‌Summer School in Ancient Languages

This will take place at Swansea University in July 2015 and is open to all ages from 12 upwards.  Classes will be taught by members of staff from the Department of History and Classics at Swansea University as well as academics from other universities and school teachers.

There will be 1-week or 2-week intensive courses on:

•    Latin and Greek - beginners, intermediate and advanced
•    Hieroglyphs for beginners
•    Medieval Latin
•    Greek Epigraphy  
•    Intermediate Latin through the medium of Welsh.

As well as language courses there will be film showings, evening talks by experts, and trips to historic sites such as the Roman fortress at Caerleon.

The Summer School will help fund the department’s outreach activities. One example is the Literacy through Classics project which brings Classics and particularly the ancient languages to schools in local deprived areas.

Picture:  local schoolchildren at Caerleon Roman fortress, as part of the Literacy through Latin project, which the Summer School helps to fund. 

More pictures of the Literacy through Latin project

Schools’ competition:

All school pupils in Wales, from primary school to sixth form, can take part in a competition to create a piece of work about the Ancient World (Greece, Rome or Egypt).

The work can cover any aspect of the history, culture and language of the Ancient World.  It can be, for example:

• A poster or a piece of art
• A script/play
• Video of daily life
• Models of the Ancient World

 Pupils can work in teams or individually.  There will be prizes for first, second and third place.

Additionally, for secondary schools, there will be a translation competition.  Pupils choose a piece of Greek and Latin to translate into either English or Welsh, with a prize for the best translation.

The deadline for the competition is 6 July 2015.  More information about the competition, including the texts for translation

Dr Evelien Bracke, the Co-ordinator of the Swansea Classics Outreach programme, comments:

“The history of Wales is steeped in the Classical tradition, but in the past fifty years this tradition has become almost invisible. To build a future for Wales, we need to know our past, and so we want to make ancient cultures and languages accessible again for everyone in Wales in an engaging and relevant way.

The Summer School and Schools’ Competition are a great opportunity for children and adults alike to take ownership of their Classical heritage.”

Dr Evelien Bracke can be contacted on e.bracke@swansea.ac.uk