Publication Date
Fall 11-18-2025
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Department
Foreign Languages, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Kate Holland
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
The ancient Romans did not have a set definition of what constituted a ‘ghost story.’ They did, however, have folklore, which involved stories and common themes being passed down through generations via oral tradition; this folklore included ghost stories. Although not many records of Roman ghost stories have survived, the existing records show that ghosts and their stories often contain universal attributes. This presentation explores popular ghost stories from ancient Roman writers and their commonalities.
Recommended Citation
Brigden, James. “6 Famous Ghosts from the Ancient World.” HISTORY, 13 Jan. 2023, www.history.co.uk/articles/famous-ghosts-from-the-ancient-world#:~:text=3.,could%20ever%20finish%20the%20biography. Felton, Debbie. Haunted Greece and Rome: Ghost Stories from Classical Antiquity. University of Texas Press, 1999. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.7560/725072.
