We were so pleased to have been able to offer a record number of full and half bursaries this year, courtesy of the Classical Association, the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, and Professor Mary Beard. We offered financial support to over 75% of our students. These students have Pupil Premium or Free School Meals eligibility, and/or are from single parent families, and/or from families experiencing other financial difficulties. 68% of our students are from non-white backgrounds, and over half spoke languages other than English at home with their families.

Our first lecture was delivered by William Lawrence, who spoke about the influence of ancient Greece and Rome in all aspects of our lives, and we were treated to a talk specifically on ‘Classical London’. This was the perfect way to start the week. Professor Alison Sharrock (Manchester) delivered a spectacular session on ‘eco-criticism’ and more specifically, Ovid’s beautiful story of Baucis and Philemon, which will be the students’ prescribed Verse text next year.

Dr Olivia Elder (Oxford) spoke about Messalina, the Emperor Claudius’ third wife, who features in the work of the historian Tacitus, the students’ prescribed Prose author. We also invited Laura Thomson-Turnage, who came to us from the London Museum and gave us a sneak preview of the gallery’s newest collection on the Romans. We were treated on the Thursday afternoon to a lecture by Professor Daniel Orrells at King’s College, London itself. Daniel spoke on the other set verse text, Virgil’s Aeneid I, which is the story of Rome’s legendary founder, Aeneas. This is a story of migration, of families, of people, of hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity.

The students were given a taste of university life as we were taken on a tour of the college, which included exclusive terrace views of London in the sunshine, a visit to the college chapel, and a little party at the end to congratulate the students on their hard work throughout the week! The lecture series and the off-site trip are designed to encourage the students to consider Higher Education alongside more advanced classical routes. There are many opportunities out there and ELCSS tries to demonstrate to young peoplethat these options are accessible to all who are keen. We are very grateful to all of our speakers who gave of their precious time, answered a whole array of different questions, inspiring another group of really keen budding Classicists.

A surprise appearance from Professor Mary Beard at the end of the week congratulated our students on their outstanding work ethic and dedication over the five days. She also spoke about the importance of Classics in her life and its relevance to modernity, citing empire, race, gender, and power in her message. The students were on the edge of their seats as they listened to her weighty words, and we all felt incredibly motivated. At the end of the week, the students, after a pizza lunch and a spot of table tennis, were presented with achievement certificates to recognise the progress they had made as well as a bespoke valedictory report detailing their strengths. Students and parents unanimously agreed that the summer school had been a very positive experience and, most notably, boosted their confidence in the subject. Some of our students also expressed the intention to continue with a Classical subject at A Level and even university, which was fantastic to hear!

As the students said: “I really just want to thank you so much for all the time and effort put into our lessons and the lectures. I really enjoyed it and it’s really helped improve my Latin!”

“Thank you to all the sponsors for the bursaries without which I wouldn’t be here. It’s been difficult but worth it. Definitely rewarding and certainly improved my Latin”

“Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity!”

And a teacher: “Thank you for sponsoring my students over the past few years! It’s made a big difference. Best wishes and keep up the good work”

A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all of our sponsors and supporters of our initiative. We now look forward to welcoming students to our two-day Easter Revision course, which will take place on 7th and 8th April 2025. For further details, please visit our website: www.eastlondonclassicssummerschool.com and, if you have any questions, or would like to support us in any way, email us at eastlondoncss@gmail.com.

Our huge thanks to the organising committee, headed by Prof. Alison Cooley, Prof. David Fearn and Dr Paul Grigsby, and all of the conference, support and IT staff at the University of Warwick as well as everyone who contributed, joined us remotely, sponsored different parts of the conference, and who helped created such a friendly, positive and collegial atmosphere.

Based in the Oculus building, we enjoyed a packed schedule of papers, panels, workshops and plenary events; the award-winning Faculty of Arts building was also used for a trio of activities – a drinks reception, an epigraphic squeeze making workshop, and a performance of David Wiles’ Octavia – as well as to showcase the Black Classicists exhibition.

