Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

Volume DXC Issue I is the first issue of a new Liber series that publishes the final papers of students taking History 590: Problems and Methods of Ancient Mediterranean History at Phillips Exeter Academy. This course, taught for the first time in Fall 2023 by Dr. Troy Samuels, is described as follows. 

“This course examines pressing and problematic debates concerning ancient Mediterranean history. We will examine the so-called Hellenistic period…This course will deconstruct ideas of a derivative, decadent and inferior Hellenistic world to examine a Mediterranean world at its most multicultural, a “global” Mediterranean history that centers not just Greek perspectives and material but those from a wide range of cultures…[T]his course is intended to help students develop their own toolkit so they can extend their conceptions of the ancient Mediterranean and refine its details…” (Phillips Exeter Academy Courses of Instruction 2023-24)

Papers were written in two stages: as 1500-word speeches and then as 2000-word scholarly papers. After being written as speeches, papers were presented at Exeter’s Problems in Mediterranean History: The Hellenistic Period conference on November 6th, 2023. Each student was allotted ten minutes of speaking time for their presentation. The conference culminated in a keynote presentation from Dr. Caitlin Clerkin, a specialist in the art and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East at the Harvard Art Museum. After the conference, students received individualized comments from their peers, Dr. Clerkin, and Dr. Samuels. Using this feedback, they expanded their papers into scholarly articles – published in this issue of Liber.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts that made this publication possible. First, I would like to thank my fellow History 590 classmates, Jasper Chen ‘24, Elizabeth Christiansen ‘25, Defne Koyluoglu ‘24, Oliver Liu ‘24, Dust Luo ‘24, Hunter Ryerson ‘24, Jane Vernon ‘25, Rook Vessenes ‘24, Allison Whelan ‘24, Jane Wiest ‘24, and Hillary Yoon ‘24, for their permission to publish their papers in Liber. Second, I would like to thank the Liber Board, Jasper Chen ‘24 and Kendra Wang ‘25, for their aid. Third, I would like to thank the Department of Classics for providing Liber with the funding and space to work. Finally, I, once again, must thank our faculty advisor, Dr. Troy Samuels. Not only did he teach History 590 quite superbly, but he also ensured that the final papers could and would be published in Liber. On a personal note, I would like to thank him for putting up with my incessant complaints about topic selection as well as my endless questions throughout the writing process. Liber and I are indebted to him for his consistent support and aid.

Without further ado, I welcome you to Volume DXC Issue I. I hope you enjoy the content and perspectives that it presents as much as I do.

Vale and Χαίρε,

Rajiv Raval, Editor-in-Chief

Phillips Exeter Academy Class of 2024