The Centre for Classical Reception promotes the study of the afterlives of ancient Greece and Rome: from medieval romances to Renaissance architecture, nineteenth-century art to modern cinema. Our Centre explores not just the depth and significance of classical influences on later cultures, but also the ways in which the ancient world continues to reshape the world of today. Members of our Centre are drawn from a wide range of departments, including Classics and Ancient History, Archaeology, English Studies, History, and Modern Languages and Cultures. Durham has one of the world's most vibrant research communities in Classical Reception - and members of our Centre are involved in teaching, supervision and research across the breadth of the field. Recent high profile public events have included broadcasts, exhibitions - and a visit from the director Oliver Stone.
Vision
People
Projects
Publications
Upcoming events
Public Lecture Thursday 5th March at 6-7.30 pm
The Durham Centre for Classical Reception presents as the first in a series of public talks for Spring 2026 on Classical Architecture in North East England:
Dr Michael Johnson (Northumbria University)
'Classical town halls in the North East'
Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies7 Owengate, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3HB
All welcome
Free entry
Refreshments
International Conference - 22nd-23rd April 2026
Ecocritical Approaches to Ancient Performance Culture
Ritson Room, 38 North Bailey, Durham University, DH1 3EU
This international conference, convened by Durham PhD candidate Emma Bentley and Professor Edith Hall, and financially supported by the University of Durham, explores the particular relationship between the contexts, texts, sensory dimensions and afterlives of ancient performance culture and the natural world. The conference will be hybrid.
If you would like to attend either in person or virtually, please contact Emma at emma.bentley@durham.ac.uk by April 2nd.