There was strong representation from the teaching community, with teachers from a wide range of schools both attending and presenting at the Conference. Panels and workshops with a pedagogical focus ran throughout the weekend, with papers focussed on topics such as teaching with inscriptions, teaching in diverse settings and teaching in translation. At the workshops, discussions centred on increasing engagement in classical subjects from school through to university, and EDI in Latin language teaching. The Classical Association Teaching Board also ran a very well attended session focussed on their Qualifications Review, and the work they are doing with the exam boards to prepare for the next round of reform. It was wonderful to see academics and teachers collaborating and sharing ideas both in and outside of these workshops, and we hope that these conversations inspired practitioners from both sectors to continue working together in the future. 

Just some of the team of student helpers!

The plenary lecture by Prof. Yannis Hamilakis was outstanding. As I’m sure everyone who attended will agree, his insightful discussion on the often ignored history of the Acropolis particularly in the Ottoman period was enlightening. I was particularly fascinated by its use as an Islamic burial site, a history of the monument I had no awareness of. His message about the importance of deconstructing racecraft will stick with me throughout my studies of Classics, and is an important examination of how we can improve as a discipline. After that we enjoyed an interview with Katrina Kelly and Lindsey Davis, who inspired us to seek out our local CA Branch across England and Wales.

Prof. Michael Scott introducing and then handing over to Prof. Hamilakis

Saturday was an incredibly busy day, everyone was immersed in the conference for the entire day – at least once we’d fixed the revolving door – and those who met Mable the dachshund will agree that she was one of the stars of the conference!

Mabel the Daschund with friends!

Without a doubt, my personal highlight of the weekend came on this day – I was part of the presidential performance Cassandra Float Can with the CA’s president, Anne Carson, as well as her partner, the artist Robert Currie. The group of student helpers which were involved with this performance formed an impromptu chorus, carrying around photographs of artwork to illustrate the messages of Anne’s speech. Granted, we didn’t know what exactly we were doing until a few hours before the performance. I think I speak for all the performers involved when I say the semi-improvisational aspect of the piece added to the chaotic but exciting energy of the day, and certainly bonded us. The unusual nature of the performance will certainly help it stick in the audiences’ minds for a long time to come. Anne and Robert were absolutely lovely people, and we were all struck by how down to earth they are. This was a truly once in a lifetime experience, and one which I will never forget.

Some of us with Anne and Robert!

The formal dinner hosted by the CA is another highlight for many delegates – a night of wonderful food and conversation with Classicists was truly inspirational- not to mention the awards presentation highlighting the incredible work people in the field are doing. Congratulations to all winners! Click on these links to view the winners of the CA’s 2024 Teaching Awards and CA Prize.

Speaking of awards, Sunday brought with it the Young Speakers presentation. Kitty and Oscar both delivered incredible speeches and I wish them every success in the future, they can only go from strength to strength. Congratulations to them and to the other highly commended speeches. Following this, the Write2Speak workshop was another incredible experience. Having the chance to hear from others as well as writing and sharing myself was cathartic. I’ve definitely taken away a lot from it.

Some of the Young Speakers with judge and workshop lead Tyler Luke Cunningham, an actor and spoken word artist

I attended a fascinating panel on teaching classics outside the UK, at which I heard the efforts of teachers from Canada and Slovenia in how they are keeping the subject alive and well. As well as a revaluation of the way languages are taught, and a look at increasing diversity within teaching of the subject. This was truly inspiring to me, and the topics raised are in my opinion key to increasing the uptake of Classics.

The weekend was an incredible experience, and everyone I spoke to throughout the conference only had good words to say about it. Hearing from so many incredibly intelligent and talented people has given me, as well as many others I’m sure, much to reflect on and new areas to explore. Thank you so much to everyone involved, and best of luck to St Andrews next July!”

Do be sure to join us all again in Scotland next summer – more news to follow soon!

There were so many other highlights to the Conference: catching up with former colleagues and students; seeing international collaborators meet for the first time in person; watching panels online for those attending virtually; witnessing the screening of silent films with a live pianist; workshops on topics as varied as virtual reality, lego building, Doctor Who, linguistics, numismatics and Classics in Coventry. The breadth was incredible!

Devised and hosted by the CA’s Outreach Officer, a former schoolteacher herself, the event was a successful example of collaboration and knowledge exchange across educational phases, with both academics and teachers presenting.

It was a pleasure to welcome academics, teachers, students, publishers and booksellers, branch members, competition entrants and friends from across the world to this international event and particularly to see many familiar and friendly faces from the CA’s recent past who joined us to celebrate our 120th Anniversary, including several former Presidents, Prizewinners and Officers. There was a huge range of papers and panels delivered and you can browse the full brochure here (which may help inspire you when thinking about CA 2024!).

A key part of our remit is our professional development and outreach work with teachers, students and other organisations and it was brilliant to see this echoed in a record number of pedagogy panels and papers sharing innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning. Teachers also came together for a networking reception in the Museum of Classical Archaeology, and excellent professional practice was recognised with the awarding of the CA Teaching Awards, in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing. Congratulations to this year’s worthy winners: Peter Swallow, Mireya Gonzalez Rodriguez, David Hogg, Sian Squire, David Midgley and Zoë Boland.

On Friday, committee members from seven of our regional branches and from the Classical Association of Scotland enjoyed lunch and the chance to swap stories and ideas about how local classics groups flourish. Professor Caroline Vout, Director of the Museum of Classical Archaeology, opened the conference with an excellent keynote entitled ‘Firing the canon: Greek and Roman art illuminated’, and we were treated to an inspiring talk by former CA Prizewinner Natalie Haynes after the première of the CA’s Anniversary Film at the Fitzwilliam Museum. This Film captures who we are, what we do (and have done) and our clear mission for the future – do give it a watch and join us to fulfil our mission!

We were proud to host the Virtual Reality Oracle Team who gave a keynote presentation on Saturday morning before offering immersive experiences to all conference-goers, showing varied accessibility on headsets, tablets, laptops, and phones. The oracle of Zeus responded to over 90 visitors, and the feedback was terrific. To learn more about the project, access the teaching resources, and/or download the VRO for yourself and use it in a classroom or research setting, visit the VRO’s website.

On Saturday evening, we had the highlight of our academic programme – the Presidential Address delivered by Prof. MM McCabe, who incisively explored both ancient and modern conceptions of ethical behaviour and the intrinsic difficulty in determining what ‘Being Wrong’ actually means – before 150 of us headed across the road to Newnham College for a reception and the Conference Dinner. Here we awarded the prestigious 2023 CA Prize to Prof. Edith Hall for her indefatigable commitment to outreach and inclusivity, alongside her outstanding academic portfolio, and we also thanked the CA’s outgoing Treasurer, Philip Hooker, who has calmly steered our financial ship for more than twenty years.

On Sunday, Prof. Tim Whitmarsh, the new Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, gave the final keynote address, with a very thought-provoking take on Classics in the 2020s, and the winners of our Photography Competition were invited to the Museum of Classical Archaeology to view our special exhibition (which you can browse here) and receive their prizes from MM McCabe, whilst the final panel sessions took place.

Our thanks to all who attended the Conference and everyone whose hard work helped make the Conference happen! Special thanks to the Cambridge organising committee (especially Jess, Grant, Chris, James and Matt), student volunteers so ably led by Patrick, Domi and Cecily, photographers Zoe and Dalia, Suzanne and the MOCA team, Nigel, Tony, Kate and all facilitators as well as our hosts at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Newnham College.

We do hope you would like to come along to next year’s conference, whether to contribute to the sessions or to be an audience member and enjoy all of the other activities, keynotes, socials and interactive elements that we’re so looking forward to organising for you, with our hosts at the University of Warwick. The call for contributions is open until 31st August so do read our information here and you may like to watch this short clip which explains all of the different sessions that are on offer – from workshops to lightning talks!

The conference will take place from Friday 22-Sunday 24 March at Warwick’s central campus (Oculus and new award-winning Faculty of Arts Buildings), close to the centre of Coventry, with its excellent rail, bus, and road transport links. University accommodation will be available for booking on campus and delegates are also welcome to make their own arrangements for off campus accommodation in Coventry, Kenilworth, or Leamington Spa. More detailed information about practical issues will be distributed when the programme is finalised in September but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at engagement@classicalassociation.org.