Pliny the Younger - Letter To Sura (7.27)

A great Roman ghost story, care of Pliny the Younger (letter 7.27). Happy Halloween!

The Cyrus Cylinder at the Villa

From 10/2 to 12/2, the famous "Cyrus Cylinder" will be on display at the Getty Villa, which records in cuneiform conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE by the Cyrus of Persia. We will be planning a trip to the Getty Villa for Saturday, 11/9 to see the cylinder and the rest of the collection.

The Cyrus Cylinder

For more information on the history of the cylinder and its cuneiform script, including a fascinating video on writing in cuneiform, read through the great post on the Getty's blog.

A New Spin on 'Prometheus Bound' | Los Angeles | Artbound | KCET

A great blog post from Artbound on the Getty Villa's fall production of Prometheus Bound, running this September: A New Spin on 'Prometheus Bound' | Los Angeles | Artbound | KCET

JCL Club 2013-14

Welcome back to campus or, for those new to HW, welcoming to campus! I'm sure you all are as excited as we are for the new school year, and we're happy to announce that our JCL club meetings will resume on Tuesday, 9/10 in HC310. All are welcome to join the club and participate in our activities — Latin is not a prerequisite!

We have another exciting year of activities, including a fall trip to the Getty Villa (details forthcoming; cf. the video on the installation of the "Lion Attacking a Horse" exhibition below). Additionally, the CJCL state convention will be held on April 4-5 (the last weekend of spring break), so be sure to mark your calendars.

Best of luck with the new academic year, and we'll see you all very soon!

¡Hola, y bienvenidos a la clase!: Our World Language bulletin boards are ready!

¡Hola, y bienvenidos a la clase!: Our World Language bulletin boards are ready!: It's official: our department has taken on a new name (World Languages), our summer travels are documented and "shareable," an...

Prometheus Bound at the Getty Villa

Coinciding perfectly with the start of the new academic year, the Getty Villa's fall "Outdoor Theater" series will feature Prometheus Bound (attributed to Aeschylus but not without problems). From the Villa:

"The Titan Prometheus, progenitor and champion of humankind, has stolen fire from Mount Olympus, giving rise to human civilization. As punishment, he is doomed by Zeus to spend eternity chained to a mountaintop, where Prometheus rails against the gods and all the world's injustices. Witness the timeless tragedy—and victory—of the prisoner who refuses to be silent in the face of tyranny."

The 90-minute performances will take place Thursday-Friday-Saturday at 8pm throughout the month of September, and tickets ($42) can be purchased here. It should be a fantastic spectacle, so be sure to get tickets quickly, since they will certainly sell out.

Prometheus Wheel installation, from the Getty Villa's Facebook page

Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome

Over our spring break, the Getty Villa's exhibition Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome opened, which focuses on the life and culture of ancient Sicily from the 5th through 3rd c. BCE and will run through this summer to August 19.

Despite its title, the materials in the exhibition are primarily Sikeliote Greek, including some sculpture, unique pottery, rare coins, and a few other interesting pieces (e.g. the spectacular golden "Phiale of Achyris").

Of especial interest are the materials devoted to the Sicilian engineer Archimedes, including a page from a palimpsest recording his work on his famous stomachion problem ("Archimedes' square").  Novelty versions of the square are available in the Villa's gift shop.

Poppies

The exhibition is organized thematically, with features on the island's initial colonization by the Greeks, its literary culture, and its religion (focusing, of course, on Demeter).  The materials on literature and art are particularly interesting, given that several prominent Greek literary figures like Pindar and Aeschylus, visited Sicily, leaving their mark on its culture.

Marigolds beside a fig tree

The Villa's side production for the exhibition, as is customary, is fantastic, and the exhibition catalog, which is designed to bridge the gap in scholarship in this period, is beautiful.

As an added bonus for visitors right now, several of the flowers in the Villa's several gardens are in bloom, making the Sikeliote art not the only attraction worth visiting.

The Latin program will sponsor a tour of the Getty Villa later this spring on Sunday, May 19 on behalf of the HWPA Partybook, and we'll certainly explore this exhibition in great detail.