The article discusses why Classics is important and why its study benefits not just university students but also young children. It was runner-up in the Intermediate Category for a Classical Association competition in 2025. The article explores the value of Classics as a wonderfully diverse subject involving the study of history, archaeology, architecture, art, and literature. Classics enables students to study over a thousand years of history, to uncover cultural values, to discover how language operates, to develop critical analysis skills, and to delight in its timeless literature. The article explores how the study of Classics can benefit young students’ reading and writing proficiency and can be especially beneficial for those with special educational needs. It explores how Latin translation builds code cracking and cognitive skills, not only developing grammatical knowledge but also encouraging problem-solving suited to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based subjects such as computer science and maths. The article looks at the interdisciplinary nature of the subject and the benefits of learning Latin and Greek vocabulary for language learning and science.

This article presents a case study of an undergraduate workshop at Oxford University which, using the Corsi Collection of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, focused on the identification and appreciation of coloured marbles, of the sort seen in ancient sculpture and architecture. Grounded in object-based learning (OBL), but conducted within the constraints of a predominantly text-based and classroom-bound curriculum, the workshop employed direct object engagement to foster observational skills, material literacy, and critical reflection on ancient resource use, offering students a chance to interact directly with Roman decorative materials. It aimed to demonstrate the pedagogical value of tactile engagement with artefacts in developing historical understanding, enhancing student enthusiasm, and embedding experiential learning within a traditionally text-centric curriculum. Drawing on theoretical frameworks developed by Hannan et al. and Laurillard, this paper argues that the integration of material-focused pedagogies can meaningfully boost student engagement and learning outcomes, while also contributing to broader institutional discussions about teaching excellence and student success. The outcomes demonstrate the significant pedagogical potential of object-based learning (OBL), especially in disciplines like Classics where material culture is often under-represented. In reflecting on outcomes, challenges, and broader applicability, the article advocates for wider adoption of OBL within Classics and outlines practical ways in which it can complement standard university teaching.

This paper examines the dynamics of religious transformation in North Africa during the second and third centuries AD, challenging traditional narratives rooted in culture-historical models and simplistic cultural labels, such as the purported ‘Africanisation’ of cults under the Severan dynasty. While past scholarship has often framed these changes in terms of cultural permanence, resistance, or renaissance, this study shows that they are instead deeply embedded within the broader social and economic practices of the Roman Empire and, at the same time, reflect local and micro-regional dynamics. The paper adopts a multifold approach to reinterpretation: the onomastic attributes of gods and devotees; the iconography and materiality of divine representations; the architectural forms of temples and their functions. By reanalysing key material corpora, this contribution highlights how cultic patterns were shaped by factors such as economic networks, the proliferation of stone-made monuments, and the involvement of an expanding ‘middle-class’ base of worshippers. A specific focus is placed on the cult of Saturn, often viewed as emblematic of African religious identity or continuity. This study argues instead that the second–third century boom in Saturn worship reflects broader imperial trends, including the rise in monumentalisation and shifting patterns of religious patronage. By dismantling previous assumptions and employing relational and materiality-focused methodologies, the paper offers a revised framework for understanding the interplay between local traditions and imperial dynamics in shaping religious practices in Roman Africa.

Hippocrates is traditionally believed to have had a son-in-law and pupil named Polybus, who, thanks to Aristotle’s direct attribution, is also often regarded as the author of the surviving ‘Hippocratic’ treatise On the Nature of the Human Being (Nat. Hom.), the source of the canonical theory of the four humours. This article accepts that Polybus was indeed the author of On the Nature of the Human Being, but aims to show that his status as Hippocrates’ son-in-law is a Hellenistic invention, inspired by the conflicting attribution of the treatise to Hippocrates once it had become part of the Hippocratic Corpus. This also allows a re-dating of On the Nature of the Human Being to the mid fifth century, so that both Polybus and his four-humour theory likely predate Hippocrates’ period of activity.