[Usyd_Classics_Events] CAH Special Lecture Stefan Pfeiffer 29th April

[Tamara Neal]

Dear Friends of Classics and Ancient History,

We are delighted to invite you to a special public lecture in the Semester 1, 2026 Classics and Ancient History research seminar series. This event is co-hosted by the Classical Association of NSW<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_8KwCmO5gluAvL2GZFGfXTRhcF-?domain=classics.org.au>.

Please note the date and time.

Wednesday 29th April 2026 5.30pm-7.30pm

V. Gordon Childe Boardroom, Madsen Building Level 2.

As places are limited,  reserve your place here<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/TymgCnx1jniKnp5QzcJhpTJQ5pp?domain=eventbrite.com.au> if you are planning to attend in person.

Zoom link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/87426796123


Professor Stefan Pfeiffer (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg)

Asterix and Cleopatra: Translating Antiquity into the Modern World from Comic to Film.

Abstract:

What if a comic could rewrite history? Asterix and Cleopatra (1963) does
just that—blending myth, satire, and sharp political commentary in a
story set in Ptolemaic Egypt. Far from mere entertainment, this classic
parodies Hollywood spectacle while offering a biting reflection on
colonialism, power, and French identity.

The comic presents Egypt as a land of decadence, slavery, and
architectural incompetence and Cleopatra’s "genius" depends entirely on
the Gauls. Yet this caricature wasn’t invented by Goscinny and Uderzo;
it echoes Roman propaganda (Horace’s "whore of the Nile") and
19th-century Orientalism. Meanwhile, the indomitable Gauls stand in for
modern France: clever, egalitarian, and fiercely resistant to foreign
rule.

With humor and hidden depth, Asterix and Cleopatra reveals how history
is constructed—and deconstructed. The paper will try to uncover the
comic’s political subtexts, from colonial nostalgia to 20th cent.
misogyny, and why a story about ancient Egypt still shapes how we see
the past.

Biography:
Stefan Pfeiffer is Full Professor in Ancient History at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
(since 2013), before this he was Professor for “Ancient World and Europe” at Technische Universität
Chemnitz (2010-2013) and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Chemnitz University (2012-2013).
His areas of specialisation are the history of Graeco-Roman Egypt, ruler cult in antiquity and
Judaism in Alexandria.
He has among other aspects worked on multilingual texts from Egypt (the Decree of Canopus
and the victory stela of C. Cornelius Gallus) and has published a book on emperor cult in Egypt
(2010). He has written a study-book on Greek and Latin epigraphical records from Egypt (2015,
second augmented edition 2020) and has published a general overview on the Ptolemaic Empire (2017).

Forthcoming is a commentary on 3 Maccabees.

As places are limited,  reserve your place here<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/TymgCnx1jniKnp5QzcJhpTJQ5pp?domain=eventbrite.com.au> if you are planning to attend in person.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Tamara


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DR TAMARA NEAL FHEA | Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek (Education Focused) | FASS Academic Advisor | Accredited University-wide Peer Reviewer of Teaching<https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/16284/pages/12-dot-1-peer-review-of-teaching-module-overview>
President Classical Association of NSW<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/_8KwCmO5gluAvL2GZFGfXTRhcF-?domain=classics.org.au/>
Classics & Ancient History | School of Humanities│Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
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