Sisterhood in Classical Myth
On Tuesday 24th January, Headington School’s Classics Department were pleased to invite Dr Emma Greensmith from St John’s College, Oxford for a lecture on the subject “On Bonds That Break Us: Sisterhood in Classical Myth”.
Dr Greensmith’s lecture touched on important but subtle issues of gender in Classical myth and how the myths can be relevant for the modern world but also how retellings of classical stories need to be updated to fit modern ideas.
Dr Henry Tang, Headington Classics teacher, said: “It was fascinating to hear her present her own brand-new research, which argues that the concept of ‘Sisterhood’ only came into being in Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BC, and is then followed by innovative developments in later Greek and Roman literature. This showed us how even now there are new ways to think about the ancient world.
“After her talk, Dr Greensmith continued to satisfy our curiosity by addressing a wide range of questions from Headington students – a real testimony to how engaging her talk was!”
