Time to Focus and Enjoy without Assignments
View descriptions in our catalog
Workshops at the Lukeion Project are specially designed to ignite an interest in the ancient world or fan the flames for an already avid Classics buff. Each session is full of the interesting stuff that makes history, art, architecture, or archaeology come to life. If learners have questions, we answer them live and on the spot. After each session, learners may visit the class web page to play specially designed review games, follow links to museum or excavations sites, or read pertinent news stories or additional primary texts.
We don't believe in 'dumbing down' our material so there's something for everyone, even adults, in all sessions. Workshops are short courses on subjects that interest you or your learner. There are no assigned academic requirements so enjoy the topic in store.
Each workshop topic consists of four 1-hour sessions. In the summer, classes meet four days in-a-row. All summer workshops will then also be available by recording until August 21. You may view and review these recordings as many times as you please until then. The cost of each workshop covers roughly four hours of instruction.
When planning your schedule, remember that all of the times listed are Eastern. Adjust for your time zone accordingly.
Recommended ages: most workshops are appropriate for ages 10 through adult unless otherwise noted.
Lukeion workshops are à la carte. You are not required to take any other classes with the Lukeion Project to participate in these.
Please be aware: registration for participation in these workshops includes access to the recordings of the workshops ONLY for a limited time as published below.
Workshops at the Lukeion Project are specially designed to ignite an interest in the ancient world or fan the flames for an already avid Classics buff. Each session is full of the interesting stuff that makes history, art, architecture, or archaeology come to life. If learners have questions, we answer them live and on the spot. After each session, learners may visit the class web page to play specially designed review games, follow links to museum or excavations sites, or read pertinent news stories or additional primary texts.
We don't believe in 'dumbing down' our material so there's something for everyone, even adults, in all sessions. Workshops are short courses on subjects that interest you or your learner. There are no assigned academic requirements so enjoy the topic in store.
Each workshop topic consists of four 1-hour sessions. In the summer, classes meet four days in-a-row. All summer workshops will then also be available by recording until August 21. You may view and review these recordings as many times as you please until then. The cost of each workshop covers roughly four hours of instruction.
When planning your schedule, remember that all of the times listed are Eastern. Adjust for your time zone accordingly.
Recommended ages: most workshops are appropriate for ages 10 through adult unless otherwise noted.
Lukeion workshops are à la carte. You are not required to take any other classes with the Lukeion Project to participate in these.
Please be aware: registration for participation in these workshops includes access to the recordings of the workshops ONLY for a limited time as published below.
Special Offerings
College Application Essay-Writing Symposium
*special dates: June 6, 13, 20 - 4 PM ET
This workshop is $75 due to plenty of instructor feedback. We will walk you through the process of writing that scary college application essay. Find out what admissions officers really want and get your essay finished during our special 4-sessions! We’ll start with a rough draft and help you finish a well-crafted essay with 2 rounds of feedback while we cover essential college success skills and a hearty dose of encouragement towards excellence. This symposium is meant to be attended live and includes instructor feedback and guidance on the essay (the limit to which will be stated by instructor in class). Contact the instructor about the needing to miss any portion of this program.
Instructor -- Randee Baty
*special dates: June 6, 13, 20 - 4 PM ET
This workshop is $75 due to plenty of instructor feedback. We will walk you through the process of writing that scary college application essay. Find out what admissions officers really want and get your essay finished during our special 4-sessions! We’ll start with a rough draft and help you finish a well-crafted essay with 2 rounds of feedback while we cover essential college success skills and a hearty dose of encouragement towards excellence. This symposium is meant to be attended live and includes instructor feedback and guidance on the essay (the limit to which will be stated by instructor in class). Contact the instructor about the needing to miss any portion of this program.
Instructor -- Randee Baty
Self-paced Summer Review Programs for Greek & Latin
Available May 15 - August 19, 2022
Latin Review for Rising Latin 2 - A. Barr
Get ready for second year Latin! Review Wheelock's Latin, chapters 1-19 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text 38 Latin Stories, 5th ed (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0-86516-289-1). Students set their own pace as they translate 17 short passages; review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer; and finally view recordings of the translations in action.
Latin Review for Rising Latin 3 - A. Barr
Get ready for third year Latin! Review Wheelock's Latin, chapters 20-40 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text 38 Latin Stories, 5th ed (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0-86516-289-1). Students set their own pace as they translate 21 short passages; review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer; and finally view recordings of the translations in action.
Students who have taken a *longer* hiatus from Latin than usual or who completed a non-grammar focused Latin program elsewhere should consider taking both review programs during the summer prior to Latin 3.
Greek Review for Rising Greek 2-R. Barr
Get ready for second year Greek! Review Athenaze Book 1 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text WORKBOOK, Athenaze Book 1 (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0190607685). Students set their own pace as they translate 16 short passages and review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer. After each segment, students will view recordings of the translations in action.
Greek Review for Rising Greek 3-R. Barr
Get ready for third year Greek! Review Athenaze Book 2 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text WORKBOOK, Athenaze Book 2 (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0190607692). Students set their own pace as they translate 32 short passages and review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer. After each segment, students will view recordings of the translations in action.
Students who have taken a *longer* hiatus from Greek than usual should consider taking both review programs during the summer prior to Greek 3.
Get ready for second year Latin! Review Wheelock's Latin, chapters 1-19 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text 38 Latin Stories, 5th ed (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0-86516-289-1). Students set their own pace as they translate 17 short passages; review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer; and finally view recordings of the translations in action.
Latin Review for Rising Latin 3 - A. Barr
Get ready for third year Latin! Review Wheelock's Latin, chapters 20-40 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text 38 Latin Stories, 5th ed (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0-86516-289-1). Students set their own pace as they translate 21 short passages; review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer; and finally view recordings of the translations in action.
Students who have taken a *longer* hiatus from Latin than usual or who completed a non-grammar focused Latin program elsewhere should consider taking both review programs during the summer prior to Latin 3.
Greek Review for Rising Greek 2-R. Barr
Get ready for second year Greek! Review Athenaze Book 1 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text WORKBOOK, Athenaze Book 1 (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0190607685). Students set their own pace as they translate 16 short passages and review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer. After each segment, students will view recordings of the translations in action.
Greek Review for Rising Greek 3-R. Barr
Get ready for third year Greek! Review Athenaze Book 2 with chapter-linked translations assigned from the text WORKBOOK, Athenaze Book 2 (purchase this text--ISBN 978-0190607692). Students set their own pace as they translate 32 short passages and review the associated chapter, vocabulary, grammar, and forms throughout the summer. After each segment, students will view recordings of the translations in action.
Students who have taken a *longer* hiatus from Greek than usual should consider taking both review programs during the summer prior to Greek 3.
Workshop Week: these meet LIVE ONLINE Week June 6-9
Note: summer workshops may ALSO be attended by recording. Summer session recording access ends August 19, 2022 so plan accordingly.
All times listed are ET (adjust for your time zone)
Academic Essentials Series
Students are expected to know how to use MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel throughout their academic years, especially in college. In fact, most colleges/universities now include these programs in their battery of placement exams to determine remedial assignments! We have designed these workshop classes to give students all the big basic academic skills to effectively use these tools both now and in the future. Students of all ages are invited to attend but they must have access to their own copies of these programs (example: loaded on home devices or available through a parent, sibling device, etc.).
Love of Learning Series
All of these meet live during workshop week, June 6-9, at the times listed. Adjust for your time zone. You may also attend by recording any time between the original air date and August 19, 2022.
Ancient Mega Disasters - 9 am - Swift and utter destruction of a special few towns has granted a real look at the ancient world. Look at sites where the end was a moment frozen in time. Tour Akrotiri, Pompeii, Villa San Marco, Boscoreale, Herculaneum, and more, as we examine the phenomenal details preserved by murderous volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
Gandalf meets Grendel: a Study of First Epics - 9 am - Avid readers will learn how Beowulf, the first great epic in English borrowed Homer’s epic elements while inspiring Tolkien’s creation of his own great epic, The Hobbit. Students should be familiar with The Hobbit and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey while enjoying this fascinating study of Beowulf. Required text: The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology Students should either complete this epic before starting the workshop or attempt to keep up with the reading during the 4-day course. We cover, roughly, a quarter of the epic each day. Randee Baty
Diseases, Dreams, & Dung: The Ancient Medical Arts - 10:15 am - Thank your doctor with a statue of your fixed broken arm? Kiss a mule’s nose to get rid of a persistent bad smell? Use dung as a medical tool? Discover ridiculous and surprisingly savvy cures plus the theories that inspired them. Ancient doctors, healing centers, plagues & magical herbs! -K. Stewart
Marvels of Roman Engineering - 10:15 am - From the most extensive road system across three continents, to immense enclosed spaces, to the most elaborate water works of the ancient world, it was the Romans who perfected many of the conveniences and constructions that we take for granted today. Many of her best constructions are still standing! Find out how and why.
