The success of the Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator has ignited interest among second-level and third-level students in classical studies, according to academics working in the field.
While the epic, starring New Zealand actor Russell Crowe, has been criticised for its historical inaccuracies, participants in a major classics conference said yesterday that its success was giving the subject a major boost.
"The figures have not fed through yet, but we are hoping for a pick-up in the number of students taking our subject in first year on the back of the film," said Dr Mark Humphries, senior lecturer at Maynooth University.
He was speaking to The Irish Times during the Celtic Conferences in Classics, held at the university and attended by academics from Ireland and Britain.
While the popularity of the film is helping, Dr Humphries said a major review of classical studies at second level would also help promote interest in the field.
This review is being undertaken by the Classical Association of Ireland, which represents teachers and academics.
The course is being reformed following this year's Leaving Certificate results which at pass level had almost a 50 per cent failure rate.
The number of students taking the subject at Leaving Certificate this year was 819.
"There were major parts of the film which were not accurate at all, for example the emperor dying in the arena and all the stuff about the Republic being restored," said Dr Humphries.
"However it did show how different the Romans were from us and that was an important contribution to make," he added.
He said one of the biggest changes in the field was the broadening of courses at third level.
"Up until the 1970s the subject was mainly about the teaching of languages like Latin, but now most courses are conducted using translations," he said.
Roman social history and architecture had also become more important in recent years, he said.