Classical Association of New England Summer Institute
I attended three of the lectures from the Classical Association of New England Summer Institute.
I studied Latin in high school and college, and I would like to study it again now that I’m retired. I’ve bought the books, but I haven’t started studying them yet.
In the meantime, I joined the Classical Association of New England (CANE). This is a description from CANE’s website:
CANE is a membership organization open to all those with an interest in the languages, history, cultures, and literature of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean world, as well as their reception around the globe and into modern times.
Among the benefits of membership are access to the Loeb Classical Library and to JSTOR.
In the summer, CANE holds its CANE Summer Institute, which this year took place virtually on July 6–10, 2026. The lecture series was opened to the public, with the lectures held in the late afternoon each weekday. I attended three of the lectures via Zoom.
Joy in Greek Tragedy: Individual or Communal?
On Monday, I listened to “Joy in Greek Tragedy: Individual or Communal?” by Hanne Eisenfeld, Boston College. Dr. Eisenfeld examined various Greek words used in tragedies that are often translated into the English word “joy” and how they differ in Greek. Of particular interest for me was her references to various Greek tragedies that I have not read:
Women and Communities of War
Tuesday’s lecture, “Women and Communities of War,” was presented by Caitlin C. Gillespie, Brandeis. Dr. Gillespie spoke about the presence of and participation by women during wars in the Roman Empire. Dr. Gillespie’s book on this subject, Women and Resistance in the “Annals” of Tacitus, was published in April, 2026.
Dr. Gillespie is an expert on Boudica, the queen of a British tribe who unsuccessfully rose up against the Roman conquerors in 60/61 C.E., and she wrote a book in 2020, Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain.
Dr. Gillespie’s book, Livia: Mother of Rome, about Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, will be published on July 21, 2026. I have already ordered a copy from my local bookstore, Porter Square Books. What I know about Livia comes from fiction: Robert Graves’s I, Claudius and Claudius the God and John Williams’s Augustus. I am interested in learning what historians think of her.
Identity and Community in the Gladiatorial Barracks
On Friday I listened to “Identity and Community in the Gladiatorial Barracks” by Kathleen Coleman, Harvard. Dr. Coleman has collected and interpreted epitaphs and inscriptions about gladiators. These inscriptions were funded by the wives or colleagues of the dead gladiators. Dr. Coleman said she was a (largely ignored) consultant for the recent movie Gladiator. She said the movie got the camaraderie correct but was completely inaccurate about the “bread and circuses.” She added that gladiators didn’t wear leather wristbands; Cecil B. DeMille put them on the gladiators in his movies, so now everyone thinks gladiators wore them.