Virtual conference: 'Mediterranean Antiquity in the Work of H. P. Lovecraft' (10–11 April)

A virtual conference on the topic of 'Mediterranean Antiquity in the Work of H. P. Lovecraft' will take place online on 10 and 11 April. The schedule and registration details can be found at: https://www.carmanromanophd.com/lovecraftconference.

Petition against the reduction in the number of hours of Greek and Latin teaching in Austria

A petition against the reduction in the number of hours of Greek and Latin teaching in Austria is currently circulating. It can be signed at https://mein.aufstehn.at/petitions/latein-ist-kein-luxus-es-ist-bildung. The petition's initiators are asking for support and publicity from other countries. The planned cuts will also affect modern foreign languages, and could jeopardise entire educational programmes in schools that have already reduced teaching hours.

The translated petition reads as follows:

Dear Federal Minister Wiederkehr,

We are concerned about the growing signs of further marginalization of the so-called “dead” languages Latin and Ancient Greek in school curricula, as well as the dismantling of literature classes in favor of supposedly competence-oriented text types, which has been going on for years.

Based on our education and knowledge, we are convinced that a humanistic education, which provides insight into thousands of years of intellectual history, makes an indispensable contribution to the development of mature, independent-minded citizens. This applies at least to the same extent to literature, which has lost its importance in school curricula since the turn of the millennium.

Our request, which can also be understood as a demand, is therefore as follows: The teaching of the classical languages Latin and Ancient Greek should be continued without restriction. The proposed eight (instead of the previous twelve) Latin lessons are definitely not sufficient for a serious acquisition of the subject. And it seems absurd that Austria, a country of culture, is systematically removing literature from the consciousness. Therefore, it should be given its rightful place in the curriculum again.

We kindly ask that this be taken into consideration in the context of the upcoming reforms. 

Inaugural meeting of the Center for Studies of Ancient Mediterranean Music (CEMAM)

The Center for the Study of Ancient Mediterranean Music (CEMAM) is a recently created, non-profit cultural association based at the University of Córdoba, under the initiative of Prof. Fuensanta Garrido Domené. It brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from various fields, including Classical Philology, Musicology, Archaeology, Ancient History, Art History, Dance History, and Engineering, and from various academic institutions.

The Center’s main goal is to gather academic and specialized information and preserve the history of music and dance in the Mediterranean basin during Antiquity, its antecedents (prehistoric, Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Etruscan periods) and its reception, tradition, survival, influence, and evolution in the medieval period, taking into account other cultures and religions (such as Christianity and Islam, for example). 

To introduce CEMAM to the academic community, a virtual meeting will be held on Friday, January 16, at 5:00 PM. To attend the presentation, please join via the following link.

International hybrid conference: “Lessons from the Past: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”, 23–24 March 2026.

The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology of the University of Liverpool, in partnership with the University’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research (ICSR) and the Victoria Gallery and Museum, will be hosting the international hybrid conference “Lessons from the Past: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”, which will be held on the 23rd and 24th March 2026.
 
People who study the past have a unique and broad perspective on humanity. With the challenges of the modern world, this deep understanding has never been more important in shaping our attitudes and responses. The Department is keen to hear from a broad range of speakers and welcome submissions from Archaeologists, Evolutionary Anthropologists, Historians, Classicists, Egyptologists, and anyone else who studies humans in the past. The call for abstract and poster submissions is now open, and the deadline is Monday 27th October 2025. Submitted abstracts will be blind-reviewed by a panel of experts. Detailed submission guidelines can be found here https://lessonsfromthepast.info/paper-submission/.
 
Talks must result in a tangible recommendation to a specified body (e.g. a non-profit institution, local council, University, Government department, or even the United Nations). Presentations should explain how knowledge of the past supports the recommendation. Talks will be selected based on the feasibility of their recommendation and strength of linkage between the proposal made and the evidence used to support it. Poster submissions do not require a recommendation but should include relevant information linking knowledge of the past with a specific UN sustainability goal.
 
