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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Applying for a PhD?
The application deadline is January 5, 2015.
The online application is now available for admission for Fall 2015. Please read more about our graduate programs.
Recent Publications
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.
Events
News and Announcements
- Near Eastern and Classics Professor Kim Haines-Eitzen is featured on Academic Minute.
- Classicist Fontaine on the Roman way of curing mental illness
- Two Juniors Receive Caplan Travel Fellowships
- We are proud to announce that the 2014 Last Lecture at Australian National University was delivered by Dr Ioannis Ziogas on October 30, 2014.
- Welcome to New Faculty Member Athena Kirk
- Congratulations to Antonia Ruppel, senior lecturer in the Department of Classics: she was awarded a Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award in the College of Arts and Sciences for 2014.
- Congratulations to Caitlín Barrett, assistant professor in the Department of Classics: she was awarded the Robert A. and Donna B. Paul Academic Advising Award in the College of Arts & Sciences for 2014.
- Cornell Classics assistant professor Courtney A. Roby won a Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship of Scholars in Critical Bibliography to be a fellow in the 2014-16 program of the Rare Book School (RBS), University of Virginia.
- Congratulations to our graduate students Katie Jarriel, Carrie Fulton and Jenny Carrington! Their AIA poster on Roman Funeral Masks has been picked up by multiple news outlets!
- Latin Poetry and Hip-Hop Teaching Award