Online Course in Greek & Roman Mythology

I have written previously on this blog about the need to widen access to the latest research on the ancient world through free educational courses in Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology. The success of our subjects at all levels depends upon attracting interested students from a broad swathe of society. In this difficult economic climate, it is absolutely essential that the study of the past is perceived to be of value. My previous post can be read here.

A recent trend in the provision of higher education courses has been the creation of free online courses utilising the latest developments in e-learning to widen access on a massive scale. Harvard and MIT were the main pioneers in this area, mainly for computer science courses. It seems clear that this trend is here to stay and it is clear that the model could be applied to ancient world courses.

Coursera are now offering a free online course on Greek and Roman mythology, taught by Professor Peter Struck. Further details are available here.

Roman Inscriptions from the Yorkshire Museum

Earlier this week, I visited the Yorkshire Museum to examine some of the inscriptions from their collection. Some of these inscriptions form part of the OCR Classical Civilisation syllabus as prescribed material for the Roman Britain module.

This Roman tower can be seen in the gardens of the Yorkshire Museum. It formed part of the defensive perimeter of the city. It was possibly created on the orders of Septimius Severus or Constantine.

This stone head is believed to represent the emperor Constantine, who elevated to imperial power at York.



RIB I, 684: the tombstone of Corellia Optata. This tombstone must be one of the most poignant to have been recovered from Roman Britain. It reads 'To the spirits of the departed, Corellia Optata, aged 13. You secret spirits who inhabit the Acherusian realm of Pluto, and whom the meagre ashes and shade, the mere semblance of the body seek after the brief light of life. I, the father of an innocent daughter, the victim of unfair hope, pitiably bewail this her final end. Quintus Corellius Fortis, her father, had this set up.'

 


RIB I, 658: an inscription dedicated to Serapis. It reads: 'To the sacred god, Serapis, Claudius Hieronymianus, legate of the VI Victrix legion dedicated this shrine from the ground up.'

 

RIB I, 673: The tombstone of Duccius Rufinus the standard bearer. It depicts the deceased in his military role. It reads 'Lucius Duccius Rufinus, son of Lucius, of the Voltinian voting tribe, from Vienne, standard bearer (signifer) of the Ninth Legion, aged twenty eight, lies here.'



RIB I, 653: an inscription for the Mother Goddesses. This small altar was set up by a gubernator of the VI Legion. It reads 'To the Mother Goddesses of Africa, Italy and Gaul, Marcus Minucius Audens, soldier of the VI Victrix Legion, pilot of the VI Legion, gladly, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.'

  

New Approaches to e-learning in Classics

I am currently seeking submissions for a possible panel for the 2013 Classical Association conference on ‘New Approaches to e-learning in Classics’. I hope to include papers covering aspects of e-learning in Latin, Greek, Classical Civilisation and Ancient History from throughout the educational sector (primary, secondary and higher). It is a fantastic opportunity to discuss innovative approaches to e-learning – or problems you have encountered in doing so!

I understand that we would need to submit the abstracts of the proposed papers by 31^st August. If you are interested in presenting a paper for this panel, please message or tweet me.

Further details of the 2013 Classical Association conference can be found here.