Latin literature was read widely across the Roman Empire. Evidence from writing tablets, graffiti on walls and papyrus scraps from Roman Britain to Egypt reveals details of the authors most commonly read. Looking at examples of the reception of Cicero and Vergil in these various media, this session led by Dr Kathryn Tempest (University of Leicester) and Professor Gesine Manuwald (UCL) will illustrate the different modes of reading in the Roman Empire and the role of authors recognized as ‘classics’ in educational contexts.
The session will last for approximately one hour, beginning at 14.30, and will be free to join by any visitor on a drop-in basis. Seating will be provided.
Although all are welcome to join, please note that the session is targeted at older visitors and the material involved may not be accessible for children below secondary school age.
This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6-15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see the Being Human Festival website.
Photograph: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.