Monica Cyrino is a professor of classics at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. She is an expert in

Classical reception studies Classical reception studies is the study of how the classical world, especially Ancient Greek literature and Latin literature, have been received since antiquity. It is the study of the portrayal and representation of the ancient world from ancien ...

, described as a "leading academic" in the field. Her work focuses particularly on modern film and TV, and she has also served as a historical consultant for multiple modern productions.

Early life and education

Cyrino attended Marina High School where she was a cheerleader and among 117 students at Orange County high schools advancing in Merit Scholar Contest. She was a first prize winner in the feature category in a high school journalism event. Cyrino received her BA from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in Classical Languages in 1984, and studied for an MA, MPhil and PhD in

Classical Philology Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages, ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

between 1986 and 1992. Until 1990 she taught as a Teaching Assistant at Yale, before moving to the

, first as a Visiting assistant professor, and from 1993 as assistant professor in classics. In 2007 she was promoted to Professor of Classics, and since 2018 has held a Chair of Languages, Cultures, and Literature at the University of New Mexico.

Career

Cyrino was awarded an

Society for Classical Studies The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA), is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the pree ...

'Excellence in Teaching' award in 1998–9, and a Hood Fellowship in 2018. She was also awarded an ''ovatio'' by the Classical Association for the Middle West and South in 2008. Between 2013 and 2014 she served as the President for the Classical Association for the Middle West and South. Cyrino's research is focused in two main areas:

eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

in Ancient Greece, and classical reception on the modern screen and pop culture. She has been described as 'an authority on the reception of ancient Rome in film studies', and her work on film has been described as "advancing the field of Classical Reception Studies". Cyrino has published on modern TV series such as HBO's

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

on both seasons, BBC's Troy: Fall of a City and Starz'

Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...

. She has also been described as a "leading academic" and "leading name in cinematic reception studies." Her work on film and TV has also meant that she has been involved in the media industries, as Cyrino has served as the historical consultant on TV series such as

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

(2015) and ''The Messengers'' (2015). Cyrino has also received many awards for contributions to her field through teaching such as: * American Philological Association's Excellence in Teaching Classics Award (1998-1999) * UNM Alumni Association Faculty Teaching Award (2002) * UNM Presidential Teaching Fellowship Award (2000-2002) * UNM College of Arts & Sciences Gunter Starkey Teaching Award (1998-1999) * UNM Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award (1994-1995) Cyrino will deliver the 2025 Sir Ronald Syme Memorial Lecture at The Classics Programme of Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington).

Bibliography

*''Screening Love and War in Troy: Fall of a City.'' Co-edited with Antony Augoustakis (Bloomsbury 2022). *''STARZ Spartacus: Reimagining an Icon on Screen.'' Co-edited with Antony Augoustakis (Edinburgh 2017). *''Rome, Season Two: Trial and Triumph'' ed. Monica S. Cyrino (Edinburgh 2015). *''Screening Love and Sex in the Ancient World'' ed. Monica S. Cyrino (Palgrave Macmillan 2013). *''Aphrodite'' (Routledge 2010). *''Rome, Season One: History Makes Television'' ed. Monica S. Cyrino (Blackwell 2008).

References

{{Authority control University of New Mexico faculty 1962 births Living people UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni