Books by Alison John
Accepted with Cambridge University Press
Papers by Alison John
The Classical Quarterly, 2020
Greek had held an important place in Roman society and culture since the Late Republican period, ... more Greek had held an important place in Roman society and culture since the Late Republican period, and educated Romans were expected to be bilingual and well versed in both Greek and Latin literature. The Roman school 'curriculum' was based on Hellenistic educational culture, and in the De grammaticis et rhetoribus Suetonius says that the earliest teachers in Rome, Livius and Ennius, were 'poets and half Greeks' (poetae et semigraeci), who taught both Latin and Greek 'publicly and privately' (domi forisque docuisse) and 'merely clarified the meaning of Greek authors or gave exemplary readings from their own Latin compositions' (nihil amplius quam Graecos interpretabantur aut si quid ipsi Latine composuissent praelegebant, Gram. et rhet. 1-2). 1 Cicero, the Latin neoteric poets and Horace are obvious examples of bilingual educated Roman aristocrats, but also throughout the Imperial period a properly educated Roman would be learned in utraque lingua. 2 The place of Greek in Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria reveals the importance and prevalence of Greek in Roman education and literature in the late first century A.D. Quintilian argues that children should learn both Greek and Latin but that it is best to begin with Greek. 3 Famously, in the second century A.D. the Roman author Apuleius gave speeches in Greek to audiences in Carthage, and in his Apologia mocked his accusers for their ignorance of Greek. 4 This article examines the status of Greek teaching in Gaul in Late Antiquity, showing that knowledge of and interest in Greek persisted, and that it continued to be taught in this period. It challenges our conventional narrative, arguing that the methodology that
Gallia docta? Education and In-/Exclusion in Late Antique Gaul (edited by Meurer, T. and V. Egetenmeyr ), 2023
This paper explores the place of Greek language and literature in the educational and intellectua... more This paper explores the place of Greek language and literature in the educational and intellectual world of Sidonius Apollinaris. The first part examines the direct evidence for Sidonius' knowledge of Greek, concluding that he knew Greek and was able to read and engage with Greek texts without the aid of a Latin translation. The second part of the paper focuses on the in-and exclusion of certain Greek authors and authorities in Sidonius' rhetorical lists of praise and asks what light this can shed on the educational communities of the Galli docti of Sidonius' age, and the shifting and evolving landscapes of learning in fifth-century Gaul.
Mnemosyne , 2022
Mamertus Claudianus, a priest in Vienne in the mid-fifth century, has been identified by some sch... more Mamertus Claudianus, a priest in Vienne in the mid-fifth century, has been identified by some scholars as a professional teacher of Latin rhetoric. This article contests this classification, arguing that Claudianus was an active member of learned Christian literary circles and leader of philosophical and theological 'literary salons.' It demonstrates the importance of correctly identifying teachers in the prosopography and illustrates the potential of incorrect identifications to produce flawed and distorted historical reconstructions of the cultural transformations of the late antique west. A close reading of the sources for Claudianus, coupled with a firm understanding of the cultural and educational realities of late antique Gaul, sheds light on the evolution of an increasingly Christian intellectual culture among the Gallo-Roman litterati of the fifth century, and a better understanding of the transformation of educational practices in this period and after the 'fall' of Rome.
Making and Unmaking Ancient Memory (ed. Bhola and De Marre), 2021
Book Reviews by Alison John
International Journal of The Classical Tradition, 2021
A co-authored review of Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, writte... more A co-authored review of Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, written by Alison John and Bastiaan Willems
The Classical Review (CR 70.1 88-90), 2019
The Classical Review (CR 69.2 556-558), 2019
Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR 2020.01.12), 2020
Review also available at https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2020/2020.01.12/
Thesis Chapters by Alison John
PhD Thesis Abstract - Alison John, University of Edinburgh 2018, 2018
PhD Thesis: University of Edinburgh, 2014-2018
Defended: September 2018
Examiners: Rogers Rees an... more PhD Thesis: University of Edinburgh, 2014-2018
Defended: September 2018
Examiners: Rogers Rees and Zubin Mistry
Supervisors: Gavin Kelly and Lucy Grig
Conference Presentations by Alison John
Handout from research paper given on 27 February 2024 at the Nottingham Classics and Archaeology ... more Handout from research paper given on 27 February 2024 at the Nottingham Classics and Archaeology Research Seminar
CFP for 2020 (now 2021) Celtic Conference in Classics
co-organized Alan Ross (Columbia) and Aliso... more CFP for 2020 (now 2021) Celtic Conference in Classics
co-organized Alan Ross (Columbia) and Alison John (Ghent)
[Conference Presentation] Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Ancient Literature (AMPAL) June 2015, 2015
Literary Salons' in Fifth-Century Gaul a) Ep. 4.11.1 vir siquidem fuit providus prudens, doctus e... more Literary Salons' in Fifth-Century Gaul a) Ep. 4.11.1 vir siquidem fuit providus prudens, doctus eloquens, acer et hominum aevi loci populi sui ingeniosissimus quique indesinenter salva religione philosopharetur.
