C. Moraïtis Annual Hellenic Lecture and prize giving
The discipline of Classics holds the C. Moraïtis Annual Hellenic Lecture which has a distinguished track record of inviting scholars from around the world.
The event is sponsored by Mr N. Galatis who has been generously supporting Classics since 1996 in providing the funds for the guest speaker and the student prizes.
The 2024 lecture, “On birds and bees: How the ancient Greeks and Romans came
to shape modern views of what makes us human” was conducted by Professor Julia Kindt (FAHA), University of Sydney.
The lecture was based on Professor Kindt's new book on the relation between humans and animals from various angles, based on the materials and texts we can find in the ancient world.
The book is entitled "The Trojan Horse and Other Stories. Ten Ancient Creatures that Make Us Human" (Cambridge 2023) and examines ancient stories about various creatures— animals real and imagined— and how they might inform us about what makes us human. From the Sphinx to the shearwaters of Diomedea to the Trojan Horse and the Minotaur (and more), her book explores questions of the relationship between humans and animals, the ways in which humans like to project behavioural features onto non-human animals, and how such an exploration may tell us more about how humans think about humans.
After the lecture there was a prize-giving Cecemony to honour high-achieving students in Classical subjects in the preceding year (sponsored by the Galatis Fund):
- Odysseus Medal (most outstanding essay in Ancient Greek studies): Charli James
- Barony of Ithaka Prize (Medal for excellence in Greek Cultural Studies): Charli James
- Constantinos and Polymnia Moraitis Prize for Level II/III Greek History: Ella Cook
- Galatis Medal (highest mark in Greek Archaeology/History): Alex Provatas
- Demosthenes Medal (highest mark in Greek Archaeology/History over three years): Charles Glonek
- The Emilia Karrangis Prize (highest mark in Honours): Susan Lamb
Congratulations to all winners!