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Classical Association of South Africa

Organisation

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 31, 2026
Entity authorityQ76977447 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Classical Association of South Africa (CASA) was first established in 1908, and has existed in its current form since 1956. The aim of CASA is to promote the study and appreciation of classical antiquity. The majority of its membership consists of academic staff and students, but membership is open to anyone who subscribes to this goal. The association organises a national conference at its biennial meeting, and national branches organise more frequent regional meetings.

The association sponsors various prizes and awards, and promotes several outreach initiatives.

History

The inaugural meeting of the association was held on June 22, 1908 in Cape Town with the presidential address given by professor W. Ritchie at the South African College (now the University of Cape Town). The organisation was envisioned as a national association two years before the Union of South Africa came into being in 1910. The 1908 Association, though short-lived, was the precursor to the later association founded at Cape Town in 1927 by the Hon. J. H. Hofmeyr, Professors C. S. Edgar, W. Rollo, A. Petrie, and T. J. Haarhoff, with Marie V. Williams as honorary secretary.

The 1927 association enjoyed moderate success, but was beset with practical difficulties.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Classical Association of South Africa” as organisation. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Classical, Association and South.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1908, 1956, 1910, 1927—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1908. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Classical, Association and South providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Classical Association of South Africa”, the useful work is to connect “organisation” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q76977447. VIAF identifies the subject as 126546790. The Library of Congress control number is no96024906. 1 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1956, 1910 and 1927.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Classical Association of South Africa”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Classical Association of South Africa primary sources, Classical Association of South Africa archive and Classical research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Classical Association of South Africa”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Classical Association of South Africa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.