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Department of Classics

Cornell University Cornell University Cornell Univeristy Department of Classics

Department of Classics


Red-Figure Bell Krater

Red-Figure Bell Krater

Green Glass Bottle

Roman Glass Bottle

Vessel Lid

Lid of an Etruscan cinerary urn

Tablet

Portrait on a Roman funerary stele

Eagle

Jupiter and eagle

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Welcome to Cornell Classics

Classics is the interdisciplinary study of the ancient (1700 BCE-600 CE) Greek and Roman civilizations that gave subsequent European culture its distinctive character. The study of Greek and Roman antiquity includes:  Greek and Latin language, literature, and linguistics; ancient philosophy; history; archaeology and art history; papyrology; epigraphy; and numismatics.

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Recent Publications

Ruppel book cover 1

Absolute Constructions in Early Indo-European
Antonia Ruppel

In the past, discussions of absolute constructions (ACs) have been limited by an imprecise understanding of what ACs are. By examining the nature and function of ACs and related constructions in Greek, Latin and Sanskrit, this new study arrives at a clear and simple definition of ACs. Focusing on the earliest attested material in each language, Ruppel highlights how AC usage differs between languages and offers explanations for these differences. Identifying the common core shared by all ACs, she suggests a starting-point and way by which they developed into Greek, Latin and Sanskrit. Further historical study reveals how ACs have been conceived of by grammarians, philologists and even Christian missionaries over the last two thousand years and how enduring misconceptions still affect our discussion of them today.

Olin Library is maintaining a list of resources for Classics.

Program Spotlight

Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments Project (Cyprus)

Geophysical prospection on the site of Maroni

This project uses archaeological geophysics and digital mapping and modeling to investigate the role of urban landscapes in the profound social transformations that took place on Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1650-1100 BC).