Mathias Hanses

Mathias Hanses is an Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, African Studies, and African American Studies at Penn State University, holding the Melvin and Rosalind Jacobs Endowed Fellowship in the Humanities. His research spans Latin literature (particularly Roman drama), Africana receptions of Greco-Roman antiquity, and explorations of race, status, and difference in the Roman world. He has published extensively on topics such as Roman comedy, Ovidian magic, and the classical engagements of W. E. B. Du Bois, with works featured in TAPA, Classical Journal, and Oxford University Press.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Classics, Columbia University (2015)
• M.Phil. in Classics, Columbia University (2012)
• M.A. in Classics, University of Illinois (2009)
• M.A. in American Studies, University of Münster (2009)

Research Interests focus on Latin literature’s reception in African diasporic contexts, racial formation in Roman texts, and interdisciplinary intersections of classical antiquity with modern politics and art. His 2023 article on Harmonia Rosales’ Virtuous Woman analyzes Vitruvian ideals through a lens of anti-Black critique, while his forthcoming monograph Black Cicero recontextualizes Du Bois’ classical scholarship. Articles on Plautus' Curculio and Ovid’s Amores highlight his expertise in literary parody and ritual practices.

Scientific Awards include a Loeb Classical Library Fellowship, a Penn State Humanities Institute Residency, and his endowed fellowship. He co-founded Eos: Africana Receptions of Ancient Greece and Rome and serves as First Vice President of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States.