As ancient texts, artifacts, and images circulate on the internet, there is a need to ask new questions and sharpen needed skills. Joy Connolly, President of the American Council of Learned Societies and renowned Classics scholar, argues that creating a new field of global ancient studies is the most effective way forward to study the world’s premodern cultures. This new field would focus on improving mutual understanding between peoples, interpreting evidence using various disciplines, and studying the full plurality of human activity, including under-studied periods and regions.
This lecture was the keynote address of the Politics of Knowledge and Disciplinary Challenges in Ancient Mediterranean Studies colloquium, organized by Professor Tat siong Benny Liew.