Winter Workshop on Plato's Republic
3rd - 7th January 2026
The ability to navigate Greek texts enhances our understanding of ancient philosophy and reveals its hidden treasures. Exedra’s “Greek for Philosophers” courses, organised with the Fonte Aretusa association, provide opportunities for scholars of philosophy to cultivate their language skills and engage with the ancient texts, whether they have studied Greek before or not.
PLATO’S REPUBLIC BOOK III
The best way to understand the genius of Plato’s most famous work is to study it in the Greek. For 2026, we focus on Republic Book III.
The Winter Workshop mixes the best aspects of a philosophy conference and a classical language school. The program combines cultural activities in the mornings and round-table translation and discussion of the text in the afternoons, ending with short academic presentations about Platonic texts.
Participants study on the picturesque island of Ortigia, where they can visit ancient Greek temples, cycle in the sunshine or swim in the sea, and experience the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Residential workshop
The workshop dedicated to Plato’s Republic Book III will be held at Exedra’s home in Palazzo Francica Nava, Ortigia, the historic centre of Siracusa.
Participants will read and translate the text in a roundtable setting while discussing its philosophical content; they may also present papers on related topics. Mornings will be dedicated to site-visits, a cooking class and other activities in and around Ortigia.
Competence reading Ancient Greek is recommended but not required; the instructor will translate and explain as needed.
The workshop takes place in scenic Ortigia, where the winter weather is mild and the island is still in festive mood but peaceful.
Main Features
The 2026 Winter Workshop takes the form of a reading group in which Book III of Plato’s Republic will be translated and commented on, Participants usually prepare translations of short passages in advance and then present them in class, followed by open discussion. The aim is to develop skills navigating the original Greek and to discuss the content in a relaxed and friendly environment.
The translation and discussion will be led by Dr George Gazis and Prof. Heather Reid.
COSTS 2026
Course costs include tuition, welcome aperitivo and farewell dinner, refreshments, and activities listed in course description.
A fidelity discount will be applied to returning students who have attended one of the Exedra Greek for Philosophers courses.
499 euros – Early Bird rate before November 15th 2025
459 euros – Fidelity fee for returning students before November 15 2025
549 euros – regular fee after November 15th 2025
After you submit the registration form, you will be sent a pro-forma PayPal invoice for the course fees at the email you have registered, and instructions on how to pay. Your place will be considered confirmed on receipt of payment.
The seminar will run with a minimum of 8 participants.
Places are limited and will be filled on a “first paid, first served” basis.
For more information or questions contact Susi Kimbell at skimbell@exedramc.com
FINANCIAL AID AND REGISTRATION
Thanks to some generous sponsors, we have some financial aid. Your application for aid will be considered if you submit an abstract for a presentation during the workshop and if it is made by 15th November 2025.
Submitting an abstract for presentation is not required, unless you are applying for financial aid.
Register by November 15, 2025 to be considered for financial aid and/or early abstract acceptance – the awards and acceptances will be announced by November 20, 2025.
December 15, 2025 is the final deadline to register and submit abstracts.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is not included in the course cost, but Exedra will suggest some convenient and economic options for participants.
If you have any questions, please contact info@exedramc.com.
What is the target audience?
Our Ancient Greek for Philosophers courses are designed for anyone with an interest in ancient Greek, but particularly for those who have approached Greek through an interest in ancient philosophy.
The Winter Workshop on Plato’s Republic is a reading group both for those with a more advanced knowledge of the language and interest in issues of translation and the subtleties of Plato’s language, and for those who are interested in discussing the philosophical and literary content, without a strong background in Ancient Greek.
2026 Workshop outline (TBC)
3rd January – Welcome breakfast and Ortigia tour / Afternoon classes 3.00pm – 7pm / Welcome apericena
4th January – Neapolis Archaeological Park / Afternoon Classes – Refreshments / Presentation(s)
5th January – Morning Cooking Class and lunch / Afternoon Classes – Refreshments / Presentation(s)
6th January – Morning P. Orsi Archaeological Museum / Afternoon Classes – Refreshments / Presentation(s)
7th January – Free morning / Afternoon Classes – Refreshments / Presentations / Farewell dinner
Course Instructors
Prof. Heather Reid
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy
Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa USA
Scholar in Residence at Exedra Mediterranean Center in Siracusa, Sicily, she is a 2015 Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, 2018 Fellow of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies, and 2019 Fulbright Scholar at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II.
She has also published books and articles in ancient philosophy, philosophy of sport, and Olympic Studies, including Introduction to the Philosophy of Sport (2012), Athletics and Philosophy in the Ancient World (2011), and The Philosophical Athlete (2002, 2nd ed. 2019).
Dr George Gazis
Associate Professor
Department of Classics and Ancient History, Durham University
His main research interests lie in Archaic Greek Epic and Lyric in general, Plato and the Early Academy, and Athenian drama.
He is especially interested in the function of mortality and the afterlife in the Homeric Epics, early Lyric (especially Stesichorus, Pindar and Bacchylides), and the Platonic afterlife narratives. He is the editor of the volumes Aspects of Death and the Afterlife in Greek Literature (LUP, 2021), and Homer in Sicily (Parnassos Press, 2023). He is currently preparing an edition of the pseudo-epigraphic Letters of Euripides, while also working on his second monograph Ghosts on Stage: Spectres, Spectacles and Alternative Memories in Athenian Drama which focuses on a cognitive interpretation of the phenomenology of the tragic stage and the ways in which it influenced the reception of tragic plays by the early Athenian audiences.
Furthermore, George is interested in the study of the Bronze Age in the Aegean and the Near East particularly in the study of material culture alongside the Linear B records as a gateway for the reconstruction of the socio-economic system of the Mycenaean civilisation.