LEXINGTON COMMUNITY EDUCATION - THE FIVEASH LEGACY LECTURE

The Fiveash Lecture Series is inspired by, and intended to keep influential, the teaching tradition and legacy of Dr. Michael Fiveash, a long time and beloved Latin and Classics teacher at Lexington High and Lexington Community Education. The series is coordinated by Lexington Community Education and is intended to honor Michael’s teaching legacy by hosting talks that focus on the Humanities and Classics, especially those that deal with the ancient world of Greece and Rome.

Sarah Breitenfeld was a member of Dr. Fiveash’s final Latin IV class. Although enthralled by mythology from a young age, Sarah attributes her continued passion for the ancient world to Dr. Fiveash’s inspiring work as an educator and classicist. In this lecture, she will present her research from her honors thesis.

From the start, the gods made women different” wrote the Greek poet Semonides. For as long as there have been humans, civilizations from across the world have justified the secondary status of women with both biological and spiritual arguments, and Athens in the 5th century BCE was no exception. Using the iconography of the Parthenon, the most recognizable Athenian monument of all time, we will examine how Athens’ leading statesman, Pericles, sought to curb the dangerous female forces living within the city itself and how gender bias influenced Athenian religion, legislation and life.

Sarah is a recent graduate of Skidmore College, where she earned her B.A. in Classics with honors for her work in both Latin and Greek. She spent her junior year abroad, studying in Bath at the Advanced Studies in England program, including a Greek tutorial at Trinity College, Oxford, before attending the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. This fall, Sarah is continuing to pursue her education in the ancient languages at the University of Pennsylvania’s post-baccalaureate program in Classics and intends to work towards a Ph.D.

This event will be held on Thursday, October 8th from 7:00-8:30pm at the Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square.

The cost is $10.00 per person.

Pre-registration, using a MasterCard or VISA, strongly recommended by contacting Lexington Community Education at 781 862 8043.