Our Ancient Wars

A conference on “Our Ancient Wars,” devoted to the contemporary reception of ancient writings on war, combined with two performances by the “Theater of War,” also known as The Philoctetes Project.

Thursday March, 22

4:00–5:30pm Public Lecture: Kurt Raaflaub, “Ancient War as Spectacle”
3222 Angell Hall
Kurt Raaflaub

Friday March, 23

2:00pm Dean Terry McDonald, Welcome
2:15–3:00pm Hans van Wees, University College London, “Genocide in ancient Greece”
3:00–3:45pm Kurt Raaflaub, Brown University, “Lysistrata and the War’s Impact on the Homefront”
3:45–4:00pm Coffee
4:00–4:45pm Arlene Saxonhouse, University of Michigan, “Deciding to Go to War: Who’s Responsible?”
4:45–6:00pm David Potter, University of Michigan, “The Inefficiency of Hoplite Warfare”
7:00-9:00pm A Dramatic Reading of Scenes from Sophocles'
Ajax and Philoctetes Kahn Auditorium, corner of Huron St. and Glen Ave.

Saturday March, 24

9:00–9:45am Sara Monoson, Northwestern University, “Socrates in Combat”
9:45–10:30am Paul Woodruff, University of Texas at Austin,“War as Education”
10:30–10:45am Coffee
10:45–11:30am Nancy Sherman, Georgetown, “Recovering Lost Goodness after War: Self-Empathy and Self-Forgiveness”
11:30–12:15am Peter Meineck, New York University, “Post Traumatic Plays: Warfare and Theatre in Ancient Athens”
2:00–2:45pm James Tatum, Dartmouth College, “Mrs Vergil’s Horrid War”
2:45–3:30pm Seth Schein, UC Davis, “Ancient Greek War: What is it Good For Today?”
3:30–3:45pm Coffee
3:45–4:30pm Susanne Goedde, University of München, “The Modern Achilles: Rage — Mourning — Sexuality”
4:30–5:15pm Page duBois, UC San Diego, “War and Slavery: ‘I Am Spartacus’ ”
7:00-9:00pm A Dramatic Reading of Scenes from Sophocles'
Ajax and Philoctetes Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St.
For more information, visit Our Ancient Wars or contact Victor Caston or Silke-Maria Weineck
We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Contexts for Classics; the Department of Comparative Literature's Year of Anachronism; the Departments of American Culture, Classical Studies, English, German Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology; the Independent Program in Greek and Roman History; the War Studies Group; the Law School’s Center for International & Comparative Law; the Student Veterans Assistance Program; the Institute for the Humanities; the International Institute; the Residential College; the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; the Rackham School of Graduate Studies; the Office of the Vice Provost for Research; Northwestern University Classical Traditions Initiative.