Bizarre Ancient Mathematics & Numbers - 10:15 am - What were the origins of mathematics? We will discuss proto-mathematics before the development of written language followed by the motivations and number systems for cultures throughout the ancient world, from Babylon to India. - K. Johnson
Bizarre Ancient Artifacts - 11:30 am - Archaeologists have found some weird objects. Sometimes we can solve the puzzle and sometimes we can’t! We’ll look at some of the weirdest things ever found in Classical excavations and ask you what you think before revealing the true nature of these bizarre ancient artifacts. --Amy Barr
Bizarre Ancient Languages & Alphabets - 2:30 PM - How did people first agree on an alphabet and then learn to read and write it? This class will show you some of the first written words and some of the weird writing systems that developed in the ancient world. We’ll examine the mysteries, alphabets and ideas behind Linear A, Linear B, Cuneiform, Hieroglyphics, Greek, Hebrew and many more. Maybe create a new font, design a language or even learn a very ancient one! We expect students of all ages for this class. -Amy Barr
Classical Skies: Constellation Mythology & How the Ancients Used the Stars - 11:30 am - Gaze at the night sky and see the same stars that the Greeks and Romans saw. Learn the stories of the constellations and how the ancient people used the stars for everything from calendars and farming to seafaring and even the world’s first analog computer. You’ll never look at the sky quite the same way again! - S. Fisher
The Math of Decision Making - 1PM - Every day we and others make thousands of choices, from how to prioritize a day’s tasks to which candidate sounds best for election. Does choosing these things have anything to do with math? Can we choose by using math based principles? We will discuss concepts from voting methods to game theory to probability theory with examples and puzzles. -K. Johnson
Astounding Ancient Gadgets - 1 PM - We all know about the marvels of the ancient world, but did you know there are a myriad of smaller scale discoveries and devices that are just as impressive? This workshop looks at the ancient technologies that changed every day life.
Imperial Murder Mystery - 1 PM - Join us for palace intrigue & conspiracy! If you thought it might be cool to rule your own empire, this might change your mind. Daggers, poisoned mushrooms, and peril around every corner, the halls of Rome's imperial palaces were not for the faint of heart. From the lifetime dictatorship of Julius Caesar through the first century of the Roman Empire, few emperors died of natural causes. Get caught up in the mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction, and learn 150 years of Roman history along the way! - Regan Barr
Fruitful Fields, Fabulous Feasts - 2:30 PM - From the simplest street foods of Pompeii to the elaborate delicacies of a Greek symposium, food fueled the poets and kept the centurions marching. Explore the food of the ancient Greeks and Romans as well as the fields and farms that produced it, plus pick up a few recipes - S. Fisher
Imperial Murder Mystery - 1 PM - Join us for palace intrigue & conspiracy! If you thought it might be cool to rule your own empire, this might change your mind. Daggers, poisoned mushrooms, and peril around every corner, the halls of Rome's imperial palaces were not for the faint of heart. From the lifetime dictatorship of Julius Caesar through the first century of the Roman Empire, few emperors died of natural causes. Get caught up in the mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction, and learn 150 years of Roman history along the way! Instructor -Regan Barr
Theater of War - 4 PM - When men fought wars hand-to-hand and eye-to-eye, the Greeks and Romans sometimes got creative to ensure victory. Flying men, ambushes, the first hand-grenades, miles of walls, and bridges appearing overnight? Hear about the original shock & awe campaigns! - Regan Barr
Drawing & Dancing, Music & Math - 4 PM - Art and math would seem to be as distant as possible — cold rationality versus emotional creativity — until we examine symmetry and harmony, both essential concepts in art and math. We will explore visual art, dance, and music in the light of mathematics.
