October 2011 Newsletter

HELLENISMOS
Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado
Ελληνο-Αµερικανικός Πολιτιστικός Σύλλογος του Κολοράντο
NEWSLETTER
Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
THE HELLENIC-AMERICAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO
PROUDLY PRESENTS THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL PROGRAM
☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼
DATE/TIME
Saturday, October 29, 2010; 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Dinner at Piatti Restaurant (6:00 pm)
[dinner reservation and payment required, see page 2]
PLACE
University of Denver
Sturm Hall, Room 254
2000 E. Asbury Street
Denver, Colorado
(map attached on page 6; parking available)
A SYMPOSIUM ON
“ CLEOPATRA A N D PTOLEMAIC EG YPT ”
SPEAKERS AND TOPICS
Professor Peter Hunt
“Big Government and Civilization in Ptolemaic Egypt”
Professor Noel Lenski
“The Uses of Cleopatra”
Professor Roger Bagnall
"Ptolemaic Egypt: Politics, Society, and Economy"
DETAILS IN FOLLOWING PAGE
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND
Hellelismos Newsletter of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
Page 2
2
A SYMPOSIUM ON
“ CLEOPATRA A N D PTOLEMAIC EG YPT ”
SYMPOSIUM AGENDA
The Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado proudly presents a symposium on Cleopatra and
Ptolemaic Egypt. We are delighted to have Professor Peter Hunt and Professor Noel Lenski from the University
of Colorado along with Professor Roger Bagnall from Columbia University and New York University
Ptolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter proclaimed himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the
death of queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom was a powerful
Hellenistic state. It extended from southern Syria in the east, to Cyrene to the west, and south to Nubia.
Alexandria became the capital city and a center of Greek culture and trade.
This symposium will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at the University of Denver, Sturm Hall, Room 254,
from 1pm to 5:30pm. All are welcome. Dinner will follow at Piatti Restaurant in Cherry Creek at 6pm. Each
individual is responsible for payment at the restaurant. For questions, details, and dinner RSVPs please contact
Alex Krikos at 970-443-5370 or at [email protected].
AGENDA (University of Denver, Sturm Hall, Room 254) October 29, 2011
1:00-1:20 pm:
1:20-1:30 pm:
Refreshments Served
Welcome & Introduction by Alex Krikos
(President, Hellenic American Cultural Association of Colorado)
1:30-2:30 pm:
2:30-3:30 pm:
3:30-4:00 pm:
4:00-5:00 pm:
5:00-5:30 pm:
Lecture #1: Professor Peter Hunt
Lecture #2: Professor Noel Lenski
Intermission and Refreshments
Lecture #3: Professor Roger Bagnall
General Discussion
6:00 pm
Dinner at Piatti Restaurant
190 St. Paul Street, Denver, CO 80206
RSVP to Alex Krikos, [email protected] or 970-443-5370
(each individual is responsible for payment)
Hellelismos Newsletter of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
Page 3
Summaries of Presentations
Professor Peter Hunt
“Big Government and Civilization in Ptolemaic Egypt”
Intellectuals working under the sponsorship of the Ptolemies made crucial contributions in a variety of fields:
astronomy, math, medicine, poetry, and literary criticism. This lecture will survey these accomplishments and the
role royal patronage played in them, especially the role of the Museum in Alexandria. A comparison of this
situation to the relationship of culture and the state in democratic Athens will shed light on the extent to which
Ptolemaic (and Hellenistic) culture was influenced by the large, wealthy, and monarchical governments of the
time.
Professor Noel Lenski
“The Uses of Cleopatra”
This lecture explores how little we know of Cleopatra from her own perspective or even from a favorable
perspective. It will then turn to ways that she has been used by others, from Antiquity up to the present, to suit their
own agendas. It will bring in textual, numismatic and artistic representations from antiquity as well as images from
written, painted, sculpted and filmed Cleopatras from the modern era. In the end it will show how Cleopatra is a
construct, constantly reformulated to provide an icon of the exotic other that can be used to critique contemporary
society and culture.
Professor Roger Bagnall
"Ptolemaic Egypt: Politics, Society, and Economy"
Ptolemaic Egypt was in some respects the continuation of the country as it was ruled by the last Egyptian pharaohs
and the Persian kings. But on the foundations provided by Egypt’s agriculture, administration, and temples,
Alexander the Great and the Ptolemies introduced important new elements to construct a Greek kingdom: the
capital of Alexandria; a Greek city in Upper Egypt; a Macedonian army; a Greek administration; Greek foods and
crops; and Greek habits in economic, social, religious, and cultural life, ranging from types of accounting to
institutions like the gymnasium. Although the Ptolemies recognized a legal distinction between Greeks and
Egyptians, which (for example) created different tax rates, the boundaries between the groups were in fact porous,
as Greeks married Egyptians and Egyptians learned Greek and entered the Ptolemaic army and bureaucracy.
Religiously, the Greek settlers were strongly attracted to Egyptian cults and practices. The resulting society is
ethnically and culturally one of great complexity.
Hellelismos Newsletter of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
Page 4
BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF SPEAKERS
Professor Peter Hunt
Peter Hunt was born in New York City and attended Swarthmore College, the University of Colorado, and
Stanford University (Ph.D.). He has taught at Vassar and Davidson Colleges, the University of Colorado, and
Harvard University. His publications include articles in top academic journals and edited collections as well as
two books: Slaves, Warfare, and Ideology in the Greek Historians (Cambridge University Press, 1998) and War,
Peace, and Alliance in Demosthenes' Athens (Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Professor Noel Lenski
(photo not available)
Noel Lenski is an Associate Professor in Classics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Professor Lenski
received a BA in Classics from The Colorado College along with an MA and Ph.D. in Classics and Program in the
Ancient World from Princeton University.
Professor Lenski has authored numerous books and publications,
including Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State In the Fourth Century AD. Professor Lenski has held
numerous academic appointments at the University of Colorado, The Colorado College, and Princeton University.
Hellelismos Newsletter of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
Page 5
Professor Roger Bagnall
Before joining the NYU faculty in 2007, Roger Bagnall was Jay Professor of Greek and Latin and Professor of
History at Columbia University, where he had taught for 33 years. During that time he served as Dean of the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of Classics. Educated at Yale University and
the University of Toronto, he specializes in the social and economic history of Hellenistic, Roman and Late
Antique Egypt. He has held many leadership positions in the fields of classics and papyrology; he is co-founder of
a multi-university consortium creating the Advanced Papyrological Information System. Among his best-known
works are Egypt in Late Antiquity (1993), The Demography of Roman Egypt (1994; with Bruce Frier),
and Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History (1995). He has also edited many volumes of papyri and other ancient
texts. He directs NYU-Columbia's joint excavation project at Amheida in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt. He is a
member of the American Philosophical Society and the Académie Royale de Belgique, as well as a Fellow of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the British Academy.
Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado
The Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado exists to contribute in the dissemination and preservation
of Hellenic heritage and culture, past and present, to interested persons, especially the youth, and to instill an
understanding of the contributions of the past, its influence on the present, and its contemporary manifestations.
The board of directors of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado (HACAC) serve as volunteers.
The board members strive to construct and prepare programs which are educational and informative. The costs of
presenting a program such as the one described in this newsletter involve honoraria to lecturers, postage, office
supplies, and a small amount for refreshments. We encourage you to join HACAC and make a contribution as
described on the attached membership form.
Hellelismos Newsletter of the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado Volume 15, Issue 1, October 2011
Page 6
MAP (to Sturm Hall at University of Denver)
N
I-25
Sturm Hall, Room 254
University of Denver
2000 E. Asbury Ave.
parking
S. Colorado Blvd
S. University Blvd
I-25
Asbury Ave.
LOT
316
High St.
Race St.
LOT
302
Evans Ave.
HELLENIC-AMERICAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO
Ελληνο-Αµερικανικός Πολιτιστικός Σύλλογος του Κολοράντο
1758 Monaco Parkway, Denver, CO 80220
Phone: 970-443-5370
Website: http://www.HACAC.org E-mail: [email protected]

