Ancient afterlife after dark Classics talk and museum tour prove popular

A night-time public lecture about the ancient Greek afterlife, by University of Canterbury (UC) Classical scholars, in the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities at the UC Arts City location has reached capacity, with all seats allocated weeks in advance.

This unique, two-part event, created especially for the UC Connect public lecture series, will begin with an illustrated lecture – Alone of all the Gods: Concepts of Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece – by UC’s Head of Classics, Senior Lecturer Dr Patrick O’Sullivan.

Beginning with a discussion of Hades and his realm, this talk will also look at a wide range of Greek attitudes to death and the afterlife: from Homer’s idea of heroic death in battle and its bitter costs, to reincarnation in the philosophies of Pythagoras and Plato, to figures such as Dionysus and Persephone who are linked to death and renewal – and more.

Following the lecture, guests will have the opportunity to experience the Teece Museum’s newest exhibition ‘Beyond the Grave: Death in ancient times’, which explores concepts of death in Greek and Roman art and literature. Curator Terri Elder will give a brief introductory talk about the exhibition, and discuss a few special pieces included in it.

Those who missed out on attending the lecture will be able to visit the Teece Museum during its usual opening hours and will be able to view a video of the lecture on UC Connect’s Youtube channel after the event.

Patrick O’Sullivan completed his BA Hons and MA degrees at the University of Melbourne and his PhD at Cambridge (Magdalene College), where has also held Visiting Fellowships at Wolfson and Trinity Colleges. He arrived at UC in 1999 and teaches Latin and ancient Greek at all levels as well as courses on Greek Mythology, Art, Homeric Epic, Ancient Aesthetics, and Philosophy and Sport. His research interests primarily include Greek theatre, Archaic and Classical Greek intellectual history, aesthetics and psychological theories and the role of visual artworks in Greek literary and philosophical texts.

Terri Elder is the curator of the University of Canterbury’s Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities and the James Logie Memorial Collection. She holds a BA Hons in History (Canterbury), an MPhil in Museum Studies (Cambridge), and a Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching. Terri has worked in a variety of museums and art galleries throughout New Zealand, and initially began work with managing the Logie Collection (now on display at the Teece Museum) conservation project after the Christchurch earthquakes.

Sold out: UC Connect public lecture: Ancient afterlife after dark: Classics talk and Teece Museum tour Dr Patrick O’Sullivan and Terri Elder, Classics, UC Arts, 7pm on Thursday, 16 August 2018 at the Recital Room and Teece Museum, UC Arts City Location, Arts Centre, 3 Hereford Street, Christchurch.
Register to attend future UC Connect public lectures free: www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect

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