IGRCT News

First Volume of Blackwell-Bristol Lectures Published

We are delighted to announce the publication of the first volume in the Blackwell-Bristol Lectures on Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition, Danielle S. Allen's Why Plato Wrote, based on the lectures she gave in Bristol in 2008. Pre-publication comments on the book by leading scholars on the subject include "a deep and original work of scholarship, a model of how the history of political philosophy should be studied, and a pleasure to read" and "Danielle Allen gives us Plato for the twenty-first century... Compelling reading for anyone who cares passionately about philosophy, politics, or classical Greece". To mark the inauguration of the series, Professor Allen will be joining the Classics & Ancient History research seminar on February 15th to participate in a discussion of her work; this will be followed by a wine reception sponsored by the Institute. If you would like to attend, please contact the Deputy Director, Professor Neville Morley (contact details) or the seminar organiser, Dr Ellen O'Gorman (contact details).

Institute Fellow

Thanks to the generosity of Mr Andrew Thornhill QC and The A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Institute is delighted to welcome Dr Jessica Priestley as the new Thornhill-Leventis Fellow in Greek Studies. The position attracted applications from all over the world, and the Institute is proud to be able to support the work of one of the most promising young classical scholars as she embarks on an academic career. Further information about Dr Priestley's research interests can be found on the Fellows page.  For the first time, the duties of this Fellowship include a specific requirement to develop outreach events and activities, to take the work of the Institute out to schools and the general public.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Postgraduate Studentship Awarded

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org) has pledged us its largest grant to the University to date, which has funded the three-year Stavros Niarchos Foundation PhD Scholarship.  The scholarship has been awarded to an exceptionally talented scholar, James McDermott, whose proposed work on the influence of the idea of Sparta on the thought of Renaissance French philosopher Michel de Montaigne promises to be both fascinating and in keeping with the emphasis placed upon the reception of classical culture by the Institute.  Further, the Foundation has once again funded an Administrator for the Institute, a role that has proved absolutely vital to our success in a variety of ways.