By Adeline G, Year 10 Journalist Leader 

Earlier in March, classicists from Years 10-13 gathered in the library to enjoy both a delicious dinner and a celebration of the Classics world! This included a fascinating talk from a speaker from Oxford University, Dr Leah Lazar, where she spoke about the perspectives of different empires through a range of artefacts she saw on her travels. There was also a Classics quiz organised by the Classics reps, which put our classical knowledge to the test!

I decided to interview Miss Bradshaw on her perspective of the evening.

What is your favourite thing about the Classics Dinner?

The fact we get all year groups together for Classics! Everyone who chooses Classics has a unique shared interest, and it is lovely to see all the amazing students together celebrate study of the ancient world rather than just within year groups.

Why do you think it’s only the Classics department that has a dinner event?

I think it’s something so special about classicists: we enjoy coming together for an evening of scholarship, fun and Mediterranean food, and there are lots of academics out there willing to inspire us. The reps were amazing in making the quiz, and the whole thing was a group effort, and one that everyone really enjoyed and valued.

How did you find organising it? 

The event team is absolutely amazing! A big thanks to Ms Grew and Mrs Henry for organisation and running of the event, and thanks to the reps for organising the quiz. All I needed to do was invite people, and it was lovely to be able to choose an inspiring speaker in Classics, with an interesting topic enriching beyond the curriculum. 

How did you find this year’s speaker?

I know the speaker personally, from many years ago, as we were contemporaries at university. I thought she would be very inspiring for the students here, and would offer a fascinating perspective on the Athenian Empire and Greek history, which the Year 12 students in particular are very interested in, because she is an expert in inscriptions.

What did you think about the talk?

I loved the talk! The speaker spoke about being Greek under the Persian Empire, and I enjoyed how she used monuments she had seen on her travels. Usually, I find I have seen a lot of these artefacts before, but I really enjoyed this talk as there were new things I had never seen. They were used in such an interesting way, linked to topics I already knew about. I found it especially resonant to hear about the experience of living under an empire in the ancient world and comparing that with debates about empires in modern discourse. 

What does the future of the Classics Dinner look like?

I really enjoyed it this year, so I’m looking forward to welcoming more students to enjoy it and build a further interest in Classics among the NHEHS community! I’m hoping to make it bigger and maybe even better!

Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the Classics Dinner such an amazing event!