THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL COPLEY LATIN DAY
April 2, 2025 | University of Michigan
Michigan Union, 530 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1308
Department of Classical Studies
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology | The Papyrology Collection at the U-M Library
All events are held at the Michigan Union unless otherwise specified.
Arrivals:
8:00 - 8:40 am
Please plan accordingly to arrive for the Welcome Ceremony that will begin at 8:40 sharp. Check-in will be just outside the Ballroom (2nd floor).
Welcome Ceremony:
Salutationes
(8:40 - 9:00 am) - Rogel Ballroom
Salutationes:
Celia Schultz, Chair of Classical Studies
Gina Soter, CLD Organizer
Summer Darma, Office of Student Recruitment
Roll Call of Schools
Faculty Presentation
Ruth Caston: "The Art of Leisure"
9:00–9:50 am - Rogel Ballroom
We often talk about all the great things the Romans achieved: their military strategies and battles, the aqueducts and imperial fora, their skill in rhetoric and poetry. But what did they do when they weren’t doing great things? When, as they put it, they had otium instead of negotium? We’re going to look at some of the ways they enjoyed themselves in their leisure time, like going to the Colosseum or watching a play, not to mention other kinds of amusement and pursuits, like board games and poetry writing contests. Throughout we’ll focus on the Romans’ love of fun and entertainment, but also their anxiety that too much fun just might be a bad thing!
Morning Activity Sessions
10:00 am–1:10 pm
Each school will be assigned an individual schedule for the day based on the preferences indicated on the registration form. Below is a list of activities planned for the day, including lectures, presentations, workshops, tours, and lunch with Trivia. Each activity lasts 40 minutes. Many of the session activities relate to our theme of "Classics and the Arts", though we include also activities of general interest. More information about these sessions can be found below.
Afternoon Activities
Praemia
1:20–1:40 pm - Rogel Ballroom
Our afternoon activities will again be as one large group and will begin immediately at 1:20 pm. Winners from the Certamina, recitation, haiku, and artistic works, will be announced.
Valedictiones
1:40–1:45 pm - Rogel Ballroom
Session 1
10:00 am – 10:40 am
Lecture 1A: Fringe Benefits: The Crossroads of Visual and Verbal Art
Rogel Ballroom
Ben Fortson (faculty)
In this presentation, we’ll look at how certain Roman poets did fancy visual tricks with their poetry: poems that you can read in multiple directions simultaneously; poems with hidden words, phrases, and lines that form visual designs and symbols; magic squares; and similar displays of verbal and visual virtuosity. Such works have generally not received as much attention as ‘serious’ material like epic poetry or Classical sculpture with their lofty mythological and cosmic themes. But the works we will be sampling are serious artistic creations too, while at the same time being a lot of fun, and there’s a lot one can learn from them about the age in which most of them were composed.
Lecture 1B: Gladiator II and the history of ancient Rome on screen
Kuenzel Room
Ian Fielding (faculty)
In this lecture, Prof. Ian Fielding will discuss the recent film Gladiator II (2024) and how Hollywood has projected ideas about spectacle and entertainment on to imperial Rome.
Workshop 1C: Acting out the Classics
2210 B&C
Joe Droegemueller (graduate student)
As the Roman Republic transitioned into the Empire, mime became the dominant type of theater, yet almost no information about the plays themselves survives. We do have evidence, however, that works of prominent authors like Vergil and Ovid received theatrical treatments. In this workshop we will think about how dramatists may have gone about staging these works, and even experiment a bit ourselves!
Tour 1D: Visit to Kelsey
Kelsey Museum
Shannon Ness (museum educator)
Two tours of Roman Daily Life at the Kelsey Museum will be offered by docents from the Museum. (Each tour will be limited to 15 persons.)
Tour 1E: Visit to Clark Library
Hatcher Graduate Library
Zachary Quint (library educator)
Visit U-M’s map collection in the Clark Library. During this
interactive session, students will explore Nolli’s Map of Rome and begin to
understand how we know what we know about Roman topography. (This session will be limited to 18 persons.)
Session 2
10:50 am – 11:30 am
Discussion 2A: Student panel
Rogel Ballroom
Brittany Pendergraft and David Sullivan (graduate student moderators)
Current students discuss the rewards and challenges of the transition from high school to life in college, including workload, expectations of instructors, dorm realities, and the freedoms and responsibilities of life on one’s own. High school students will have a chance to ask questions they may have as they prepare to start this new chapter in their lives.
Workshop 2B: Tarot imagery, Plato and the Renaissance
Kelsey Museum
Sara Ahbel-Rappe (faculty)
In this workshop we will study the meaning and history of the Tarot, a game that arose in 15th century Florence and contained esoteric symbolism. We will study the Fool’s Journey as it is expressed in the illustrations and try designing our own cards on Adobe express.
Workshop 2C: Point of No Return: Orpheus and Eurydice in Literature, Visual Culture, and Music
2210 B&C
Netta Berlin (faculty)
The Greeks gave us Orpheus, the archetypal artist. The survival of Vergil and Ovid’s works gave us the enduring myth of Orpheus’ failed descent to the underworld to bring Eurydice back to life. This workshop will explore some of the ways in which writers, visual artists, and musicians (“Orpheus’ descendants”) have kept this myth of love and loss alive to this day. We will read, view, and listen to several creative appropriations of the couple's ascent from the realm of the dead, beginning with Roman poetry and ending with the musical Hadestown, exploring how Orpheus signifies the impulse to animate and renew the classical past.
Tour 2D: Visit to Kelsey
Kelsey Museum
Shannon Ness (museum educator)
Two tours of Roman Daily Life at the Kelsey Museum will be offered by docents from the Museum. (Each tour will be limited to 15 persons.)
Tour 2E: Visit to Clark Library
Hatcher Graduate Library
Zachary Quint (library educator)
Visit U-M’s map collection in the Clark Library. During this interactive session, students will explore Nolli’s Map of Rome and begin to understand how we know what we know about Roman topography. (This session will be limited to 18 persons.)
Lunch 2F: Prandium cum Trivia
Pendleton Room
Terry McClymonds (Magister Ludi)
We will provide a pizza lunch (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options available) for all participants. During each Prandium, we will offer a lively trivia session, replete with prizes. We hope that by sharing tables and competing in groups we will be able to get students from different schools to meet each other.
Session 3
11:40 am – 12:20 pm
Lecture 3A: Rediscovering ancient books by using Artificial Intelligence
Rogel Ballroom
Richard Janko (faculty)
In the year 79, a sumptuous Roman villa that had belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law was buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the city of Herculaneum. In 1752, the library of ancient scrolls that it contained was rediscovered. Many of these books, however, were as fragile as burnt newspaper, and so could not be opened. With the aid of high-energy imaging, software for digital unrolling, and the use of artificial intelligence to identify the traces of ink, these hitherto unknown books are becoming readable. I will report on the latest results.
Presentation 3B: Tragedy and Vase-Painting
Kuenzel Room
Shaun Espenshade (graduate student)
Many ornate ceramic vases of the 4th century are decorated with theater scenes that align with specific tragedies and their authors. Exploring the interactions between these two art forms helps us understand the re-performance culture of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and the spread of tragedy beyond 5th century Athens. This session will focus on vases that depict tragedies likely to be familiar to students and will also highlight the importance of connecting art history and archaeology with the study of language and literature.
Workshop 3C: Mosaic Madness
2210 B&C
Christine Ellis (graduate student)
Romans often decorated their public buildings, villas, and houses with mosaics- pictures or patterns made from small pieces of stone and glass called tessarae. Come learn about the intricate art of mosaics: how they were made, where we find them, and what they look like all while making your very own mosaic. Premade designs will be provided, or seek aid from the muses and create your very own design!
Tour 3D: Visit to Kelsey
Kelsey Museum
Shannon Ness (museum educator)
Two tours of Roman Daily Life at the Kelsey Museum will be offered by docents from the Museum. (Each tour will be limited to 15 persons.)
Tour 3E: Visit to Papyrology
Hatcher Graduate Library
Brendan Haug (faculty)
See documents from UM’s vast papyrological collection, including unpublished pieces that could not be seen anywhere else. This workshop gives students a chance to examine items of material culture up close and gain insight into the life of everyday people from antiquity. (This session will be limited to 18 persons.)
Lunch 3F: Prandium cum Trivia
Pendelton Room
Terry McClymonds (Magister Ludi)
We will provide a pizza lunch (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options available) for all participants. During each Prandium, we will offer a lively trivia session, replete with prizes. We hope that by sharing tables and competing in groups we will be able to get students from different schools to meet each other.
Session 4
12:30 pm – 1:10 pm
Presentation 4A: Female Emotion and the Myth of Persephone in Broadway's Hadestown
Kuenzel Room
Madeleine Harris (graduate student)
This presentation will explore the reception of the mythological figure of Persephone in Mitchell's 2019 Broadway, paying attention to the emotional affect she expresses and understanding the differences in these portrayals as a reflection of changing attitudes towards marriage in ancient Greek and modern American society.
Workshop 4B: Romae Ingenium Est
2210 B&C
Hannah Resnick & Elizabeth Zollner
Have you ever wondered how the ancient Greeks and Romans got down? Why, to the sound of the aulos, the kithara, and the tympanon, of course! In this activity, you will learn about the archaeology and use of these instruments in the ancient world, and then decorate your own instruments and play them in a kōmos celebrating the gods.
Tour 4D: Visit to Kelsey
Kelsey Museum
Shannon Ness (museum educator)
Two tours of Roman Daily Life at the Kelsey Museum will be offered by docents from the Museum. (Each tour will be limited to 15 persons.)
Tour 4E: Visit to Papyrology
Hatcher Graduate Library
Brendan Haug (faculty)
See documents from UM’s vast papyrological collection, including unpublished pieces that could not be seen anywhere else. This workshop gives students a chance to examine items of material culture up close and gain insight into the life of everyday people from antiquity. (This session will be limited to 18 persons.)
Lunch 4F: Prandium cum Trivia
Pendelton Room
Terry McClymonds (Magister Ludi)
We will provide a pizza lunch (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options available) for all participants. During each Prandium, we will offer a lively trivia session, replete with prizes. We hope that by sharing tables and competing in groups we will be able to get students from different schools to meet each other.
