Classics Graduate Colloquium

March 28, 2025
9:00AM - 5:00PM
TBD

Date Range
2025-03-28 09:00:00 2025-03-28 17:00:00 Classics Graduate Colloquium Spring 2025 OSU Classics Graduate Colloquium on Friday, March 28th, 2025 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.Madness and Mental Health in the Ancient WorldGraduate Colloquium, The Ohio State University Department of ClassicsFriday, March 28th, 2025Concerns about mental health and disorders have received increasing attention in popular discourse in the past decade, with terms like “neurodivergent” and “neurotypical” becoming commonplace in today’s vernacular. While the terms we use change as our perspectives develop, discourse surrounding mental health is nothing new; already in the ancient world there existed concerns about mental faculties, madness (both divine and otherwise), and treatments for these kinds of maladies. Who in the ancient world decided what was considered ‘madness’ or ‘mental illness’? How was divine mania differentiated from other kinds of madness? How were these conditions treated? And, finally, in light of recent developments in the modern conception of mental health and illness, how should we revisit our own notions of these concepts in the ancient world? The Spring 2025 OSU Classics Graduate Colloquium invites papers addressing these questions and other topics concerning mental health and mania in the ancient world. Proposals in all focus areas are welcome, including (but not limited to):● Religion● Medicine● Rhetoric● Philosophy● Literature● Reception● Tragedy and performanceWe encourage papers from all fields, including, but not limited to Archaeology, Classics, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, History, Religious Studies, Linguistics, Art History, Medieval Studies, Anthropology, Comparative Studies, Gender Studies, Africana Studies, Sociology, and Philosophy.Please email abstracts to Matthew Herzog (herzog.133@buckeyemail.osu.edu) Abstracts ought to be less than 500 words (including references) and must be submitted before December 2nd, 2024. Meals and refreshments will be provided. TBD America/New_York public

Spring 2025 OSU Classics Graduate Colloquium on Friday, March 28th, 2025 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.

Madness and Mental Health in the Ancient World

Graduate Colloquium, The Ohio State University Department of Classics
Friday, March 28th, 2025

Concerns about mental health and disorders have received increasing attention in popular discourse in the past decade, with terms like “neurodivergent” and “neurotypical” becoming commonplace in today’s vernacular. While the terms we use change as our perspectives develop, discourse surrounding mental health is nothing new; already in the ancient world there existed concerns about mental faculties, madness (both divine and otherwise), and treatments for these kinds of maladies. Who in the ancient world decided what was considered ‘madness’ or ‘mental illness’? How was divine mania differentiated from other kinds of madness? How were these conditions treated? And, finally, in light of recent developments in the modern conception of mental health and illness, how should we revisit our own notions of these concepts in the ancient world? The Spring 2025 OSU Classics Graduate Colloquium invites papers addressing these questions and other topics concerning mental health and mania in the ancient world. Proposals in all focus areas are welcome, including (but not limited to):

● Religion
● Medicine
● Rhetoric
● Philosophy
● Literature
● Reception
● Tragedy and performance

We encourage papers from all fields, including, but not limited to Archaeology, Classics, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, History, Religious Studies, Linguistics, Art History, Medieval Studies, Anthropology, Comparative Studies, Gender Studies, Africana Studies, Sociology, and Philosophy.

Please email abstracts to Matthew Herzog (herzog.133@buckeyemail.osu.edu) Abstracts ought to be less than 500 words (including references) and must be submitted before December 2nd, 2024. Meals and refreshments will be provided.