A Journey through Architecture of the Antiquity by Prof. Marden Nichols

As the finale, on May 20th CLE Latin club hosted its guest speaker lecture with Professor Marden Nichols on the topic "Vitruvius and the Science of Architecture". Prof. Nichols is a professor of Classics at Georgetown University; her research interests focus on ancient literature, art, and architecture from the Roman Republic and early Empire. The lesson was delivered online via Zoom, some students also attended in person with Latin club coordinator Ms. Yang Luo.

Prof. Nichols first summarized some distinguished findings from her research about Roman architecture and De Architectura, the only known surviving architecture guidance from antiquity. Then, she led her audience into the section where Roman houses were presented. With her passionate audience, Prof. Nichols compared and contrasted the structure, design and style of Roman houses across time. She ended her lecture with an inspiring conclusion to relate Roman houses with Roman politicians and their public life. 

As usual, the lecture ended with a heated Q&A session as members of the Latin club combined their knowledge with Renaissance authors and knowledge from their own field!

For the next semester, the CLE Latin club will provide more opportunities and guest speaker lectures to enrich student’s language learning experience.