Penn State Penn State: College of the Liberal Arts

Department ofClassics and Ancient
Mediterranean Studies

Welcome to Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) at Penn State!

CAMS is the study of cultures that arose and flourished around the Mediterranean basin (including Egypt, Greece, Rome, Anatolia, Israel, Mesopotamia, and North Africa) from ancient Mesopotamia (ca. 4000 BCE) to the end of Greco-Roman antiquity (ca. 600 CE). CAMS investigates the whole scope of the ancient Mediterranean world and trains students to interpret the linguistic, historical, and archaeological evidence of its cultures.

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Committed to Diversity

The Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) at Penn State is devoted to fostering an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all who study the ancient world. As an open and welcoming academic community, we embrace a view of the ancient Mediterranean and its legacies as the common heritage of all people, regardless of gender, color, race, nationality, religion, age, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

In keeping with our conviction that scholarship on antiquity benefits from a multiplicity of voices and perspectives, CAMS supports diversity in research areas, classroom activities, and above all in its membership, especially among groups historically underrepresented in the field.

We affirm Penn State’s commitment as a public institution of higher education to effectively serve the members of our communities at all levels—on campus, across the state, and beyond—and we welcome the input of our students, colleagues, and friends as we pursue this goal.

CAMS faculty win awards from the College of Liberal Arts

Congratulations to our wonderful colleagues on their well-deserved recognition from the College of the Liberal Arts!

Pictured are CAMS Profs. Mark Munn, Mathias Hanses, Ann Killebrew, and Rebecca Wang with our fantastic Dean Clarence Lang. 

Mark Munn was awarded the Class of 1933 Distinction in the Humanities Award; Ann Killebrew was awarded the Service to the College Award; Mathias Hanses was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure-Line Faculty; and Rebecca Wang was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Faculty. We’re so proud of them all!

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CAMS welcomes new faculty!

CAMS is excited to welcome Profs. Katherine Krauss and Joshua Roberson to the faculty in 2025/26. Check out their biographies on our News page!

A headshot of two new faculty members

Nick Groene named CAMS Marshal '26

The CAMS Department is excited to announce that Nick Groene is our Marshal for Spring 2026!

Nicholas Groene is the son of Cindy and Steve Groene of South Lyon, Michigan. He is graduating with bachelor of arts degrees in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, Chinese and linguistics with minors in Asian studies, religious studies and Jewish studies.
The Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar studied abroad in Taiwan, Israel, Egypt and Benin, where he participated as a researcher for the Linguistics program. During his time abroad in Benin, Groene processed data and comparative examples from the Anii language, interviewing and making friends with locals. The experience made him re-examine how he viewed the past, the present and the way he lives his life, he said.
A headshot of Nick Groene

Profs. Killebrew and Moore promoted!

The Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies is excited to congratulate Ann Killebrew and Christopher Moore on their recent promotions to full professor!

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CAMS professors win Liberal Arts teaching awards!

Laura Marshall is the recipient of the College of the Liberal Arts’s Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure Line Faculty and Erin Hanses is the recipient of the College’s Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Faculty. Congratulations, Laura and Erin!

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There are currently no upcoming events. Here are some of our past events:
March 18, 2026
9:00 a.m.–noon
102 Weaver Building
March 17, 2026
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
February 28, 2026
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
233B HUB-Robeson Center
February 25, 2026
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
February 25, 2026
11:00 a.m.–noon
102 Weaver Building
November 14, 2025
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
102 Weaver Building
November 6, 2025
6:30 p.m.–9:15 p.m.
The Cybertorium, W201 Westgate Building
November 3, 2025
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
October 21, 2025
12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m.
102 Weaver Building
October 17, 2025
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
102 Weaver Building
October 9, 2025
5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Community Room, Schlow Public Library
September 15, 2025
12:15 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
102 Weaver Building
This spring, the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies’ CAMS 199: Monuments of Ancient Greece embedded program offered students the opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world experiences that brought ancient Greek history to life.
The Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies announces three prizes for the best undergraduate student essays of the 2025/26 academic year. If you’ve written a strong paper recently, we want to read it!
David Gross, a fourth-year student double-majoring in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies and economics was named Liberal Arts college marshal for the fall 2025 commencement ceremony.
October 2, 2025
– October 2, 2025
5:30 pm
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
On Thursday, Oct 2, Penn State is delighted to be hosting Prof. Rocco Palermo (Bryn Mawr), who will deliver the Kershaw Lecture on Near Eastern Archaeology for the Archaeological Institute of America.
The Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies is excited to be welcoming Profs. Joshua Roberson and Katherine Krauss to the faculty in 2025/26.