A New Partnership
Antigone was launched in 2021 as an online, open-access Classics journal. Its founding aim is to share, in an intelligent and accessible form, the joys of ancient languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, art and architecture. The Antigone project is driven by the conviction that the public worldwide is fascinated about Greco-Roman civilisation, both how it existed in the ancient world and how its manifold legacies have shaped western culture, and in turn much of the modern world. Its writers seek to uphold and promote ideals that held sway thousands of years ago: open enquiry, honest debate and the unfettered exploration of ideas.
Since its launch Antigone has grown to be the biggest public-facing Classics website. The stable of 250 writers range from school students to world-famous writers, including at its core professional academics spread across fifteen countries. The journal is run by a small team of academics and teachers in Europe and the USA. Hitherto, no writer or team member has been paid: all have instead contributed out of goodwill, in the belief that educating and inspiring the public about Greco-Roman antiquity is a good thing both for the individual and for society at large; that it is exciting to share information and ideas with an audience who are yet to encounter it – usually because their own education has failed to open the door.
Antigone’s 420 articles to date have come to be incorporated in university courses, referenced in academic books, and cited all over the internet. That this was achieved with no budget or promotion is testimony not just to the energy and enthusiasm of the team but to the quality of the website’s output.
Now, in 2024, it is a major development that Antigone has obtained the financial support of the Pharos Foundation. Headquartered in Oxford, Pharos is a research institute and educational charity devoted to fostering a renaissance in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The Foundation supports talented scholars in the early stages of their careers to put work on subjects of civilisational importance before the widest possible audience. Pharos also runs an educational programme structured around canonical themes in art, philosophy, history, and current affairs, delivered by world-leading academics, statesmen, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals, and made freely available to students and the general public in person and online. An annual budget will allow Antigone not just to cover its running costs and to pay its writers and editors. It will also allow the project to launch audio podcasts and printed anthologies of its articles, to host in-person events, and – most importantly of all – to host free online courses about the Classics.
David Butterfield, Editor-in-chief of Antigone, says: “Despite the frequent claims that Greco-Roman antiquity lacks real public appeal unless it is rewritten and reframed in a ‘more palatable’ or ‘contemporary’ form, the reality is much more simple: the public are hungry to learn about such a remarkable and influential period of history, and are keen to face its different and even distasteful elements head-on. They are hungry for information, for ideas, and for debate; they do not wish to be pandered to or patronised. We launched Antigone seeking to demonstrate these truths at a time when the humanities were under threat; although our instincts were entirely correct, that threat has only worsened. It is therefore a profound privilege and thrill to have the support and encouragement of an institution such as the Pharos Foundation, which shares our mission not only to uphold high standards in academia but also to help satisfy the intellectual curiosity of the public at large. It is a truly exciting time now to have the freedom to do this.”
D.H. Robinson, Academic Director of the Pharos Foundation, agrees: “It is a great pleasure for Pharos to be able to support an initiative as extraordinary as Antigone. In three short years, Dr Butterfield and the team have not only marshalled a distinguished cohort of classicists and ancient historians at all stages of their careers; they have also proven that the public appetite for serious work on the fundament of our civilisation is robust – indeed, rather more robust than it is in many parts of the academic establishment. Pharos is committed to the idea that a civilisation which values itself ought to show it. That is why our research fellows – almost uniquely amongst scholars based in the United Kingdom – are paid at internationally competitive rates. We are honoured to play our part in seeing that those who make Antigone such a remarkable success will now be properly supported in their labours. And we are looking forward to working with David and the team as Antigone grows in new and exciting directions.”
