We are delighted to share the Eventbrite link for our upcoming one-day workshop at UCL, titled Erotic Poetry in the Ancient World. This event will bring together scholars and students to explore the features and reception of erotic poetry across ancient cultures. We warmly welcome all interested in ancient literature, gender studies, and the poetics of desire.
Friday 4 July 2025, 10.00am – 4.30pm BST, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Please find the link to the event here.
Erotic Poetry in the Ancient World – Programme
1st Session (chairs: Marina Pavlidou-Elamin & Dr Maddalena Italia)
10:00–10:20 Introductory Remarks
Marina Pavlidou-Elamin (UCL) & Dr Maddalena Italia (UCL)
10:20–11:00 Prof Phiroze Vasunia (UCL)
Sappho and Other Sanskrit Love Poets
11:00–11:20 Coffee Break
2nd Session (chair: Prof Miriam Leonard)
11:20–12:00 Dr Christie Carr (Brown)
“On a bed dripping with honey…”: Eroticism, Metaphor and Desire in the Sumerian Love Lyrics
12:00–12:40 Prof Simon Goldhill (Cambridge)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
12:40–14:00 Lunch Break
3rd Session (chair: Prof William Fitzgerald)
14:00–14:40 Dr Alinda Damsma (UCL)
Silencing the Lewd Prophet: The Reception of Ezekiel 23 in the Ancient World
14:40–15:20 Prof Emily Kneebone (Nottingham)
Doomed Romance in Late Antique Greek Epic
15:20–15:40 Coffee Break
4th Session (chair: Prof Phiroze Vasunia)
15:40–16:20 Dr Mairéad McAuley (UCL)
Tactile Erotics in Roman Love Poetry
16:20–16:30 Concluding Remarks
Marina Pavlidou-Elamin & Dr Maddalena Italia
The event will take place at the following address:
University College London, Room 612, Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square