Mount Allison Classics

08/09/2026

Welcome back, Mount Allison students! 📚🏺

We wish all our students a happy, inspiring, and productive semester!

For the image, there is an almost perfect choice: the famous Attic red-figure kylix by Douris, ca. 485–480 BCE, now in the Antikensammlung in Berlin (F 2285). Its exterior shows actual school scenes with boys and their teachers, including lessons in reading/writing and music.

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts

Photo: School scenes on an Attic red-figure kylix by Douris, ca. 485–480 BCE. Berlin, Antikensammlung, F 2285.

08/09/2026

Welcome to the 2026-27 academic year!

Important academic dates for the fall term:
▸ Sept. 8 — Fall term classes begin
▸ Sept. 18 — Last day for course registration
▸ Oct. 12-16 — Fall Study Break
▸ Oct. 30 — Last day to drop a course
▸ Dec. 11-21 — Final exam period

The University will be closed on:
▸ Sept. 30 — National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
▸ Oct. 12 — Thanksgiving Day
▸ Nov. 11 — Remembrance Day

For a full list of academic dates and deadlines 👉 mta.ca/current-students/academics-current-students/taking-courses/academic-dates-and-deadlines

07/09/2026

✨ Welcome to Classics, Laura Harris! ✨

We are delighted to welcome Laura Harris (University of Washington) to Mount Allison as our 2026–27 Crake Doctoral Fellow in Classics!

Laura’s research explores Latin poetry of the Augustan and early imperial periods, particularly Ovid, with a special interest in gender and sexuality, q***r theory, and the ways in which ancient literature and contemporary approaches to sexuality can illuminate one another. Her work also extends to Latin elegy, especially Tibullus, and its fascinating intersections with epigraphy and material culture.

And we are especially excited about the two fantastic courses Laura will be bringing to our students this year:

🏛️ Gender & Sexuality in the Ancient World -- Fall 2026
👗 Roman Dress & Adornment -- Winter 2027

Both are Special Topics courses with no prerequisites, so they are a wonderful opportunity for students from across the university to explore the ancient world from fresh and engaging perspectives.

Please join us in giving Laura a very warm welcome to Mount Allison and the Classics community. We are so happy to have you with us, Laura!

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts

07/09/2026

🎓 A Great Start to the Academic Year!

Last Friday’s Academic Orientation was a great success! It was wonderful for the Department of Classics to meet so many new students, introduce them to our department, and share some of the many things we do — from our courses and programs to research, travel, and other opportunities beyond the classroom.

A very special thank you to our amazing students Charlotte Bergen, Joe Webster, and Wyatt Higgins, whose enthusiasm, help, and contributions made the day even more welcoming and engaging.

We loved meeting everyone and look forward to a fantastic year ahead. Welcome to Classics at Mount Allison!

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts

03/09/2026

Welcome to Mount Allison, new students! 🎉

As part of Academic Orientation, join us tomorrow, September 4, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. for the Arts/Humanities Info Tour. Meet at the Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts (PCCA) and come discover what Classics has to offer — from archaeology, ancient history, mythology, art and literature to Greek and Latin, fieldwork, museum visits, and the many ways the ancient Mediterranean still speaks to the world today.

We look forward to meeting you!

Mount Allison University

30/08/2026

We're delighted to see the Torre Mordillo Archaeological Project (TMAP) featured in the Italian cultural magazine Fame di Sud!

The article highlights the results of our 2026 archaeological field season at Torre Mordillo (Calabria), where our team continues to investigate one of the most important Indigenous settlements of the Sibaritide. This year's excavations brought to light new evidence from the Final Bronze Age, offering fresh insights into the daily lives, architecture, and organization of the Oenotrian community that occupied the plateau more than 3,000 years ago.

A heartfelt thank you to Enzo Garofalo and Fame di Sud for sharing our research with a wider audience and for helping bring the archaeology of southern Italy to the public.

We are proud to see the work of our students and research team recognized beyond the excavation trench!

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts

Torre Mordillo: resoconto sulla campagna di scavi 2026

20/08/2026

15/08/2026

Buon Ferragosto!

Celebrated across Italy on August 15, Ferragosto has roots stretching back to ancient Rome. Its name derives from the Feriae Augusti (“Augustus’ days of rest”), instituted by Emperor Augustus in 18 BCE as a period of rest and celebration after the hard work of the agricultural season.

More than 2,000 years later, Ferragosto remains one of Italy’s most beloved summer traditions--a fascinating example of how ancient customs continue to echo in modern life.

Buon Ferragosto a tutti! ☀️🏛️

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts

Photo: Roman harvest scene, relief from Trier. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

14/08/2026

🦎 Happy World Lizard Day!

Did you know that the humble lizard has a place in ancient Greek art and mythology?

The famous Apollo Sauroktonos (“Apollo the Lizard-Slayer”), attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles, depicts the young god watching a lizard climbing a tree. But why a lizard? Ancient traditions associated these creatures with sunlight, regeneration, and healing—all ideas connected with Apollo.

Even the smallest creatures can lead us into the fascinating world of ancient myth!

Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts
Mount Allison University

13/08/2026

🌑 When day becomes night…

Yesterday’s spectacular solar eclipse, total across parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, reminded millions of people of the extraordinary power of this celestial phenomenon.

More than 2,600 years ago, the Greek poet Archilochus witnessed an eclipse---probably the total solar eclipse of 648 BCE—and described the astonishment and fear it inspired:

“Zeus, father of the Olympians, made night out of midday, hiding the light of the shining sun.”

Today we understand the astronomy. But perhaps the sense of wonder has not changed quite as much. 🌞🌑

Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University Faculty of Arts