Rate My Professor Paul Roche

Professor Paul Roche is Professor of Latin in the Discipline of Classics and Ancient History within the School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney. He holds a Master of Arts from the University of Queensland and a PhD from the University of Otago. Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA) in 2020, he was honored for his contributions to the study of Latin literature of the first two centuries AD. His research specializations encompass Latin literature, with particular focus on Lucan, Pliny the Younger, Horace, Tacitus, Flavian Rome, public imagery in the early imperial period, and the intersection of Roman Republican politics and literature in the Late Republic and Early Empire. Roche's ORCID identifier is 0000-0002-7877-9902. He serves as President of the Australasian Society for Classical Studies.

Throughout his career at the University of Sydney, where he began as a Lecturer in Latin, Roche has produced influential scholarly editions, commentaries, and monographs that have shaped the field of Classics. Key publications include his edition of Lucan, De Bello Civili Book 1, with introduction, facing translation, and commentary (Oxford University Press, 2009); Pliny's Praise: The Panegyricus in the Roman World (Cambridge University Press, 2011); the edition of Lucan, De Bello Civili Book 7 (Oxford University Press); Reading Lucan's Civil War: A Critical Guide (University of Oklahoma Press, 2021); and the edition of Dracontius' Orestes. He has also published articles on topics such as Tacitus and Horace's Odes. Roche teaches Latin immersion courses, senior Latin texts, and units in classical literature at the University of Sydney. His editions and studies provide critical resources for scholars and students, enhancing interpretations of Roman political and literary discourse. Additionally, he has delivered lectures on Roman emperors and classics topics, contributing to public engagement with ancient history.