Expanding the Ancient World Workshop:

This workshop will take place online; a Zoom link will be provided via email to registered participants.

Registration is required at THIS LINK.

Expanding the Ancient World is a series of professional development workshops and online resources for teachers. Keyed to the NYC Department of Education Social Studies Scope and Sequence, this program is designed to offer K-12 educators opportunities to develop their knowledge of the ancient world and to provide classroom-ready strategies for teaching the past with reliable sources. Featuring inquiry-based workshops, flexible lesson plans, and up-to-date research, Expanding the Ancient World aims to equip teachers with information and skills that they can share with their students. CTLE credits will be offered to New York State teachers.

Belief systems around the body have a great influence on how societies conceptualize themselves, others, and their divinities. For the ancient world, the idealized bodies of gods and heroes, immortalized in flawless marble, have long defined our vision of Greece and Rome, but beyond these perfect forms lies a more complex story. This workshop delves into the lived reality of the body in antiquity, exploring how beliefs surrounding beauty, fitness, medicine, and disability shaped societies. We will investigate compelling questions at the heart of daily life: How did the ancients think of beauty and what did their exercise regime look like? How did they depict their gods and heroes, foreigners and outsiders? What role did medicine and religion play in conceptualizing the body? And how did those who might not have had a perfect body live their lives? 

To try and answer these questions, we will engage with a fascinating array of evidence—from the powerful physiques in sculpture and athletes on painted vases, to practical knowledge in early medical texts and the pleas for help inscribed at healing sanctuaries. By examining these sources, we uncover a richer, more diverse picture of the ancient world, revealing the anxieties and aspirations of its people when interacting with the ever-present concepts of beauty and health.

Workshop led by Ricarda Meisl (NYU Classics).

Participants will receive 1.5 CTLE hours.

If you have any questions regarding the Expanding the Ancient World program please email ETAW@nyu.edu.

Please check isaw.nyu.edu for event updates.

ISAW is committed to providing a positive and educational experience for all guests and participants who attend our public programming. We ask that all attendees follow the guidelines listed in our community standards policy.