Prof Vasti Roodt, Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, invites you to join us as we celebrate this milestone in the academic journey of Prof Philip Bosman.
?Date: Thursday 18 September 2025
Time: 17:30 SAST
Venue: Jannasch Hall, SU Conservatorium, 45 Victoria Street, Stellenbosch, 7600
Click here to RSVP for in-person attendance.
(RSVP by 15 September – limited seating available.)
Click here to RSVP for online attendance.
(Livestreaming starting at 17:30)
The Greeks and us: ancient texts in the academic quest
In his inaugural lecture, Prof Philip Bosman explores the role of classical philology, particularly ancient Greek philology, within the modern tertiary education landscape. He revisits his 2012 lecture on the concept of the “School of Athens" as reflected in Pericles' funeral oration (a tribute to Athenian democracy), Raphael's iconic Vatican painting (an idealised depiction of intellectual harmony), and John Henry Newman's vision of universities as institutions for cultivating the intellect. Since Newman's time, the humanities disciplines have matured to independence from their metropolis. While Altertumswissenschaft, or the study of antiquity, could at the dawn of the 20th century still be hailed as the “queen of the sciences", it found itself increasingly isolated in a tertiary education environment progressively driven by utilitarian priorities. Over the past five decades, the study of Greco-Roman antiquity has faced persistent challenges and intense self-scrutiny. In South Africa, the elimination of Latin as a requirement for legal studies dealt a significant blow to Classics, leading to a decline in departments nationwide. More recently, the discipline has encountered two additional pressures: its perceived association with outdated ideologies, and the growing emphasis on national interests over a universalist view of humanity. These challenges are compounded by the rise of the corporate university, where centralised objectives often leave scholars dedicated to formative disciplines with a sense of alienation.
Despite these and other difficulties, the study of antiquity in all its facets has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. At Stellenbosch 肆客足球 and other institutions, strategies such as offering courses on the ancient world without ancient language requirements, and consolidating independent disciplines into broader programmes, such as Ancient Cultures, have alleviated some of the pressure. However, significant hurdles remain, notably a widespread lack of understanding – even among humanities scholars – of what Classical Philology entails. Yet the discipline offers unique rewards: the opportunity to engage with some of the most influential and captivating works of literature ever written, and to contribute to the ongoing revitalisation of our understanding of the ancient world.
In the remainder of his address, Prof Bosman explores three areas of his current research to illustrate the tension that scholars of antiquity face in balancing contextual relevance with contributions to the global academic discourse. The three research areas are reconstructing a contemporary source on Alexander the Great, examining the reception of Cynic philosophy in the early Roman Empire, and analysing how the governance structures of Late Antiquity addressed population wellbeing. He concludes by proposing strategies to integrate the literature, history and culture of the ancient Greeks more closely into the core quest of the humanities.
Short bio
Philippus Rudolph Bosman grew up in Groblersdal, a Bushveld town, as the fifth of six children to teacher parents. After matric, he went on to complete a BA (1985), a BAHons in Greek and Semitic Languages (1987) and a BD (1989) at the 肆客足球 of Pretoria (UP). In 1990, he began his academic career at the 肆客足球 of South Africa (Unisa), where he completed a master's degree in Greek under Prof Jan Barkhuizen.
In 1992, Bosman joined Unisa's Department of Classics, where Prof Danie Lombard introduced him to Classical Philology. He began his doctoral studies in New Testament Science, spending formative periods at the universities of Freiburg (Germany) and Utrecht (the Netherlands). At Unisa, he developed course material in Greek language and literature, and expanded to teach Greek literature in translation, culture and history. In 1996, he completed his PhD at UP under Prof André du Toit. His thesis on the concept of conscience in ancient Greek and Hellenistic Jewish literature was published in the Siebeck-Mohr series Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament in 2003.
Bosman completed a BScHons degree in Information Systems (2004) at Unisa before returning to his primary focus, ancient texts. He was promoted to associate professor in 2009, and to full professor in 2012, receiving the Unisa Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in Research twice (2008 and 2012). In 2017, he relocated to Stellenbosch to join the Department of Ancient Studies, where he served as chair of the Classical Association of South Africa (2017–2019) and later also departmental chair (2021–2024).
He has presented papers and guest lectures across multiple continents and conducted research in Germany, Greece, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Belgium. He has been a member of several academic societies, including the Australasian Society for Classical Studies, the American Philological Society, the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, the Classical Association of South Africa, the International Plutarch Society, and the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. Since 2010, he has held a National Research Foundation rating and is currently recognised internationally for the high quality and impact of his research (B2).
His research focuses on ancient intellectual history, exploring how traditional concepts manifest in historical contexts. Bosman has published extensively on the Cynic tradition, Alexander the Great, Plutarchan biography, Lucian of Samosata's satire, and the works of the emperor Julian. He regularly organises international conferences and has edited volumes such as Mania: Madness in the Greco-Roman World (2009), Corruption and Integrity in Ancient Greece and Rome (2012), Alexander in Africa (2015), Ancient Routes to Happiness (2017), Intellectual and Empire in Greco-Roman Antiquity (2019) and Ancient Philosophy and Early Christianity: Studies in Honor of Johan C. Thom (2022). He currently leads a joint research project with the universities of the Western Cape and Ghent on responsive governance and population wellbeing in late Antiquity (2024–2026).