More information about the conference, including the keynote speaker, Prof. Robert Kelly (University of Wyoming), can be found on the conference website at https://lessonsfromthepast.info/.
 
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the conference organisers at contact[at]lessonsfromthepast.info.

Dr. Beatrice Pestarino | Leverhulme Early Career Fellow
University of Liverpool | Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, 
12-14 Abercromby Square, 
Liverpool L69 7WZ, UK

XVIIIth FIEC Congress / XVIIIe congrès de la FIEC

PRE-ANNOUNCEMENT

We are pleased to announce that the XVIIIth FIEC Congress will be held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July 2028. Further details will follow in due course.

ANNONCE PRÉLIMINAIRE

Nous sommes heureux d’annoncer que le XVIIIe congrès de la FIEC se tiendra à Ljubljana (Slovénie) du lundi 3 au vendredi 7 juillet 2028. Davantage de détails suivront en temps opportun.   

Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies – Two scholarships for doctoral studies (October 2026 – September 2030)

The Graduate School Scholarship Program (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is offering two (2) doctoral scholarships for aspiring PhD students within the framework of the "Ancient Languages and Texts" doctoral program of the BerGSAS, https://www.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/en/bergsas/programme/alt/index.html

More information about it and the application procedure can be found below or at https://www.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/en/bergsas/ausschreibungen/index.html#alt

Open rank professorship in Latin literature at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

The Institute of Classical Philology at the University of Bern invites applications for an open-rank full-time position as Professor for Latin beginning in February 2026 or the earliest convenient date (successor of Prof. Dr. Gerlinde Huber-Rebenich).

The Institute seeks applicants with proven international experience in research and teaching. The successful candidate covers the entire field of Latin philology, ideally with a research focus in classical Latin literature. In addition, familiarity with medieval or contemporary (or both) studies is desirable. Research collaboration within the Institute and the new Department of Classics is expected. Responsibilities include participation in the cantonal High School committee on Latin and maintaining relations with the regional Gymnasia that teach Latin.  

Depending on qualifications, the position will be filled at the level of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor. Requirements for an associate or full professor include a Habilitation (or equivalent). Requirements for an assistant professor with tenure track include a Habilitation (or equivalent) in progress. A candidate who cannot yet teach and advise in German, must acquire the necessary language competence in no more than two years after taking up the position.

In accordance with the diversity and equal opportunity goals of the University, the Institute is committed to increase the share of women in academic positions and therefore encourage women to apply. Applicants are also invited to submit plans for job-sharing and dual careers. The University encourages applications from people with disabilities, People of Color, and people who in the Swiss context belong to ethnic minorities.

Start Date: February 1st, 2026

Employer: University of Bern, Faculty of Humanities

 

Position: Full time

 

Location: Bern

 

Application deadline: June 30, 2025

 

Application procedure:

• Please fill in and submit the application form: https://www.philhist.unibe.ch/about_us/now_happening/ausschreibung_latinistik/index_eng.html

 

• Please send your application in a single PDF file to jenny.preiss[at]unibe.ch: Application should include a cover letter, CV, a list of publications, a list of courses taught, teaching evaluations, teaching and research statement, a list of grants and stipends, and academic committee experience.

 

If you have questions, please direct your enquiries to: jenny.preiss[at]unibe.ch

Petition against the reform of the secondary school curriculum in Geneva

A petition is currently circulating in Switzerland, to encourage the Department of Public Education (DIP) in the canton of Geneva to reconsider its plans for the upcoming reform of Swiss secondary school curricula. If the reform goes ahead as currently planned, it will have a profound impact on the humanities. For example, students will be required to choose between Latin and English, which will undoubtedly be to the detriment of Latin. Furthermore, other optional subjects, such as Ancient Greek, which are already marginalised, will be limited to two years of teaching for students who do choose to study them.

 

It is clear that this proposed reform poses a danger to our disciplines: fewer and fewer students will opt to study Greek or Latin, and those who do will likely not receive the preparation required to pursue their studies at university level.

