The 8th John Addington Symonds Annual Lecture (online event)

Press release issued: 22 September 2021

OutStories Bristol in collaboration with the IGRCT is delighted to announce that the 8th John Addington Symonds Annual Lecture (online event) will be given by Tom Sapsford

Speaker: Tom Sapsford

Talk Title: The Song of the Cinaedus: Deviant Performers in Ancient Rome

Date and Time: Monday 4th October 2021, 7pm to 8pm

Abstract: The cinaedus is a man noted in classical literature for his effeminacy and voracious (homo)sexual appetites. Often used as a slur in invective Latin poetry and graffiti to lambast the masculinity of named individuals, this talk explores how an array of ancient Mediterranean sources presents the cinaedus as a specific type of performer, whose signature song and dance appear to be as racy and challenging as the social behaviours so often ascribed to him.

Bio: Tom Sapsford is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical Studies, Boston College. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman performance cultures, classics and the history of sexuality, dance in classical antiquity and its receptions.