Plutarch considers that the texts of the classical tradition with which young people come into contact from a very young age have many flaws, in terms of the ideology, the moral issues they deal with, the standards they project, and the decision-making they demonstrate. His admission of this is also the reason that leads him to devote a large part of his treatise to investigating the nature of poetry and how readers and teachers can correct, evaluate, and make positive use of the moral phenomena found in it. For him, poetry has a purely moral–pedagogical character as it exerts a direct influence on the human soul and mind. This last statement of his is confirmed in an undeniable way in practice, as the entire educational world recognises literature as the most suitable means of education and training. In ‘How to study poetry’, the philosopher does not want to moralise or manipulate the reader’s thinking, but rather give them the opportunity to decide for themselves the actions they will take to achieve the ultimate reading pleasure and benefit. In the present article, his pedagogical concepts meet with modern literary theories in a unique way, which makes reading them an interesting process.

For centuries, the Homeric Question has fuelled fierce debate among scholars. The Homeric epics are widely regarded as having their origins in the Late Bronze Age, with oral transmission continuing until a final redaction in the eighth to second century BCE.

The question of whether a single poet wrote both The Iliad and The Odyssey, the time and place in which Homer(s) worked and lived, and the circumstances of the poems’ final composition are still subjects of discussion.

In the present paper, a fairly simple statistical χ2 analysis has been carried out to evaluate the frequency of the keywords related to metals and weapons, which are mainstays of the material culture of this ancient period.

A thorough examination of The Iliad discloses a pronounced predominance of the keyword ‘bronze’, exhibiting a higher frequency in The Iliad than in The Odyssey. On initial observation, the prevalence of dominance appears to be a consequence of the warlike nature of The Iliad. Notwithstanding, a significant dominance endures even when the intrinsic disparities between the two poems are taken into account and suitably adjusted.

This remarkable discrepancy suggests the potential for distinct authorship, editorial involvement, or redaction locations for The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Teaching introductory courses on the ancient world is a study in reviewing a vast field of material without compromising on nuance. It is a tightrope walk, especially when beginning a teaching career. Comedy and economics are topics often parsed in more advanced courses to engage the primary source materials and modern debates with appropriate depth of analysis. However, their place in the introductory classroom is an essential aspect of understanding the ancient Greek world fully. Especially as students often struggle to find ancient comedy amusing upon first interaction, teaching these topics is a process of trial and error for the professor, who is often constrained by their own exposure to these topics. This article shares a classroom activity on comedy and economic institutions designed for the introductory class, engaging students by activating prior knowledge and practicing close reading of a selection from an ancient text.

This paper discusses the teaching of Ancient History in Brazil through the experience of Projeto Vocabulário Político da Antiguidade (Political Vocabulary of Antiquity Project). This project has been developed at the Federal University of Paraíba in João Pessoa, Brazil, since 2016, with a team consisting of professors and students from undergraduate History and Classics programs. The project’s main goal is to create didactical materials that facilitate the teaching of politics and Antiquity to students aged 11 to 17, based on the translation of Greek and Latin texts. This paper will present two educational games developed by this project to teach the theory of forms of government in an engaging and enjoyable way. The positive results of the project highlight the importance of modernizing the teaching of forms of government regbased on the works of authors such as Herodotus, Aristotle, Polybius and Cicero. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the study of Antiquity can effectively contribute to the political awareness of young citizens.

The UK Department for Education stipulates that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) topics should be integrated throughout the secondary curriculum; however, for various reasons, it can be hard to follow these stipulations in the Classical studies classroom (broadly conceived). This article outlines the context for LGBTQ+ education in the UK, establishing the need for some kind of intervention. It focuses specifically on how sector-wide difficulties in this area manifest acutely in the Classical studies classroom because of several, discipline-specific challenges. It then demonstrates how the materials produced by ‘Queering the Past(s)’, a recently formed collective of academics and teachers, can be used to several pedagogical ends. The Queering the Past(s) resources are shown to fulfil government mandates about LGBTQ+ education whilst also providing important correctives to previous teaching materials. Most crucially, the article outlines how resources from Queering the Past(s) may be used to develop secondary students’ knowledge about LGBTQ+ topics and core KS4 and KS5 skills such as critical thinking and source analysis. This is demonstrated by means of a case study of Elagabalus, emperor of Rome from 218 to 222 CE, and the focus of one of the resources from Queering the Past(s).

Although studies in Second Language Acquisition have consistently highlighted the fundamental role played by vocabulary in mastering a foreign language, traditional Latin instruction still tends to focus primarily on morphology and syntax at the expenses of vocabulary, with the result that students often struggle to retain the words they are required to memorize. Following in the wake of research on Game-Based Learning, I suggest that introducing board games in the Latin classroom—particularly those designed to develop the different stages of new information acquisition—is an inexpensive and engaging way to facilitate vocabulary learning and retention, as well as to foster students’ socialization and participation.

This article explores a novel approach to Latin instruction grounded in the principles of the natural semantic metalanguage (NSM) and the Minimal Languages framework. Whilst recent developments in Latin pedagogy have increasingly embraced communicative methods, the selection of appropriate target vocabulary remains a critical challenge, especially when traditional frequency lists prioritise terms ill-suited for active use. This, in turn, complicates the implementation of communicative approaches, which depend on accessible and contextually relevant language. We propose Minimal Latin (ML), a minimal language based on a universal lexicon derived from NSM principles and governed by a simplified grammar. ML offers a principled solution for vocabulary selection and lexical sequencing. It also facilitates in-language definitions and the explanation of cultural concepts without recourse to translation. The article outlines the theoretical foundations of NSM and Minimal Languages, presents a Latin version of NSM, and proposes ML as a pedagogical tool for Latin teaching across multiple instructional contexts.

