Although they are often categorized as professors, members of the faculty in the Lumpkin School of Business said they are always looking for an opportunity to learn something new and share it with the campus community.

As a part of the lectures series, “A Futuristic Look Through Ancient Lenses: A Symposium on Ancient Greece,” three business professors will share their knowledge on the business world of Ancient Greece on Thursday.

Business professors Cheryl Noll, Bill Wootton and David Boggs will present the lecture “Business and Accounting Practices in Ancient Greece” at 1 p.m. in Room 2120 in the Physical Science Building.

Noll, chairperson for the School of Business, said her part of the presentation would focus on the labor force, and buying and selling in the local markets.

Boggs, who chose to focus on the people and trade practices of the Greeks, said it was difficult to narrow down a specific era because of how each source defined the time period differently.

“Ancient Greece as a whole covers over 1,000 years,” Boggs said. “Some sources defined the classical period as starting around 600 B.C. and ending about A.D. 400—others say it started in 500 B.C. and ended with the death of Alexander the Great.”

Boggs said he originally planned to focus on just trade in general as opposed to international trade, which he teaches, because it is easy to find historical information on the subject.

Once he began his research, he said he realized he knew little about the Greek people, and felt compelled to learn more about them.

Boggs compared the changes in the people and trade practices in the Classical Era of Ancient Greece to the changes of U.S. history, both of which are about 200 years in length.

“Think about all the changes in U.S. history: the boarders, the culture and the people,” Boggs said. “Yes, some of the general dynamics are the same, but you almost have to ask what day we are talking about to fully understand it.”

Noll said in order to fully understand business, it is important to understand how it was done before.

“They were the first ones to create material wealth and buy things on credit,” Noll said.

She said neither she nor her fellow presenters consider themselves experts, but were asked to do a presentation and thought it could be fun.

“We saw an opportunity to learn something new and decided to see where it led,” Noll said.

Boggs said the opportunity inspired him to visit Greece, and he is currently planning trip this summer.

“I’ve always liked history and almost switched my major in college, but my pragmatic side won out,” Boggs said. “Now that I’ve done the research, I want to see it.”

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or alwywialowski@eiu.edu.