Birthday parties are anything but out of the ordinary -- unless you're celebrating your 2,634th birthday, give or take a few hundred years. The Classics Club celebrated the birthday of the epic poet Homer Oct. 18, and members ensured it would be one to remember.
For three hours, the club members, who were later joined by faculty members and graduate students, gathered around the stone base of Homer's statue that rests in front of Old Cabell Hall. At his feet, birthday cards and a silvery banner bearing a festive "Happy Birthday" salutation entwined the base. A green and white frosted birthday cake dedicated to the revered poet was displayed on a table nearby.
"I think this is the biggest [turn-out] since I've been here, and one of the biggest we've had in several years," third-year College student Casey Weed said.
To further honor the occasion, club members read and reenacted selections from "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" and played Cyclops Tag, a variation of freeze tag in which everyone covers an eye while the person who is "it" wears a toga.
"It's fun because a lot of people only know Homer as the statue you kiss when you streak, but you don't really know that much about [Homer] himself," second-year College student Natalie Nguyen said.
Though celebrating Homer's birthday is one of the most widely known events planned annually by the Classics Club, it is not the only one on the organization's agenda. Club members meet every other Wednesday at Cocke Hall and discuss possible events.
"We're trying to appeal more to the University and we're trying to get a lot more first-years involved," Weed said. "In the past, it's been mostly fourth-year students, and part of the [reason for organizing] more activities is to keep the new kids once we get them so it won't turn into upperclassman-gossip time."
Aside from possibilities such as hosting movie nights, attending the Greek Orthodox festival, visiting a Greek art museum and commemorating Julius Caesar's death on the Ides of March, the Classics Club plans to sponsor a lecture by a professor of ancient military history. His lecture would detail what really happened in battles depicted in movies such as "Gladiator," "Troy" and "300."
Though the classics department does host speakers, according to third-year College student Joanne Westbrook, the subjects they discuss generally cover research-related material and have a narrower audience.
"We're hoping to get not only classics majors but history majors and also many undergrads -- anyone who likes movies," third-year College student Jennifer Swalec said. "One of the nice things about the Classics Club is that it brings together not only the majors and professors and the graduate students because it's very close-knit, but also those who are just interested in [the culture]. You come off as being exclusionary almost, so it's kind of hard to get people to have the courage to come."
In an effort to spark more interest, club officers plan to invite Bernard Frischer, University professor of classics and art history, to demonstrate a virtual model of Rome on the anniversary of the city's birth, April 21.
"That's the incredible thing -- there are so many [professors] who are heads of different projects who can talk about it with students," Swalec said.
The faculty of the classics department shares a close relationship with the Classics Club and has played a significant role in promoting the club to advisees, facilitating communication and even funding the cake for Homer's birthday celebration.
Given the department's involvement in the Classics Club and the fact that many of its members are classics majors, the club sees itself as a mix between a co-curricular organization and a social club. It is not necessary to know Latin or Greek to be a member, however, nor is it necessary to major in classics, both of which club members claim to be common misconceptions.
"Another thing that a lot of people don't know is that we don't get together and talk in Latin," Nguyen said. "A lot of people think that's true but we don't do that. Anything related to the classics, we'll just watch it or discuss it or eat it."
By embracing aspects of Greek and Roman civilization, whether by watching the television show "Rome," discussing ancient battle scenes or even feasting on traditional foods, the Classics Club continues to bring classical civilization back to life.
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