All times listed are ET (adjust for your time zone)
Academic Essentials Series
Students are expected to know how to use MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel throughout their academic years, especially in college. In fact, most colleges/universities now include these programs in their battery of placement exams to determine remedial assignments! We have designed these workshop classes to give students all the big basic academic skills to effectively use these tools both now and in the future. Students of all ages are invited to attend but they must have access to their own copies of these programs (example: loaded on home devices or available through a parent, sibling device, etc.).
- MS Word Bootcamp - 11:30 am - Primer in the skills necessary to format documents for most academic projects at all levels using the most common word processing program available. Students must have MS Word and will be tasked with formatting projects for practice. -Randee Baty
- College Writing Bootcamp - 2:30 PM - Academic writing is a different animal than any other type of writing. If you’ve missed the chance to take either Skillful Scribbler at the start of college or a college writing class (like Composition and Research Writing), your time is about up! You still need to know what to expect in college writing (a lot). This workshop will quickly take you through tone, style, structure, & citation plus other major academic writing skills. 17 & older - Randee Baty
- See also College Application Essay-Writing Symposium (listed above); Meet the Greeks (autumn - basic essentials for all Greek language students); Meet the Romans (spring - basic essentials for all Latin language students, expecially those taking the National Latin Exam). See descriptions below.
Love of Learning Series
All of these meet live during workshop week, June 6-9, at the times listed. Adjust for your time zone. You may also attend by recording any time between the original air date and August 19, 2022.
Ancient Mega Disasters - 9 am - Swift and utter destruction of a special few towns has granted a real look at the ancient world. Look at sites where the end was a moment frozen in time. Tour Akrotiri, Pompeii, Villa San Marco, Boscoreale, Herculaneum, and more, as we examine the phenomenal details preserved by murderous volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
Gandalf meets Grendel: a Study of First Epics - 9 am - Avid readers will learn how Beowulf, the first great epic in English borrowed Homer’s epic elements while inspiring Tolkien’s creation of his own great epic, The Hobbit. Students should be familiar with The Hobbit and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey while enjoying this fascinating study of Beowulf. Required text: The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology Students should either complete this epic before starting the workshop or attempt to keep up with the reading during the 4-day course. We cover, roughly, a quarter of the epic each day. Randee Baty
Diseases, Dreams, & Dung: The Ancient Medical Arts - 10:15 am - Thank your doctor with a statue of your fixed broken arm? Kiss a mule’s nose to get rid of a persistent bad smell? Use dung as a medical tool? Discover ridiculous and surprisingly savvy cures plus the theories that inspired them. Ancient doctors, healing centers, plagues & magical herbs! -K. Stewart
Marvels of Roman Engineering - 10:15 am - From the most extensive road system across three continents, to immense enclosed spaces, to the most elaborate water works of the ancient world, it was the Romans who perfected many of the conveniences and constructions that we take for granted today. Many of her best constructions are still standing! Find out how and why.
Bizarre Ancient Mathematics & Numbers - 10:15 am - What were the origins of mathematics? We will discuss proto-mathematics before the development of written language followed by the motivations and number systems for cultures throughout the ancient world, from Babylon to India. - K. Johnson
Bizarre Ancient Artifacts - 11:30 am - Archaeologists have found some weird objects. Sometimes we can solve the puzzle and sometimes we can’t! We’ll look at some of the weirdest things ever found in Classical excavations and ask you what you think before revealing the true nature of these bizarre ancient artifacts. --Amy Barr
Bizarre Ancient Languages & Alphabets - 2:30 PM - How did people first agree on an alphabet and then learn to read and write it? This class will show you some of the first written words and some of the weird writing systems that developed in the ancient world. We’ll examine the mysteries, alphabets and ideas behind Linear A, Linear B, Cuneiform, Hieroglyphics, Greek, Hebrew and many more. Maybe create a new font, design a language or even learn a very ancient one! We expect students of all ages for this class. -Amy Barr
Classical Skies: Constellation Mythology & How the Ancients Used the Stars - 11:30 am - Gaze at the night sky and see the same stars that the Greeks and Romans saw. Learn the stories of the constellations and how the ancient people used the stars for everything from calendars and farming to seafaring and even the world’s first analog computer. You’ll never look at the sky quite the same way again! - S. Fisher
The Math of Decision Making - 1PM - Every day we and others make thousands of choices, from how to prioritize a day’s tasks to which candidate sounds best for election. Does choosing these things have anything to do with math? Can we choose by using math based principles? We will discuss concepts from voting methods to game theory to probability theory with examples and puzzles. -K. Johnson
Astounding Ancient Gadgets - 1 PM - We all know about the marvels of the ancient world, but did you know there are a myriad of smaller scale discoveries and devices that are just as impressive? This workshop looks at the ancient technologies that changed every day life.
