Marked by ritual games and sacrifices, the Ludi Saeculares, the Secular Games, mark a new age within the Roman empire, one of which was famously held by Emperor Augustus in 17 B.C.E.. The emperor then commissioned the lyric poet, Horace, to create the Carmen Saeculare, which contains much information contributing to these ritual practices during the games. In…
Tag: Classics
Lessons in Research: I tried, I failed, I learned…
One of the things that I learned the most throughout my research experience has been the value of discussion. Discussing ideas and approaches with my research mentor and various other specialists in the field at various points during my research has been extremely helpful and has helped me to find the path that I am…
Finding My Own Path to Research
I first started to become involved in research in the Classics department in my first semester at Pitt. I emailed the chair of the department, Dr. Possanza, describing some of the topics that I was interested in and asked if there were any professors in the Classics department that he thought would be worth reaching…
A Window into the Music of the Homeric Epics
Hello everyone! My name is Thyra Altunin. I am a senior majoring in Music (Music History and Culture track) and Classics (ancient Greek track) with a minor in Latin and a certificate in Western European studies with a related concentration in European Studies. This semester I am continuing to work on my project that I…
Pardon my Jargon
A struggle of mine that deters me from the educational pursuit of knowledge, I find most often, is when an author, lecturer, or presentor fills the paper, lesson, or talk with overly pedantic, obtuse, and scholastic jargon from the discipline. Even in my own fields of mathematics and statistics, the over abundance of jargon can…
The Interdisciplinary Breakout Rooms of Brackenridge
After 3 weeks of introductions and beginnings of work for the Brackenridge Fellowship this summer, I am extremely excited to dive deeper into the nature of interdisciplinary work. So many of my peers’ projects explore areas of research that I have no prior knowledge about but are extremely fascinating and often combine disciplines that I…
Introduction – Luke Profy
Hi all! My name is Luke Profy and I am a rising senior studying Mathematics and Classics with minors in Statistics, Education and Dance. My project for this summer is exploring the historical and socioeconomic implications of the mathematical findings in the ancient Mediterranean specifically in Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. It is the perfect…