Classics and the World Today Lecture & Workshop

"Building as Metaphor: Constructing Understanding in the Ancient and Modern Worlds"

March 13-14, 2025
Prof. Bettina Reitz-Joosse (University of Groningen) and Prof. Glenn Most (Scuola Normale Superiore/The University of Chicago)

To RSVP for the workshop, you can use the QR code in the attached poster, email, or fill out the form at: https://forms.office.com/r/CzarJAYUvS.

March 13, 5:15 pm, Kaneff Rotunda (Reception to follow in MN grand hall)

In today’s world, we often rely on basic architectural understanding to construct meanings, using phrases like “building blocks of life,” “relationships on a firm foundation,” and “to lay the groundwork,” to name a few. Building metaphors were also employed in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, building upon shared knowledge to create understanding. For example, some ancient thinkers conceived the origin of the world on the model of the construction of a building. Why did they do so? What other models were available to them? Many ancient authors also drew on architectural metaphors to describe their own processes of writing and composition. How does architectural metaphor relate to the practice of construction, and what can the one tell us about the other? Join us as we interrogate why and how building metaphors are used in the past and what this classical tradition means for us today.

March 14, 9 am–5 pm, CDRS

Join us on Friday, March 14th for a workshop in historical methods developed for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty.