Record number of new books celebrated by Classics and Ancient History

The record number of publications reflects the extraordinary range of research taking place across the Department, encompassing ancient literature, history and philosophy as well as classical reception, art, education and public policy.

Together, the books demonstrate how the study of the ancient world can illuminate subjects extending far beyond Greece and Rome. They explore how ancient texts and ideas have been translated, interpreted and reimagined across different cultures and periods, while also considering their relevance to contemporary education, policy and society.

The Department is consistently recognised as one of the UK’s leading centres for Classics and Ancient History. Durham is currently ranked first in the Times UK Universities Rankings by Subject 2027 and the Unifresher Classics University Rankings 2027, as well as fourth in the Guardian University Guide 2027.

From Piranesi and Medea to education and public policy

The publications celebrated during the evening span an impressive variety of periods, places and disciplines.

Caroline Barron and Clare Hornsby’s Giovanni Battista Piranesi: Etchings from the Research Collections of the British School at Rome examines an important collection of works by the celebrated Italian artist and architect.

Perspectives on Wisdom, edited by Giulia Bonasio, offers an exploration of wisdom in the history of philosophy, bringing together perspectives from West and East.

Erica Bexley’s edition of Pseudo-Seneca: Octavia turns to Roman drama, while Edith Hall’s Medea: A Life follows one of antiquity’s most compelling figures through her long and varied cultural history.

Jennifer Ingleheart explores the relationship between the poet A. E. Housman and the classical world in A Grecian Lad: A. E. Housman and the Classics. Meanwhile, Jacob Lollar’s Thekla in Syriac examines the reception of the Acts of Thekla within Syriac traditions.

A new translation of The History of the Peloponnesian War by Robin Waterfield, with an introduction by Polly Low, makes Thucydides’ account of conflict in the ancient Greek world accessible to new audiences. Ed Richardson’s Alexander: God, King, Man offers a new exploration of the life and legacy of Alexander the Great.

Connecting classical research with contemporary society

Several of the books also illustrate how classical ideas continue to shape education, public policy and wider society.

Aristotle Beyond the Academy in Britain and Ireland 1660–1922, written by Edith Hall, Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Peter Swallow and Rory McInnes-Gibbons, investigates how Aristotle’s ideas circulated outside traditional academic settings.

Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Kat Howard’s Reviving Rhetoric Across the Curriculum provides practical guidance for teachers and school leaders, demonstrating the continuing value of rhetoric within contemporary education.

The relationship between classical scholarship and modern decision-making is explored further in Classics and Public Policy: Perspectives from the United Kingdom, edited by Arlene Holmes-Henderson.

Finally, Humanities Forward: Opportunity, Innovation, Policy in the 21st Century, edited by Stephen Nitu and Arlene Holmes-Henderson, considers the future contribution of the humanities to innovation, policy and society.