By Adrienne Gavula

Ohio University researchers work on a variety of issues from dinosaurs to migraine headaches to baseball. The Bicentennial Colloquia to be presented at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons give researchers the opportunity to present their work to a very diverse audience: The campus community and the public. The presentations are to encourage a greater understanding and appreciation of the faculty's work.

Tuesday, Jan. 20, Thomas H. Carpenter, Charles J. Ping Professor of Humanities, will be presenting "The Archeology of Wining and Dining in Classical Athens," in room 145 of the new classroom facility.

Why, for more than 1,000 years, did people of the Mediterranean world choose to recline on couches to eat and drink? Why did Greeks never drink their wine straight, but always mixed it with water? What really happened at dinner/drinking parties in ancient Athens? Carpenter will be answering these questions and will be telling us how we know the answers.

"I come at it from a variety of approaches," says Carpenter. "I look at the excavation of buildings, pots with images, how big or tall the couches were and more to find answers."

The Colloquia gives faculty the opportunity to present on their area of interest and have their work be recognized by others.

"In an academic community, it's important to be aware of another colleague's work," Carpenter says. "There's a danger of becoming too narrow. This is just one way we can broaden our horizons."

Carpenter specializes in Greek archeology, religion and iconography. He is trained as an archeologist and works at interpreting imagery from the ancient world. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University, Carpenter originally began teaching high school classics and English, but then decided to pursue his doctorate degree at Oxford University and move to higher education and further his research interests.

Related Links:
The Bicentennial Colloquia series
Thomas Carpenter's Web page
Department of Classics and World Religions