Contact
Biography
I was born and raised in Rome, where I learned Latin and Greek in state school and undertook an Undergraduate and Master's Degree at Sapienza - University of Rome. I moved to the UK in 2017 to read for a DPhil in Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College): my doctoral thesis was devoted to the Hellenistic poet Leonidas of Tarentum, with the long-term aim of producing a complete edition with commentary of his epigrams.
Before coming to Nottingham, I held a Rome Award at the British School at Rome (2021) and an Ernst Mach Worldwide Grant at the University of Vienna (2022), where I was also a visiting scholar at the ERC-funded project MAPPOLA (Mapping out the poetic landscape(s) of the Roman Empire); in 2022, I was a Research Associate at the CSAD (Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents) in Oxford, where I collaborated with the 'CPI - Corpus of Ptolemaic Inscriptions' project. I have joined the Department of Classics and Archaeology in Nottingham in 2022.
Expertise Summary
My main research interest lies in Greek literature and culture of the Hellenistic and Imperial age. Some key topics include:
- Hellenistic poetry
- Epigram (broadly speaking, including Latin epigram)
- Inscribed poetry
- Imperial literature (esp. Aelian and Lucian)
- pseudepigraphic literature
- Greek religion and myth
My two main research projects at the moment are:
- The epigrams of Leonidas of Tarentum: text, translation, and commentary (building on my doctoral dissertation). I am also working on a number of papers on Leonidas.
- Inscribed poetry of the Hellenistic and Imperial age. I am interested both in the poetic style of verse inscriptions and their role in understanding issues of identity and cross-cultural contact. I am working on a number of papers related to this topic.
Teaching Summary
In 2024/25, I am teaching in the following undergraduate and postgraduate modules:
- Beginners Greek
- Post-Beginners Greek
- Beginners Latin
- Intermediate Latin, Advanced Latin and Latin Texts
- Interpreting Ancient Literature
- Extended Source Study
- Oedipus through the Ages (seminars)
- Animals in the Ancient World
My office hours for the Autumn Semester (24/25) are:
- Tuesday 12-13 (office hour)
- Thursday 11-12 (office hour)
- Thursday 15-16 (dissertation hour).
My office is in Humanities B42. You are always welcome to drop by during these hours, but it is advisable to send an email in advance to book an appointment.
Recent Publications
MASSIMO, D., 2022. τὸ ἐπικήδειον/epicedium/epicède (Latin/Grec), dictionary entry. In: Dictionnaire de l’épigramme littéraire dans l’antiquité grecque et romaine Brepols. 529-533
MASSIMO, D., 2021. Huntress and Midwife: two aspects of Artemis in Hellenistic Poetry. In: KLOOSTER, J. H., HARDER, M.A., REGTUIT, R.F. and WAKKER, G.C., eds., Women and Power in Hellenistic Poetry Peters. 231-244