News

  • CAC Essay Competition winners: Kathy Pye and Connor O’Rourke

    Congratulations to first-year MA students Kathy Pye and Connor O’Rourke for their success in the Classical Association of Canada’s Undergraduate Essay Contest (senior division), for papers written during their final year as undergraduates at Brock.

    Connor earned first prize in the competition for his essay, “Cult Classics: Helen’s Divinely Heroic Worship at the Menelaion.” Kathy received second prize for, “The Unchanging Definition of Beauty: Homer’s Helen to Dario di Giovanni’s Abduction Series in the Quattrocento.” Both papers were written as the final project in CLAS 4V57: Helen of Troy, taught by Adam Rappold.

    The Undergraduate Essay Contests are designed to showcase and reward exceptional research done by undergraduate students taking Classics courses at Canadian universities. Learn more about the competition and prior winners here.

    The Abduction of Helen from Cythera 1468

    The Abduction of Helen from Cythera, 1468

     

    Categories: News

  • Welcome back Cameron Kroetsch!

    On January 23rd, we were delighted to welcome back Classics alumnus (BA ’07), Cameron Kroetsch, who participated in a virtual Lunch and Learn about municipal politics hosted by Brock Alumni Relations. Along with Caleb Ratzlaff (Ward 4 St. Catharines City Councillor), Cameron discussed what it was like to run for office, the work of elected officials in vibrant downtown communities, and how we can be active participants in our municipal government. Cameron provided a view from his current position as Ward 2 Hamilton City Councillor.

    Cameron Kroetsch (BA '07) and Caleb Ratzlaff

    Cameron Kroetsch (BA ’07) and Caleb Ratzlaff, “Getting involved in Municipal Politics.”

    Categories: Events, News

  • Alumnus Matt Buell (BA ’03) elected President of the Canadian Institute in Greece

    Congratulations to Classics alumnus (BA ’03), D. Matthew Buell, for his recent election as President of the Canadian Institute in Greece. Having obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo, SUNY, Professor Buell is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics at Concordia University. Inspired by his participation as an undergraduate on the Brock Archaeological Practicum in Cyprus where he worked at Kourion with the late Danielle Parks, Buell subsequently served as one of the principal investigators on the Galatas Survey Project, a multidisciplinary regional survey project on Crete and more recently worked with our own Angus Smith at the Bronze Age site of Gournia, where he served as a Field Director and architectural specialist.

    The Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG) promotes Canadian research and education in fields relating to Greece’s heritage. The Institute advances knowledge of Greece in all periods by sponsoring and promoting archaeological fieldwork, providing resources for scholarly research, and disseminating results. The Institute is also charged by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture with primary responsibility for all Canadian archaeological fieldwork projects, and seeks to support the investigation, preservation, and presentation of Greece’s cultural heritage.

    Matt Buell (BA ’03) gives a tour of Gournia to Brock practicum students

    Categories: News

  • Connor O’Rourke wins Graduate Student Poster Award

    Congratulations to M.A. student Connor O’Rourke for receiving the Best Graduate Student Poster Award at the 126th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, which took place January 2-5 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Connor’s poster, “Helen’s Divinely Heroic Worship at the Menelaion: Exploring the Liminality of Hero-Divinity Worship through Spatiality in Sparta,” emerged from a paper he wrote in a class on Helen with Dr. Adam Rappold during his final year as an undergraduate. The poster allowed him to explore intersections between archaeology, mythic heroes and the divine.

    Explore the program of the Annual Meeting, and the 39 posters presented in Session 2L.

