Department of Classical Studies Events
Each year the Department of Classical Studies brings noteworthy speakers and scholars to Richmond to present lectures or seminars. These events are free and open to the public. Students always benefit from gaining new perspectives and from interacting with these scholars.
Stuart L. Wheeler Gallery Annual Lecture
Thanks to the generous support of Mrs. Gertrude Howland, the Department of Classical Studies has sponsored an archaeology lecture each spring since 2009 in honor of Stuart Wheeler, founder of the Ancient World Gallery. Lectures on Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art and archaeology complement the gallery’s collection and encourage the appreciation and study of the ancient Mediterranean world on our campus.
13th Annual Stuart L. Wheeler Lecture (2024)
"When Women Ruled the World"
Presented by Kara Cooney, Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA and Egyptologist
A woman’s power in the ancient world (and perhaps even today) was always compromised from the outset, and this lecture will address the root causes of this social inequality. Given this social reality in the ancient world, how then did women negotiate their limited leadership roles? Were they able to rule “behind the throne” so to speak? How are we to find a woman’s power when it was so habitually cloaked by a man’s dominance? This lecture will address those questions and ask how much of this ancient reality still touches us today.
Speaker Series
Each year the Department of Classical Studies brings noteworthy speakers and scholars to Richmond to present lectures or seminars. These events are free and open to the public. Students always benefit from gaining new perspectives and from interacting with these scholars.
The department also collaborates with the Richmond Society of the Archaeological Institutes of America to host five public lectures each year, a celebration of International Archaeology Day each October, a spring banquet lecture, other outreach events, and field trips for members.