The Colosseum in Rome. The Parthenon in Greece. All real-life remnants of ancient history that have survived the test of time. But at Solis Diaboli, the ASU Classics Club, history isn't just distant landmarks and textbooks for class, it's a passion.
The organization is dedicated to celebrating ancient history and connecting with it in a fun manner that is accessible to everyone. One of its missions is to get the word out about the classics major, something not everyone knows you can study.
Ilia Cepeda, a graduate student studying legal studies, is one of the co-presidents for Solis Diaboli, and she constantly feels she has to clear up confusion about her field of study.
"That's always the line of questioning," Cepeda said. "It's 'What do you study? Classics? What is that?'"
Solis Diaboli works in tandem with the classics department, sometimes as a mascot when promoting it. The department hosts an annual fall forum to outreach and engage with K-12 students in the Valley, with the mission of spreading the word about classical studies.
The club helps organize the forum and offers fun activities for students, like translating "SpongeBob Squarepants" episodes into Latin.
"It's things that are fun and applicable to people's lives, and that's what we try to do with our activities and club," Cepeda said. "We try to make things apply to things people already know, and draw upon the knowledge that people already have."
That same mentality is shared by the club's leadership. Zoe Thomas, a senior studying anthropology and English literature, also serves as co-president of Solis Diaboli and wants to highlight how welcoming the club is to newcomers.
"We have a couple people who ... all they know about classics prior to the club was Percy Jackson, and we're completely welcoming to that," Thomas said. "Or we have some people who've just brought their friends along, and their friends have no idea what we're talking about, but they end up enjoying it."
Aiden Ganesan, a junior studying biology and anthropology, serves as the club's treasurer. They joined Solis Diaboli because they loved Greek mythology and learning about the historical context of ancient Greece and Rome.
In making connections with other members and professors at the department, Ganesan actually added anthropology as one of their majors.
Ganesan, along with Thomas and Cepeda, is responsible for planning club activities. It's a collaborative process that combines all of their knowledge.
Ganesan said they do a lot of the creative planning for activities like Lupercalia Lottery, a game night inspired by the ancient festival, where club members had to matchmake historical and mythical figures.
But academia is still always at the forefront of the club's meetings. Ganesan said when making events and presentations, they include Thomas and Cepeda by "pulling their knowledge of what they learned in class to develop those PowerPoints."
This mix of a love for continued learning and the effort of trying to connect ancient studies with modern-day students is the driving force behind Solis Diaboli, because ancient history is still connected to what we know today.
"Most of modern society has some type of basis, and something from ancient Greece, Rome and even ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt," Cepeda said. "Our legal system draws from ancient Greece and Rome."
The club meets every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in Durham Hall, Room 203.
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at jagon128@asu.edu.
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Jazlyn Gonzales is a senior studying Journalism and Mass Communication. This is her fourth semester with The State Press. She has also interned at KJZZ and worked for Blaze Radio
