Faculty Work-in-Progress - The Power of Silence in the Roman Empire: A Novel Approach

OCTOBER 28, 2021 - 4:30 PM

Clark Hall Room 206
11130 Bellflower Road

Black and white photo of a statue of a nude young man from 50 BCE
Statuette of Harpocrates, ca. 50 BCE, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1972.6

In this talk drawn from her forthcoming book Discourse, Knowledge, and Power in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses, Evelyn Adkins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics, explores the power of silence in the literature of the High Roman Empire. Combining her study of the ancient Roman novel the Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass with perspectives from Greek and Roman rhetoric, philosophy, and mystery religions as well as contemporary approaches to discourse analysis and linguistics, Adkins demonstrates how the Romans viewed silence as a multifaceted mode of communication that could convey powerlessness or power, ignorance or knowledge, and the ineffable nature of the divine.

Due to COVID restrictions, the reception has been cancelled.

Registration requested.  Register .

This lecture will also be live-streamed at .



Increasing COVID-19 cases within Northeast Ohio have prompted ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ to resume its requirement that masks be worn indoors. In addition, only those who are fully vaccinated (two weeks past their final dose) should attend any campus event. Leaders continue to monitor pandemic developments and may need to adjust health protocols further as circumstances warrant. In-person is subject to change based on COVID-19 guidelines.