(Durham, NH)--On Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 3:30pm in Room 127 of Hamilton-Smith Hall, Dr. Adrienne Mayor will address the university community and the public in a free lecture sponsored by the John C. Rouman Classical Lecture Series: "The Poison King: Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy."
Mithradates VI of Pontus (134-63 BC) was one of the most colorful kings of antiquity. Hailed as a savior, feared as the Eastern Hannibal, this scientific genius and cold-blooded poisoner fascinated ancient historians and medieval chroniclers. Machiavelli studied his tactics; his last hours inspired Mozart's first opera. After his death, Roman emperors and European royalty sought his famous elixir against poisons. Mithradates' amazing story is told by his biographer, Adrienne Mayor. Dr. Mayor is a Research Scholar in Classics and History of Science at Stanford University, and the author of several books, including The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy, which was a nonfiction finalist for the National Book Award.
Also sponsored by the John C. Rouman Classical Lecture Series is a lecture by Dr. Josiah Ober, Mitsotakis Chair in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 7:30pm in Richards Auditorium of Murkland Hall. Both are free and open to the public. For more information, see http://www.helleniccomserve.com/roumanoberlectureoct2010.html or the webpages of the university for the Classics Program at http://www.unh.edu/classics, or call the Program at 603-862-3522.
