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Fall 2022

"Sea Monsters! 'O Brave new seas that have such monsters in them'"

Through the Tack Faculty Lecture Series, a William & Mary professor addresses the community at least once a semester.

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Viewing sea monsters from the perspectives of both a sailor and a classicist inspired Georgia Irby’s curiosity about what’s behind all the frothy fear down through the ages. 

Irby researches the history of Greek and Roman science with a focus on cartography, geography and hydrology in the ancient Mediterranean. Her course Why Water Matters grew into a two-volume book project, and she has a forthcoming paper on the topic. The course is an exploration of all aspects of Greco-Roman society, focused on how the ancients interacted with and interpreted the natural world, with a focus on water.

Read more: Professor’s Tack Faculty Lecture to examine sea monsters: Myth or legend?