Project Academy

A Durham-Tϋbingen Partnership

Third Workshop: Philip of Opus, Hermodorus of Syracuse, the Index Academicorum

Durham Centre for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Durham University

27-28 June 2022

Location (Hybrid): Seminar Room 1 (Room 110), Department of History, Durham University, 43 N. Bailey, DH1 3EX, UK, and on Zoom

Time and Dates: from 1pm GMT on Monday 27 June until 5:30pm GMT on Tuesday 28 June, 2022

Speakers, Respondents, and Chairs: Edoardo Benati (SNS-Pisa), Matilde Berti (Durham), Giulia Bonasio (Durham), Carlo Cacciatori (Durham), Giulia De Cesaris (KU Leuven), Pia De Simone (Trier), Eyjólfur Emilsson (Oslo), Kilian Fleischer (Wϋrzburg), Roberto Granieri (KU Leuven), Phillip Horky (Durham), Claudia Luchetti (Tϋbingen), Irmgard Männlein-Robert (Tϋbingen), Maria Cristina Mennutti (Durham), Anna Marmodoro (Durham), Federico Petrucci (Torino), Alessio Santoro (Lyon), Cesare Sinatti (Durham), Karl-Heinz Stanzel (Tϋbingen)

Project Academy is a partnership of scholars based in Durham and Tϋbingen, with the aim of developing a major initiative in the study of the Platonic tradition. At the heart of this project will be a series of critical editions, English and German translations, and commentaries of the fragments (and testimonies) of the members of Plato’s Early (or ‘Old’) Academy (ca. 380–266 BCE). Despite the historical importance of the Early Academy, the fragments of those philosophers who were its members are generally inaccessible: they have never been translated into English or German as a whole, and many of the most recent critical editions date from forty years ago and are difficult to obtain. The English-language editions will eventually be published in the new book series Cambridge Texts and Studies in Platonism (Cambridge University Press).

The third workshop in Durham, delayed from April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will focus on the methodological and philosophical problems related to three figures of significant interest to the history of Early Platonism: Plato’s amanuensis Philip of Opus, the metaphysician Hermodorus of Syracuse, and the historian/s who contributed to the Index Academicorum, the papyrus history of the Academy found in Herculaneum. Previous workshops treated Speusippus of Athens (Durham, February 2019) and Xenocrates of Chalcedon (Tϋbingen, November 2019). The final workshop in Tϋbingen (TBD) will focus on figures of importance to the later period of the Early Academy, including Polemo of Athens, Crantor of Soli, and Crates of Athens.

If you would like to participate in this workshop or have other questions concerning Project Academy, please email the Durham co-organizer, Phillip Horky (Phillip.Horky@Durham.ac.uk) by Monday 13 June, 12pm GMT. We have limited funds to support early career scholars and postgraduate students to attend the workshop in person. If you are an early career scholar or postgraduate student and would like to be considered for funding support, please email Dr Horky with a description of why you would like to attend the workshop (200 words or less) and a short provisional budget of travel costs by Monday 13 June, 12pm GMT. If you would like to attend the workshop remotely, please email Dr Horky (Phillip.Horky@Durham.ac.uk) by Monday 20 June, 12pm GMT, stating your wish to attend via Zoom.

Concerning COVID-19: we will proceed with the workshop in accordance with the advice of Public Health England and Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice in the United Kingdom, and according to Durham University official guidelines. If anything should change, we will of course notify the various email lists and prospective participants.