Plautus' Stichus: Seminar and Workshop

Friday, June 16, 2023 - 9:00am to 6:00pm
Corpus Christi College Oxford

3rd century CE mosaic panel: the scene depicts a father addressing two daughtersImage: 3rd century CE mosaic panel illustrating Menander’s Philadelphoi, the model of Plautus’ Stichus: the scene depicts the father addressing the two daughters.

Corpus Christi College Classics Centre and the APGRD are pleased to invite you to a double act dedicated to Plautus’ Stichus, which will consist of a weekly seminar (Mondays 5pm, 24 April to 12 June) and a two-day workshop (Thursday 15-Friday  16 June), both open to everyone. In collaboration with the APGRD and Corpus Christi College Classics Centre. Organisers: Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi College, Oxford) & Domenico Giordani (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford / UCL).

Research Workshop

Potant seruuli: Text, Performance, and Reception of Plautus' Stichus

The hybrid event will take place on the 15th (Lady Margaret Hall, Monson Room) and the 16th June (Ioannou Centre, Lecture Theatre) in Oxford. If you are planning to attend the event (either in person or via Zoom), please register your details in our online form. For any information or queries, please write to .

15 June (Lady Margaret Hall, Monson Room)

3-3.15pm: Introduction

3.15–4pm: Gesine Manuwald (UCL): ‘Plautus’ Stichus and dramatic conventions’

4-4.15pm: Tea and coffee

4.15–5pm: Matthew Leigh (Oxford): ‘Reading Plautus with Frederick Douglass’

16 June (Ioannou Centre, Lecture Theatre)

9-9.15am: Tea and coffee

9.15-10am: Dorota Dutsch (UCSB): ‘Pamphila De Officiis

10-10.45am: Orlando Gibbs (Cambridge): ‘Sub-elite friendship in the Stichus

10.45-11am: Tea and coffee

11-11.45am: Wolfgang de Melo (Oxford): ‘Old men, women, slaves: a linguistically realistic portrayal?’

11.45-12.45pm: Domenico Giordani (Oxford/UCL) & Alex Silverman (Oxford): ‘Singing Sisters: Plautus in Music’

12.45-1.15pm: Roundtable

1.15-2.15pm: Lunch

*All times are BST

Introductory Seminar
Mondays 5-6.30pm, 24 April - 12 June
Corpus Christi College Oxford and on Zoom

Our programme encompasses a wide array of topics and perspectives on the play — from textual criticism to gender studies, from ancient and modern reception to stage-related issues and performance. In addition to presentations on selected passages given by graduate students and early career researchers, sessions will also feature introductions on several aspects of the text such as transmission, language, metre, Greek model, and the historical context of its performance.

The seminar is open to everyone and it is by no means expected that participants will have any prior knowledge of Stichus or of Roman comedy in general. In fact, our aim is to bring different approaches to bear on the text and thus open up new avenues for interpretation. 

The programme, including the location for each session and the list of speakers, can be found below.

Seminar Registration

If you are planning to attend the seminar (either in person or via Zoom), please register your details in our online Seminar form.

Seminar Programme

Week 1: 24th April 2023 (Seminar room)

  • Domenico Giordani (Oxford/UCL)
  • Vincent Graf (Leipzig)

Week 2: 1st May 2023 (Rainolds Room)

  • Domenico Giordani (Oxford/UCL)
  • Gregory Hutchinson (Oxford)

Week 3: 8th May 2023 (Seminar Room)

  • Anna Andreopolou (UCL)
  • Beppe Pezzini (Oxford)

Week 4: 15th May 2023 (Seminar Room)

  • Marius del Core (Pisa)
  • Connor Beattie (Oxford)

Week 5: 22nd May 2023 (Seminar Room)

  • Cynthia Liu (Oxford)
  • Łukasz Berger (Poznań)

Week 6: 29th May (Seminar Room)

  • Timothy Smith (Oxford)
  • Holly Hunt (Oxford)

Week 7: 5th June 2023 (Seminar Room)

  • Thomas Lister (Oxford)
  • Eleanor Dickey (Reading)

Week 8: 12th June 2023 (Seminar Room)

  • T.H.M Gellar-Goad (Wake Forest)
  • Stefano Cianciosi (Oxford)