Department of Classics and Classical Reception

Research Focus

The department continues the long tradition of research of ancient culture and thought, building on the groundwork laid already in the former Centre for Greek, Roman and Latin Studies of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. It is engaged in the study of ancient culture and its reception in later periods, especially in those cultural spheres which are defined against the background of the classical heritage and lively communicate with the classical culture, i. e. mainly drama and theatre, literature and visual arts. The classical culture is not a secluded subject of research; the classical antiquity is also studied as an idea which was imbued with various meanings with regard to contemporaneous needs and which served to express important contemporary topics. The works of our department concentrate on how the classical antiquity was seen in later centuries, and on works of art which dealt with the antiquity or were inspired by it. Much attention is also paid to the reception of classical culture in the Czech Lands, shaped by specific cultural, social and historical factors of the multicultural region in the centre of Europe.

Current projects

Team projects

RECEPTION OF ANTIQUITY IN THE CZECH LANDS

Czech culture has been acquainted, either directly or through intermediators, with the legacy of antiquity since the Middle Ages. One of the long-term projects of the department is the analysis and interpreation of the ways in which the culture of antiquity was treated by Czech art in various contexts, especially in theatre, literature and visual arts, with regard to specific art epoch, political circumstances or different social groups. To this topic, several collective monographs have been dedicated by the department members in past years, and also studies published both abroad and at home (for the list of selected publications see below). Within the framework of this long-term project, the electronic databases Antiquity and Czech Culture are maintained as well.

CLASSICS AND COLD WAR THEATRE. CLASSICAL STUDIES AND ANCIENT THEATRE IN THE COLD WAR PERIOD
(Mgr. Jakub Čechvala, Ph.D., Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D.)

An international project carried out in collaboration with the Department of Theatre Studies, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, Oxford and the School of Classics, University of St Andrews.
The aim of the project is to systematically analyse the various forms of ideologisation in the historical context of the Cold War, on both sides of the so-called Iron Curtain. The focus is on the impact of the political-military conflict on culture, science, education and the arts. This research project adopts an event-based approach, i.e. one that takes into account not only isolated phenomena and artistic artefacts, but a set of dynamically interacting factors and agents that form an interdependent web of relationships that interact in their ontological co-presence. The project is strengthened by networking at the intersection of classics, theatre history and practice. It aims to explore how narratives, themes and ideas expressed by scholars and on stage were appropriated, manipulated and used as tools within the broader ideological struggle of the Cold War, while challenging stereotypical views of a binary divided world.

SENECA AND THE ISSUES OF TRANSLATION
(Mgr. Daniela Čadková, Ph.D. – Mgr. Eliška Kubartová [Poláčková], Ph.D.)

In order to create a high-quality translation, it is imperative not only to master the target language and the one of the source, but especially to have a deep insight into the translated author, his cultural and historical background, and knowledge of translation studies. Without meeting these requirements, the translation produced is of poor quality, it does not interpret the meaning of the original but distorts and blurs it. Translations of dramas are even more demanding, because they not only have to meet the demands on literary qualities of the text, but also to have the potential to be rendered on stage. We believe translations of classical works to be one of the key activities which must be systematically fostered, because the reception of the classical antiquity in Czech culture is today, given the minimal knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin, possible only through translations of the originals. Given the personnel composition of the department, we will first focus on ancient drama and its contemporary reflexions. The translation itself is a specific kind of reception of ancient literature, as we make clear by theoretical insight into this discipline. The first output of the project will be three volumes of new Czech translation of L. A. Seneca’s tragedies, because Czech translations either do not exist at all or have been published only in journals. The three volumes, initiated by Professor Eva Stehlíková, will be published in the publishing house Větrné mlýny (so-far two volumes have been published in 2017 and 2018).

Collaboration on Projects Run by Other Institutions

The database of performances of ancient dramas on the Czech stage is a part of the European projects Network of Research and Documentation of Performances of Ancient Greek Drama (Athens) and Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (Oxford). Furthermore, Jan Bažant takes part in the project Corpus vasorum antiquorum that is under the aegis of the Union académique internationale in Brussels.

Individual Projects

DEPICTIONS OF ANCIENT MYTHS SINCE THE BEGINNINGS UNTIL TODAY
(Prof. PhDr. Jan Bažant, CSc.)

