Hughes). Look out as well for a conference on the senses in Roman culture in November (with Eleanor Betts). There are currently so many people in the department interested in different aspects of the ancient body that it feels like I have joined at just the right time! So, research has kept me busy but settling into a new post has kept me even busier. I’m module team chair for A340 ‘The Roman Empire’, a 60-credit module that will be presented for the first time in October 2015. It is still early but I’m really excited about how the module is shaping up. A340 will partially replace A251 ‘World Archaeology’, so it will have a strong archaeological element to it,
but students will combine that with a study of the history, art and culture of the empire as well as being encouraged to think about what we mean by ‘the Roman empire’. Indeed, this was a question that we asked ourselves when we first got started on the module: how do we define ‘the empire’ and what did it mean to those who were a part of it? What does it mean today and why is it still so important? Big questions! But questions that we hope will contribute to a really dynamic module that takes account of the most up-to-date thinking about the Roman world. On top if this we are developing some innovative interactive elements that should enhance student learning in new and
interesting ways, making it possible for them to explore and understand the Roman world in ways that suit their own needs and interests. I’m also heavily involved in the production of the two MA modules (A863 and A864), which pose different but no less exciting challenges. I can’t pretend not to be exceedingly enthusiastic about A864’s focus on the ancient body! So, that is me and I’m looking forward to what proves to be an even busier year ahead but one that should be a lot of fun. My colleagues might also be surprised to find that I’ve managed to get to the end of this without mentioning my love of penguins!
AL Newsflash!
Astrid Voigt, Associate Lecturer for A330 and Research Affiliate for Classical Studies, is coeditor of Flavian Epic Interactions, together with Gesine Manuwald (UCL). This volume on the three Flavian epic poets (Valerius Flaccus, Statius and Silius Italicus) is due to appear in August 2013 with De Grutyer (Berlin) and for the first time critically engages with a unique set-up in Roman literary history: the survival of four epic poems from the same period (Argonautica; Thebaid, Achilleid; Punica). The interactions of these poems with each other and their contemporary context are explored by over twenty experts and emerging scholars. Topics studied include the political dimension of the epics, their use of epic themes and techniques and their intertextual relationship among each other and to predecessors. The recent upsurge of interest in Flavian epic has been focussed on the analysis of individual works. Looking at these poems together now allows the appreciation of their similarities and nuanced differences in the light of their shared position in literary and political history and gives insights into the literary culture of the period. The different approaches and backgrounds of the contributors ensure the presentation of a range of viewpoints. Together they offer new perspectives to the still increasing readership of Flavian epic poetry but also to anyone interested in the epic genre within Roman literature or other cultures more generally.
Astrid is a Research Affiliate for CS. You can read more about her work at: http://www.open.ac. uk/Arts/classicalstudies/voigt.shtml
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