This paper discusses the benefits of prose and free composition following the implementation of both styles in Year 7 Latin classrooms. While prose composition is an optional feature in GCSE and A Level exams in the UK, free composition is rarely part of Latin teaching in the UK – and yet it can have benefits for students equal to or exceeding those of prose composition. Any composition is a useful diagnostic tool for grammar, but free composition seems a more enjoyable and creative experience for students. For this research, I experimented with both styles of composition and observed the teaching implications as well as the students’ reception of both.

This study concerns how the Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE) database of imperial coins can support Year 12 students to learn about Roman imperial image on coins for their Classical Civilisation Imperial Image paper. In observations of lessons, the author noted that pupils struggled to remember and identify coins which were prescribed sources for their examinations and appeared disengaged in other teaching methods. The author taught pupils how to use the OCRE database. When using the database, all pupils seemed more interested and engaged in the study of coins. Indeed, pupils’ classwork and written essays showed that, after using the database, their use of coin-related terminology and metalanguage increased, they wrote more detailed descriptions of coins, and considered how coins contributed to Augustus’ imperial image. The author recommends that teachers allow an extended period for students to become familiar with the software before formal activities. He suggests engaging activities for students such as finding and presenting coins to the class, curating displays of coins, or finding coins depicting various animals in the quickest time. Teachers could vary the time on each activity depending on the lesson time available.

This article explores an innovative case study in classical language education, focusing on a high school student who independently designed an educational video game inspired by Greek mythology. The project illustrates how digital creativity can effectively support the teaching and learning of Latin and ancient Greek. Three key aspects are examined: student autonomy and creativity in classical studies, the educational potential of merging classical content with digital media, and the implications for reimagining the role of Classics in modern curricula.

The initiative combines classical themes with interactive gameplay, transforming the learning process into an engaging, active experience. Rather than simply transmitting knowledge, the game reinterprets ancient content through digital storytelling and mechanics. This approach promotes critical thinking, interdisciplinary skills, and aligns with science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM) education principles. The teacher’s role shifts from traditional instructor to facilitator, enabling authentic and student-driven learning. Overall, the study demonstrates how digital tools can foster immersive and meaningful engagement with classical languages and cultures. It presents a replicable model for curriculum innovation, showing that integrating technology with humanistic content can revitalise Classics education. The project positions ancient languages not as static relics, but as dynamic fields open to reinterpretation and creativity through contemporary digital means.

The implementation of distance learning in Greece during the 2020 to 2021 school years due to the pandemic was a necessary solution for the continuation of education, presenting challenges. It offered new opportunities for the use of technology in the educational process and highlighted the importance of flexibility and adaptability in education. One example of the new possibilities was interschool collaborations and the joint implementation of programmes and activities. Through the platform Webex, used by the Greek educational system, schools from different regions were able to collaborate, exchange ideas and materials, enhance communication, promote the exchange of cultural experiences, and broaden the horizons of students and educators.

The interschool programme titled A Thousand and One Interpretations: The Reception of Antigone through Different Forms of Art was designed and implemented through the collaboration of 2 educators and 2 second-year high school classes, one from the Varvakeio Model High School in Athens (a school where pupils are selected through examinations in Greek language and Maths at the age of 12 years) and the other from the 3rd General High School of Serres (a suburban school in Northern Greece).

With the main objectives being the creative integration of art into the teaching of a compulsory curriculum subject1 and collaboration between 2 schools of different types (model and conventional) from different regions, 6 mixed groups (each group included students from both schools) were formed. These groups studied and explored the relationship between Sophocles’s Antigone and contemporary works of art that reinterpret and recreate the ancient tragedy.

Recent reports into the situation in Scottish schools have identified concerning trends in terms of the mental wellbeing and behaviour of young learners. The Scottish Government, through various policy initiatives, has sought to devise and implement strategies with a view to bringing about improvements in these areas. As part of this commitment, it has indicated that the health and wellbeing of learners must be the responsibility of all teachers across the curriculum. This article examines how the teaching of classical literature can contribute to this through the development of emotional literacy as a reflection, reinforcement, and extension of the explicit lessons on emotion delivered through the Personal and Social Education curricular programme.

This reflective essay responds to current redundancies in the sector of Classics teaching. tristia ex Dorcestria recounts the author’s near-miss experience of redundancy and considers the place of Classical subjects in the twenty-first-century curriculum. Written from the intersectional perspective of a Classics teacher, researcher and poet, the piece discusses the composition of the award-winning poem Manifesto, recipient of the Classical Association’s 2025 Write–Speak–Design Prize, and explores how creative practice became a means of transforming professional loss into pedagogical insight. Drawing on the metaphor of Ovidian exile, the essay situates one teacher’s story within a broader context of national uncertainty about the value and future of Classics. The essay demonstrates that creative practice can function both as personal catharsis and as a mode of critical reflection, enabling educators to reimagine their role and reconnect with the emotional and ethical dimensions of ancient study. The accompanying poem models how teachers might use creative responses to engage students with questions of power, justice, and identity, and to affirm the continuing relevance of the ancient world in addressing modern crises, not least those relating to war and violence, marginalisation, and democracy.