Ancient Studies at Harvard

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Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Tours Led by Harvard Students

Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Tours Led by Harvard Students Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, 6 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, 02138 Available during the Harvard academic year Sundays at 1:00 pm, October 5, 2025–April 26, 2026. See blackout dates.*  *Blackout dates: November 30, 2025–January 25, 2026, March 15, 2026 and March 22, 2026   This free tour, led by Harvard students, explores the Mediterranean Marketplaces: Connecting the Ancient World exhibition and how the movement of goods, peoples, and ideas around the ancient Mediterranean transformed the lives and livelihoods of people at all levels of society. Touch replicas and smell “ancient” scents as the students bring the past alive. Visitors may drop in at the scheduled times. No reservation is required. Tours meet in the lobby and last approximately 45 minutes.  Groups of 10 or more may contact reservations to request other times. Please complete the reservation request form. Sunday, April 5, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. For more info visit hmane.harvard.edu.

Did Josephus Write About Jesus? A Debate with Thomas C. Schmidt & Giovanni Bazzana

Did Josephus Write About Jesus? A Debate with Thomas C. Schmidt & Giovanni Bazzana    Moderated by Annette Yoshiko Reed    Special session of the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean Workshop   Monday April 6, 6pm-8pm  Center for the Study of World Religions Common Room, Harvard Divinity School [event open to Harvard affiliates only; please RSVP to areed@hds.harvard.edu] / *Refreshments to be served, including kosher for Passover options*   Greek and other manuscripts of Flavius Josephus’ Jewish Antiquities famously include a brief reference to Jesus (18.3.3), commonly called the Testimonium Flavanium and traditionally treated as the oldest non-Christian references to Jesus (ca. 93/94 CE). Did a first-century Jewish historian really mention Jesus? Or was this passage inserted or shaped by later Christian scribes? In a recent book, Thomas Schmidt revisits the evidence of its reception and counters the prior scholarly consensus concerning its Christianized form to posit its authorship by Josephus. This… Event contact to appear in listing: Annette Yoshiko Reed - areed@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 6, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Center for the Study of World Religions Common Room Harvard Divinity School, 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge.

Repekka Uotila (University of Helsinki)

"Keeping An Archive in Seventh-Century Assyria During the Alphabetic Turn" In seventh-century BCE Assyria, cuneiform began to be accompanied by alphabetic writing, particularly in archival contexts. This lecture discusses the correlation between form and function in Assyrian archive keeping, which persisted when alphabetic script was integrated to different levels of administration. Archive holders and scribes gravitated towards certain similar habits when combining alphabetic and cuneiform writing systems in archives, such as utilizing alphabetic archival aids, writing on triangular clay tablets, and choosing Aramaic and the alphabetic script when recording documents with short-term archival value. Some of these habits are also mirrored in palace and temple archives from Nineveh and Kalhu, exhibiting direct evidence of Aramaic in official administration. Event Series: Harvard History and Archaeology of Ancient Near Eastern Societies Workshop. Thursday, April 9, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY; Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE), Room 201 6 Divinity Ave, Cambridge MA.

Public Symposium: Celtic Art Up Close

This daylong symposium, featuring five guest speakers, will focus on some of the most intricately decorated objects included in the exhibition Celtic Art Across the Ages (March 6–August 2, 2026). The presenters will first take a close look at the objects, then explore such topics as their materials and making; contexts of use and deposition; actual and symbolic functions; and their roles in encounters between the Iron Age populations of western Europe and the Roman Empire. A roundtable discussion highlighting current approaches and new finds will close the symposium. Session 1: 10:30am–12:30pm Welcome and Introduction Susanne Ebbinghaus, George M.A. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art, and Head, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, Harvard Art Museums Ode to the Humble Safety Pin: The Multivocality of Fibulae in Iron Age Europe Bettina Arnold, Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Old Acquaintances in a New Light: Current Research on the Finds from “Princely” Tombs in the… Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY; Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall, Lower Level, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. For more info visit harvardartmuseums.org.

Pádraic Moran (University of Galway)

"Unity in diversity? Connecting threads in a ninth-century scholar's notebook (the Reichenauer Schulheft)" Three days of seminars April 13, 14 and 15. Brought to you by the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, The Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities, The Mahindra Humanities Center and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard. Monday, April 13, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Kates Room, Warren House, 11 Prescott St, Cambridge, MA 02138. For more info visit celtic.fas.harvard.edu.

Pádraic Moran (University of Galway)

"Reading Old Irish texts in the Reichenauer Schulheft" Three days of seminars, April 13, 14, and 15. Brought to you by the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, The Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities, The Mahindra Humanities Center and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard. Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Kates Room, Warren House, 11 Prescott St, Cambridge, MA 02138. For more info visit celtic.fas.harvard.edu.

Pádraic Moran (University of Galway)

"Greek in the Reichenauer Schulheft" Three days of seminars, April 13, 14, and 15. Brought to you by the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, The Provostial Fund for the Arts and Humanities, The Mahindra Humanities Center and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies at Harvard. Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Kates Room, Warren House, 11 Prescott St, Cambridge, MA 02138. For more info visit celtic.fas.harvard.edu.

Brian Krostenko (University of Notre Dame)

TITLE TBD Krostenko’s research centers on the culture and law of the Late Roman Republic, Cicero, rhetoric, and Latin linguistics. He is the author of Cicero, Catullus, and the Language of Social Performance (Chicago, 2001), which discusses the problem of aestheticism in Roman culture by means of historical semantics. He is also the author of The Voices of the Consul: The Rhetorics of Cicero's de lege agraria I and II (Oxford, 2024), the first book-length study of the rhetoric of those speeches, which uses the techniques of discourse analysis to reveal how and why Cicero lays claim to contested political slogans and ideologies in the turbulent late Republic. Thursday, April 16, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY; LOCATION TBD.

