Celebrating the classics in Palmerston North

To mark its 50-year anniversary, Massey’s Classical Studies programme has planned a series of events in Palmerston North during August, the month named (appropriately) after Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

The events kick off on Friday 4 August, with an Ancient Greek banquet, a special dining experience at Massey’s Wharerata restaurant.

Classical Studies Programme Coordinator and event organiser Associate Professor Gina Salapata says the menu, designed by the resident Greek chef, uses ingredients that were only available in ancient times.

“It's quite a feat considering that popular items like potatoes, rice, citrus, pasta and tomatoes were not yet introduced during that era. There will be no Greek salad, I’m afraid.”

The menu is available online and bookings can be made by emailing wharerata@massey.ac.nz.

During the week starting 7 August, there will be a Classics Week at the Palmerston North City Library, with a range of fun activities for both families and adults, including ancient and modern Greek dancing and a cooking demonstration.

The celebrations conclude on Saturday 26 August, with a performance of The Golden Ass by Michael Hurst, a renowned actor, director and former Massey classics student. The performance starts at 7pm, with a Q&A session with Mr Hurst afterwards at the auditorium in the Sir Geoffrey Peren Building on the Manawatū campus.

“When I asked Michael if he could perform this in Palmerston North, he emailed me back immediately saying he would love to, adding that the classics papers he took at Massey have had an enduring effect on his life and career and he's still an avid consumer of classical material," Dr Salapata says.

Adapted from a famous novel by Apuleius, a Roman writer and philosopher from North Africa, the solo show follows the adventures of protagonist Lucius, who is accidentally transformed into a donkey. The Golden Ass is the only surviving Latin novel from antiquity and takes audiences on a humorous and thought-provoking journey through a world of witches, bandits, goddesses, slaves, sex and philosophy.

There will also be an online quiz for Massey staff during the month, with classically-themed prizes on offer.

The Australasian Society for Classical Studies is financially supporting the events.

Classical Studies at Massey

In 1971, the Massey University Council approved the introduction of a unit called Classical Studies in 1972. The first person who taught Classical Studies was B.T. Arkins, who started in January 1972. Stuart Lawrence was then appointed as the first permanent lecturer and started in the role in February 1973, marking the official beginning of the programme. A second lecturer, Norman Austin, was hired in 1978, and Dr Salapata started in 1995. The programme grew and today there are four teaching staff across two campuses.

“Knowledge of Ancient Greece and Rome is essential for understanding our own modern civilisation,” says Dr Salapata.

“The Greeks and Romans had a profound and lasting influence on world culture in language, literature, philosophy, science, medicine, law, politics, art, architecture and much more.

“The ancients faced many of the same problems that we still face today: issues of gender and ethnic identity, multiculturalism, colonialism and imperialism, social inequality, political corruption and propaganda. Studying how they responded to these complex challenges can help us find solutions to our own problems.”