Geoffrey Harmsworth

Graduate Student

gh2511@columbia.edu

606 Hamilton Hall

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m.–6 p.m., or by appointment

Interests

Research Interests:

• Greek Literature in the Roman Empire

• Greek Poetry from the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity

• Cultural History of Books and Readers from Antiquity to the Renaissance

• Miscellanies and the Aesthetics of Poikilia and Varietas in Greek and Roman Literature

• Animals in Greek and Roman Literature 

Before joining the Ph.D. program at Columbia, Geoffrey received his BA (2016) and MA (2018) in Classical Studies from the University of Waterloo in Canada. His Masters thesis was a study of the intertextual dynamics of Colluthus’ late antique epyllion, The Abduction of Helen. 

His research interests cover a broad range of texts, genres, and themes, but are centered generally on Greek literature from the Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity, both prose and poetry, and he is not at all ashamed to admit that his favorite work of ancient literature is Oppian’s Halieutica.

At Columbia, he hopes to further develop his research into the Greek literature of the Roman Empire and the intellectual, social, and material contexts in which it was produced and read, while discovering new interests along the way. In his spare time, Geoff, a former cook, is excited to explore the culinary world of New York City along with its many cultural highlights.