Thomas Stranex (South Africa)

I am from Cape Town, South Africa, where I did nothing of any note for the first two decades of my life. After finishing school and finding that I had little to do with myself, I decided to teach myself Ancient Greek to relieve the boredom (and because I thought it'd impress girls--it did not). I then went on to study Classics, French, and German in my undergrad at the University of Cape Town, eventually specialising in Ancient Greek literature, and have now come to Oxford to read for an MPhil in Greek and/or Roman History thanks to the Ertegun Scholarship. My dissertation focuses on the relationship between letter writing (epistolography) and monarchy from the sixth to the third century BCE, and I'm particularly interested in how Alexander III of Macedonia and his successors adapted the epistolographic habit of the Achaemenid Empire (which they had just conquered) to their needs. My academic interests tend to have to do with how language works within history and society: at the moment, I'm particularly keen on thinking about the relationship between imperialism and the written word, and about how multilingual individuals in the ancient Mediterranean shaped its history.
 

In my spare time, I ignore far too many emails, attempt (and fail) to learn more languages (I'm having fun with Coptic and Ethiopic at the moment), and try to read books about things outside my usual interests. Since coming to Oxford I have developed a deep and abiding appreciation for falafel wraps, and can often be seen wandering around town without any shoes on. My favourite novelist is J. M. Coetzee and I cannot abide sparkling water (water was not meant to sparkle).