Conference | PONTES IX "Classical Heroism in the Modern Age: Ideas, Practices, Media" (Sept. 21–23, 2017)

University of Freiburg, September 21–23, 2017

Classical antiquity is the fountainhead of much of our Western ideas of heroism. Starting from the religious Greek hero cult, elements of the heroic manifested themselves in myth, literature, war politics, and a number of other domains. The influence of these ideas on later concepts of heroism is evident until the end of the early modern period. However, with the rise of industrialized societies since the 19th century, the reception of ancient heroism became more obscure, and postmodernist currents have called the very idea of heroism into question.

This PONTES conference, hosted jointly by the University of Freiburg's Department of Greek and Latin Studies and the Collaborative Research Center 948 "Heroes – Heroizations – Heroisms", aims to shed light on the enduring relevance and significance of the reception of ancient heroes in the modern day.

Find the conference programme and more information here.