The Oxford Ancient Languages Society
We are a student-run society at Oxford that exists for the promotion of the study of, and engagement with, ancient languages, principally by means of the 'active method'. We offer language classes open to all at the university, as well as reading groups and other social activities.
Euripides’ ORESTES
Our much-anticipated video recording of the sell-out 2024 OALS production of Euripides' Orestes is now online! It is performed in the original Ancient Greek, with a freshly edited text and a complete new musical score, written in accordance with all that is known of Euripidean music, and incorporating an ancient fragment that may be by Euripides himself: a unique collaborative project bringing together students, scholars, and artists from Oxford University and across the world to demonstrate the vivid dramatic fruits of meticulous interdisciplinary scholarship. The full film can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4hkHcDbt8I
​
We have also created a short introductory video explaining what makes this production so exciting and offering a window into its creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBYA98soukA
​
And a longer version of the latter, which forms a short documentary that discusses in more detail the academic and artistic processes behind the production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqaZUsvwwWM
​
Read more about the production ​on our 'Orestes' page.
Classes
We currently offer in-person group classes to any student or teacher at the university. These range from beginner Latin and Greek to reading classes. All of these are taught in the active method, meaning plenty of speaking!
Blog
You can read some of our writings right here on our website, including the programme of our acclaimed 2024 performance of Euripides' Orestes!