Members of GROUPMINDS Present Work at Cognitive Classics Masterclass in Thessaloniki

We are delighted to share that three postdoctoral researchers from our ERC-funded project Group Minds in Ancient Narrative recently participated in the Trends in Classics Masterclass on Cognitive Classics, which took place at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (ΑΠΘ) from 28 to 30 April 2025. This academic event brought together twelve emerging scholars working at the intersection of classical studies and cognitive theory for a focused exchange of research, ideas, and methodologies.

The Masterclass was expertly organised by a distinguished academic committee whose members have each played a vital role in shaping the field of Cognitive Classics: Suzanne Adema (Leiden University), Douglas Cairns (University of Edinburgh), Chiara Fedriani (University of Genoa), Anna Novokhatko (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Antonios Rengakos (Aristotle University/Academy of Athens), and Stavros Frangoulidis (Aristotle University). Their combined efforts, supported generously by ΕΛΚΕ ΑΠΘ, have made Thessaloniki a key node in the development of the dynamic field of cognitive classics, which integrates cognitive linguistics, metaphor theory, emotion studies, imagination, Theory of Mind, and enactive cognition into the interpretation of ancient texts.

Our researchers had the privilege of presenting their work-in-progress to this vibrant intellectual community:

• Kyriakoula Tzortzopoulou, “One Soul, One Heart: Reimagining the Collective Mind in Late Antiquity”, explored the notion of collective mind in selected homilies of John Chrysostom, showing how his conceptualization of compassion anticipates the modern theory of socially distributed emotion. Her presentation illuminated how spiritual collectives were configured in early Christian thought.
• Stephan Stephanides, “‘It extends (τέταται) literally throughout the entire city’ (Resp. 432a): A Cognitive Analysis of Σωφροσύνη in Plato’s Republic”, applied tools from cognitive science to unpack the virtue sōphrosunē in Plato’s Republic. He argued for an interpretation of Kallipolis as an intermental unit, where the virtue extends collectively across the polis, offering a robust model of group-level cognition.
• Xavier Buxton, “Many-Headed Song: Configuring the Lyric Chorus as a Group Mind”, proposed that the Group Mind Thesis (GMT) and associated narratological models can help explain the choral consciousness of archaic Greek lyric. His analysis revealed how ancient choruses might embody distributed cognition in poetic performance.

Each participant came away enriched by the experience:

“The Masterclass was a thought-provoking research event that offered valuable insights into the applications of cognitive theories to Classical studies. The engaging presentations and discussions broadened my knowledge of the dynamic nature of group mind (particularly in how it can shift between different forms of shared activity, intentionality, physical presence, and distributed action), and the significant role of cognitive narratology in our interpretation of metaphorical images as mini-narratives.”
— Kyriakoula Tzortzopoulou

“My participation at the Masterclass was an invaluable academic experience and allowed me to gain new insights into the field of cognitive classics by learning about how cognitive theory can be applied to a variety of different literary genres and in various different ways. These include, if not exhaustively, the role of emotions as embodied cognitive phenomena in ancient narratives; the use of metaphors and similes as cognitive narrative tools and techniques; and finally visual/experiential aspects of enactive cognitive participation in ancient texts. I also gained very helpful feedback on my own presentation, which will inevitably allow me to improve the paper before resubmitting it to an ancient philosophy journal.”
— Stephan Stephanides

“The masterclass was fantastic experience: a chance to share work in progress with a range of scholars from Europe and the USA, and to develop, as early career researchers, a new cognitive classics network. Especially useful for me was the feedback on my paper – now resubmitted to a journal – bringing it into dialogue with more recent work on Pindaric speakers and ritual dynamics. My next mini-project – on group deliberation – will profit from an intriguing paper on reasoning in recognition scenes, as well as the exchange that followed.”

— Xavier Buxton

Participation in this Masterclass exemplifies the intellectual value of interdisciplinary workshops for the development of our team members. The event fostered a stimulating environment for feedback and theoretical exchange, contributing not only to individual research advancement but also to the broader evolution of Classical Studies as an increasingly cognitive and collaborative field. Events such as these affirm the ongoing relevance of ancient texts to modern understandings of the mind, emotion, and social interaction.