NORTH STAFFS BRANCH OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION

Annual Report for 2023/24

We again held our lectures in a hybrid form this year, although it still seemed that the option to watch on Facebook Live Stream or Zoom (& later on You Tube) led to lower attendances in person. Live Stream participants and our You Tube channel have however again allowed a wider access to our events than used to be normal.

As the Treasurer reports elsewhere, our financial position, despite another loss, in a year when we “invested” in accommodation for speakers from further afield, through the Horton Fund, and received more support from associated Societies, remained much the same as last year. We have had a slight drop in our membership numbers, with about 50 paid up members. We were as usual fortunate in continuing to attract engaging and interesting speakers.

In the Autumn we opened in late October with a Lecture at Stoke 6th Form College by Hannah Cornwell (Birmingham) on Augustan Rome (attendance 39, 29 of them students, with a further 10 on Live Stream, & You Tube so far 110 views). This was followed 4 days later with a presentation on Roman Newcastle, by Barrie Collinson at Apedale (attendance 13). In November, in a Joint Meeting with the local Branch of the Western Front Association, Angie Hobbs (Sheffield) gave a Lecture on Classical Heroism and World War I (attendance 16, 10 on Stream, You Tube so far 90 views). In mid December, again at Keele, we had a Joint Meeting with both the Potteries Theological Society and the Roman Society on Is Nero in the Bible?, by Shushma Malik (Cambridge), (attendance 12 and 11, and You Tube to date 114 views).

We resumed in February with a talk by Jane Masseglia (Leicester) on Ancient Greece's Next Top Model – i.e. forms of statuary (attendance 12 and 12, at Jane's request not published on You Tube). This was the Hellenic Society Joint Meeting. In late March we had our only Play Reading this year, Plautus' Menaechmi (Twin Brothers), (attendance 5). Finally we had a Lecture on Zoom only by Kurt Lampe (Bristol), on Epicurus for Today, (attendance 10 online, 51 You Tube views to date).

We are grateful to the College, the Apedale Heritage Centre and Keele SCR for the free use of the rooms for these meetings.

We did not attempt to hold a day trip this year, after the problems with numbers in recent years.

Peter Hulse, who has taken over as co-ordinator, reports that "The Reading Groups have met regularly. There are five members in the Latin group. We have mainly been reading the Venerable Bede, but we've just started on some of Horace's Odes. There have been valuable and lively contributions from all members of the group.

The same goes for the Greek group. Two regular attenders, together with a busy young PhD student from Nottingham University, who gave us a mini-paper on her specialist author (Quintus Smynaeus!). We've generally been following in Xenophon's footsteps, but went on a short excursion to ancient Alexandria to try some of the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius.

It's been an absolute pleasure to take over from Nigel. Totally impossible to fill his shoes!"

Events 2023/2024

ALL LECTURES THIS YEAR ARE TO BE LIVE STREAMED & MOST AVAILABLE LATER AS RECORDINGS

LECTURE: Dr Hannah Cornwell (University of Birmingham)

'FROM YOUNG CAESAR TO AUGUSTUS: SOME THOUGHTS ON "AUGUSTAN ROME"'
1.15 p.m., Tuesday 24 October 2023,
Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College, Leek Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2RU

The lecture was Live Streamed and is now available on our You Tube Channel.

EVENT TO CELEBRATE THE 850TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME BOROUGH:

Barrie Collinson (Education Officer) 'THE ROMANS IN NEWCASTLE'
12.00 Noon, Saturday 28 October 2023,
Apedale Heritage Centre, Loomer Road, ST5 7LB

LECTURE: Professor Angie Hobbs (University of Sheffield)

'WHO LIED? CLASSICAL HEROISM AND WORLD WAR I'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 21 November 2023,
Old Library, Keele Hall, University of Keele, ST5 5BG
Joint meeting with the Western Front Association

The lecture was Live Streamed and is now available on our You Tube Channel.

LECTURE: Dr Shushma Malik (University of Cambridge)

'EMPEROR AND ANTICHRIST: IS NERO IN THE BIBLE?'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 14 December 2023,
Elizabeth Room (2nd Floor), Keele Hall, University of Keele, ST5 5BG
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies & The Potteries Theological Society

The lecture was Live Streamed and is now available on our You Tube Channel.

LECTURE: Dr Jane Masseglia (University of Leicester)

'ANCIENT GREECE'S NEXT TOP MODEL'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 29 February 2024,
University Common Room, Keele Hall, University of Keele, ST5 5BG
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

The lecture was Live Streamed on http://tiny.cc/CAlivestream, but at our speaker's request has not afterwards been made available on our You Tube Channel.

READING: (in English translation) of Plautus' Menaechmi (Twin Brothers)

7.30 p.m., Thursday 21 March 2024,
SCR Bar, Keele Hall, University of Keele, ST5 5BG.

      Roman Theatre, Orange, ? Stephen Clifford, June 2004 The Roman Theatre at Orange.

Texts will be available, & details will be advised near the date.

LECTURE: Dr Kurt Lampe (University of Bristol)

'EPICURUS FOR TODAY'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 14 May 2024,

This Lecture was live streamed on Zoom only and is now available on our You Tube Channel.

'ANNUAL' COACH TRIP

None this year

Annual General Meeting - 7.00 pm Wednesday 17th July 2024

The AGM will be held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 17th July 2024

Latin and Greek Reading Groups 2023/24

Greek - The Greek Reading Group meets on Zoom, now normally on the third Monday of each month at 2.00 p.m. Some prior knowledge of Greek is required, but the Group is informal and relaxed, not a high-powered academic group, but simply friends getting together to enjoy reading Greek.

Latin The Latin Reading Group also meets on Zoom normally monthly, on the second Tuesday of the month at 2.00 p.m. Members may also like to listen to the news in Latin (pronounced like Italian) on Vatican Radio - Google Hebdomada Papae.

For further details of both groups, or for anyone new wishing to join the groups, please contact the new organiser, Peter Hulse, who has succeeded Nigel Coulton, or email the Branch address below.

These groups are not for beginners: some prior knowledge of the relevant language is necessary to take part in either. For both, please ask the organiser if there is room in the group for more members before joining.

All welcome - all events except coach trips are free of charge

Last year's programme and annual report

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