 

More details on this reform and its consequences can be found here, and the petition itself here. As all petitions in the Canton of Geneva must be posted, it is necessary to print, sign and scan the document, then email it to valeria.lovato[at]unige.ch by June 2nd 2025.

Petition to preserve Greek teaching in Zurich high schools

In the city of Zurich, Switzerland, it has been decided that Greek will no longer be taught in high schools. The following petition is being circulated against this decision:

Since March 11, 2025 it has been known, that in the wake of the soon-to-be-implemented Swiss A-levels reform Greek shall no longer be taught as a specialisation subject at Zurich High Schools.

We, the undersigned, do not accept that and are strongly committed to preserving this indispensable educational treasure.

As everybody being on this list knows, Greek is more than just a language: it is the key to understanding our cultural identity, it is the language of science, philosophy and fundamental democratic values.

Giving up Greek would mean neglecting an important educational heritage. We do not want to lose this treasure!

Please support our initiative and sign the petition here.

Call for papers - Phasis

The peer-reviewed journal Phasis invites original articles in all fields of Greek and Roman studies (literature, history, languages, philosophy, religion, art, archaeology, reception, etc.). The journal publishes articles in English, French and German. Submissions should be accompanied by an abstract of 100-250 words in English. Submission guidelines are available at https://phasis.tsu.ge/index.php/PJ/about/submissions. The article and abstract should be sent to phasis@tsu.ge by 30 April 2025, with name, address and affiliation in the accompanying email.  Any queries can also be sent to the same address.

75th anniversary of FIEC: the recordings of all lectures are now online

FIEC is pleased to announce that the recordings of the 15 lectures organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its foundation are now available on the FIEC website: https://www.fiecnet.org/75-years-fiec

The lecture series included the following speakers:

1 - Prof. Franco Montanari (Genoa/Italy)
L’evoluzione della filología ed erudizione antica da Zenodoto alle raccolte antiquarie
 
2 - Prof. Charlotte Schubert (Leipzig/Germany)
Die Zukunft der Altertumswissenschaften: Hermeneutik und Digitalität
 
3 - Prof. Sofía Torallas (Chicago/U.S.A.)
Material Vessels of Ancient Magic: a case study in the transmission of Classical knowledge
 
4 - Prof. David Konstan (New York/U.S.A.)
Anger, Revenge, and Community: The Importance of Respect
 
5 - Prof. Arlene Holmes Henderson (Durham/U.K.)
Classics in schools: past, present and future

6 - Prof. Darío P.R. Maiorana (Rosario, Argentina)
Prospectiva de los Estudios Clásicos en el siglo XXI

7 - Prof. Filippomaria Pontani (Venezia/Italy)
Vingt-quatre pattes de mouche : Greek manuscripts and beyond

8 - Prof. Joy Connolly (American Council of Learned Societies)
Beyond “Greece and Rome”
 
9 - Prof. Carmen Codoñer (Salamanca/Spain)
Humanismo: transiciones. Texto y contexto
 
10 - Prof. Denis Rousset (EPHE – Sorbonne, Paris/France)
Comment publier les inscriptions grecques et latines au XXIe s. ?
 
11 - Prof. Stefan Rebenich (Berne/Switzerland)
“Alte Geschichte in Forschung und Lehre”: A very brief survey of the development of Ancient History in Germany over the last fifty years

12 - Prof. Delfim F. Leâo (Coimbra/Portugal)
Chilon and the Seven Wise Men: Milestones in the Establishment of a Literary Tradition

13 - Prof. Véronique Dasen (Fribourg/Switzerland)
Locus Ludi. The Cultural Fabric of Play and Games in Classical Antiquity

14 - Prof. Marietta Horster (Mainz/Germany)
Roman Cities – a world of (inscribed) texts

15 - Prof. Alberto Bernabé (Madrid/Spain)
La dificil definición de τὰ Ὀρφικά

Mise au concours - Poste de professeur·e ordinaire ou professeur·e assistant·e en PTC en histoire ancienne (open rank) à l'Université de Lausanne

La Section d’Archéologie et des sciences de l’Antiquité de la Faculté des lettres de l’Université de Lausanne met au concours un poste de professeur·e ordinaire ou professeur·e assistant·e en pré-titularisation conditionnelle (tenure track) en histoire ancienne (open rank).

