Critical Dialogues
About the Program
Critical Dialogues is an informal reading group on the ancient world hosted by CAHS in collaboration with Dr Yvette Hunt, one of UQ’s own Honorary Research Fellows in Classics. This is an opportunity to discuss texts outside the scope of most Ancient History courses at UQ, covering topics beyond the traditional. Past topics have included Zombies, Haunted Houses, and Werewolves and Lycanthropy. Texts will be provided in advance of each session, giving attendees the chance to check out the topic and formulate their thoughts before getting together with the group.
Access to the Program
The program is open to all CAHS members, and all sessions will be held on-campus in Michie Building (9), Room 536.
Semester 1 Sessions:
Join us for Three Sessions, on the following dates:
Session 1 – March 7
Location: Michie Building (9), Room 536
Time: 5pm-6:30pm
Pliny the Elder’s Magical Sources for Botany (Dr Yvette Hunt)
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/4-79), known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, natural philosopher, naval and army commander, and friend of emperor Vespasian. His magnum opus was his encyclopedia on Natural History (Naturalis Historia), which covered “the natural world, or life” over 37 books, and this critical dialogue will focus on segments from Book 25. This book discusses the medicinal, and somewhat magical, property of herbs and their purposes. Combining hundreds of years of “medicinal practices” (now considered magical) from the Greco-Roman world, Pliny the Elder looks at ancient and contemporary uses for herbs and plants (botany). This Critical Dialogue will be led by Dr Yvette Hunt. Yvette is our resident researcher in ancient magic and the translator of a 2020 edition of The Medicina Plinii (an anonymous fourth-century Latin compilation of medical remedies, mostly from Pliny the Elder). No prior knowledge is needed for this and the only thing needed is a desire to hear some stories about the magical power of botany. So, come along and learn something amazingly weird about magical botany and the ancient world, asking questions to your hearts content and enjoying deeper-level discussions that would rival Hogwarts’.
Session 2 – March 28
Location: Michie Building (9), Room 536
Time: 5pm-6:30pm
Papyrology: Cost of Mummification in the Roman Period (Dr Yvette Hunt)
A ‘mummy’ (derived from the Persian word mumiya “asphalt”) [named after the bituminous embalming substance] is “a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved… so that the recovered body does not decay.” These practices date back to the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties of Egypt (Old Kingdom c. 2600 BC), but continued into the late Roman Empire (c. 4th Century AD). Most of our literary evidence for the mummification processes come from Herodotus in c. 450 BC and other papyri, but interestingly enough, the papyrus discussed is from 3rd-4th Century AD Roman Egypt, written by dedadarch (military leader of ten) Melas to the brothers Sarapion & Silvanus. This Critical Dialogue will be led by Dr Yvette Hunt, our resident researcher in ancient magic and all things death. No prior knowledge is needed for this and the only thing needed is a desire to learn something new about Egypt, mummification and papyri. So, come along and learn something interesting and, you never know, you might even end up becoming Indiana Jones or running away, screaming “MUMMY!”
Session 3 – April 18
Location: Michie Building (9), Room 536
Time: 5pm-6:30pm
Lucian, The Lover of Lies
Lucian of Samosata (c. AD 125 – after 180) was a Syrian satirist and rhetorician, who became infamous for his tongue-in-cheek commentary; frequently ridiculing superstition, religious practices, and paranormal beliefs. One of Lucian’s dialogues, Philopseudes (translated Lover of Lies ), satirises belief in the supernatural through a framing story in which the main narrator, a skeptic (Tychiades), goes to visit a sick elderly friend (Eukrates). He learns of some ‘interesting’ folk remedies from the guests, who try to persuade Tychiades to believe in the supernatural through stories which get more ridiculous. This Critical Dialogue will be led by Dr Yvette Hunt, our resident researcher in the ancient supernatural. No prior knowledge is needed for this and the only thing needed is a desire to hear some funny stories about the supernatural in the ancient world. All-in-all, Lucian is an interesting figure, with many famous writers imitating or utilising his texts for their own work, such as More, Swift, Shakespeare, Fielding, Voltaire, Diderot, and Verne, so why not come along and see why so many writers are captivated by him and his works?
In the meantime, stay tuned for the release of the readings for each session!
CAHS, UQ 