About Us
We are a small society run by passionate members. You can learn a little about us here. (For those interested, our constitution is here.)
Updates to this page coming soon...
President
Nicholas Romanos
Salvete! I am Nicholas—or, as increasingly many people call me, Nicolaus—and am currently serving as president of the OALS. By day, I study Classics and Sanskrit at Worcester College, and by night I am a philosopher-philologist and student of Nietzsche. I spend much of my time on Indo-European linguistics, or, when I’m not working, with Wittgenstein (my second-favourite philosopher) or Racine. My motto is from the Greek Anthology:
εἰ θεός ἐστιν Ὅμηρος, ἐν ἀθανάτοισι σεβέσθω:
εἰ δ᾽ αὖ μὴ θεός ἐστι, νομιζέσθω θεὸς εἶναι.
Is Homer god? High ‘mid the gods enthrone him! Is Homer man? Still for a god we’d own him!
I have had the joy and privilege of participating in a community in Oxford where it was possible to speak Latin and Greek in the classroom and in daily life: this has worked wonders for my appreciation of those languages and their literatures, and found me many good friends, and I am keen to help share it with as many people as possible.
Member for Sanskrit and Invited Speakers
Althea Sovani
My name is Althea and I come from Italy. I have just finished my BA in Classics with Sanskrit at Oxford. I am about to start an MPhil in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics at my beloved Somerville College. I am passionate about every aspect of grammar. I admire the writings of Pseudo-Longinus, Marcus Aurelius and the Sanskrit philosopher-grammarian Bhartṛhari. My favourite scholars are Anna Morpurgo Davies and Benedetto Croce; my favourite grammatical rule is the Pāṇinian a ā and I cannot bear the use of the term thing, except in philosophic discourse.
Secretary
Soraya Schwensow
Salve! My name is Soraya, and I’m a second-year Classics and MML student at Wadham College. I am particularly fascinated by Ovid's Metamorphoses and am currently trying my hand at learning Greek too. The OALS classes have immensely helped me during my time in Oxford, and I love to be part of a community sharing our passion for the classical world and its languages!
Treasurer
Aron Szocs
Well met, visitor! I am Aron, and I study Lit. Hum. at Harris Manchester College. My interests lie primarily in history – most of all anything about the late Roman republic –, and language, but other duties permitting, one is liable to find me at an art gallery or just listening to classical music – something Baroque, preferably.
If you should have any enquiries about the Society, feel free to contact me.
Webmaster
Maxwell Drew
Hello! My name is Max (Maxwell, Maximus, or Μάξιμος), and besides my being a third-year Classics and Sanskritist at HMC, I am the webmaster for the OALS. That means I am responsible for everything technical, including maintaining this website (please let me know if anything doesn't work...). I have a background in English language teaching and am passionate about applying my experience of a more 'active' classroom to ancient languages. I enjoy the lute, Latin graces, and Attic pronunciation; I dislike elitism, unserious pedagogy, and Pre-Raphaelite painting.
Committee Member
Adam Wilson
Salve! My name is Adam, and I’m a third-year Classics student at Jesus College. Arriving at Oxford without any Latin, I have found the active method to be particularly helpful - and am now enthusiastic about trying to offer similar opportunities to all who would like to do so. I’m interested in all that Classics has to offer, with a particular soft spot for Lucretius.
Senior Member
Melinda Letts
I teach ancient Greek and Latin at Jesus College and Harris Manchester College. I’m passionate about making Classics appealing and accessible to all who want to study it, no matter what background they come from, and regardless of any previous experience of ancient Greek and/or Latin. Going on a Septimana Latina in Italy run by the Oxford Latinitas Project in 2018 showed me the potential of the Active Method to help people from all backgrounds access the ancient languages with ease and fluency, and inspired me to learn how to use the method myself and subsequently to introduce it at Jesus and Harris Manchester. As well as being Senior Member of the Oxford Ancient Languages Society, I also chair the board of Oxford Latinitas. When I have any spare time I spend it on books.