The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology was delighted to welcome Key Stage 3 students from Weatherhead High School to an Ancient Worlds Taster Day on 15 July 2019. Organised by the Liverpool Schools Classics Project and hosted by Dr Ross Clare, the students enjoyed a series of sessions themed around the ancient past before getting the opportunity to ask the speakers any questions they wished about the University experience.
Postdoctoral researcher Dr Ben Cartlidge opened the day with an introduction to the principal themes and writers of Greek tragedy, ultimately drawing the students into performing their first ever tragic chorus together. Postgraduate researcher Elaine Sanderson then entertained everyone with a talk on ghosts and dark magical practices. This was followed by another of Liverpool’s postgraduate research students, Stamatia Galata, who guided the students through a highly interactive introduction to the ancient Greek language, beginning with an overview of the Greek alphabet and culminating in the hand-drawn decoration of Greek vases.
At the end of the day, the host and the speakers sat before the students of Weatherhead for a Q&A session, resulting in many insightful and thought-provoking enquiries about the value of attending a University and the employability prospects enjoyed by students at the ACE department.
The students involved are already undertaking a Latin GCSE course run through the Liverpool Schools Classics Project: the purpose of this event was to demonstrate the unique diversity of further engagement with ancient worlds. The study of the distant past isn’t all about language, or even all about Greece and Rome. Since it incorporates literature, linguistics, ancient history, archaeology, the classical Mediterranean, Egypt, the Near East and more, we aimed to impress upon the students not just the worth of a University degree but that the study of ancient worlds can and will play to your own strengths and interests.
Find out more
If you would like to discuss the possibility of arranging a tailor-made session on archaeology, classics, ancient history, Egyptology or anthropology, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Dr Silvia Zago.
Please stay tuned for a brand new series of opportunities for schools to study the ancient past, coming in September.