Lanthorn.com

GVL/Luke Hotwagner
Junior Tim Flanders reads a recipe of traditional Roman cuisine. The Classics Society held a celebration on Saturday that included ancient Roman cuisine, dramatic readings of ancient works, and musical performances in the Thornapple room.

Students feast, chant Homer at Roman banquet

By Susie Skowronek GVL Laker Life Editor
3/29/2009

Citizens of ancient Rome purged partway through their meals to allow them to consume massive quantities of food.

At the Roman Banquet Saturday night, hosted by Grand Valley State University's Classics Society, participants ate without vomiting and declared the food delicious.

"The Roman banquet is an opportunity for people to look at Romans in a different critical light and a crucial light," said junior Donna St. Louis, president of the Classics Society.

Romans used many food metaphors in their day-to-day lives with overeating reflecting overall gluttony and overindulgence.

"Recreating the food gives people a sense of what the Romans ate and gives people a different perspective," St. Louis said.

Although modern Italy is known for its pizza, pasta and cappuccinos, Romans did not have tomatoes or coffee beans at their disposal. Saturday night's menu reflected the differences in food availability.

The menu included olive relish, olive chicken, cabbage "the Athenian way," honeyed mushrooms and bread.

"It shed light on the past by eating what they ate," St. Louis said. "And the food was pretty good."

At Roman gatherings, such as banquets, a poet typically recited one of Homer's epics in an 18-hour performance.

Junior Tim Flanders reenacted lyric poetry of Homer, performing the first 15 lines from Book Nine of "The Odyssey." Students chanted from "transliterated" Greek, which provided Greek words spelled out in English letters.

To retain the dactylic hexameter rhythm, Flanders changed the typeface of long syllables. Students' chants were accompanied by guitar and drum.

Flanders created the chant for his Greek 202 class. One assignment required him to chant 20 lines of Homer, so he livened up the chant and made it musical. The melody helped other students remember the beat of the lines.

Because of the language's prominence in history, Flanders believes Greek still has relevance today.

"I'm a Christian, so I study the New Testament," he said. "Learning Latin and Greek is important to study who we are. Understanding Greek is fundamental."

The foundations of society come from Greek culture -- literature, theater and law.

"Democracy comes from Athens," Flanders said. "We can see the influence of Greek philosophy in world religions. Greek is significant to the world, but a lot of people aren't aware. People who aren't majors can still appreciate it."

From the banquet, junior Katie Therrian said she learned Homer's epic was originally written as a chant/song.

"I thought the performance was interesting," she said. "(Flanders) was good at getting the audience involved. He was passionate about what he was doing."

Romans looked to the Greeks as models for artwork. While Greeks produced original masterpieces, Romans made adaptations. Sophocles is one example of a Greek whose work the Romans adapted.

Besides the Homeric chant, entertainment included a monologue from the upcoming performance of "Antigone," which is based on a new translation by Diane Rayor and will premiere April 16, 17 and 18.

lakerlife@lanthorn.com

Comments: