Classical Studies Presents

Asychronicity in Ancient Roman Letters

The primary form of telecommunication available to ancient Romans was letter-writing, an asynchronous mode of communication. When his friend is widowed, Ovid laments that it can take a full year for mail to travel between Rome and Tomis; after so much delay, trying to console Gallio might only resurface old wounds–or even offend a new wife if he has already remarried! Even when the timeframe is less dramatic, this disjuncture between written time and lived time looms over many correspondences. Writing before an election to a post-election recipient, Cicero addresses one letter, “To Appius Pulcher, censor—I hope.” Examining letters ancient Romans wrote to their friends from the civil war through late antiquity, we will explore how the asynchronicity of letter-writing shaped the kinds of intimacy that letters could foster.

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For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm EST/GMT-5

Location: Olin Humanities, Room 202

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