02/29/2024
By Jane Sancinito

Did you know that between the death of George Washington and the election of Abraham Lincoln, America’s nation makers became infatuated with a dream of Greece? They built houses, banks and government buildings in the style of Greek temples. They painted and sculpted Greek themes, modeled their speeches on Greek orations and wrote the nation's first history books in a distinctly Athenian style. Unfortunately, some even used Aristotle's philosophy to justify the institution of slavery.

Join us on March 14 at 6 p.m. in Coburn Hall for "Athens in America: Ancient Greece and the Making of the New Nation" with special guest Johanna Hanink, Ph.D. During this talk, she’ll explore the significance of the American "Greek Revival," particularly in the context of the recent bicentennial of the Greek Revolution and the upcoming commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.

Johanna Hanink is a professor of classics at Brown University. Her work focuses on classical Athens, particularly on the cultural life of the city in the fourth century B.C.E. Hanink is especially interested in the construction and reception (in both antiquity and more modern times) of the idea of the ancient “Greek miracle.” She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, Queens’ College.

Thursday, March 14
Lecture: 6-7 p.m.
Reception: 7-8 p.m.
Coburn Hall, Room 255, South Campus
Free and open to the public

This event is presented by the Maria Nousias Zamanakos, Alexandria Zamanakos and Alice Fleury Zamanakos Endowed Lectureship in Hellenic Studies and sponsored by the Department of History and the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.