Scholarships fund classics research in Greece

Research into Homeric epics and trauma in the ancient Greek world were awarded scholarships at a fundraising dinner on Friday.

The scholarships were awarded by the ANU (Canberra) Friends of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (FAAIA). Usually one scholarship is awarded every two years for a scholar to spend time in Greece to conduct research.

This year however, two ANU postgraduate students, Fiona Sweet Formiatti and Adrienne White, were granted scholarships.

Professor Elizabeth Minchin from the Centre for Classical Studies announced the winners on the night. Below is an excerpt of her speech with further information on each of the scholarship recipients: 

This year the 2015 ANU Canberra FAAIA biennial scholarship was awarded to Fiona Sweet Formiatti. Fiona will spend two months in Greece at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. Unlike many of our previous scholarship winners she will not be working in the field or spending long hours in museums.

Fiona will be working with one of the most distinguished European Classics scholars: Professor Christos Tsagalis, whose research field is the Homeric epics. Fiona's research in Thessaloniki will form part of her PhD project, which has a working title of “The Stranger at the gate:  a study of hospitality—the treatment of friends, strangers and refugees--in the world described by Homer”.

This year the selection committee considered that a second application should also be supported, and I am very happy to announce the award of an AAIA scholarship for ANU research in Greece to Adrienne White.

Adrienne is on the brink of a PhD program, in which she will study post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma in the ancient Greek world. Her time in Greece will be spent exploring healing sanctuaries, in museums looking at temple offerings and inscriptions, as well as in the libraries of the American School and the British School in Athens.

Congratulations to Fiona and Adrienne, we wish you well for your research overseas.