Harrill

During an interview with IU Home Pages, IU Bloomington's J. Albert (Bert) Harrill shared his thoughts on the growing interdisciplinary field of Ancient Studies.

Harrill, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies, is the new director for the Ancient Studies Program, which is affiliated with the Department of Classical Studies.

The program offers Ph.D. minors and has enlisted 23 faculty members representing the disciplines of anthropology, classical studies, fine arts, history, history and philosophy of science, philosophy, religious studies and music. In the most recent Graduate School Bulletin, the program was listed for the first time as a Ph.D. minor.

Question: According to the Ancient Studies Program Web site, IU's program "seeks to encourage the study of antiquity in all its facets—including its history, art, architecture, literature, music, philosophy, religion, and science—and to promote interdisciplinary approaches to ancient culture." Is it difficult to bring together so many different disciplines?

Harrill: It is a challenge to make it broader. We currently have nine departments involved. It's important to have a huge range of departments so that we expand beyond the arts and sciences. The goal is to have all these people in varying disciplines engage in a common conversation.

As a group we are asking: "What exactly is ancient studies?" I believe it's meant to be broad. Since we're just starting, we welcome everything. ... (The program) just picked up a professor in anthropology. I'm very interested in expanding into the study of Mayan culture, adding to the disciplines of Roman and Greek. As we study antiquity we should know about--and talk about-what was happening outside the Mediterranean world. This is the direction other universities are taking.

Question: When did the program get started here at IU?

Harrill: It started in 2002. The first director was Matthew Christ (now chair of the Department of Classical Studies). I am very interested in ancient studies and had attended the lectures. They needed someone to take over leadership of the program and it was important that the director not come from classics. I'm from the Department of Religious Studies and I understood it (ancient studies) to be broader than classics, broader than Greek and Roman.

Question: How are you recruiting faculty to join the discussion?

Harrill: I've been spending time visiting the home pages of departments that have faculty in our area or a faculty member already in ancient studies. Then I E-mail and ask the department to include a link to ancient studies. I've been knocking on a lot of electronic doors, if you will.

Question: How do students become involved with the program and what type of research topics are they exploring?

Harrill: We are a Ph.D. minor - not an undergraduate offering. Likewise, if we offered a Ph.D. major it would intrude on classics. Since Ph.D. students at IU have to have an outside minor, ancient studies is providing a place for students to bring together interdisciplinary studies.

We currently have a Ph.D. student in religious studies doing her doctoral dissertation on angels in Judaism. With a research project like this, it is good for ancient studies to exist. She's been able to think about Greek and Roman messenger gods--like Hermes and Mercury-- and that's broadened her look at messenger angels beyond their role in Judaism. It really enriches the experience having interdisciplinary resources.

Another student, who just graduated in classics, was also working in religious studies. He was studying the Gospel of Mark, but looking at it from the perspective of Greek literature. He was able to combine two fields that are not normally combined.

Editor's note: For more information on upcoming lectures and colloquia sponsored by the Ancient Studies Program, visit the program's Web site at http://www.iub.edu/~ancient/. Interested faculty and students from any IU campus are invited to join the program's E-mail list.