The second annual Vincent J. Rosivach Lecture Series in Ancient Mediterranean Studies will present "The View From Africa: Greco-Roman Antiquity Through an African Lens" on April 11-12.

“This symposium creates a shift in orientation,” said Katherine A. Schwab, PhD, professor of art history in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, “by asking all of us to locate within Africa and look outward from there while considering the complex relationships of cultures and societies in the Northeast region of the continent and their connections around the greater ancient Mediterranean region.”

On Monday, April 11 at 5 p.m. in the Barone Campus Center Dogwood Room, the keynote lecture, “Egypt, Africa, and their Wider Context,” will be given by Professor Roger Bagnall, PhD, Leon Levy Director Emeritus and emeritus professor of ancient history, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.

On Tuesday, April 12 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Diffley Board Room in Bellarmine Hall, the roster of guest speakers will include: Andrea Achi, PhD, (The Metropolitan Museum of Art); Thelma Thomas, PhD, (Institute of Fine Arts, New York University); Giovanni Ruffini, PhD, (Fairfield University); and Jessica Lamont, PhD, (Yale University).

“In many ways,” Dr. Schwab continued, “[The symposium] is an opportunity to redraw the maps in our imagination and education, and to think much more broadly about the exchange of goods and ideas and how they connect people across great geographical distances.” 

The endowed Vincent J. Rosivach Lecture Series in Ancient Mediterranean Studies aims to host innovative and notable scholars across a number of fields in order to bring to life Ancient Mediterranean history and culture in its varied dimensions. In so doing, the University seeks to capture the passion for research exemplified by Professor Rosivach in his scholarship and teaching at Fairfield University throughout his distinguished career. The series is intended to promote the values of humanistic inquiry emblematic of a Classical education and encompasses events ranging from in-class presentations to panel discussions, hands-on workshops, as well as lectures given for the University and community members.

Organized by the Program in Classical Studies, this symposium is co-sponsored by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Program in Art History and Visual Culture/Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Fairfield University Art Museum. Free and open to the public.

For further information, please contact Prof. Katherine Schwab at kaschwab@fairfield.edu.