Informations complémentaires

Entrée en fonction : 1er août 2025
Taux d'activité : 100%
Lieu de travail : Lausanne-Dorigny
Durée du contrat : 

Professeur-e ordinaire : 6 ans, renouvelable

Professeur-e assistant-e en prétitularisation conditionnelle (tenure track) : premier mandat de deux ans, renouvelable deux fois sur proposition du Décanat.*
*La personne nommée Professeur-e assistant-e en prétitularisation conditionnelle (tenure track) est engagée pour un mandat de deux ans, renouvelable deux fois sur proposition du Décanat. Une procédure d’évaluation est initiée en principe au terme du 8ème semestre, soit au début du troisième mandat de deux ans. Au terme de cette procédure, la Faculté propose (ou non) à la Direction de l’UNIL la titularisation au rang de professeur-e ordinaire  

Vos activités

Charge d’enseignement de 4 heures (PAST en PTC) ou 6 heures (prof. ordinaire) hebdomadaires (séminaires de niveau BA ou MA). Encadrement des étudiant·e·s, prise en charge d’examens.
Recherches individuelles.
Participation aux activités de recherche et à l’administration de la Section.

Votre profil

Doctorat ès lettres en histoire ancienne ou titre jugé équivalent (habilitation dans les pays où elle existe ou qualification jugée équivalente).

Professeur·e ordinaire
Spécialisation en histoire grecque et/ou romaine. Grande expérience de l’enseignement universitaire à tous les niveaux et dans la direction de mémoires de maîtrise et de thèses de doctorat. Solide dossier de publications et compétences avérées en matière de recherche. Capacité à obtenir des subsides et des financements tiers. Une grande expérience dans la conduite d’une unité académique est exigée. Le/la titulaire assurera des enseignements en histoire grecque et romaine, ainsi qu’en épigraphie grecque et/ou latine. Capacité à travailler en équipe et à tisser des relations au sein de la section d’Archéologie et des sciences de l’Antiquité (ASA), ainsi qu’au sein de la Faculté des lettres. Les enseignements étant donnés en français, une bonne maîtrise de cette langue est exigée.

Professeur·e assistant·e en PTC* tenure track au rang de professeur·e ordinaire
Spécialisation en histoire grecque et/ou romaine. Expérience de l’enseignement universitaire aux niveaux BA et MA. Dossier de publications comprenant une monographie et compétences avérées en matière de recherche. Capacité à obtenir des subsides et des financements tiers. Une expérience dans la vie d’une unité académique est fortement souhaitée. Le/la titulaire assurera des enseignements en histoire grecque et romaine, ainsi qu’en épigraphie grecque et/ou latine. Capacité à travailler en équipe et à tisser des relations au sein de la section d’Archéologie et des sciences de l’Antiquité (ASA), ainsi qu’au sein de la Faculté des lettres. Les enseignements étant donnés en français, une bonne maîtrise de cette langue est exigée.

Vos avantages

Un cadre de travail agréable dans un environnement académique multiculturel et diversifié.
Une multitude d'activités et d'autres avantages à découvrir.

Davantage d'informations sur www.unil.ch/carrieres

Pour tout renseignement complémentaire

Contacter : Monsieur le Professeur Sylvian Fachard, Sylvian.fachard[at]unil.ch

Votre dossier de candidature

Délai de postulation : 31 janvier 2025

Les personnes intéressées sont priées de faire parvenir via le système en ligne https://career5.successfactors.eu/career?career_ns=job_listing&company=universitdP&navBarLevel=JOB_SEARCH&rcm_site_locale=en_US&career_job_req_id=21995&selected_lang=fr_FR&jobAlertController_jobAlertId=&jobAlertController_jobAlertName=&browserTimeZone=Europe/Zurich&_s.crb=nmEjSfiurZVoJx02322ERGIqPl99I56qud14m%2bUPq%2bY%3d, en format PDF ou Word, un dossier complet contenant : lettre de motivation, Curriculum Vitae, copie des diplômes universitaires, liste des publications ainsi qu'une présentation succincte des projets de recherches et les noms et coordonnées de deux personnes de référence.