Victor Caston (University of Michigan)

Idealism and Greek Philosophy: Appearance and Reality in Aristotle & Alexander of Aphrodisias Victor Caston, University of Michigan Myles Burnyeat famously claimed that idealism is “one of the very few major philosophical positions which did not receive its first formulation in antiquity” and so Bishop Berkeley was wrong to find his own views in Plato and Aristotle. But this is mistaken. Aristotle attacks idealism in Metaphysics Gamma 6: those who accept Protagoras’ homomensura, that “man is the measure of all things,” he claims, make all things relative, because anything that appears appears to a subject. His arguments presuppose not just the Measure Doctrine – that anything that appears to someone is (exists, is the case) – but its converse as well, that anything that is (exists, is the case) appears to someone. Protagoras’ homomensura is often assumed to involve both directions. But the Converse Measure Doctrine is much more radical, for it implies that nothing can be (exist, be the case) unless it… Friday, April 17, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY; Emerson Hall Rm. 305.

Harvard Classical Receptions Workshop

'Reshaping the Canon'---A workshop led by Dr Justine McConnell (King's College London) Exploring the role of canonicity in classical reception, this workshop will ask how researchers can avoid re-entrenching canons when examining texts that are in dialogue with Greco-Roman literature; why it might be desirable to do so; and whether canonisation can ever be part of the dismantling of coloniality. We’ll consider how we can reshape canons and whether we should, drawing on the experience and research of the workshop’s participants to see how these questions play out in different contexts. Event Series (if not listed): Harvard Classical Receptions Workshop. Monday, April 20, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM. Boylston 203. For more info visit classics.fas.harvard.edu.

Master Class: "Persecution, Victimhood, and Storytelling in the Dead Sea Scrolls" - Prof. Alex Jassen (NYU)

"Persecution, Victimhood, and Storytelling in the Dead Sea Scrolls" A Master Class with Prof. Alex Jassen (NYU) Violence is one of the key themes in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It captured the imagination of the Sectarians who wrote these scrolls, and who saw themselves as victims of persecution. In this class, we will explore a wide range of passages where the Dead Sea Scrolls Sectarians tell stories about themselves as perpetual victims of empowered others: Rome and the local Jewish priestly and political authorities. Most scholars read these passages through a historical lens, seeking data about the origins and historical development of the Dead Sea Scrolls Sectarians. We will draw on social psychological approaches to violence and victimhood in order identify these texts as a form of storytelling that seeks to narrate the Sectarians’ perception of collective victimhood and a siege mentality. The Sectarians’ perception of the world is told through master narratives such as the biblical commentaries that present… Event Series: Ancient Studies at Harvard Visitors Series. Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Barker 133 Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street.

Rebecca Moorman (Boston University)

Event Series: Methods and Practice in Classics Workshop. Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Boylston 237, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA.

Alex Jassen (NYU)

"Rediscovering the Discovery: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their First Audience" The Dead Sea Scrolls have been described as the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times. This presentation examines the first public exhibition of the scrolls in 1949 as a case study into how scholars, journalists, and public figures taught the world about the scrolls in the early years after their discovery. The Library of Congress exhibit “Ancient Hebrew Scrolls” showcased three scrolls. The impact of this event on public excitement about the scrolls cannot be overstated. The scrolls were brought to Washington D.C. under the protection of the Secret Service. Extended hours accommodated the overwhelming interest as thousands of guests visited over two weeks. The world’s most famous Bible scholar, William F. Albright, gave an opening night lecture to a packed audience in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Paramount News and Fox Movietone News sent crews to document the opening night and these newsreels played in theaters and h… Event Series: Ancient Studies at Harvard Visitors Series. Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Sever Hall 103 Quincy Street, Cambridge MA.

Arsen Nisanyan (Harvard University)

TBD. Event Series: Methods and Practice in Classics Workshop. Friday, April 24, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM. Boylston 237.

Ilse and Leo Mildenberg Memorial Lecture, David G. Wigg-Wolf (Leicester University)

Ilse and Leo Mildenberg Memorial Lecture: "Gods? Beasts? Warriors? Interpreting the Imagery of Celtic Coinages" Speaker: David G. Wigg-Wolf, Honorary Professor, Leicester University Free admission, but seating is limited and registration is encouraged. Register here. Celtic coins present a remarkable world of varied, often fantastic images. The earliest coinages were generally close copies of Hellenistic coins from the Mediterranean world, but gradually they developed a distinct visual language. Elements of the original prototypes were adapted or became disjointed; because these were combined with new elements, the resulting designs can be difficult to understand today. Different regions also followed different iconographical traditions, leading to a wide variety of designs. In a later phase, the arrival of Rome on the political stage led to the re-appearance of coinages with a classical look, particularly in Britain. In this lecture, David G. Wigg-Wolf, of Leicester University, will trace the iconography… Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY; Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. For more info visit harvardartmuseums.org.

Conference—Past and Present: Cultural Politics in Byzantium and Beyond

Convenors: Panagiotis Roilos and Dimiter Angelov See complete program for details. Event contact to appear in listing: contact: roilos@fas.harvard.edu. Friday, May 1, 2026 – Saturday, May 2, 2026. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Boylston Hall 110 (Friday) and Robinson Hall 125 (Saturday), Cambridge MA. For more info visit classics.fas.harvard.edu.