[Conference Presentation] Edinburgh Postgraduate Seminar Series, 07/05/2015, 2015
[Conference Presentation] Classical Association Conference (CA), 07/04/2016, 2016
[Conference Presentation] International Society for Late Antique Literary Studies (ISLALS), 21-22/10/2016, 2016
![Research paper thumbnail of [Handout] "Mocking Teachers in Ausonius' Epigrams: Reuse and Reinvention of the Greek and Latin Traditions"](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/63955299/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Conference Presentation: Prolepsis, Bari 02/02/2020, 2020
Ausonius’ epigram collection includes poems about four teacher-characters: Auxillius (Epigr. 81),... more Ausonius’ epigram collection includes poems about four teacher-characters: Auxillius (Epigr. 81), Philomusus (44), Rufus (45-52), and Eunus (82-87). In these poems Ausonius is disparaging towards the teachers, ridiculing them for their ignorance and ineptitude, and calling them inscitus, opicus, or misellus. Such characterisation is striking because Ausonius himself was a teacher of grammar and rhetoric in Bordeaux before holding high political office in Gaul.
Focusing on these epigrams, this paper explores how Ausonius draws on and inserts himself into the Greek and Latin invective and satirical literary traditions, and how Ausonius’ own profession and experience contribute to tones of mockery and humour in these poems. The uneducated teacher is a topos in Greek skoptic epigram (e.g. AP 11.138-151, 278, 279, 305, 321, 322), and Ausonius was clearly influenced by Martial’s use of invective directed at individuals, developed over a series of epigrams on the same character. Mockery of teachers is also prevalent outside the genre of epigram, so this paper also explores the epigrams’ relationship with other literary traditions, such as Latin satire.
Furthermore, throughout the epigram collection, Ausonius displays his erudition and poetic virtuosity by translating and adapting Greek epigrams. This attests to the enduring centrality of bilingualism and Greek texts in western literary circles in this period. By studying the creative process and circulation of Ausonius’ epigrams, especially those which mock teachers, this paper will shed light on the intellectual world in which Ausonius could play with and blend Greek and Latin literary traditions. Crucially, the paper will reflect on the intended audience and readership for these poems and Ausonius’ other ‘ludic’ poetry, such as the Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuent, Parentalia, Ludus Septem Sapientum, Technopaigneon, and the Eclogae.
Organised Conferences, Panels and Seminars by Alison John
Languages and Literature Seminar, Oxford, January-March 2023
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Books by Alison John
Papers by Alison John
Book Reviews by Alison John
Thesis Chapters by Alison John
Defended: September 2018
Examiners: Rogers Rees and Zubin Mistry
Supervisors: Gavin Kelly and Lucy Grig
Conference Presentations by Alison John
co-organized Alan Ross (Columbia) and Alison John (Ghent)
Focusing on these epigrams, this paper explores how Ausonius draws on and inserts himself into the Greek and Latin invective and satirical literary traditions, and how Ausonius’ own profession and experience contribute to tones of mockery and humour in these poems. The uneducated teacher is a topos in Greek skoptic epigram (e.g. AP 11.138-151, 278, 279, 305, 321, 322), and Ausonius was clearly influenced by Martial’s use of invective directed at individuals, developed over a series of epigrams on the same character. Mockery of teachers is also prevalent outside the genre of epigram, so this paper also explores the epigrams’ relationship with other literary traditions, such as Latin satire.
Furthermore, throughout the epigram collection, Ausonius displays his erudition and poetic virtuosity by translating and adapting Greek epigrams. This attests to the enduring centrality of bilingualism and Greek texts in western literary circles in this period. By studying the creative process and circulation of Ausonius’ epigrams, especially those which mock teachers, this paper will shed light on the intellectual world in which Ausonius could play with and blend Greek and Latin literary traditions. Crucially, the paper will reflect on the intended audience and readership for these poems and Ausonius’ other ‘ludic’ poetry, such as the Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuent, Parentalia, Ludus Septem Sapientum, Technopaigneon, and the Eclogae.
Organised Conferences, Panels and Seminars by Alison John
Defended: September 2018
Examiners: Rogers Rees and Zubin Mistry
Supervisors: Gavin Kelly and Lucy Grig
co-organized Alan Ross (Columbia) and Alison John (Ghent)
Focusing on these epigrams, this paper explores how Ausonius draws on and inserts himself into the Greek and Latin invective and satirical literary traditions, and how Ausonius’ own profession and experience contribute to tones of mockery and humour in these poems. The uneducated teacher is a topos in Greek skoptic epigram (e.g. AP 11.138-151, 278, 279, 305, 321, 322), and Ausonius was clearly influenced by Martial’s use of invective directed at individuals, developed over a series of epigrams on the same character. Mockery of teachers is also prevalent outside the genre of epigram, so this paper also explores the epigrams’ relationship with other literary traditions, such as Latin satire.
Furthermore, throughout the epigram collection, Ausonius displays his erudition and poetic virtuosity by translating and adapting Greek epigrams. This attests to the enduring centrality of bilingualism and Greek texts in western literary circles in this period. By studying the creative process and circulation of Ausonius’ epigrams, especially those which mock teachers, this paper will shed light on the intellectual world in which Ausonius could play with and blend Greek and Latin literary traditions. Crucially, the paper will reflect on the intended audience and readership for these poems and Ausonius’ other ‘ludic’ poetry, such as the Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuent, Parentalia, Ludus Septem Sapientum, Technopaigneon, and the Eclogae.