Dr. Hilary Becker took 8 intrepid Classics majors and minors on a study tour of sites in Rome, Latium and Campania for four weeks this June. Several of the students were supported by McDonnell Foundation scholarships. Here's just a sampling of their adventures!

In sorting through materials shelved in an extra office (our "departmental library"-- now to house a member of the University's ever-growing faculty!), we discovered this week a historical gem! This 1849 Greek-English Lexicon, a forerunner of the Liddell and Scott lexicons widely used today, bears the signature of James Jones Quarles of College Hill, Mississippi. Quarles was the first graduate of the University of Mississippi in 1851, and later a member of the faculty. Further signatures belong to John H. Quarles, who is likely a brother of J. J. Quarles. He is listed in the Historical Catalogue of the University of Mississippi: 1849-1909 as "Not graduating" in 1856. On a later page, Frank Quarles records that this lexicon was left to him by his father, J. J. Quarles. Frank was the grandson of the original owner of the book, and is listed as a "New student" at the University in 1904-05. The Department has donated the Quarles lexicon to the University of Mississippi Libraries' Archives and Special Collections for preservation.

In 2009 UM alumni Mike and Mary "Bickie" McDonnell of Memphis made a generous gift of $250,000 to establish the Mike and Mary McDonnell Endowment in Classics. The endowment's first priority is the support of study abroad opportunities for Classics majors, and more than two dozen of our students have benefitted from their help since the first funds were donated.  This year, the McDonnells have committed another $250,000 to the endowment. We are beyond grateful for this support for Classics, and are excited to make direct experience of the sites of ancient Mediterranean culture available to even more of our students. You can read more in this article from the UM Foundation.

Join us for a public lecture celebrating Dr. Becker well-deserved honor on October 28 at 7:00 in Bryant 209.

Dr. Becker will talk about one aspect of her wide-ranging research in Etruscan and Roman archaeology and economic history in this "case study" focused on the trade in pigments in ancient Roman.

A reception will follow in the Farrington Gallery on the first floor of Bryant Hall.

Dr. Carlos Noreña, Chair of Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology and Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley, will present a multimedia look at the public image of the emperor and the allocation of material resources under the Roman emperor Severus Alexander.   Join us Thursday, October 15 at 5:30 in Bryant 209.

The lecture is presented by the University of Mississippi Department of Classics For information about accessibility and accommodations, please contact Dr. Molly Pasco-Pranger at mpranger@olemiss.edu and 662/915.7097.