Thanks to generous support from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh will host a one-day event on the theme of Classical Literature in the Renaissance on Tuesday 9 June 2026.
The event will feature four talks from leading international scholars in the field, and will conclude with a round table discussion featuring the speakers and colleagues from Edinburgh, St Andrews, and Aberdeen. There will also be an opportunity to view a display of manuscripts, incunabula, and early printed editions in Edinburgh University Library.
Attendance is free and includes lunch and refreshments, but registration in advance is required: anyone planning to attend should contact Luke Houghton at lhought2@ed.ac.uk by Tuesday 2 June, stating any relevant dietary requirements. Please note that this is an in-person event.
CLASSICAL LITERATURE IN THE RENAISSANCE
Tuesday 9 June 2026
School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh
Meadows Lecture Theatre, Old Medical School (Doorway 4), Teviot Place, Edinburgh
10:00-10:10 Welcome
Session 1: Engaging with the Classics
10:10-11:00 Leah Whittington (Harvard)
‘Writing Like and As: Versions of Classical Presence from Petrarch to Vegio’
11:00-11:20 Tea and Coffee – Jim McMillan Room (1.31)
Session 2: Literary and Cultural Translations
11:20-12:10 Stuart Gillespie (Glasgow)
‘What happened when Renaissance English Writers encountered Renaissance English Translations of Ancient Texts?’
12:10-1:00 Sarah Knight (Leicester)
‘Christopher Marlowe, Translator’
1:00-2:00 Lunch – Jim McMillan Room (1.31)
Session 3: From Greek to Latin
2:00-2:50 Marianne Pade (Aarhus)
‘Imitatio and Intertextuality in Humanist Translation’
3:00-4:00 Viewing of manuscripts, incunabula, and early printed editions, Centre for Research Collections, Edinburgh University Library, George Square
4:00-4:20 Tea and Coffee – Jim McMillan Room (1.31)
Session 4: Studying Classical Literature in Renaissance Culture
4:20-5:00 Round table discussion
Emma Buckley, Jill Burke, Stuart Gillespie, Luke Houghton, Richard Oosterhoff, Marianne Pade, Syrithe Pugh, Leah Whittington
Note: this is not a Classical Association event – please contact the organisers directly with any enquiries.