Name: Pietro Cannatella

Research: My research is an interdisciplinary investigation into the causes of one of the oldest hegemonic wars in human history – the Peloponnesian Wars. I will re-examine a key watershed moment in Athenian history, the sack of its city during the Persian Wars, and explore its role in establishing an inevitable path to conflict by 432 BC. By using International Relations (IR) Theory as a heuristic tool, I will assess whether the shared Athenian experience of the destruction of the city suffered in 480 BC conditioned Athenian behaviour (and its foreign policy) in the years 480-432 BC. A closer look at how the recurring trauma of the sack (a ‘persistent memory’) was manipulated and then exploited by Athenian foreign policy leaders such as Themistocles will attempt to corroborate this assessment.  

The transmission of collective trauma into an enduring persistent memory can have a multitude of effects on states, both ancient and modern. This research is the preliminary foundation for understanding the role of persistent memories within international relations. They can explain continued hyper-aggressive foreign policies, help us to understand the psychology of empire and even outline the beginnings of ‘grand strategies’ from the unlikeliest of historical events.  

Publications: Forthcoming - ‘Student and teacher perceptions of the value of Total War: Saga in motivating KS3 students in an all-boys state school’ in Journal of Classics Teaching. 45. 2022. 

Other activities: I completed my PGCE in Latin with Classics at the University of Cambridge during the 2020-21 academic year and have a keen interest in outreach programmes that promote Classical Antiquity in secondary schools. This corresponds with prior research in understanding how we can use digital games to increase motivation and intercultural communication competence amongst secondary school pupils.