1.2: The Modern Argonauts
Mythology creates a universal cultural code that connects generations and helps us to discuss contemporary issues. The myth of Achilles is a starting point for reflection on the price of fame. Hephaestus, the brilliant creator of the first robots, is also a god with a physical disability, and his story inspires discussion about barriers that still exist today. Artemis can draw our attention to the need to protect forest areas. This mythological code has a great educational potential and The Modern Argonauts project draws on it.
In 2023, our Faculty began implementing the first in Poland Proof of Concept grant awarded in the humanities by the European Research Council (ERC), which Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak received for the project The Modern Argonauts: A Multicultural Educational Programme Preparing Young People for Contemporary Challenges through an Innovative Use of Classical Mythology. Its result will be an international programme for educating secondary school students in mythology understood as a tool that encourages young people to think critically. Thanks to the inclusion of selected myths from outside Europe, the programme builds a sense of community in a spirit of respect for different cultures.
The programme will take the form of a handbook with elements of a role-playing game. Its users will take on the roles of modern-day Argonauts and set off on a quest in search of mythical heritage. They will learn about ancient sources and the reception of myths, develop soft skills through creative tasks, and learn to use the mythological code to engage in dialogue about contemporary challenges.
The Modern Argonauts project is the next stage of the Our Mythical Childhood grant and a collaborative and non-commercial endeavour. Experts from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand are participating in the development of the textbook, and the materials they have prepared have already been tested by over 300 students – from classical high schools in Italy to secondary schools in Cameroon to a technical college in Poland.
The ERC Proof of Concept grant for The Modern Argonauts project enables the implementation of the vision of education based on scientific research and cooperation between schools and universities, developed as part of the activities of the Centre for Research on Ancient Tradition (OBTA) and The Cluster: The Past for the Present, in accordance with the idea of artes liberales which is the creed of the Faculty.
The Roman origins of vulcanisation
Tyre replacement at a vulcaniser takes place under the watchful eye of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. The vulcanisation process, i.e. the production of rubber with the right properties, was developed in the 19th century. Two men invented vulcanisation: the Englishman Thomas Hancock and the American Charles Goodyear, whose name we now associate with the global tyre industry. The process of hardening and elasticising rubber originally required high temperatures and was associated with volcanoes and their mythological ruler. Therefore, Hancock’s friend, the English writer, painter and inventor William Brockedon, proposed the term ‘vulcanisation’ in honour of Vulcan, the Roman equivalent of Hephaestus. Hancock and Goodyear argued over patents, but both accepted without hesitation the patronage of the ancient god who helps to ensure road safety even in our times.
FROM THE TOP. 1 Participants of The Modern Argonauts conference, 2024 (photo: R. Przybysz) 2 Steve K. Simons, Trireme of the Modern Argonauts, 2024. Symbolic drawing of the project 3 Hermes with the programme of The Modern Argonauts conference (photo: M. Kaźmierczak) 4 Testing Julia Wollner’s lesson on Laocoön under the supervision of Wojciech Konieczny, a Polish language teacher at the Władysław Hasior State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Koszalin (photo from the school’s archives