THE SAXON Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim

Living in Saxony 1100 years ago, in a culture much like the Vikings, Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim probably witnessed violence against women all the time. Violence was a part of society, and she retreated to an intellectual life. But there, too, she found violence against women in the ancient Roman plays she was reading. If she couldn’t change society, at least she could change the plays! She rewrote them, altering the plots so that the women emerged victorious!

Our guest is Mark Damen, Professor of Classics at Utah State University and translator of several of Hrotsvitha’s plays.

Print form the first printed edition of Hrostvitha’s works, printed 1501

Portrait of Hrotswitha created circa 1900
Public Domain

The first printed edition of Hrotsvitha’s works, printed 1501

Embroidery created by Rebel Women Embroidery, used by permission

A 1990s production of Mark Damen’s translation of Hrotsvitha’s play, “Sapientia.”
photo courtesy of Mark Damen

A 2005 Stetson University production of Hrotsvitha’s works
photo courtesy of Kenneth McCoy

Costume sketches for a production of Hrotsvitha’s play, “Sapientia.”
photo courtesy of Mark Damen

Scenery sketches for a production of Hrotsvitha’s play, “Sapientia.”
photo courtesy of Mark Damen

Central Europe, 919–1125. The Kingdom of Germany included the duchies of Saxony (yellow), Franconia (blue), Bavaria (green), Swabia (orange) and Lorraine (pink left).
Public Domain

Gandersheim Abbey, 1910
photo courtesy of Mark Damen

Cloister garden at Gandersheim
photo courtesy of Mark Damen

The Hrotsvitha Fountain in Gandersheim, created in 1978
photo by Rogengy

Mark Damen began studying Latin in junior high and has been at it ever since. He completed his BA in Latin at the University of Florida and his MA and PhD at the University of Texas at Austin where he focused his work on ancient comedy, the subject of most of his publications. Following his wife Fran Titchener who joined Utah State in 1987, he has taught classes on a wide range of subjects, including ancient history, myth and drama, classical literature, language and etymology, and even playwriting. In 1998 he was Utah’s CASE Professor of the Year.