The Department of Classics
B
ellaria means ‘dainties’ and is the title for a weekly Classics blog written by Dr. Peter Jones (Newcastle University) https://classicsforall.org.uk/reading-room/ bellaria Each week he provides translations of Latin and Greek alongside the original texts with his own sage views. The extracts selected are the choicest ‘dainties’ of lesser known authors and these have deepened my knowledge of the ancient world; I thoroughly recommend it. The short essays on the same website are also first rate. Three Bellaria stood out (62, 64 and 65) as they had particularly Olavian flavours. The tale about how Aristophanes became the first Librarian of Alexandria as he could recall everything he had ever read rang true. The lists of Cato the Elder’s aphorisms are just as relevant to boys in our school as to Cato’s son two thousand years ago.
This demonstrates how flexible the study of the ancient world can be providing personal spiritual improvement as well as academic study. The Department has been most grateful to the many cultured Olavians who recognise this by studying Latin or (sometimes and!) Classical Civilisation and attending Classics Society,
Here are a few in Latin (English translations at the end): parentem patientia uince. minorem ne contempseris. patere legem, quam ipse tuleris. benefici accepti esto memor. pauca in conuiuio loquere. miserum noli inridere. illud adgredere, quod iustum est. libenter amorem ferto. liberalibus stude. Can you name the emperor in the photograph? The theatrical masks behind are a clue. It is Nero from the exhibition at the British Museum. The lighting, objects and ideas were superlative. Mary Beard wrote very well that the tombstone of Claudia Ecloge stood out most to her. A slave who had nursed Nero as a child and helped to bury him – was she forced to help bury him or was she willing remembering him fondly as a child? You can see her tour here https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Hywug2mmoQcA A piece of graffiti from Pompeii fascinated me – it celebrated the visit of Nero and his wife Poppaea to the city. This man, although bloodthirsty and disliked by his own political class for his theatricality and baulking of traditions, was very popular amongst the people! We are reading about Tiberius in A-level Latin this year, a very different man who was controlled by his advisors and continually vacillated. Classics is an excellent mirror for the modern world.
86 – Olavian 2021
Greek Club and extra Greek classes, even under the most trying of circumstances, i.e. being at home and listening in. Here is my annual public opportunity to say gratias maximas vobis ago to the parents for supporting their sons and daughters in their study of the subject through encouragement and vocabulary tests as well as to my colleagues Dr. Abbattista, Miss Emmanuel (now teaching Latin in Essex) and Mr. Budds for their tirelessly imaginative teaching. Thanks also are due to Elise Stringfellow, Amber Reddin and Isaac Clark, the treshomines of the Classics Society for arranging their ‘Wicked Emperors’ series and society quizzes. Meme of the Week provided humour and community whilst teaching was online I enclose one of the best. Greek Club run by Dr. Abbattista has a strong following keeping the Hellenic alphabet and language alive. 2021 saw the first Olavian Classics Day given online by the Department of Greek and Latin, UCL. The first talk was from Dr. Stephen Colvin on Indo-European.