The Hellenic American Cultural Association of Colorado exists to contribute in the
dissemination and preservation of Hellenic heritage and culture, past and present, to interested
persons, especially the youth, and to instill an understanding of the contributions of the past, its
influence on the present, and its contemporary manifestations.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the Association is to provide its
members and other interested individuals with knowledge, based on
historical fact, about the culture and history of the Greek world. In
addition, the Association shall promote an understanding of the
influence and contributions of Hellenism on Western Civilization
and religion through cultural and educational activities and
programs. Special efforts shall be made to organize programs and
activities that will be beneficial to the youth. These objectives
should be accomplished without development of arrogance,
fanaticism, or boisterous ethnicity, but through the scientific
process and method, and in a straightforward presentation of
historical facts.
The function of the Association is:
 Cultural - To organize and sponsor cultural, artistic and
intellectual activities for the benefit of the
American-Hellenic community and the general public.
 Educational - To sponsor, organize and present lectures,
film/slide/video presentations, workshops, seminars and newsletters
on topics that are of interest to its members and that promote the
objectives of the Association. Special attention should be given to
the education of the youth, according to the objectives of the
Association, and through sponsorship of scholarships, travel grants
and educational contests.
 Service - To provide speakers, literature, visual aids or any
pertinent information regarding Hellenic culture and language to
both Hellenic and American groups, schools or communities, and to
interested persons.
MEMBERSHIP: Membership is open to persons of Hellenic
heritage or tradition, philhellenes, and any individuals or entities
interested in the objectives of the Association.

MEMBERSHIP FORM
Donations to the Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado are tax-deductible under Section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue
Code as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3). Funds are used to organize, promote, and present programs as described in the
bylaws.
First name:
Middle initial:
Last name:___________________________________________
Spouse’s name:
-Mr.
-Mrs.
-Ms.
-Dr.
-Prof.
Address:_________________________________________City:______________________________________
State:_________________________Zip code:_____________Phone number:____________________________
Fax number:________________________E-mail:___________________________________________________
Suggested Annual Membership Donation Categories
-Regular I (Persons/Couples over 35 years of age)...$50
-Regular II (Persons/Couples age 35 and under)…...$35
-Student……………………………………..………..$5
-Contributing………………………………..……..$100
-Sustaining………………………………..………..$250
-Donor……………………………………….…….$500
One-time Donations: -Life Member…$1,000
-Life Member/Benefactor…2,000 and over
Please, make check payable to “Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado” and mail to:
Hellenic-American Cultural Association
c/o Alex Krikos
1758 Monaco Parkway
Denver, CO 80220
Hellenic-American Cultural Association of Colorado
c/o Alex Krikos
1758 Monaco Parkway
Denver, CO 80220