The Monmouth College Department of Classics  presents
the Twenty-Sixth Annual
Bernice L. Fox Classics Lecture

This lecture series was established in 1985 to honor Dr. Bernice L. Fox, who taught Classics at Monmouth College from 1947 until 1981. The goal of this series is to illustrate the continuing importance of Classical studies in the modern world and the intersection of the Classics with other disciplines in the liberal arts.

Peeking into a

 Periegete’s Mind:

 Probing Pausanias’

Description of Greece

by

John Gruber-Miller
 

 Professor of Classics

at Cornell College

Biography: http://people.cornellcollege.edu/jgruber-miller/
E-mail: jgruber-miller@cornellcollege.edu

          Where did the archaic wooden statue of Dionysos found in Corinth come from?  What is the source of the River Styx?  How did the citizens of Olympia build and preserve the great altar of Zeus at Olympia? Why is olive oil used at Olympia to preserve Pheidias’ cult statue of Zeus?
          These are just a few of the questions that the Roman travel writer Pausanias asks (and answers) during his tour of Greece.  Pausanias, our most important ancient source for the art and archaeology of ancient Greece, wrote his Description of Greece during the second century CE when the great renaissance of Greek literature and culture known as the Second Sophistic was in full bloom.  What do these questions say about his attitude toward the past, Greek identity, mythology and religious practices?  How does he establish his identity and authority as an author and travel writer?  How does he perform research? 
          Over the past two summers, Prof. Gruber-Miller and two undergraduate researchers have been probing Pausanias’s text attempting to uncover the truth of what he writes.  This illustrated presentation will be divided into three parts: Pausanias’ research topics/questions, his methods for reaching answers, and the development of his authority.  At the same time, we will ask our own questions: why should we read the travel writings of a Roman in Greek lands, what image/identity does Greece hold in our imagination, and what can we learn about doing research today from an ancient writer?

 7:30 P.M.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Wells Theatre

Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

About Bernice L. Fox / Previous Lectures