NORTH STAFFS BRANCH OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION
Report for the Year 2009/2010
As the Treasurer reports elsewhere, we maintained our healthy financial position with a further increase in membership. We now have 59 paying members, 58 at the full £5, and just one still paying an old £3 standing order. (52 and 2 last year.) Unfortunately the lower attendances noted a year ago continued.
In the Autumn we began with a play reading of Sophocles’ Electra at The Leopard, Burslem, our second successful visit (attendance 8). This was followed before the New Year by John Ellis Jones’ lecture on Theatres and Amphitheatres at St Wulstan’s (attendance 17), and an excellent Hellenic Society joint talk at Keele on the Electra by Patrick Finglass (Nottingham), complementing the earlier reading evening (20 despite the Secretary’s own absence through illness!) The New Year began again with a Members' Saturnalia social in January, a week later than previous years. There were the usual excellent contributions by members of classically themed food (but attendance again only 9). We are grateful to Keele SCR for free use of the room for this meeting and also for the November lecture.
The Roman Society joint meeting in February was by Helen King (Reading) on early Roman Medicine. This was at North Staffs Medical Institute, again provided free, but we were disappointed not to have more medical student and practitioner presence (attendance 24). In March we had our second Play Reading (Terence’s The Self Tormentor) at our Chairman’s house (7) and our Treasurer, Richard Wallace, spoke in March on Ancient Tourism at Clayton Hall Business and Language College (attendance 25). This was another new and free venue. Our final lecture, in April, was in St Wulstan's Primary School, by Nick Thomas (Lampeter – attendance 21). This was one of our Church History series, and we are grateful also for free use of this venue. Our annual coach trip, in May, was as usual open to other bodies and was to Leicester Jewry Wall Museum and Bosworth Battlefield (or not!) (attendance 31). We are grateful as ever to Andy Fear for his leadership, while Robin Studd contributed hugely with his knowledge of the battle and its placing.
The Latin and Greek reading groups have continued to run approximately monthly throughout the year, independently of the core programme. We await further progress with the Latin group’s article on memorial inscriptions in the area of the Borough of Newcastle, submitted to the Journal of Staffordshire Studies.
Events 2010/2011
PLAY READING: (in translation) of Sophocles' Electra
7.30 p.m., Thursday 29 October 2009
Meeting Room, The Leopard, 21 Market Square, Burslem
Copies of a translation, the Watling Penguin Classics version, will be available.
LECTURE: John Ellis Jones (University of Wales: Bangor)
'THEATRES AND AMPHITHEATRES'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 10 November 2009
St Wulstan's (RC) Primary School, Church Lane, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under -Lyme
LECTURE: Dr Patrick Finglass (University of Nottingham)
'MYTHOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN SOPHOCLES' ELECTRA'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 26 November 2009
Nesfield Suite, Keele Hall, University of Keele
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
LECTURE: Professor Helen King (University of Reading)
'WHO NEEDS DOCTORS? REPRESENTING ROMAN MEDICINE'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 16 February 2010
Wade Lecture Theatre, Medical Institute, Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7NY
Joint meeting with the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
PLAY READING: (in translation) of Plautus' The Self-Tormentor
7.30 p.m., Thursday 4 March 2010
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: Richard Wallace (University of Keele)
'THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HILL: TRAVEL IN THE ANCIENT WORLD'
7.30 p.m., Tuesday 16 March 2010
Clayton Hall Business & Language College, Clayton Lane, Newcastle-under -Lyme, ST5 3DN
Room 10, Ground Floor, Main Teaching Block
LECTURE: Nick Thomas (University of Wales: Lampeter)
'MINUCIUS FELIX: HOW TO TALK TO POSH PAGANS'
7.30 p.m., Thursday 22 April 2010
St Wulstan's (RC) Primary School, Church Lane, Wolstanton, Newcastle-under -Lyme
All welcome - all the above events are free of charge
LEICESTERSHIRE COACH TRIP
ANNUAL COACH TRIP, Saturday 15 May 2010. As usual we will depart by coach from Keele, about 9.00 a.m., returning late the same evening. We shall visit the Roman Museum in the city of Leicester itself, and the adjacent Jewry Wall, going on to see the recently exhibited British coin hoard in Market Harborough Museum. We will be eating lunch in the town centre, although members can of course take a packed lunch instead if they wish. There will as usual be a halt for more leisurely evening dining on the road home. Please return the slip already circulated to members as soon as possible, or that included in the attached booking form: by post as above or phone/email or, if it's easier, in person at our lectures or reading groups. More information will be sent out in due course to those who have responded, including final details of the costs - about the same as those for the Hull trip last year, i.e. £20 per person. Further details will appear on this site before the trip.
Mosaic in Leicester Museum.
Annual General Meeting
For branch members only, the AGM 7.30 p.m., at St Wulstan's Priest's House, on Thursday 1st July 2010.
Latin and Greek Reading Groups 2009/10
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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