Alexandra Fisher

Thesis title:

Hestia: Goddess of the Sacred Fire.

Hestia was a central deity in the ancient Greek world. Personified by the hearth at the centre of each home and each city, and present in the religious heart of the Greek world at Delphi, she was omnipresent in all aspects of ancient life. Hestia was worshiped from the Mycenaean age until the Roman, from mainland Greece to Cyprus and Asia Minor. Despite occupying a significant position in the Greek pantheon, she has been marginalised in modern research. I argue that understanding Hestia’s worship in her domestic, civic and Panhellenic contexts leads to a more nuanced understanding of Greek religion: not divided in male and female, private and public, but as expression of an interconnected community.

Research Area

Classics

Other Research Interests

Greek and Roman religion
Festivals and rituals
Classical literature and mythology
The lives of women in the ancient world
Death and the Underworld in ancient societies

Memberships

Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (2021- Present)

Qualifications

MA Classics- King's College London (2021-2022)

BA (Hons) Classics- Newcastle University (2018-2021)

Awards

The Junior Johnson Prize (Newcastle University, July 2021)

The Trevor Saunders Award (Newcastle University, July 2021)