NORTH STAFFS BRANCH OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION

Report for the Year 2008/2009

As the Treasurer has reported elsewhere, we maintained our healthy financial position with a further slight increase in membership. We now have 54 paying members, 52 at the full 5 pounds, and another 2 still paying old 3 pound standing orders. (48 and 4 last year.)

In the Autumn we were unable to balance the programme as originally hoped with a second lecture, after beginning by a talk by Jason Crowley from Manchester on hoplite combat. This was co-sponsored by the Hellenic Society, and for the second time we used NCHS - The Science College, with facilities provided free of charge. The remainder of the Autumn programme was made up of a pair of play readings in translation, in November Plautus' Miles Gloriosus at a new venue, The Leopard, Burslem and in December Sophocles' Oedipus Rex at our Chairman's house. These were the best play reading attendances for some years. The New Year began as usual with a Members' Saturnalia social in January, with more excellent contributions by members of classically themed food. We are grateful to Keele SCR for free use of the room for this meeting and also for the April lecture.

The Roman Society joint meeting in February was by Steve Green (Leeds) on the ending of the Aeneid (affected by snowy weather). As with Dr Green's talk, the March lecture by Emma Loosley (Manchester), on the ancient Syrian Saints, was in St Wulstan's Primary School, and we are grateful also for free use of this venue. We continued our theme on the development of language with Helen Lovatt (Nottingham)'s lecture in April on the Renaissance Latin epic, the Carlias. Our annual coach trip, in May, was as usual open to other bodies and was to Hull Museum and Sandal Castle. We are grateful as ever to Andy Fear for his leadership. Attendances were lower for lectures than previous years, but improved for play readings, and the coach trip again attracted higher numbers than expected.

The Latin and Greek reading groups have continued to run approximately monthly throughout the year, independently of the core programme. The Latin group's article on memorial inscriptions in the area of the Borough of Newcastle, is with the board of the Journal of Staffordshire Studies for reader's comments.

Events 2008/2009

LECTURE: Jason Crowley (University of Manchester)

'THE CLOSER YOU GET THE BETTER I FEEL, OR EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HOPLITE COMBAT BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 23 October 2008
Room 27, NCHS - The Science College, Ostend Place, Newcastle-under -Lyme (Block 1, enter off Gallowstree Lane)
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

PLAY READING: (in translation) of Plautus' Miles Gloriosus

7.30 p.m., Tuesday 4 November 2008
Meeting Room, The Leopard, 21 Market Square, Burslem

Copies will be available, but please bring the Penguin Classics edition, if you are able

PLAY READING: (in translation) of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

7.30 p.m., Thursday 27 November 2008
Priest's House, St Wulstan's, Church Lane, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under -Lyme

Copies will be available, but please bring the Penguin Classics edition, if you are able

LECTURE: Dr Steven Green (University of Leeds)

'THE END OF THE AENEID: PROBLEMS AND DYNAMICS'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 10 February 2009
St Wulstan's (RC) Primary School, Church Lane, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under -Lyme
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

LECTURE: Dr Emma Loosley (University of Manchester)

'STYLITES, DENDRITES AND OTHER 'SPIRITUAL ATHLETES':
THE HOLY MEN OF LATE ANTIQUE SYRIA'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 17 March 2009 - NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
St Wulstan's (RC) Primary School Hall, Church Lane, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under -Lyme

LECTURE: Dr Helen Lovatt (University of Nottingham)

'AENEID I AND THE EPIC GAZE IN THE CARLIAS OF UGOLINO VERINO'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 23 April 2009
Senior Common Room, Keele Hall, University of Keele

All welcome - all the above events are free of charge

YORKSHIRE COACH TRIP

ANNUAL COACH TRIP, Saturday 9 May 2009, this year to Hull and East Yorkshire, (Roman Museum and medieval sites) led as before by Dr Andy Fear (University of Manchester).

As usual we expect to leave Keele University about 8.30 a.m. (returning for about 9.30 pm, in order to keep within the driver's permitted hours.) We shall visit the Roman Museum in the city itself, and there will also be opportunities, independently or together, to visit other ancient and medieval remains in the area - Holy Trinity near the Museum is the largest civic church in England, and of more recent historical interest is the Museum of Whaling. We also expect to visit Sandal Castle on our journey. You may wish to bring packed lunches to maximise your time to visit the sights, but there will be the chance to eat in the city of Hull. There will be a halt for a more leisurely meal on the road home. Full joining instructions can be downloaded here.

      Pew End from Holy Trinity Hull Pew end from Holy Trinity Church, Hull.

A booking form may be downloaded here.

Annual General Meeting

For branch members only, the AGM will take place at 7.30 p.m., at St Wulstan's Priest's House, on Thursday 18th June 2009.

Latin and Greek Reading Groups 2008/09

The Latin and Greek reading groups continue to meet every 3 - 4 weeks at 7.30 p.m., independently of the general programme, for those who wish to read ancient (and medieval Latin) literature in the original, and to work together on deciphering the meaning, in a relaxed atmosphere. The Latin group is also working on transcribing and translating local Latin memorial inscriptions.

Last year's programme and Annual Report

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