5th CIPSH International Academy on Chinese cultures and Global Humanities

The International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies (CIPSH/ICPSH), of which the FIEC is a member, is organising its 5th International Academy on Chinese cultures and Global Humanities, on the theme 'Education as a global strategy. The dialogue between tradition and new goals in the educational systems in the Chinese World and in Europe'.  In collaboration with FIEC and other organisations, it will take place in Madrid from 9 to 12 December 2024. For more information, please visit http://educationstrategy.es/

Mise au concours - Poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en langue et littérature latines à l'Université de Genève

 La Faculté des lettres de l'Université de Genève met au concours un poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en langue et littérature latines.

Description du poste

La Faculté des lettres de l'Université de Genève met au concours un poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en langue et littérature latines.

La mission de ce poste est de poursuivre un programme de formation et de recherche en langue et littérature latines. Il s’agit d’un poste à charge complète comprenant 6h d’enseignement hebdomadaire aux niveaux Bachelor, Master et post-grade ainsi que la direction de travaux de maîtrise et de thèses de doctorat. La/le candidat-e sera appelé-e à développer des recherches au niveau international en langue et littérature latines, potentiellement en interaction avec des domaines proches et œuvrer à obtenir des financements extérieurs. Elle/il devra également assumer des tâches de gestion et d’organisation au niveau du Département des sciences l’Antiquité et de la Faculté des lettres.

Titre et compétences exigés

Doctorat ès lettres ou titre jugé équivalent. Expérience de direction de recherches et de l’enseignement. Dossier de publications de haute qualité. Une connaissance avancée de la langue française est requise.

Profil souhaité : La-le candidat-e doit démontrer dans ses travaux de recherche et ses enseignements des connaissances approfondies dans le domaine de la langue et de la littérature latines dans une perspective large (périodes, genres, méthodes).

Entrée en fonction

1er août 2025 ou date à convenir

Contact

Service des enseignant-es de la Faculté des lettres: monika.starouch@hotmail.com

Informations complémentaires

Les dossiers de candidature constitués d’une lettre de motivation, d’un curriculum vitae détaillé comprenant une liste des publications et d’une copie du diplôme le plus élevé, doivent être déposés exclusivement en ligne avant le 15 janvier 2025 (23:59 heure de Genève), sur le site de l’Université, à l’adresse https://jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_portal.show_job?p_web_site_id=1&p_web_page_id=67564 où l’annonce peut également être consultée.

Dans une perspective de parité, l'Université encourage les candidatures du sexe sous-représenté.

 

Mise au concours - Poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en histoire et anthropologie des religions à l'Université de Genève

La Faculté des lettres de l'Université de Genève met au concours un poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en histoire et anthropologie des religion.

Description du poste

La Faculté des lettres de l'Université de Genève met au concours un poste de professeur-e ordinaire ou associé-e en histoire et anthropologie des religions.

La mission de ce poste est de poursuivre un programme de formation et de recherche en histoire et anthropologie des religions. Il s’agit d’un poste à charge complète comprenant 6h d’enseignement hebdomadaire aux niveaux Bachelor, Master et post-grade ainsi que la direction de travaux de maîtrise et de thèses de doctorat. La/le candidat-e sera appelé-e à développer des recherches au niveau international en histoire et anthropologie des religions, potentiellement en interaction avec des domaines proches et œuvrer à obtenir des financements extérieurs. Elle/il devra également assumer des tâches de gestion et d’organisation au niveau du département des sciences de l’Antiquité et de la Faculté.

