Cyprus Research Fund lecture is Oct. 21

The 2010 Cyprus Research Fund lecture will feature David K. Pettegrew, Messiah College, Pa. He will present “Setting the Stage for St. Paul’s Corinth: How an Isthmus determined the character of a Roman city” at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the East Asia Room of the Chester Fritz Library. Pettegrew has worked in both Greece and Cyprus for the past 15 years and is regarded as one of the foremost scholars on Late Roman Corinth. His talk will focus on over a decade of archaeological and historical research on the Isthmus of Corinth.

“Corinth has come down in history as the quintessential maritime city that became powerful and wealthy by capitalizing on the movement of commercial goods and peoples across a narrow isthmus at the center of Greece,” said Pettegrew. “The connecting isthmus also allegedly made Corinth politically unstable, corrupt in morals, and exceptionally depraved. As St. Paul’s letters show, Corinth was a Christian community with problems.”

Pettegrew’s talk will explore why Corinth was consistently associated with travel, trade and wealth in ancient thought. He will reference archaeological evidence and ancient texts to explore how a land bridge facilitated commerce and shaped the development of the city in the Roman era.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A small reception will follow.

— Bill Caraher, History, 701-330-0586, william.caraher@und.edu.