The project deals with depictions of ancient Greek and Roman myths in visual arts since the beginnings in the 8th century BCE until today. The first output of the project is the monograph Perseus a Medusa (Perseus and Medusa) published in the publishing house Academia in 2017 (see Strategy AV21 under Projects).

THEATRE DIRECTOR KAREL DOSTAL: FROM MODERNISM TO CLASSICISM (GAČR 20-21053S, duration 2020-2022, principal investigator: Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D.)

The project presents the work of Karel Dostal, Czech theatre director who worked for most years at the National Theatre. His style is surveyed, as well as his approaches, esp. to classical and classicist repertoire. His significant productions are analysed in the context of the Czech theatre canon. The research is going to be published in a monograph and in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Karel Dostal went through all the historical epochs of Czechoslovakia until the 1960s. He never conformed to the demands of authoritative regimes, remained ethically fírm, and was therefore forgotten by history, although in his time he was perceived as a progressive artist, often entrusted with challenging tasks profiling the theatres. Thanks to his German training, his work stemmed from traditions unusual in Czech theatre: he contributed to the promotion both of modern drama and of classicism on Czech stages. The survey of his work can thus significantly extend the ways of understanding the development of Czech theatre culture. It will likely prove Dostal's influence not only on the development of directing but also on Czech acting. An issue of general importance is the study of his work in the context of the transformation of Czech theatre network - the research can enrich our awarness about the mechanisms guiding the Czech theatre between the birth of the republic and the 1960s, which will once again transform Czech theatre and demands of the audience.

Databases

Ancient Inspiration in Visual Arts

Performances of Ancient Dramas

The Antiquity in Inscriptions of Czech Provenance

Involvement in the Strategy AV21

Detailed information is available at the webpage dedicated to the Strategy AV21.

Since 2020

• Divine Nakedness. Statues of Venus since Beginnings until Present (Coordinator: Prof. PhDr. Jan Bažant, CSc., 2020)
• Classics and Cold War Theatre. Classical Studies and Ancient Theatre during the Cold War (Coordinator: Mgr. Jakub Čechvala, Ph.D., 2024)
• 32nd Summer School of Classical Studies: Proving, Refuting, Awakening the Emotions (Aristotle, Poetics, 1456a). Reflection on the Emotions in Ancient Culture and its Reception (Coordinator: Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D., 2024).
• Classics and Cold War Theatre Classical Studies and Ancient Theatre during the Cold War (Řešitel: Mgr. Jakub Čechvala, Ph.D., 2023)
• 31st Summer School of Classical Studies: Olive, Vine, Laurel in the Cultural Milieu of the Classical world (Coordinator: Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D., 2023)
• The Prague Belvedere (1537–1562) [Coordinator: Prof. Jan Bažant, CSc., 2022]
• Medieval and Early Modern European Theatre Culture – Conference And Accompanying Theatre Festival (18.–21. 7. 2022) [Coordinator: Mgr. Eliška Kubartová, Ph.D., 2022]
• 30th Summer School of Classical Studies: Public Speech, Persuasion and Truth from Antiquity to the Internet (Coordinator: Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D., 2022)
• Aphrodite of the Past and Present (Coordinator: prof. PhDr. Jan Bažant, CSc., 2021)
• 29th Summer School of Classical Studies: Odi profanum volgus et arceo? (Horatius, Carmen III,1): Folk and Popular in Antiquity and Its Reception (Coordinator: Mgr. Alena Sarkissian, Ph.D., 2021)

Educational Activities

THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE STUDIES AT THE FACULTY OF ARTS OF THE CHARLES UNIVERSITY, PRAGUE
Every semester, the Department organises specialised courses based on our scholars’ own projects, mostly dealing with the oldest era of the history of theatre in a broad historical, cultural and social context. We also present the classical culture in general and its reception in later centuries. All members of the department take part on the educational activities to some extent. For more details (in Czech), click here.