Titre et compétences exigés

Doctorat ès lettres ou titre jugé équivalent. Expérience de direction de recherches et de l’enseignement. Dossier de publications de haute qualité. Une connaissance avancée de la langue française est requise.

Profil souhaité : La/le candidat-e doit démontrer dans ses travaux de recherche et ses enseignements des connaissances approfondies d’au moins une des religions polythéistes de l’Antiquité (monde gréco-romain, Égypte, Proche-Orient). Il/elle doit maîtriser les langues liées aux domaines de spécialisation et avoir la capacité à coordonner un cursus généraliste en histoire et en anthropologie des religions dans une perspective comparatiste.

Entrée en fonction

1er août 2025

Contact

Service des enseignant-es de la Faculté des lettres: monika.starouch@hotmail.com

Informations complémentaires

Les dossiers de candidature constitués d’une lettre de motivation, d’un curriculum vitae détaillé comprenant une liste des publications et d’une copie du diplôme le plus élevé, doivent être déposés exclusivement en ligne avant le 19 décembre 2024 (23:59 heure de Genève), sur le site de l’Université, à l’adresse https://jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_portal.show_job?p_web_site_id=1&p_web_page_id=67544 où l’annonce peut également être consultée.

Dans une perspective de parité, l'Université encourage les candidatures du sexe sous-représenté.

 

Call for papers - Classica Boliviana

The Sociedad Boliviana de Estudios Clásicos is calling for papers for the 14th issue of its journal, Classica Boliviana, to be submitted by 31 March 2025. The journal publishes articles in Spanish, English, Portuguese or French, on any subject pertaining to Antiquity (classical philology, philosophy, literature, history, art history, law, linguistics, etc.). The call for papers can be found below, with all the relevant details.

Celebrating Classics Campaign

As part of their new Celebrating Classics Campaign, the Classical Association is thrilled to announce a Write | Speak | Design Competition, which is open to everybody, across the world, and celebrates how and why we study the ancient past.

A share of more than £2000 prize money is available, and the judges, Prof. Peter Frankopan, Dr Mary-Ann Ochota and Sana van Dal, hope entrants will share their innovative ideas as well as their experiences of studying the ancient world.

There are two different prompts: for under 25s, ‘Why is Classics Important?’, and for those aged 25 and over, ‘Classics Education: A Manifesto for Today’. Both competitions offer the chance to submit a written piece, a poster or a spoken presentation. The closing date is 31 January 2025.

The competition is supported by a Resource Bank about Classics Education and anyone who enters the competition, or who sends in their response via this form, will be entered into the free prize draw.

Open letter from Danish classicists against the decision to cut funding for the teaching of ancient Greek and Latin in secondary schools

The Danish government, in its recently revealed budget, wants to stop funding the teaching of Ancient Greek and Latin in the country's secondary schools, a decision that would have far-reaching and damaging consequences for Classics as a whole in the country. Danish classicists have written an open letter to the government opposing this move (the full text of which can be found below), and to add weight to it they are collecting signatures. To add yours, please send your name, title and professional/institutional affiliation to Dr Thomas Heine Nielsen at the University of Copenhagen: heine[at]hum.ku.dk. It it also possible to sign a separate petition (in Danish): https://www.skrivunder.net/behold_tilskuddet_til_grask_og_latin_a_i_gymnasiet

 The open letter :

 

Open letter to the Danish government and the Folketing

 

The national Budget for 2025 is accompanied by a note – an appendix, almost – which with a stroke of the pen reforms the gymnasium and abolishes a small special grant for schools that offer the two small, but important subjects Greek and Latin at advanced level. We agree with the head teachers of the schools concerned that the abolition of these special grants for Greek and Latin – 5-6 million DKK [roughly equivalent to £600,000] per year on a national level - will immediately lead to the subjects disappearing from the school curriculum, and on that basis we urge caution and call for this grant, which is after all an insignificant amount in the larger context of the national Budget,  to continue in support of the two important languages. On national radio, the Minister of Education has referred to this vital special grant as "indulgence" (!) of the subjects of Greek and Latin. We must object to this: the grant is not a pampering of the classical languages, but a protection of their existence.

