The Center for Hellenic Studies

The Center for Hellenic Studies

Helping educators, researchers, and the general public rediscover the humanism of the ancient Greeks.
Online Event

Proximity and Ethics

Conversation Series on Philosophy and Ideas Date: Friday, April 30, 2021 Time: 12:00-1:30pm ET What is the relationship between physical closeness and the…

Online Event

Visiting Artists Presentation: Mnemosyne Initiative

Part of the CHS Visiting Artist Presentation Series, the event features a group of visual artists who are exploring commemoration,…

The Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece 🇬🇷

A Harvard International Center that unites the humanistic pursuits of the CHS with the homeland of Hellenism.

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Virtual Tour

Due to the pandemic, the Center will remain closed to the public for the duration of the spring semester. Tour the main building and the library virtually.

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Classical Inquiries

On the idea of dead poets as imagined by T. S. Eliot, compared with ideas about reperformance, Part I

2021.04.17 | By Gregory Nagy §0. In an essay first published in the year 1919, “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” T. S. Eliot made a bold statement about poets, dead or alive. Back then, he was thinking not only about the “individual talent” of young poets like himself but also about the collective legacy of all “dead poets” stemming from the “European tradition,” as he thought of it, starting with… Read more

Online Event

Proximity and Ethics

Conversation Series on Philosophy and Ideas Date: Friday, April 30, 2021 Time: 12:00-1:30pm ET What is the relationship between physical closeness and the moral life? Many of our most profound ethical instincts are tied to a sense of what we owe to the person in front of us, to our neighbor, to our… Read more

Classical Inquiries

Envisioning Aphrodite inside the living wood of a myrtle tree

2021.04.10 | By Gregory Nagy §0. The illustration that I have chosen to introduce this essay is inspired by ancient Greek myths about dryads—that is, about nymphs or local goddesses who inhabit the wooden insides of trees, primarily oak trees, thus animating such trees. But my essay is not about dryads or would-be dryads. It […] The post Envisioning Aphrodite inside the living wood of a myrtle tree appeared first… Read more

Classical Inquiries

On ‘connecting the dots’—metonymically—between a shield and a garland presented to Achilles

2021.04.03 | By Gregory Nagy §0. In a book titled Masterpieces of Metonymy (Nagy 2016|2015, hereafter abbreviated as MoM), I showed line drawings of black-figure pictures painted on two vases, both of Athenian manufacture and both dated to the earlier years of the sixth century BCE. In both line drawings, we see a picturing of the hero Achilles, who at this very moment is reaching out to receive his Shield—as… Read more

Classical Inquiries

The Shield of Achilles, by Kevin McGrath

There are two cities on earth Divided by time and kindness And at the centre of their field Is a king who sits in silence About him move the reapers Drawing in the living grain Goodness or the void deceit That human life advances On the edges of this world Just beyond the known blue […] The post The Shield of Achilles, by Kevin McGrath appeared first on Classical Inquiries. Read more

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CHS Learning Module

Learning Ancient Greek

with Professor Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie The following video series provides a guided introduction to the ancient Greek language. The videos are meant to correspond to the textbook Greek: An Intensive Course, 2nd revised edition, by Hardy Hansen and Gerald M. Quinn (New York: Fordham University Press, 1992). The… Read more

PUBLICATIONS

Browse – Online Publications

Browse All Online Publications Before you get started, we recommend that you review our Introduction to Online Publications. As part of its mission of bringing together a variety of research interests centered on Hellenic civilization and sharing them with a wider audience, the Center for Hellenic Studies publishes books,… Read more

Curated Articles

The Epic Hero

Short Writings: I. Table of Contents To refer to this work, please cite it this way: Nagy, G. 2006. “The Epic Hero,” 2nd ed. (on-line version), http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hlnc.essay:Nagy.The_Epic_Hero.2005. Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington, DC. The 1st ed. (printed version) of “The Epic Hero” appeared in 2005, A Companion to Ancient… Read more

Live Stream, Online Event

Proximity and Politics

Democracy has always been intensely physical. But in an age of social distancing and social media, does it remain important to feel the power of the mass, democratic crowd as an expression of popular will? Join us for a conversation on the importance of physical proximity in democracy, ancient and modern. Read more

Classics@

Classics@15: A Concise Inventory of Greek Etymology

Classics@ 15: A Concise Inventory of Greek Etymologies Edited by Olga Levaniouk Foreword A concise inventory of Greek etymologies (CIGE) is an ongoing publication that will be expanded and revised as time goes on. This project’s goal is to provide access to etymologies that are important for the study of… Read more

Classics@

FirstDrafts@Classics@

First Drafts@Classics@ This section of the Classics@ site is devoted to new and developing scholarship. It allows for a “pre-publication”: a way for scholars at any stage of career to share their research even before it goes through a formal publication process. The purpose of pre-publication is twofold: one, to… Read more

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Hellenic Studies Series

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Featured Programs

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Fellowship Programs

The CHS offers fellowship research opportunities to postdoctoral researchers. The next application cycle will begin in Fall 2021.

Student Programs

The CHS offers a variety of programs for students in Washington, DC and in Nafplio, including internships, workshops and seminars, and study abroad.

Reading Greek Tragedy Online

In partnership with Out of Chaos Theatre, the Center for Hellenic Studies and the Kosmos Society are presenting Reading Greek Tragedy Online, a series that brings together actors and researchers to perform and discuss scenes from Greek tragedy.

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