Join us in College on the evening of 3 March 2020 for a drinks reception to celebrate the launch of Anachronism and Antiquity, a fascinating new book by St Hugh’s Fellow Professor Tim Rood, former St Hugh’s Junior Research Fellow Dr Carol Atack and alumnus Dr Tom Phillips (Classics, 2003). The event will start at 6pm, with presentations and Q&A at 6.20pm followed by book signing. To book your free ticket(s) for this event, please fill out the form below. Guests are most welcome.
Copies of Anachronism and Antiquity will be on sale on the evening at the discounted price of £15 (RRP £24.99).
Anachronism and Antiquity
‘A comprehensive, intellectually ambitious exploration of anachronism, which enriches our understanding of how we configure “antiquity” as a time period.’ – Ellen O’Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Bristol
This book is a study both of anachronism in antiquity and of anachronism as a vehicle for understanding antiquity. It explores the post-classical origins and changing meanings of the term ‘anachronism’ as well as the presence of anachronism in all its forms in classical literature, criticism and material objects. Contrary to the position taken by many modern philosophers of history, this book argues that classical antiquity had a rich and varied understanding of historical difference, which is reflected in sophisticated notions of anachronism.
This central hypothesis is tested by an examination of attitudes to temporal errors in ancient literary texts and chronological writings and by analysing notions of anachronistic survival and multitemporality. Rather than seeing a sense of anachronism as something that separates modernity from antiquity, the book suggests that in both ancient writings and their modern receptions chronological rupture can be used as a way of creating a dialogue between past and present. With a selection of case-studies and theoretical discussions presented in a manner suitable for scholars and students both of classical antiquity and of modern history, anthropology, and visual culture, the book’s ambition is to offer a new conceptual map of antiquity through the notion of anachronism.
About the Authors
Professor Tim Rood is a Tutorial Fellow in Classics at St Hugh’s College and Professor of Greek Literature at the University of Oxford.
Dr Carol Atack is a Fellow of the Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington DC, and a Bye-Fellow and Associate Tutor at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. Dr Atack was a Junior Research Fellow in Classics at St Hugh’s College between 2016 and 2019.
Dr Tom Phillips is a Lecturer in Classical Literature at Manchester University. Dr Phillips studied Classics at St Hugh’s College, matriculating in 2003.
