History is written by the conquerors – and the Romans conquered other peoples from Africa to the middle East to ancient Britain. But what was it like to live on the fringes of the empire, under Roman rule? For one evening, grab a glass of wine and try to find your way through the porticoes of power – can you subvert your imperial overlords? Unravel your story in our choose-your-own adventure.
Libraries and museums across the world are filled with the remnants of the Greek and Roman past: objects, manuscripts, literary works, papyri, inscriptions… not to mention copious amounts of ink spilt on understanding them. But access to this classical past has not always been equal – and, in fact, a classical education was historically the preserve of the rich. So who owns the past?
The Cambridge Festival is open for booking, with a mixture of online, on-demand and in-person events covering all aspects of the world-leading research happening at Cambridge.
For 2023 the Festival includes a special fifth theme - Power.
From panel discussions, film premieres, and self-guided walking tours, to interactive activities for the whole family, discover a breadth events on the Festival website.
Find events under the theme of power
*We regret that due to a leak in the Museum roof we are taking the decision to cancel this event for the comfort and safety of Museum visitors and staff. Apologies for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause. Ticket holders have been informed*
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Join award winning traditional oral storyteller, Atinuke, to hear African folktales only meant for the ears of young people in the Museum galleries after-hours.
The history of science is intimately entangled with the history of empire and colonial endeavour. Science today is often built on the work of the past, and has inherited these legacies in both theory and practice.
Join Uncomfortable Cambridge guides as they explore uncomfortable themes present in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, and discuss how contemporary science can reckon with its discomforting past.
The history of science is intimately entangled with the history of empire and colonial endeavour. Science today is often built on the work of the past, and has inherited these legacies in both theory and practice.
Join Uncomfortable Cambridge guides as they explore uncomfortable themes present in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, and discuss how contemporary science can reckon with its discomforting past.
We are delighted to welcome Sujit Sivasundaram, Professor of World History from the University of Cambridge for this talk which will be held in person and also livestreamed from the Museum of Zoology.
Discover complex, intriguing and challenging stories about power within our collections.
Join us for The Power Walk series - an opportunity to share and exchange stories and ideas linked to the University of Cambridge Museum's investigation of the legacies of empire and enslavement, power and memory with our communities and audiences.
Museum Remix is back! This two-day workshop gives you the opportunity to create provocative and creative responses to our objects, exploring the theme of Power and Memory.
Your challenge
This year, we're creating audio. How can we retell the stories of our objects in creative new ways through sound?
Working with a team, you'll investigate the collections and create new interpretation, which we'll make accessible to our audiences via digital gallery labels and online.