Completed Projects and Selected Important Publications

BOOKS (since 2020)

• Bažant, Jan, Children on Choes, Heidelberg: Propylaeum, 2024, 186 pp. ISBN 978-3-96929-347-8.
• Bažant, Jan, Božská nahota. Sochy Venuše od počátku do dneška [Divine Nakedness. Statues of Venus from the Beginning up Today], Praha: Academia 2023, 372 pp. ISBN 978-80-200-3311-6. 
• Bažant, Jan, Myth of Perseus and Images. From the Beginning to Today, Heidelberg: Propylaeum 2023, 262 pp. ISBN 978-3-96929-221-1
• Bažant, Jan, Statues of Venus. From Antiquity to the Present, Heidelberg: Propylaeum 2022, 280 pp. ISBN 978-3-96929-141-2.
• Bažant, Jan, Antika po česku: odezvy v umění 19. a 20. století [Antiquity in the Czech Way: Reception in 19th-20th Century Art], Praha: Academia 2021 (together with R. Prahl), 207 pp. ISBN 978-80-200-3293-5.
• Čadková, Daniela, Oslněni hellénským sluncem: Recepce antiky v české literatuře 1880–1914 [Dazzled by the Hellenic Sun: The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Czech Literature in 1880–1914], Praha: Filosofia 2020, 386 pp. ISBN 978-80-7007-644-6
• Kubartová (Poláčková), Eliška, Medieval Laments of the Virgin Mary. Text, Music, Performance, and Genre Liminality, Leeds: ARC Humanities Press 2023, 239 pp. ISBN 978-1-64189-456-2
• Sarkissian, Alena – Marshall, Hallie – Kubartová, Eliška (eds.), Re-embodying and Rethinking Greek and Roman Drama in Modern Times, Leiden: Brill 2024 (Metaforms, 27), 352 pp. ISBN 978-90-04-69528-3.

STUDIES (since 2020)

• Čadková, Daniela (ed.), „Senekův Agamemnon v překladu Václava Renče“ [Seneca’s Agamemnon Translated by Václav Renč], in: Theatralia 27, 2024, č. 1 (Supplementum), 97 pp.
• Čadková, Alena. „Mythological Heroes on Czech Stages and Politics: The Case of Phaethon and Antigone“, in: Classical Receptions Journal 15/2, 2023, pp. 172–189.
• Čechvala, Jakub, „Appropriation through Gaps. Czech Reception of Greek Tragedy in the 19th and the Early 20th Century“, in: Sarkissian, Alena – Marshall, Hallie – Kubartová, Eliška (eds.), Re-embodying and Rethinking Greek and Roman Drama in Modern Times, Leiden: Brill 2024 (Metaforms, 27), pp. 3–25.
• Čechvala, Jakub, „Aischylovská mozaika“ [Aeschylean Mosaic], in: Aischylos: Oresteia, (transl. by M. Havrda, P. Borkovec) Praha: Triáda 2023, pp. 233–263.
• Čechvala, Jakub, „Překotný hlas, truchlivé čtení. Nad esejem Nicole Lorauxové o řecké tragédii“ [A Hurried Voice, a Mournful Read. On Nicole Loraux’s Essay on Greek Tragedy.], in: Svět literatury 33, 2023, č. 67, pp. 137–151. 
• Sarkissian, Alena, „Theatre as a Place of Spiritual Contemplation. Greek Tragedy at the National Theatre of Prague during Nazi Occupation (1939–1945)“, in: Sarkissian, Alena – Marshall, Hallie – Kubartová, Eliška (eds.), Re-embodying and Rethinking Greek and Roman Drama in Modern Times, Leiden: Brill 2025 (Metaforms, 27), pp. 26–54. 
• Sarkissian, Alena, „Aristophanes in the Cold War: A ,Normalized‘ Lysistrate“, in: Nikalou, A. (ed.), Aristophanes Modern or up to date? Approachings and Readings, Nicosia: Cyprus Centre of the International Theatre Institute, 2023, pp. 141–161.  
• Sarkissian, Alena, „The ,Advent of the New Rule‘: An Oresteia (1947) in Prague and the Epistemological Limits of Archivalia“, in: Bakogianni Anastasia – Gómez, Luis Unceta (eds.), Classical Reception: New Challenges in a Changing World, Berlin – Boston: De Gruyter 2024, pp. 87–118. 
• Sarkissian, Alena, „Enargés te kai energos parúsia čili skutečná přítomnost v byzantské liturgii“ [Enarges te kai energos parousia or riturgyeal presence in Byzantine liturgy], in: Koubová, Alice – Kubartová, Eliška (eds.), Terény performance, Praha: Nakladatelství AMU 2021, pp. 173–188.