About Us
Founded by Cornell University undergraduates in 2024, ελαϊνος is the university’s first undergraduate Classics journal. We are devoted to publishing original work on the ancient world — research, translations, essays, creative writing, and art that reflect the richness and relevance of classical study today.
Our title, Elaïnos (ἐλαϊνος), pays homage to the olive tree, symbol of peace, endurance, and wisdom. The olive’s roots run deep through the poetry of Homer, especially in the Odyssey, where it becomes the living embodiment of Odysseus’s νοστος. For us, it also recalls Ithaca itself, our own place of learning and return.
We publish twice a year, in the Fall and Spring semesters, and invite contributions from students who wish to engage with the classical world with care, creativity, and clarity.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Eman Siddiqui
Our Team
I am a Senior from Karachi, Pakistan, double-majoring in Classics and Government. My academic interests centre around the relationship between Ancient Greek literature and political theory, and specifically how the prescriptions of those texts complicate and transform when they move into the theatre of modern Western politics.
Email: ezs7@cornell.edu
Founder and Head Editor
Kurt Kennedy
I am a Senior from Philadelphia, double-majoring in Classics and Economics. Having begun my Classics journey with middle school Latin, my interests have evolved to include Greek and Latin literature, linguistics, language learning, and the intersection between language and law in the Ancient World.
Email: kek254@cornell.edu
Founder and Head Editor
Mary Ellison
I am a senior double major in Classics and Psychology from Southern Maryland. I had my start in Classics in my high school Latin class. My academic interests have since evolved to encompass mainly Homeric and Virgilian epic as well as Greek tragedy, and particularly how modern psychological views could inform readings of characters in ancient literature.
Email: mbe35@cornell.edu