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Professor Salvatore Settis, former director of the Getty Institute and the Scuola Normale Superiore presents 'A Greek Lady from Persepolis: A statue of Penelope and her Roman sisters' at the annual Rumble Fund Lecture. 

In 1936 a fifth century BC Greek original statue made in marble was found fragmented during American excavations at the Royal Palace of Persepolis. The statue was thought to come from an (unidentified) Greek city: initially, it was considered plunder from some Persian invasion or occupation; however, more recent research suggests it may have been a diplomatic gift to the Great King. The sculpture has correctly been identified as Penelope, and it compares closely with six Roman copies of the same subject (all of them found in Rome). The quandary, though, is that the Persepolis statue was buried when Alexander the Great burnt down the palace in 336 BC: so how is it possible that copies of it were made in Rome just a few centuries later? The intriguing biography of this Greek lady from Persepolis poses radical questions across the fields of art history, classics and archaeology: about original and copy, about Greek and Persian cultural interactions, about word and image, and not least about style and meaning.

The Jamie Rumble Memorial Fund was established by Sandra Rosignoli, a former student of Classical Archaeology and a long-standing friend of King's in memory of a close personal friend. The fund has supported outreach and public engagement through student trips and the annual Rumble Fund Lecture, an open guest lecture which invites a leading academic in the field of ancient art history. This year's lecture is presented by Professor Salvatore Settis who currently chairs the Scientific Council of the Musée du Louvre and co-curated the landmark exhibition on Serial/Portable Classic  in Milan and Venice, working with the Fondazione Prada.

This is an open lecture, and all are warmly invited to attend. The lecture will be followed by a complimentary drink's reception, hosted by the Department of Classics at King's. Although attendance is complimentary, places are limited, and pre-registration is essential.

Please note registrations will close on 25 March 2020 at 17.30