News

World-renowned Professor is bowing out after 40 years at Durham

(6 May 2005)

One of the longest-serving academics at Durham University is giving a valedictory lecture next week (Monday 9th May) as he prepares to retire after a long and distinguished career as a world authority on Greek history.

Professor Peter Rhodes is a valued member of the Department of Classics and Ancient History and will be leaving at the end of this academic year after 40 years’ continuous service with Durham University

He has been a major force in the Department throughout his long and distinguished career and without doubt is one of the most renowned Greek historians in the world with numerous publications to his name.

Professor Rhodes has elected to give a valedictory lecture and in honour of his massive contribution to the University and his Department, the lecture will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman.

The valedictory Lecture: 'Euthynai (Accounting)'* by Professor Peter Rhodes takes place in Room D110, Dawson Building, Science Site at 5.30pm on Monday 9th May. The lecture is open to staff and students and members of the public. The first part of the lecture studies the principle and procedures of accountability in the Greek world stressing that these were not peculiar to Athens or to democratic states; the second part renders an account of what Prof Rhodes has done in his 40 years in Durham; the third part comments briefly, in the light of J. Ober's book- Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens, on accountability in universities in the present age. He has been a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and is a Fellow of the British Academy, where he is Chairman of the Classical Antiquity Section. In 2002 he was Langford Family Eminent Scholar at Florida State University.

In the course of a long and illustrious career, Professor Rhodes has made an enormous and important contribution to the study of Greek history and epigraphy. In order to celebrate his work on the occasion of his 65th birthday, a conference was held in his honour appropriately on the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes

Professor Rhodes was recently invited (by Robin Lane-Fox, who was a specialist adviser for the film) to a pre-preview in London of the new Hollywood blockbuster Alexander-The Movie. Here are some of his notes. "I didn't find Colin Farrell as bad an Alexander as a U.S. informant had led me to expect. Otherwise, I think the generalities are quite good, but inevitably there are details to quarrel over.” “I'm prepared to pardon the transfer, for narrative convenience, of incidents which are attested for an occasion that isn't included in the film to an occasion that is included (e.g. Clitus' saving Alexander's life from the Granicus to Gaugamela, the arrow which nearly killed Alexander from the town of the Malli to the Hydaspes) He continues : “But there are departures from the tradition which don't seem to serve any useful purpose: e.g. the wrong men killing Parmenio and leading the mutiny at the Hyphasis (conflated with Opis); that mutiny before rather than after the battle of the Hydaspes (and surely that battle can't have been fought in a forest); Antigonus with Alexander all the time rather than on his own conquering Asia Minor.” “Of the sets I particularly enjoyed the reconstruction of Babylon, but not having Mazaeus welcome Alexander there was an opportunity missed. But the errors were mostly in the detail rather than in the general thrust.”

For further information contact : Professor Peter Rhodes, Department of Classics and Ancient History.Tel : 0191 334 1673

Media enquires to : Tom Fennelly, Public Relations Office Durham University. Tel 0191 334 6078 e-mail : t.p.fennelly@durham.ac.uk