Statement of Purpose

There used to be a time when Greek lyric poetry, the fountainhead and inspiration of modern lyric poetry, was studied at every major university by more than one person. In the last two decades, however, many universities, especially in Europe, have had to cut back on positions in Classics, leading to a situation wherein scholars who now work in specialized fields like archaic Greek poetry often find themselves alone within their institution or even within their own country. At the same time it is recognised, more than ever, that the study of this subject requires an interdisciplinary approach and a common effort by groups of scholars. The purpose of the Network for the Study of Archaic and Classical Greek Song is to bring individual scholars together in an international network for the study of archaic and classical Greek song. In the title of the network the word “song” is preferred over “lyric poetry” to indicate that this network will focus not only on lyric but also on iambic and elegiac Greek poetry, and that it wishes to study not only the surviving texts but the performance contexts of this poetry as well. Chronologically the network is restricted to the study of Greek lyric, iambic and elegiac poetry before the Hellenistic era (ca. 700-300 BCE).

The main activities of the network will be the organisation of annual meetings and the maintenance of this website. The network is open to anyone working on or interested in archaic Greek lyric poetry, including graduate students, but in order to guarantee its success, also in the future, sixteen core members (“choreutai”) have been chosen, including the two main organizers (“choragoi”), Ewen Bowie (Oxford) and André Lardinois (Radboud University Nijmegen). One of the choragoi, Ewen Bowie, has now handed over his position to Anastasia-Erasmia Peponi (Stanford University). The duties of these core members are to attend the annual meetings and to commit themselves to raise funds and organize at least one meeting themselves within the coming fifteen years. They have been selected on the basis of their special expertise and the scholarly communities they represent.

The aim of the network is to share information and exchange ideas about the study of archaic and classical Greek lyric, elegiac and iambic and, where possible, to define common research interests and find ways to fund them. Members will keep each other informed about their forthcoming publications and planned activities through this website. The core members will meet as a group every year and help organize every two years larger conferences, where other members and scholars from many different disciplines, who work on archaic and classical Greek poetry, are invited to contribute. In future we hope also to establish summer courses and exchange programmes for graduate students working in the field of archaic Greek poetry.

Membership is free and can be requested under the Membership menu on the website.