Dr Ioannis Ziogas to deliver 2014 Last Lecture

The themes of Greek Mythology and the Classics resonate with today’s society, 2014 Last Lecturer Ioannis Ziogas says.

Classics expert Dr Ziogas has won the prestigious honour of delivering the University’s Last Lecture on Thursday 30 October at The Hall, University House.

“It’s a great honour,” Dr Ziogas says.

“I’m a bit surprised because we are a small program in Classics. But we have very dedicated students and it gives the message that small programs are as viable as large ones.”

Classics, the study of the ancient Greek and Roman world, deals with the traditional literature of Greece and Rome and the themes of history, philosophy, and culture.

Dr Ziogas says it makes it a multi-faceted and diverse subject for students to learn, especially since the topic is always on the news and in movies.

“It actually covers a lot of motifs that are appealing to this young age group – the coming of age, the challenges within families, discovering yourself – all these lie at the heart of Greek myth and all these issues appeal to the young students.”

Around 1,200 students voted in the Last Lecture process. They chose from 100 lecturers who made it through to final nominations.

Dr Ziogas says his aim would be to talk about Classics in way that shows it’s a subject that resonates with everyone, even those with no background in Greek Mythology.

“It’s understandable that people don’t know what Classics is,” he says.

“If you go to the book store, classical literature is Shakespeare or Milton. But what we’re doing here is studying ancient Greek and Roman civilisations and languages – so we’re reading the texts and this is something like doing a time travel. Learning this language is the closest thing we have to a time machine.”