Dr helen pope

Dr Helen Pope’s passion for Rome and the ancient world began from her very first Latin class in high school when she was 11 years old! This led her to study Classics at Monash University, where she earned a B.A. (Hons) and PhD in Latin.

After living and travelling for two years in Greece and Italy in order to deepen her knowledge of the Greco-Roman world, she returned to Monash and took up a position in the Visual Arts Department, where she taught Classical, Renaissance and baroque art and architecture for five years. Helen then moved permanently to Rome, where she has taught a full Classics program at St Stephen’s International School for 35 years, as well as several American college programs. One of the highlights of those years was a full year’s sabbatical in Syria, studying the Roman sites and the relationship between Romans and local populations.

Over the years Helen has organized and led more than 100 trips, for teenagers and adults, both within Italy and abroad, primarily around the Mediterranean. She is the founder and first director of St Stephen’s Lyceum, an institute named after Aristotle’s school in Athens, dedicated to  the promotion and appreciation of the classical world.

Helen retired in 2018, but has actively continued to pursue her fascination for travel and the ancient world.