Classics

On this day (March 7) 174 years ago, classes began under Peter Colin Campbell, the first professor hired by Queen’s who taught classical literature, and Thomas Liddell, Queen’s founding principal and professor of divinity.

This moment is one of several university “firsts” associated with the Department of Classics. During the university’s 175th anniversary in 2016-17, professors and students plan to highlight the foundational role the classics department has played in the university’s history.

Barbara Reeves’ team of archaeologists accidently stumbled upon the first of 157 ancient images just days before leaving the Humayma excavation site in Jordan.  

Humayma – located in western Jordan – has been an excavation site since 1986. Even though researchers have conducted many archaeological surveys in and around the area for years, the numerous carvings on the rocks, known as petroglyphs, remained undiscovered until this summer.

Queen’s researchers are making new discoveries about Paul Kane’s paintings, an important collection of art for understanding 19th century Canada.  George Bevan (Classics) is using infrared light technology to peer underneath the oil of Kane’s paintings and see the original pencil drawings. Kane’s pencil drawings sketched in the field are the earliest depiction of 19th century Canadian and Aboriginal life. The artist took these sketches back to his Toronto studio in the 1850s and used oil paints to finish the artworks.