Pharos Lectures 2012-2013

Pharos 2012-13

Season Programme

All lectures will take place at 7:30 pm in the 'Upper Hall'
Hellenic Community Centre|
4500 Arbutus Street
Vancouver

Enquiries: pharosvancouver@gmail.com

· October 29, 2012
Patmos: the Monastery of St. John and the Book of Revelation
Hector Williams and Robert Cousland
UBC Department of Classical, Near East &  Religious Studies

· November 26, 2012
Athenian Burial Vases
Chelsea Gardner
UBC Department of Classical, Near East & Religious Studies

· January 28, 2013
Unraveling Sacred Mysteries: Cult Centers in Roman Macedonia
Katherine Crawford,
UBC Department of Classical, Near East &  Religious Studies

· February 25, 2013
The Archaeology of Houses and Households in Ancient Crete
Kevin Glowacki
Texas A and M University

· March 25, 2013
Hesiod, Greek Poet
Christopher Morrissey,
Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies

· April 29, 2013
Traditional Music of Greece and Asia Minor
Musiki Parea

November 2012

26 November 2011 at 7:30pm

The Things They Left Behind: Athenian Burial Vases from the Geometric to the Classical Period

Chelsea Gardner

UBC Department of Classical, Near Eastern & Religious Studies.

There is a certain fascination with funerary customs, burial practices, and grave goods from antiquity: not only do they provide valuable information for archaeologists about the material culture of the past, but the treatment of the deceased often reveals as much about living people as it does the occupants of the grave itself. Two areas of ancient Athens, the Kerameikos and the Agora, have been particularly informative with regard to ancient burial customs, due to a long history of excavations and a veritable wealth of funerary deposits. This talk will examine one class of grave goods: vases used for cremation or as votive offerings, and will visually highlight the customs surrounding funerals and burials using examples of extraordinarily well-preserved pottery from the Geometric to the Classical periods. A special focus will be made upon a vessel in our very own University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology.

October 2012 (Pharos and AIA)

Pharos, Monday October 29, 2012 at 7:30

Patmos: The Monastery of St. John and the Book of Revelation

Professors Hector Williams and Robert Coiusland
UBC Department of Classical, Near East and Religious Studies
Upper Hall, Hellenic Centre, 4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver

This illustrated talk will present the famous 11th C monastery on the island of Patmos in the Dodecannese near which, in a cave, St. John wrote the last book of the New Testament.  Hector Williams will report on his visit to the island and monastery last April, and his colleague, Robert Cousland, will bring us up to date on the Apocalypse (the Greek word for "Revelation').  The monastery is richly endowed with wall paintings, movable icons, rare manuscripts and a spectacular setting on a hilltop;  John's cave is now part of a medieval Orthodox chapel.

AIA, Tuesday October 30, 2012 at 7:30

Ancient Sounds of Greece

Dr. Nikos Xanthoulis
Acadamy of Athens and the Greek National Opera
Buchanan B213, UBC Point Grey Campus

The subject of the lecture-concert will be ancient Greek music, dating from 800 BC to 400 AD.  The study of this sophisticated art leads us to the roots of western culture: music, melody, chord, tone, rhythm, poetry are all words with Greek origins.  Our knowledge of ancient Greek music has increased dramatically during the last hundre years, through the evidence of archeology and art, the abundance of references to music in Greek literature form the 8th century onwards, books on ancient Greek music theory from 4th C. BC to 4th C AD that survive until nowadays, the non-literary documents, the musical scores and many rediscovered papyri.

In addition to these materials, there is another crucial element that adds to our understanding:  mythology.  the lecture will cover the myths concertning music and musicians and will include songs performed by reconstructed instruments, the ancient lyr and salpinz (ancient trumpet).  The combination of lecture and performance will transport the audience to a world which wa the cradle of western civilization.

Dr. Xanthoulis is Director of Education of the Greek National Opera, a classical trumpeter and composer whose many works include two children's operas in folk style.

 

March + April 2012

Monday 26 March, 2012
Gino Canlas,  UBC Department of Classics, Near East & Religious Studies
Witches, Horses, and Diarrhea: the Place of the Goddess Enodia in Thessalian Mythology

This talk will be an introduction to the cult of the obscure goddess Enodia who comes from the region of Thessaly. Thessaly was stereotyped in Classical antiquity as a semi-barbarian land of witches and horsemen, a perception which greatly influenced modern scholarship. The Thessalians also had a mysterious goddess named Enodia, originally not found anywhere else in Greece, but very important in Thessaly. The presentation will give some background on Thessaly, focusing especially on religion and mythology, and will explore the role of the goddess Enodia in the region

Monday 20 April 2012
Maria Callas: Her Life, Loves and Music
Sofia Antonakos, Soprano, &
Ric Spratley, President, Pharos, Text and Piano

Arguably the most renowned Greek of the 20^th Century, Maria Callas had a dazzling career which set a standard for dramatic and bel-canto soprano roles that may never be surpassed.  Continuing the Pharos tradition of a Musical April, Greek-Canadian soprano Sofia Antonakos will sing some of the arias that made Callas famous, while Ric will explore Callas’ musical and personal life, the  tragic arc of which rivals the plots of many of the operas she sang. 

January + February 2012

30 January 2012 at 7:30 pm

Helen: from Homer to Hollywood
Florence Yoon, UBC Department of Classical, Near East & Religious Studies

Helen is one of the most compelling figures of classical mythology, inspiring storytellers from Homer and Euripides to Hollywood and Margaret Atwood. As the "face that launched a thousand ships," she reflects changing views of causality and blame, gender and power, beauty and divinity. This talk will consider her transformation through almost 3000 years of representation, demonstrating how traditional mythological material can be adapted into a unique interpretation according to the artistic aims and the specific context of each portrayal.

Tuesday 28 February 2012 at 7:30pm

Life, the Universe and Everything (According to Plato)
Michael Griffin, UBC Department of Classical, Near East & Religious Studies

Last November was the 2,437^th birthday of Aristocles, the dashing, barrel-chested young Athenian aristocrat (and champion wrestler) who sailed the far reaches of the Mediterranean world in search of knowledge, justice, and love. Along the way, he ruled with kings, narrowly escaped slavery (twice), and happened to invent Western philosophy and science. We know him best by his wrestling nickname: ho Platon, “the Broadman”; but Plato wouldn’t mind if we knew nothing about him, so long as we learned to know ourselves. Come along for a high-level tour through Plato’s life and the big Platonic ideas that touch our lives today