and the Romans and Carthaginians. Of special interest to those studying Aeneid, Women in the Ancient World, Invention of the Barbarian etc.

Studying at Warwick: Student Q&A

Recorded live at the 2021 A. G. Leventis Ancient Worlds Day, in this video Dr Paul Grigsby chats with for Warwick Classics undergraduate students - Rhys, Charli, Annie and George - about studying Classics at Warwick, why they chose Warwick, and what is unique about studying the ancient world here at Warwick.

Banquets of Power: The Politics of Dining. Part One - Prof James Davidson

Recorded for our 2021 Warwick Classics A.G. Leventis Ancient Worlds Day 'Expanding Horizons', in the first of a two-part lecture, Prof James Davidson discusses Persian Banquets and the politics of feasting. What can be read into the Greeks' engagement with this aspect of Persian culture, and what can we learn about the Greeks from their attitude to food and drink? Useful for Invention of the Barbarian, Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States, Women in the Ancient World, Politics and Culture of Athens, and the Persian Empire.

Banquets of Power: The Politics of Dining. Part Two - Prof James Davidson

In this second of a two-part lecture, Prof James Davidson discusses the famous banquets of Alexander and Cleopatra. Drawing on sources such as Athenaeus and Plutarch, James uncovers a feast of information on the ancient Greeks attitudes to food and drink which betray deeper things about the Greek psyche. Useful for Invention of the Barbarian, Women in the Ancient World, Politics and Culture of Athens, the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, and Cleopatra: Rome and Egypt, 69-30 BC.

Flowers and Other Small Things: Imagery and Experience - Dr David Fearn

Dr David Fearn talks lyric poetry - how it can give us an appreciation of art and text beyond the merely historical, and help us answer questions about ourselves and our own ephemeral existence. Useful for those wishing to learn about what Classics can do. Also for those studying Sappho as part of Class Civ A-level Love and Relationships. David looks at Sappho Fr.96, Virginia Woolf's The Waves, and Pindar Olympian 11.

Amor...or the Problem of Desire - Prof Victoria Rimell

Prof Victoria Rimell discusses the word Amor and its possible meanings. Prof Rimell's research focuses on intersubjectivity, desire and vulnerability, and in this talk she addresses these through an examination of amor, especially in the works of Ovid and Seneca, such as studied by those taking Class Civ A-level Love and Relationships. A companion piece, if you will, to Dr David Fearn's video on Sappho and Greek lyric.

Rome and Greek Myth: Theseus and Ariadne - Prof Zahra Newby

Prof Zahra Newby, our Head of Department, talks here about the Romans' use of Greek myths, here focusing on the myth of Theseus and Ariadne. Examples include mosaics and wall paintings of the victorious Theseus and abandoned Ariadne at Pompeii, and in funerary contexts, Roman sarcophagi. Prof Newby discusses the various meanings read by the Romans into this popular myth in their differing contexts. Of interest to those studying Class Civ Myth and Religion, and Greek Art.

The Return of the Persians: The Site of Naqsh-e Rostam - Dr Clare Rowan

Dr Clare Rowan looks at how the Persians of the Third Century AD used the memory and monuments of the earlier Persian empire of Darius and Xerxes to legitimate their own rule. Focusing on the site of Naqsh-e Rostam, Dr Rowan looks at how the inscriptions of Ardashir I and his successors were set up in close proximity to those of the rulers familiar to us from the Greco-Persian war. Of interest for those studying Ancient History GCSE Persian Empire.

The Golden Age of Aretas: The Khazneh in Petra - Dr Eris Williams-Reed

Dr Eris Williams-Reed discusses how communities at the edge of the Roman Empire such as that of the Nabateans under Aretas IV in Petra (modern day Jordan) were undergoing their own golden ages alongside that of the Roman Empire, revealing the limitations of our own Roman-centred vision of the ancient world. Of interest to students of the Julio-Claudians and Flavians; and Imperial Image.

How Material Evidence has changed our view of Classical Greek Theatre - Dr Eric Csapo

Dr Eric Csapo, British Academy Global Professor of Classics at University of Warwick, discusses how our view of the structure of the Classical Greek theatre is shaped by the later monumental theatres that post-date this time, and that the reality of the theatre which housed the plays of the great tragedians was more modest and perhaps surprising. Of interest for those studying Greek Theatre.

The Rage for Persian Fashion in Fifth-Century Athens - Prof Margaret Miller

Prof Margaret Miller, Arthur and Renee George Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Sydney introduces us to the curious fashion amongst the Athenians of the fifth-century for Persian-style clothing. A taste for the exotic seems to have trumped the enmity to their great rivals across the sea. Of interest for those studying anything linked to ancient Persia, Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States, Women in the Ancient World, Politics and Culture of Athens, Persian Empire and Invention of the Barbarian.

