Personal profile
Overview
I am currently a Lecturer in Classical Literature and Culture at Manchester, my alma mater.
Before taking up a lectureship at UoM, I worked as the Postdoctoral Research Associate on the Ancient Letter Collections Project (Durham/Glasgow/Manchester), a project on which I remain actively involved, and Lecturer at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (2022-2023).
Research interests
My main research area is the Latin literature of the 1st century AD, and the poetry of Statius in particular. My book, The Dark Side of Statius' Achilleid: Epic Distorted (OUP, 2024), offers a thorough reconsideration of the more 'serious', epic and tragic themes at the heart of this fascinating epic poem, Statius' last.
Some of my publications have focused on the significance of the Amazons in Statius, aspects of the language of the Achilleid, the use of wordplay in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and a co-edited special issue of Arethusa on visions of Egypt in Imperial Latin literature. I have recently published an article that rethinks the nature of the dynamics of the Venus and Vulcan scene in Aeneid 8.
Following my interest in ancient epistolography, I have co-edited a special issue of the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library on the Aldine Edition of the Ancient Greek epistolographers. I am also intrigued by the reception of classical literature within the works of the dramatists of the Spanish Golden Age (especially Tirso de Molina and Calderón de la Barca).
In addition to my ongoing work for the Ancient Letter Collections project, current research undertakings include several chapters on Statius, and a nascent study on perceptions of grief and loss in Latin literature.
Teaching
At Manchester, I teach a varied range of subjects, such as the first-year course on Homer's Odyssey, and other courses in Latin language and literature, both in Latin and in translation (2024-25: Grief and Loss: Coping with the Romans; Ekphrasis in Latin Texts; 2025-26 Advanced Latin Language 1; Roman Roads: Journeys in Latin Literature)
Qualifications
MA (UoM); PhD (UoM, 2019); FHEA
External positions
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Durham
Mar 2023 → Dec 2023
Areas of expertise
- PA Classical philology
- Latin literature
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The Dark Side of Statius' Achilleid: Epic Distorted
Abad Del Vecchio, J., 25 Jul 2024, Oxford: Oxford University Press. 288 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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New Greek Inscriptions In UK Collections Part III Three Texts In Glasgow
Liddel, P., Abad Del Vecchio, J. & Wilding, A., 6 Mar 2026, In: Zeitschrift fuer Papyrologie und Epigraphik. 236, p. 115-121 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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VALENTINO D’URSO, P. Papinius Statius, Ecloga ad Claudiam uxorem (silv. 3, 5): introduzione, testo, traduzione e commento. (Testi e studi di cultura classica 94). Pisa: Edizioni ETS, 2024. Pp. 362. isbn 9788846770769 (pbk): €38.00.
Abad Del Vecchio, J., 14 May 2026, In: Journal of Roman Studies.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review
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Venus’ Touch: Words, Deeds, and Divine Design (Aeneid 8.369–406)
Abad Del Vecchio, J., 27 Mar 2026, In: Virgil Society. Proceedings. 32, p. 1-24Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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EPIC INTERTEXTUALITY IN STATIUS’ ACHILLEID - (B.V.) Sigurjónsson Sic notus Achilles? Episches Narrativ und Intertextualität in Statius’ Achilleis. (Classica Monacensia 61.) Pp. 314, map. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto, 2023. Paper, €78. ISBN: 978-3-381-10721-6.
Abad Del Vecchio, J., 27 Aug 2025, In: The Classical Review.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review
Projects
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The life of Lambert Lombard - Art history at the periphery of the Renaissance (2017-2020)
Wouk, E. (PI), Dalton, H. (Researcher) & Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Researcher)
Project: Research
Activities
- 6 Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc
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Classical Association Conference 2026
Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Chair)
10 Apr 2026Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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The ALC project, from manuscript to print: journeys in the arrangement, transmission, and publication of (some) ancient letter collections
Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Participant)
2025Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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'Archetypal Grief in the Achilleid'
Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Participant)
2025Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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‘Awaiting Chaos: intertextual foreshadowing in the Achilleid’
Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Participant)
2024Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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‘Generic Liminality in the Achilleid: Questioning the Unsaid’
Abad Del Vecchio, J. (Participant)
2024Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research