 

Greek and Latin are the oldest subjects in the Danish gymnasium and have been taught there for over 250 years. Today, they form a small, but important part of the range of elective subjects, and the number of students choosing to take Greek and Latin is very stable. 10-15 schools across the country, also in remote areas, offer a “classical pathway” which includes ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation, and Latin at advanced level. This pathway is slightly more expensive than most others since the class sizes are never large. However, the students receive language teaching at a high theoretical level and acquire an in-depth knowledge of the ancient Greco-Roman culture, by studying the original texts of that culture. They learn to read slowly and in depth, a skillset which benefits them in their further studies, regardless of what degree they decide to pursue. Students from the classical pathway almost always do well in higher education, including in the natural sciences and medicine.

 

Losing the classical pathway through the gymnasium would also have negative consequences for the universities. The classical pathway is a strong recruitment base for the university disciplines of classical philology, classical archaeology, ancient history, history of philosophy, and theology: all of these disciplines are unlikely to survive if we lose the classical pathway. Denmark needs a viable classics community, like the one we actually have at the moment. No one can be unaware that the New Testament is written in Greek, and it would be Monty Pythonesque if a country with a Christian history of over 1,000 years cut itself off from access to the religion's foundational text - which is also culturally and historically crucially important whether or not one is a practising Christian. Also, many of the key texts in European literature, philosophy, and history are in Greek or Latin, and it would be infinitely sad if we lost our connection to Europe by scrapping these A-level subjects. It is also completely incomprehensible that the government proposes to cut off our European roots in a situation where it is more important than ever to defend Europe politically and culturally: classical antiquity is the prerequisite of modern Europe. Like Greek, Latin is extremely important, also for more narrowly national reasons. Well into the 19th century, Latin was a widespread language of writing in Denmark, and many of the sources for our history as a nation are in Latin, just as literary giants such as Saxo Grammaticus and Ludvig Holberg wrote in Latin. H.C. Ørsted wrote his dissertation in Latin!

 

So we risk losing ourselves if we scrap Greek and Latin in the gymnasium. This was done in Sweden and Norway, and the result is that the classical subjects have become narrow university subjects on a par with Tibetan and Sanskrit. A paltry profit of 5-6 million DKK is honestly not worth that: it can be a very expensive cut in the long term.

 

In many ways, the downsizing will also go against the spirit of the times. There is great interest in both ancient archaeology and Greco-Roman literature among the Danish population, and new translations of the great works are continuously published. Interest in ancient philosophy, especially Stoicism, is enormous, as demonstrated by the great popularity of Svend Brinkmann. And interest in the Roman Empire is increasing all the time, especially among young people.

 

In Kristeligt Dagblad [a national newspaper], the Minister of Education defends the note which would end the teaching of Greek and Latin in the gymnasium by saying that, as minister, he has to "ask myself whether the special arrangements that exist in the system still make sense." One can hardly disagree with that, and the gymnasium has indeed been reformed at regular intervals. But one may well disagree that it is a decision the minister should take alone and without public debate. Killing off important subjects in a memo like this is not dignified, to say the least. It is reminiscent of methods from countries with which we do not normally compare ourselves.

 

Let us keep the important subsidy for the teaching of Greek and Latin in the gymnasium: it will be the best thing for Denmark.

 

Respectfully,

 

Thomas Heine Nielsen

Lektor, Ph.d., Københavns Universitet

København N

 

Anna Cornelia Ploug

Phd i filosofi, postdoc ved NorS,

Københavns Universitet,

København

 

Chr. Gorm Tortzen

Lektor em., cand. mag. et art.

Fredensborg

 

Dr Lisa Irene Hau

Senior Lecturer in Classics

School of Humanities/Sgoil nan Daonnachdan

University of Glasgow

G12 8QQ

United Kingdom