Demetrios Paraschos
Almost four months have passed since the VERITRACE journey started. It is now a good moment to reflect on the unexpected intersections between the ancient and the (early) modern and what working in an interdisciplinary environment really means for a classicist. Since my studies until now have been dedicated to Classics and Ancient Civilisations, with emphasis on Latin and Ancient Greek, our project environment is different and challenging.
I witnessed VERITRACE’s peculiarity even before my first day on campus. I had never imagined that I would have an interview with two physicists to start my PhD. In fact, the whole field of History and Philosophy of Science was something new to me. I really enjoyed studying the sciences of the ancient world and their connection with philosophy, and this is the reason why I joined this team. However, the relationship between antiquity and the early modern era at the level of natural philosophy was a new window to my academic journey.
When I first joined VERITRACE, I anticipated two main challenges. The first one was to fill the knowledge gap regarding the era of the scientific revolution. The initial days were a whirlwind of new concepts and methodologies, yet the familiar undercurrents of ancient wisdom writings resonated with my classical roots. The second and more critical challenge was integrating the skills gained from six years of classical studies into a project primarily focusing on early modern science. This challenge is something that I face again and again. On the one hand, my background offers a different and unique perspective on the questions we try to answer as a team. On the other hand, I have to think creatively every moment to imagine new ways of employing the knowledge of classical languages and texts, the skills of close reading and translating, and the perception of intertextuality and reception.
Adapting to VERITRACE’s interdisciplinary environment offers space to cultivate new skills and broaden my thinking horizons. Collaborating with historians, philosophers, and digital humanists has been enriching. I recall grappling with complex methodology theories, such as distant reading, and the various tools that Digital Humanities offers. Until then, I had worked only on specific texts, analysing and interpreting them. I took some time to accept the idea of drawing relevant results with these new methodologies. However, I realised that it is not very different from what a classicist does.
I remember my MA Thesis supervisor explaining to me that the ‘magic’ of being a classicist is that you do not need to invent new things, for everything is in front of you within the lines you read. You only have to ask the right questions to the text and find a way to explain what you read to the readers. In fact, our data-driven project shares this ‘magic’ with a classicist work. We need to ask the right questions to our text databases, use the relevant tools for getting answers instead of just reading the texts, and share the answers with the rest of the academic community. We do not need to invent answers or speculate endlessly because we just present and explain the data.
These four months have been transformative. I’ve developed new research skills and a deeper appreciation for the continuity of knowledge across centuries. This foray into early modern thought has forever enriched my perspective on classical studies. Seeing the project unfold, I’m amazed at how re-examining ancient wisdom writings reshapes our understanding of early modern science. My journey with VERITRACE has been a testament to the power and relevance of interdisciplinary research. It’s a vivid reminder of how the past continuously informs the present and how classical studies can illuminate modern scientific inquiry.