Imperial Murder Mystery - 1 PM - Join us for palace intrigue & conspiracy! If you thought it might be cool to rule your own empire, this might change your mind. Daggers, poisoned mushrooms, and peril around every corner, the halls of Rome's imperial palaces were not for the faint of heart. From the lifetime dictatorship of Julius Caesar through the first century of the Roman Empire, few emperors died of natural causes. Get caught up in the mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction, and learn 150 years of Roman history along the way! - Regan Barr
Fruitful Fields, Fabulous Feasts - 2:30 PM - From the simplest street foods of Pompeii to the elaborate delicacies of a Greek symposium, food fueled the poets and kept the centurions marching. Explore the food of the ancient Greeks and Romans as well as the fields and farms that produced it, plus pick up a few recipes - S. Fisher
Imperial Murder Mystery - 1 PM - Join us for palace intrigue & conspiracy! If you thought it might be cool to rule your own empire, this might change your mind. Daggers, poisoned mushrooms, and peril around every corner, the halls of Rome's imperial palaces were not for the faint of heart. From the lifetime dictatorship of Julius Caesar through the first century of the Roman Empire, few emperors died of natural causes. Get caught up in the mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction, and learn 150 years of Roman history along the way! Instructor -Regan Barr
Theater of War - 4 PM - When men fought wars hand-to-hand and eye-to-eye, the Greeks and Romans sometimes got creative to ensure victory. Flying men, ambushes, the first hand-grenades, miles of walls, and bridges appearing overnight? Hear about the original shock & awe campaigns! - Regan Barr
Drawing & Dancing, Music & Math - 4 PM - Art and math would seem to be as distant as possible — cold rationality versus emotional creativity — until we examine symmetry and harmony, both essential concepts in art and math. We will explore visual art, dance, and music in the light of mathematics.
Autumn 2021
Meet the Greeks - recording only, autumn semester
*Available mid-September-December 1. The Greeks were one of the most influential cultures in the development of western civilization. Many inventions & innovations that we think of as "Roman" were actually discovered by the Greeks first. After Alexander, many parts of Greek culture were spread from India to Spain, from Egypt to Great Britain. You'll be surprised how much began among these creative people! Workshop includes art, culture, history & society. Perfect introduction for anyone studying the Greek language. Working on World History? This is much better than the few pages you’ll find in your textbook. We expect students of all ages for this class. Those who register for this workshop have access ONLY until December 1, 2021.
*Available mid-September-December 1. The Greeks were one of the most influential cultures in the development of western civilization. Many inventions & innovations that we think of as "Roman" were actually discovered by the Greeks first. After Alexander, many parts of Greek culture were spread from India to Spain, from Egypt to Great Britain. You'll be surprised how much began among these creative people! Workshop includes art, culture, history & society. Perfect introduction for anyone studying the Greek language. Working on World History? This is much better than the few pages you’ll find in your textbook. We expect students of all ages for this class. Those who register for this workshop have access ONLY until December 1, 2021.
Spring 2022
Meet the Romans - recording only, spring semester
*Available mid-February-May 1. The Romans had a profound influence on western society in architecture, politics, art, city planning, legal matters, warfare and more. This workshop is a great introduction to the Romans or a fun refresher for those who just love the ancient world. Great for those studying Latin and cultural topics from the National Latin Exam. We include the founding myths, early history, Republican political institutions, transformation to empire, what Romans wore, their homes, engineering and more. We expect students of all ages for this class. Those who register for this workshop have access ONLY until May 1, 2022.
*Available mid-February-May 1. The Romans had a profound influence on western society in architecture, politics, art, city planning, legal matters, warfare and more. This workshop is a great introduction to the Romans or a fun refresher for those who just love the ancient world. Great for those studying Latin and cultural topics from the National Latin Exam. We include the founding myths, early history, Republican political institutions, transformation to empire, what Romans wore, their homes, engineering and more. We expect students of all ages for this class. Those who register for this workshop have access ONLY until May 1, 2022.