The Organising Committee of the Summer School in Classics at Rethymnon, University of Crete, wishing to widen participation and promote inclusivity offers now partial bursaries for students to attend the 2nd Summer School. The Summer School will take place in June 2025. The extended deadline is April 30th 2025. Please see details below and forward them to all who may be interested.
Dates: Sunday 15 June (Arrival) – Saturday 21 June (Departure)
Location: Student Cultural Center “Xenia” – Rethymnon City Centre
Course format and length: in-person attendance, 5 days, 6 hours per day
Language of instruction: English
Eligibility: Students of all disciplines and all study cycles are encouraged to apply.
Requirements for Participation: Good oral and written communication skills in English (B2 and above).
Fees: 550€. The fee covers: (a) Shared twin accommodation in a hotel in Rethymnon Old Town (6 nights). (b) Breakfast and light lunch (5 days). (c) Welcoming Reception and Summer School official dinner. (d) Organised visits to archaeological sites (including transportation) and entrance tickets to museums and archaeological sites.
The Summer School in Classics at the University of Crete offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Cretan culture and history, while enjoying the stunning beauties of the island. It includes the study of ancient literary texts and inscriptions, organised visits to major archaeological sites, and group activities in a multicultural environment.
Right at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, on the crossroads of the trading routes that connect south Europe with north Africa and the near East, Crete developed a marvellous civilisation in the Bronze Age. The island’s rich history and culture exercises an enduring fascination: the famous myths of gods, heroes, and monsters, and of tragic love affairs have inspired art and literature throughout the centuries. Surviving material culture attests to the island’s rich past: the exquisite art produced during the Bronze Age, including elaborate pots and abundant pieces of gold jewellery, are a marvel to see in the renewed collection of the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. The famous Minoan palaces have been a source of inspiration for scientists investigating the natural phenomenon that brought the Minoans to their legendary fall. The earliest and most substantial surviving documents of ancient Greek law outside Athens come from Crete. Byzantine and Ottoman monuments are tokens of the island’s diverse heritage.
This year’s summer school is entitled “Crete on Stage” and will explore ancient theatre in Crete and beyond, Cretan myths, and the most important archaeological sites of the island. Our guest speaker in this year’s Summer School is Professor Costas Panayotakis, who teaches Classics at the University of Glasgow. He will give a two-hour session on “Roman drama in performance”, in which he will present images associated with the material culture of Roman theatre in its various forms. He will talk about the theatre-related mosaics and the inscriptions of mime-artists found in Crete as well as about the ancient theatre of Aptera to the east of Chania which the students will visit with him and other instructors during the Summer School. Costas will also lead a two-hour workshop with the students on “Crete and the Cretans in the Roman literary imagination”.
This year’s program also includes a half-day hands-on seminar on AI and Classics conducted by Maria Papadopoulou, Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities and Classics, University of Crete & TALOS Lab Director (UCRC, UoC), and members of the Talos Lab. This hands-on workshop will introduce students to knowledge graphs, focusing on the practical application of knowledge representation of Ancient Greek texts. The session will center on manually extracting and structuring information from Ancient Greek summaries of Classical tragedies.
Program Structure
The Summer School will offer a variety of sessions on the following topics:
Day 1) Greek and Roman Theatre (three sessions)
Day 2) Excursion to the ancient theatre of Aptera and the Archaeological Museum of Chania.
Day 3) Myth, Cretan Women, Emotion and Gender (three sessions)
Day 4) AI and Classics: Hands on Seminar (two sessions);
The myth of the Labyrinth and the Minoan palaces (two sessions)
Day 5) Day Excursion to important archeological sites of Crete: visit to the archaeological excavation of Lyktos; visit to the archaeological site of Knossos with on-site lectures; visit to the archaeological museum of Heraklion.
Instructors from the University of Crete
Myrto Aloumpi
Athina Kavoulaki
Nikos Litinas
Stelios Panayotakis
Maria Papadopoulou & members of the Talos Lab
Manolis Patedakis
Dimos Spatharas
Deadline for applications: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
For more information, please visit:
https://www.philology.uoc.gr/
