Cicero the Philosopher
Sean McConnell is currently working on developments in Cicero's political philosophy around the time of the assassination of Caesar. A particular focus is on the various ways in which the relatively understudied dialogues De senectute and De amicitia relate to the earlier De re publica.
Herakles and Early Christianity
Arlene Allan is currently in the process of completing an article on a play by Euripides, with plans to complete another on a play by Aristophanes in early 2021.
Arlene is also in the early stages of preparing another book proposal, tentatively titled, “Encountering the Greek Gods in the Texts of the Early Church.”
Roman Spain
Dan Osland is currently working on a project that uses the archaeological record from the city of Mérida, Spain, in order to illustrate the kinds of changes that took place in the urban setting across the period of Late Antiquity.
The overarching idea behind this work is to add to the published body of evidence as to what factors were most influential in causing urban change in the fourth through eighth centuries AD.
Roman Coins and the Caesars
Gwynaeth McIntyre's current projects focus on the Roman coin collection at the Otago Museum.
First, she is working with Dan Osland and Charlotte Dunn on photographing and cataloguing the complete collection (~1000 coins).
Second, she is working on a research article examining how coins were used to promote imperial values, family, and succession within the Julio-Claudian family.
Finally, she is researching innovative ways of student assessment and the incorporation of e-Learning technologies into the classroom by introducing the development of online exhibitions of the coins into CLAS 344 – From Augustus to Nero: Scandal and Intrigue in Imperial Rome.
She is also beginning work on a new monograph project on Suetonius' De vita Caesarum.