    Categories: News

  • Brock at the AIA / SCS Annual Meeting

    Brock will be well-represented at the 126th joint annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of American and the Society for Classical Studies. In a panel on Fieldwork and Analysis in Crete, Angus Smith will present his ceramic research, “The Neopalatial and Postpalatial Pottery Sequence of Gournia: New Evidence for Long Term Continuities and Change” and serve as a panelist in a workshop, “Fieldwork and Families: Challenges in the Research/Life Responsibilities,” sponsored by the AIA’s Research and Academic Affairs Committee. Elizabeth Greene has organized a workshop panel, “Sharing Archaeological Stories: A Workshop with ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine, and will speak about provenance research with students on objects in Brock’s Cypriote Museum in a workshop, “Unprovenanced Antiquities and Academic Institutions: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward.” M.A. student Connor O’Rourke will present a poster, “Helen’s Heroic Worship at the Menelaion.”

    Check out the full program of the 2025 Joint Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Society for Classical Studies, to be hosted in Philadelphia, PA. Join some sessions in person or virtually!

    Categories: Events, News

  • Cassidy Robertson awarded Harrison-Thompson Bursary Trust

    Congratulations to M.A. student Cassidy Robertson for receiving the Harrison-Thompson Bursary Trust from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. Available through the generosity of the estate of Bernard Harrison, this scholarship is made annually to one full-time student in each of the five faculties: Applied Health Sciences, Goodman School of Business, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social Sciences.

    Check out the webpage of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs to see the full list of internal scholarships and awards available to graduate students at Brock. Donor-supported student awards and bursaries allow incoming and current graduate students to pursue their dreams and undertake world-class research.

    Cassidy underwater at Vendicari

    Cassidy Robertson participates in underwater survey at Vendicari, Sicily.

     

    Categories: News

  • Anton Jansen receives two teaching awards

    Congratulations to Anton Jansen, who received two awards at the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation’s (CPI) Tribute to Teaching on Monday, Dec. 9. Jansen was a double honoree, receiving both the 2024 Don Ursino Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Large Classes and the 2024 Clarke Thomson Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching. As so many students in the Department of Classics and Archaeology know, Dr. Jansen’s teaching is inspirational!

    Read the story in the Brock News here.

    Jansen receives a teaching award

    Categories: News

  • Allison Glazebrook delivers Sally Katary Memorial Lecture

    On November 28th, Allison Glazebrook delivered the Dr. Sally L.D. Katary Memorial Lecture in the Northrop Frye Center at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Her lecture was titled, “Slavery and the Athenian Sex Trade.”

    The late Dr. Sally L. D Katary taught Ancient Studies and Classics at Thorneloe University for 30 years until her sudden passing on August 6, 2016. A world-renowned Egyptologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Dr. Katary was filmed by National Geographic on the subject of ancient Egypt and was well-known for courses on Greek mythology women in the ancient world; her students deeply appreciated her gift for storytelling. First established at Thorneloe University in her memory in 2017, The Dr. Sally L. D. Katary Memorial Lecture Series moved in 2024 to the Northrop Frye Centre at Victoria University.

    Categories: Events, News

  • Angus Smith delivers talks and untalks

    On November 25, Angus Smith delivered a talk to the Brock University Archaeological Society titled, “Top Ten Pottery Styles of Ancient Greece!” What are your favorites?

    Two days later, on November 27th, he presented an “unTalk” at the St Catharines Library titled, “My Life in Fragments: The Story of a ‘Sherd Nerd’ in Piecing Together the Minoan Past,” at which participants had the chance to engage with ancient sherds from the Department’s collection of Cypriote antiquities.

    Read more in the Brock News about the UnTalks at the St Catharines Public Library and new approaches to engaging the community in the joy of learning:

    Humanities reimagines public lecture series

     

    Categories: Events, News

  • Mensa Latina heads to Special Collections

    Along with faculty members Fanny Dolansky and Sarah Parker, Mensa Latina students had the chance to visit Special Collections in the Gibson Library, where archivist David Sharron introduced them to writing and illustration on manuscripts in the Brock collection. It was an amazing opportunity for a hands-on experience of the transmission and circulation of ancient texts. The Mensa Latina (which means ‘Latin Table’) is an informal gathering of students who want to learn more about Roman culture and the Latin language.

    Mensa Latina students look at manuscripts with David Sharron in Special Collections

    Categories: Events, News