Dr. Anastasia Pantazopoulou

Anastasia Pantazopoulou is a classical philologist specializing in ancient Greek tragedy, classical reception, and digital humanities. Her research and teaching explore how ancient narratives continue to shape modern understandings of identity, belonging, and community, with particular attention to how authors, playwrights, filmmakers, and television creators reinvent the ancient Mediterranean for contemporary audiences. She earned her Ph.D. in classical studies from the University of Florida after completing her B.A. in Greek philology and M.A. in ancient Greek philology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her scholarship focuses on ancient Greek drama and its afterlives in contemporary theater, film, and popular culture. She is currently developing Tracing Medea, an interactive digital humanities project that maps modern adaptations of Euripides' Medea across the globe.

Pantazopoulou has taught a wide range of classics courses since 2016. Before joining the University of Richmond, she served as visiting assistant professor of classics at Carleton College, where she taught beginning Greek and Latin as well as upper-level courses on women in Greek tragedy, heroes and monsters in Greek literature, and Roman love poetry and its reception in modern love songs. She also developed new courses on the ancient world in popular culture and on fantasy and science fiction from antiquity to the present. Previously, at the University of Florida, she taught beginning Latin and honors seminars that paired classical texts with contemporary literature and theater, inviting students to discover the enduring relevance of the ancient world. At the University of Richmond, Pantazopoulou looks forward to helping students discover unexpected connections between antiquity and the modern world while exploring enduring questions about identity, storytelling, justice, and the human experience.

She is especially committed to undergraduate mentorship and collaborative learning. She enjoys working with students on digital humanities, public-facing, and research projects that make the ancient world accessible to broader audiences and encourage students to become active participants in the creation and sharing of knowledge. Outside the classroom, she is always happy to talk with students about antiquity in popular culture, from KAOS and Percy Jackson to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and the latest retellings of classical myth, or simply about why classics remains one of the most exciting fields to study today. Please feel free to stop by her office to discuss her courses, graduate study in classics, or any of the topics above!