Mark Schiefsky

Greetings! I am the C. Lois P. Grove Professor of the Classics in the Department of the Classics as well as Associate Director of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. My research explores the development of science and philosophy in the ancient Mediterranean world and the subsequent transmission of that knowledge across both continents and millennia. I teach a wide range of courses in Greek and Latin authors as well as general lecture courses on subjects such as ancient medicine. I have a strong interest not only in ancient Greek and Roman scientists and philosophers but also Arabic scholars, and their contributions to the reception and transformation of ancient thought. As a result I conduct my research in ancient Greek, Latin, and classical Arabic. In addition, in the field of digital humanities, I draw on my own background in science and math to design and write text-mining code that enables the tracing of conceptual transmission over multiple countries, languages, and millennia. Outside of the study my passions include photography, astronomy, swimming, symphony and opera, the BSO, and all things Los Angeles.