Yanneck Wiegers is a PhD candidate in Classics. He holds degrees in Biology, Latin, and Classics. His research interests are centered around ancient Greek and Roman ideas and theories of creativity, both from a literary and a biological perspective, as well as the intersection of the two. He loves to teach, Ancient Greek, Latin, and the History of Science.

In a world where the concept of creativity as an exclusively human endeavor is challenged by the momentous emergence of artificial intelligence, the ancient world can offer interesting perspectives to reevaluate our own ideas. The Romans, though they did not have the modern term, were heavily invested in explorations of the nature of the creative act. From the get-go their literature is characterized by an acute feeling of crisis and a compulsion to justify its own existence. Endlessly aware of their own belatedness, Roman writers felt forced to think of novel ways to explain themselves.

My dissertation Rome and the Crises of Creativity tries to trace their attempts to grapple with the nature of the creative act. It anchors the exploration in three interrelated aspects: the Romans’ engagement with Greek materialist philosophy, the Romans’ distinct conception of nature and the body, and their view of the creative act as a form of labor.