« (…) we ask UNESCO to invite European Governments to engage in the protection of Latin and Greek languages, as the highest expression of the cultural substance of Europe and to declare them “intangible patrimony of humanity” (…) »

This is an appeal to UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to protect the Ancient Latin and Greek languages. This petition argues that the preservation of Ancient Greek and Latin is essential to higher education world wide, and I think this is a great organization to throw our weight behind as a community.

Click here to get to the petition. All it takes to sign is a name and email address.

This is an article forwarded to the Classics Blog by one of Willamette’s Classics professors. It is a fantastic read about people who are in a position of power, and how they are perceived by the people they rule. The link is below for your reading pleasure 🙂

Click here to read.

SALEM, Ore. —Alison Futrell, associate professor of Roman history at University of Arizona, will explore a number of representations of Boudica, from Roman to modern times on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Paulus Lecture Hall at the College of Law at Willamette University. Sponsored by the university’s Center for Ancient Studies and Archaeology and the Archaeological Institute of America, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Futrell’s lecture, “Remembering Boudica, Monuments of a Barbarian Queen”, will examine how the tribal queen Boudica, pushed beyond her limits by the excesses of the Roman colonizers, rose up to lead her people against the Roman Empire in A.D. 60. This revolt resulted in horrifying retributions that included the deaths of tens of thousands as multiple cities were burned to the ground (including what is now present day London). In the post-Roman period, Boudica became a key element in constructing British national identity.

Futrell’s research is guided by her interest in the symbols and rituals of power in the Roman Empire, with particular focus on the deployment of gender and material culture in imperial politics. She is the author of “Blood in the Arena: The Spectacle of Roman Power” and “The Roman Games: Historical Sources in Translation”. She has appeared in a number of documentaries for the History Channel and A & E, including “Hannibal”, “The True Story of Gladiators”, “Cleopatra’s World: Alexandria Revealed,” and, most recently, “Boudica: Warrior Queen”.

Books will be available for sale, and the lecture will be followed by a book signing. For more information, contact Andrea Foust at (503) 370-6654.