Foundations of Classical Studies

Understanding Classics: Definition and Historical Development What Is Classics? Classics is the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature, along with their original languages—ancient Greek and Latin. However, the field extends far beyond just reading texts. When scholars study classics, they engage with ancient philosophy, history, archaeology, anthropology, architecture, art, mythology, and society. Think of it as a comprehensive exploration of the entire Greco-Roman world and its cultural legacy. In Western civilization, classics held a particularly important place. For centuries, it was considered the foundation of the humanities and the cornerstone of elite higher education. This elevated status shaped how people across Europe and America were educated. Important Distinctions It's crucial to understand some key terms that often get confused: Classical literature refers specifically to ancient Greek and Roman literature. Don't confuse this with ancient literature, which is a much broader term encompassing the literature of all ancient cultures (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese, etc.). A classicist is a scholar who specializes in studying the classical world. A classicist is not the same as someone who practices classicism, which is an artistic and literary movement that consciously draws on and imitates classical models. These terms overlap but have distinct meanings. The Etymology of "Classics": How the Term Developed The word "classics" has an interesting history that helps explain what the field values. By the second century AD, Romans used the word classicus to describe writers of the highest quality—the best of the best. Later, by the sixth century AD, the term also came to refer to pupils at a school. <extrainfo> These Roman uses gave rise to both modern meanings of the word: literature of high quality and standard texts used in a curriculum. Understanding this etymology shows that from the very beginning, "classics" has been associated with excellence and with education. </extrainfo> How Classical Studies Developed Through History Classical studies hasn't always looked the way it does today. The field has changed dramatically across different historical periods, and understanding this development provides important context for what classics encompasses now. The Middle Ages: A Period of Limited Access During the Middle Ages, classical education was quite limited compared to what came before or after. While medieval students were taught to imitate earlier classical models, very few actually read the original Greek texts. Most Greek literature was known only through Latin translations—sometimes incomplete or filtered through another scholar's interpretation. The situation began to improve somewhat when some Greek works were rescued through an unexpected route: Arabic translations. Following the conquest of Spain, the School of Translators in Toledo became a crucial bridge, translating ancient texts from Arabic back into Latin. This indirect path—Greek → Arabic → Latin—illustrates just how tenuous the connection to classical Greek literature had become. The Renaissance: A Revival of Classical Learning Everything changed during the Renaissance, beginning in fourteenth-century Italy. This period witnessed a dramatic increase in the study of ancient literature and history, accompanied by a revival of classical Latin styles. The Renaissance humanist movement fundamentally transformed how people viewed antiquity: rather than seeing classical texts as mere sources of moral lessons, humanists advocated for studying and imitating classical antiquity as a comprehensive intellectual and cultural model. Two humanist innovations were particularly important: Restoring Greek literature to Western Europe: Humanist scholars like Petrarch and Boccaccio commissioned translations of Homer's poems, sparking the reintroduction of Greek literature to the West. This was a monumental shift—after centuries of relying on Latin translations, scholars could once again read Homer in something closer to the original language. Reforming education with a practical goal: The humanist educational reform wasn't purely academic. A major motivation was enabling clerics to read the New Testament in its original Greek. This practical religious goal drove the institutional adoption of Greek language study. The reforms spread across Europe—to Catholic countries through the Jesuits and to Protestant countries including England, Germany, and the Low Countries—making classical language education a standard part of clerical training. Nineteenth Century: Classics Becomes Systematic and Scientific In Britain, composition (the writing of Greek and Latin) remained the dominant focus of classical studies until the 1870s. After that point, the discipline began to expand into new areas. A crucial development was the emergence of the "new philology" in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which brought more systematic and scientific approaches to studying classical languages and texts. Equally important was the professionalization of related fields. Ancient history and classical archaeology gradually came to be recognized as parts of classics rather than as entirely separate disciplines. This integration broadened what "classics" meant—it was no longer just about reading and analyzing texts, but also about understanding the material culture and historical context of the ancient world. <extrainfo> Neoclassicism and Modern Influence From the eighteenth century onward, there was a notable shift in emphasis: the study of Greek became increasingly important relative to Latin. This reflected broader intellectual trends, including the influence of classical models on political thought. For example, the American Founders drew heavily on the Roman Republic as a model for designing their new government. The Twentieth Century to Present The story of classics in more recent times varies significantly by region. In Britain and North America, classical studies has declined somewhat. However, elsewhere in Europe the situation is quite different. Latin remains compulsory in most secondary schools in Italy, reflecting the persistence of classical education in its original homeland. In Greece, Ancient Greek remains compulsory in secondary education. France occupies a middle position: Latin is optional in many middle and high schools, while Ancient Greek is still taught, though less frequently than Latin. </extrainfo>