Ray Starr
Theodora Stone Sutton Professor of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies & Professor of Classical Studies
Focuses on Roman literature and culture; law; the sociology of Roman literature and education; political communication; media studies; and Augustus.
I've published on various subjects, including Virgil and the commentaries on his work in late antiquity; the sociology of Roman literature, especially the circulation; reading and teaching of literary texts in antiquity; and the emperor Augustus, especially his monumental Res gestae divi August (The Achievements of the Divine Augustus). My current research focuses on readers and their texts in antiquity, from the circulation of authors' works in bookstores and private networks of friends to readers' experience with texts in various forms, including papyrus rolls and inscriptions on stone, a reflection of my involvement in Book Studies at Wellesley.
I've taught throughout the Classical Studies curriculum, focusing on Latin at all levels (elementary, intermediate, and advanced) and (in translation) on Roman law and Roman culture and society. Recent courses include Roman Law, Daily Life in the Ancient World, Roman Historical Mythology, Vergil and Augustus, Reading Latin Literature, and Roman Poems and Poetry Books.
In addition to scholarly research, I've also been deeply involved with high technology and classical studies as well as with the Classical Association of New England, a 700+ member association of collegiate and pre-collegiate faculty in New England, where I have served as president and have received the Barlow Beach Award for Distinguished Service.
My personal interests include kayaking, cooking, and behavioral economics.
Education
- B.A., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- M.A., Princeton University
- Ph.D., Princeton University
Current and upcoming courses
Roman Historical Myths
LAT310
Romans based their history in myth and made their history into myths. This course includes reading from major authors such as Livy, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, Propertius, and Tacitus, focusing on historical myths such as Romulus and Remus, the Rape of the Sabine Women, Tarquinius Superbus, and Hercules and Cacus. We will then examine how later Romans reworked those myths to serve current political purposes and how they transformed historical events into powerful myths.
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The Law of Ancient Rome
WRIT142
Ancient Rome developed from a tiny town in central Italy to an enormous empire that stretched from Britain around the entire Mediterranean Sea. Its legal system developed in tandem, from the Law of the Twelve Tables in 451-450 BCE to the monumental Digest of Justinian almost 1,000 years later, eventually becoming the foundation for modern European law and the law of many countries in the Americas. We'll examine both particular laws and legal process (for example, what laws regulated contracts? what were the Roman laws on marriage and divorce? how did lawsuits work?) and how those laws worked in society (why was it illegal to give your spouse a gift? how and why did the first Roman emperor, Augustus, intervene with his laws on marriage and morality in what had been considered family matters? what legal strategies could you use to win your case in court?).