The Sound of Power: Roman Emperors and Music - Dr Francesca Modini

Dr Francesca Modini, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Warwick, discusses how a musical perspective can shed a new light upon Roman Imperial Power. She discusses the political significance of music at Rome, especially through the figures of Augustus and Nero, and their associations with music. Linked to the Julio-Claudians, Imperial Image and Virgil's Aeneid.

Sealing Bonds of Friendship and Hospitality in the Ancient Mediterranean - Dr Mairi Gkikaki

In this lecture Dr Mairi Gkikaki talks about the roles of tokens for sealing friendship between groups and individuals across the ancient Mediterranean world. You can find out more about the Token Communities in the Ancient Mediterranean project here. Of interest across the board and for example Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States.

Friends Overseas: Links Between Greece and Egypt. Part One - Dr Paul Grigsby

In the first of two videos, Dr Paul Grigsby examines the links between the Boeotian Thebes with Egypt and Mesopotamia during the centuries before the Mycenaean collapse at the end of the thirteenth century. Of general interest for those studying the Homeric World and Greek art/Greek Religion.

Friends Overseas: Links Between Greece and Egypt. Part Two - Dr Paul Grigsby

In this second video, Dr Paul Grigsby looks at the links that developed between Boeotia and Egypt through the Archaic down to the Hellenistic period, focusing on Pindar and Siwa, the Mouseia at Thespiai linked to the Ptolemies of Alexandria, and the Boeotians as mercenaries in Egypt. Of general interest including War and Warfare, Greek Art, Greek Religion, Alexander the Great, Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States etc..

The Reception of Medea: Part One. Ancient Reception - Dr Claudia Daniotti

In this first of a pair of videos, Dr Claudia Daniotti of the University of Warwick's Centre for the Study of the Renaissance presents us with the story of Medea (tied with Jason and the Golden Fleece), outlining the story of the myth and early depictions such as the Medea Sarcophagus in Berlin and on Roman frescoes. Of interest for those studying Greek Theatre, Medea. Women in the Ancient World, and Greek Art.

The Reception of Medea: Part Two. Renaissance Reception - Dr Claudia Daniotti

In this second of a pair of videos, Dr Claudia Daniotti of the University of Warwick's Centre for the Study of the Renaissance presents us with the reception of Medea in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and into the Twentieth Century. Of interest for those studying Greek Theatre, Medea. Women in the Ancient World, and Greek Art.

The Altar of Diodora - Jacqui Butler

In this video, our Warwick Classics PhD student Jacqui Bulter discusses an altar from Roman Britain which symbolises the multiculturalism of the period and the breadth of influences present in these islands through the presence of figures such as Diodora. Of interest to those studying Roman Britain, Britannia: From Conquest to Province, and Women in the Ancient World.

Fighting for the Glory of Greece: Athletes, Cultural Background, and Expanding Horizons at the Ancient Olympic Games - Matthew Evans

In this video, our Warwick Classics PhD student Matt Evans discusses how the clientele of those competing in the prestigious Olympic Games developed through its history and how Olympia became a theatre for the contest of cultural tensions in the expanding Greek world. Of interest to those studying Greek Religion, Alexander the Great, Relations between Greek States and between Greek and Non-Greek States, Rise of Macedon and lots more.

Colour and the Athenian Acropolis - Vicky Jewell

In this fascinating talk, Warwick Classics PhD candidate Vicky Jewell uncovers the colourful past of the Athenian acropolis - especially that of the Parthenon - opening our eyes to the technicolour reality behind the familiar whitewashed image of Classical Greece. Of interest to students of Greek Religion, Greek Art, Women in the Ancient World, Politics and Culture of Athens, Athens in the Age of Pericles.

The Representation of Provinces on Roman Coins and their Reception: Part One - Giles Penman

In this first of a two-part video, Giles introduces us to the use of coins as tools of communication in the Roman World, and the use of coins to project political messages about the Roman provinces through representations of these provinces on the coins. Of interest to those studying Imperial Image, .

The Representation of Provinces on Roman Coins and their Reception: Part Two - Giles Penman

In this second part, Giles focuses on the figure of Britannia as represented on Roman coins and discusses how this figure was then embraced and used as the personification of the British nation, especially from the 17th century and during the conflicts of the twentieth century. Of interest to those studying Imperial Image, Britannia: from Conquest to Province, Julio-Claudians and Flavians.