Jane D. Chaplin

My teaching and research interests are fairly closely aligned. As the Classics Department’s ancient historian, I give introductory survey courses in Greek and Roman history and more specialized upper-level courses in Roman law, Sparta and Athens, and the Hellenistic period. I teach almost exclusively from primary sources for two reasons: first, part of ancient history’s appeal is its accessibility to beginners and scholars alike; second, there is no better way to understand the Greeks and Romans than on their own terms. I also share in the department’s language teaching, and while I confess to a preference for prose and the historians (Herodotus and Livy especially), I have taught Sophocles and Euripides in Greek and regularly choose Lucretius in Latin.

My published work all deals with Livy. In particular, early in my training I became fascinated with his claim that people can learn from the past. This idea underpins my teaching, but I confess that I find it challenging. How exactly do we learn from the past? Are the lessons practical or moral? While the didactic value of history is a commonplace in ancient historiography, Livy’s exploration of it seems tied to his circumstances, in the tumultuous transition Rome was undergoing from republic to empire. I am currently working on a translation of the last five surviving books of Livy’s monumental 142-book history of Rome, as well as the summaries that were produced after his death. Teaching ancient history in translation and teaching students how to translate both make this project a natural focus for my intellectual activity outside the classroom.