This topic exposes ironies and offers a cautionary tale: During World War I the standard maps of Asia Minor by Heinrich Kiepert and his son Richard become a mainstay for the British General Staff. However, serious flaws lurk in the Germans’ work, and alertness to them can curb our temptation to fault classical cartography for its arrested growth.

As part of an international team, Dr Tony Freeth has been a central figure in an extraordinary voyage of discovery: every new revelation has reinforced a sense of shock about this highly sophisticated ancient Greek astronomical calculating machine. It is one of the true wonders of the ancient world.

Prof. Suzanne Marchand presents ‘The Great War and the Ancient World’. The First World War has been rightly called ‘the first modern war’—but Europeans came into it deeply and richly versed in the literature, history, imagery, and languages of the ancient world. This lecture treats the impact of the war on European classical ideals, imagery, and education, extending its inquiries into the interwar period. Relevant Links: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/classics/cgi-bin/web/eitner

The myth of Medea was not fixed or static, and in this lecture Prof. Taplin will show how Euripides made crucial innovations in his tragedy of 431 BCE. Then by scrutinizing vase-paintings, especially one first published in 1984, and papyrus fragments, especially one first published in 2006, he will reveal how her story was repeatedly varied and re-evaluated during the next 100 years in response to the challenge set by that sensational dramatization.

Rachel Donadio, European Culture Correspondent and former Rome Bureau Chief for the New York Times, discussed the impact of Berlusconi's rise and fall, and what's next for Italy and a Europe divided between technocrats and politicians.

The Stanford Humanities Center sponsors advanced research into the historical, philosophical, literary, artistic, and cultural dimensions of the human experience. Humanities scholars explore the many ways in which people, from every period of history and from every corner of the globe, encounter and address the challenges of our world. Humanities research preserves the great accomplishments of the past, helps us understand the world we live in, and gives us tools to imagine the future.

Recent Stanford Stegner fellows discuss the pleasures and pains of writing fiction at the Litquake literary festival.

The last ten years, in particular, have been dominated by discussions of cultural property--either its destruction in zones of military conflict or its involvement in litigation and claims for repatriation. This lecture reviews recent developments in the art and antiquities market, the shifting acquisition policies in museums, and cultural heritage training programs for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(April 20, 2013) Authors and Stanford scholars John Bender, Saikat Majumdar, and Joshua Landy read from their latest published books during the 10th annual “A Company of Authors” conference at Stanford University.

(April 20, 2013) Authors and Stanford scholars Ian Morris, Tanya Luhrmann, and John Perry read from their latest published books during the 10th annual “A Company of Authors” conference at Stanford University.

(February 11, 2013) Juan Gabriel Vasquez shares his experiences as a Latin American author and his personal writing process. In addition, he talks about the landscape of Latin American literature and how he thinks his work interacts with other prominent authors.

(November 8, 2012) Peter Meineck suggests new methods for approaching ancient drama using research drawn from the cognitive sciences.

Helen Vendler discusses Wallace Stevens, the poet. She dives into some of his work in order to show why he is one of the finest American poets to set ink to paper. (January 17, 2012)

Literary scholars share their thoughts about the novel as a literary form during the 2011 Litquake Festival. (October 10, 2011)

Lani Anderson questions the characters Socrates claim in Plato's Symposium that we only desire what we lack. The excerpt is from a lecture from "The Art of Living." (September 29, 2010)

Joshua Landy introduces his lecture on Friedrich Nietzche's The Gay Science from "The Art of Living," a first-year Introduction to Humanities course and examines the ways in which life can be transformed by art. (November 8, 2010)

Kenneth Taylor discusses the "Who Am I?" problem in the context of Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon during a lecture from "The Art of Living." (November 17, 2010)

Edith Sheffer discusses how she conducts research that examines social and cultural change in 20th century Germany. She examines the role that German citizens played in perpetuating the physical boundaries that separated them. (November 10, 2011)

Mary Beard, a well-renowned Classicist, discusses the difficulties of identifying old roman sculptures and what she believes this process tells us about ancient cultures. (September 29, 2011)

A panel of Stanford authors present their recently published books. Their respective books are titled Wandering Soul, An Invisible Rope, Myth of the Great Satan/The Shah, and Why the West Rules-For Now. (April 23, 2011)

Vivek Ranadive, Founder and CEO of TIBCO, has had incredible success in the business world and has a deep technology based skill set. He discusses how innovation in the 21st century will be driven by right brain thinking. (May 11, 2011)

Marissa Mayer discusses the ways in which Google incorporates the humanities in innovation. (May 11, 2011)

Dr. Damon Horowitz is a philosopher and entrepreneur, exploring what is possible at the intersection of technology and the humanities. He discusses the value of a humanities Ph.D. (May 11, 2011)

June Cohen looks at how she brought a lecture series with an attendance of a few hundred to over 150 million people across the world. She discusses how innovation and the spread of ideas is key to keeping TEDTalks a viable platform. (May 11, 2011)

Patrick Byrne, CEO and founder of Overstock.com, is deeply involved in the world market and the use of the internet as means of doing business. He explains how his diverse academic background has given him an incredibly unique skill set. (May 11, 2011)