Top Stories

  • Chemistry Lasers Identify Pigments in Medieval Manuscripts

    In partnership with Rauner Special Collections Library - and with the help and expertise of Instrument Core Facility Manager Paul Defino and Instrument Specialist Chris Snyder of the Chemistry Department - senior lecturer Jenny Lynn is embarking on an exciting scholarly investigation. Jenny arranged for Paul and Chris to co-conduct multiple experiments to identify pigments (and so their compounds) in several of Rauner Library's pre-1600 manuscript fragments using Raman spectroscopy. This technique uses a source of monochromatic light, usually a laser, to determine a sample's molecular makeup.

    Medieval manuscript from Rauner Library

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? The Clay of the Pylos Tablets

    Congratulations to Professor Julie Hruby on the publication of her article in the Proceedings of the 15th International Colloquium on Mycenaean Studies: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? The Clay of the Pylos Tablets,". The article discusses Professor Hruby's and Dimitri Nakassis's research into the question of whether Linear B clay tablets were recycled (clay broken down and made into new tablets), or made from fresh clay.

    Linear B tablet clay closeup

  • Latin Palaeography and The Waste Parchment Project

    Latin 10.04 Latin Manuscripts and Palaeography was a hands-on introduction to manuscript studies in which students learned to read the most important scripts that preserve Latin texts of all kinds in manuscripts written from the first century BC to the sixteenth century AD. With the help of many generous guest lecturers, we also learned that there is more to manuscript studies than palaeography, and more to a manuscript than the text it preserves...

    Codicology with Tim Baker

  • Prof. Graver Interviewed for NPR's On Point

    "I stressed earlier in the show that the core of ancient stoic ethics is about the essentially rational nature of the human being, but that doesn't mean that we always behave in a sensible way—far from it," Prof Margaret Graver, was quoted in an audio interview for WBUR.

    landscape Getty img

  • Classics Department Awards Annual Student Prizes

    The Classics Department held a cozy gathering on the upper floor of Reed Hall May 29th 2024 to celebrate its' student prize winners this year. Followed by short presentations of some of the students' work that led to two of the awards. Congrats to all this year's winners and kudos on your hard work!

    Jillian Darcy '26 presenting student project

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