News

Jonathan Reeder to Present the Fall Lecture of The John Martin Rare Book Room Presents Series

On October 18, Jonathan Reeder will present the fall lecture of The John Martin Rare Book Room Presents series. His talk, entitled, "Mental Health and the Weight of the Past: How Early Modern Physicians Read Greek Psychology," will tell the story of how some authors of the JMRBR collection grappled with the authority of the past against the backdrop of an area of medicine which is of great concern in our own time. The lecture will be at 5:30pm in 401 Hardin Library.

Robert Cargill featured in profile in Iowa Magazine entitled, “Iowa Archaeologist and Bible Expert Robert Cargill Digs for Meaning”

Robert Cargill was featured in the September issue of Iowa Magazine in an article written by Brittany Borghi. "He might be a renowned archaeologist who appears frequently on TV as an expert on everything from ancient Jerusalem to Ancient Aliens, but University of Iowa biblical studies professor Robert Cargill connects most with his students who have unanswered questions. His mission at Iowa is to show everyone—and he means everyone—that they have the capacity for scholarship and critical thought."

Robert Cargill in "Colosseum" on the HISTORY Channel

Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Robert Cargill recently appeared as an expert commentator on the 8-episode HISTORY channel limited documentary series Colosseum. The program aired Sundays from June 17–Sept. 4, 2022, and examined multiple aspects of the Colosseum in Rome.

Peter Miller at "Teaching (in) the Middle Ages" in Bamburg, Germany

Wednesday, August 24, 2022
From July 24th to August 1st, Peter Miller participated in the Network for Medieval Arts and Ritual’s summer school, “Teaching (in) the Middle Ages” in Bamberg, Germany. During this week abroad, Peter joined seventeen other early career scholars from across Europe in a series of workshops at the University of Bamberg.

Remembering Erling B. (Jack) Holtsmark, 1936-2022

Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Jack Holtsmark came to teach in Classics at the University of Iowa in Fall 1963 and was department chair from 1982 through to 1993. Jack published numerous articles over the years on various topics including on Homer, Aeschylus, Theocritus, Lucretius, and Quintilian. Later in his career he became interested in contemporary literature and the Classics, publishing Tarzan and Tradition: Classical Myth in Popular Literature in 1981, Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1986, and articles on classics and contemporary cinema and on detective fiction.

Craig Gibson's Newest Book Short Listed for the Runciman Award

Friday, April 8, 2022
Craig Gibson's latest book (edited and translated with Jeffrey Beneker), The Byzantine School: Michael Andreopoulos, is one of eight books shortlisted for the Runciman Award. The Runciman Award is awarded annually by the Anglo-Hellenic League to a work wholly or mainly about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, published in English in its first edition in the previous year.
Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury

Robert Cargill in "Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury"

Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Associate Professor of Classics and Religious Studies, Robert Cargill, appeared in and served as a script consultant for CNN's 6-part docuseries, "Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury," which aired this past summer.

Department of Classics Statement on Police Brutality and Violations of Black Life

Wednesday, June 10, 2020
In the face of ongoing protests in Iowa City and the disgraceful actions of our local law enforcement against protesters on the night of June 3rd, we are writing in support of and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and BLM protesters around the world. The Department of Classics stands with Iowa City protesters in demanding justice for police brutality and for all violations of Black life, including the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others.

Five Classics Teaching Assistants Win Outstanding TA Awards

Monday, May 11, 2020
The Department of Classics is excited to announce that five Classics students and TAs have received Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards by the Council on Teaching. This award recognizes teaching assistants who have demonstrated outstanding ability as teachers at the University of Iowa.
Homerathon 2020

Homerathon 2020 (Virtual)

Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Homerathon 2020 is organized by the University of Iowa Department of Classics and Eta Sigma Phi, the undergraduate honors society for classics students. Under normal situations, it is read aloud in person in a public spot on UI's campus. Readers sign up to participate in a continuous reading of Homer’s texts. Last year, we read all of the Iliad and half of the Odyssey over the course of 23 straight hours. This year, we're reading just the Odyssey (in English translation, of course!).