Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons^™

The Political Properties: Pro- And Anti-Augustan Readings Of Propertius Book Four, Matthew Angelosanto

Honors Theses

Propertius was a Roman elegist writing during the early years of Augustus’ reign as emperor. His fourth and final book of elegies has long confounded scholars due to its drastic shift in subject matter from love elegy to aetiology. So, too, did the poet’s political stance seem to change: vehemently anti-Augustus in his earlier books, a number of poems in his fourth seem to extol both the sociopolitical climate of Augustan Rome as well as the emperor himself. But should we take the poet’s words at face value? In light of his inexplicable change in political allegiance, this thesis examines …

The Epistulae Of Marcus Aurelius And Fronto: A Study And Commentary, Christopher W. Larabee

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Long marginalized by Classical scholarship, the Letters (Epistulae) of Marcus Aurelius and Fronto serve as a powerful tool for use in the intermediate Latin classroom. This project proposes that through application of modern second language acquisition research, these letters can be brought to life to allow Latin teachers to take advantage of the ways their students learn language most naturally: through dialogue and conversation. By selecting letters based on principles established by second language acquisition research, the Epistulae can be presented in the format of an intermediate commentary and conversation, allowing students to learn Latin through their dialogical, …

Mythological History, Identity Formation, And The Many Faces Of Alexander The Great, James Mayer

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Alexander the Great, ruler of Macedonia and conqueror of much of the eastern Mediterranean world in the fourth century BCE, figures prominently in folklore for centuries afterward. This paper analyzes several stories about Alexander to explore the intersections among history, myth and identity. By looking at accounts of Alexander written by Jews living in Alexandria in the Roman period, by early Byzantine Christians and by medieval Persian Muslims, I demonstrate that communities from all over the Mediterranean used myths about Alexander to redefine their identity in response to catastrophic changes.

Not All Were Created Equal, Sarah Cox

Young Historians Conference

This paper explores the exceptional social, political and economic status afforded to women in Sparta by their society. Women were not simply relegated to the domestic sphere in Sparta, their responsibilities included managing both public and private affairs in the absence of their husbands, brothers and fathers. Their collective role in society allowed them to contribute to and serve their city state. It asserts that women in Sparta, unlike their contemporaries in other ancient Greek city states, had more opportunities to affect the overall impact of Sparta as a dominate military power.

Controlling Travel: Deportation, Islands, And The Regulation Of Senatorial Mobility In The Augustan Principate, Fred Drogula

Fred K. Drogula

Aristotle On Truth, Facts, And Relations: Categories, De Interpretatione, Metaphysics Gamma, Blake Hestir

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Aristotle’s conception of truth looks like this:

TA-Schema: ‘S is P’ is true ↔ S is P.

TA-Schema(n): ‘S is not P’ is true ↔ S is not P.

By Tdf Aristotle need only mean that stating with respect to some property P that is in the case some subject S that P is in the case of S, is what amounts to truth. More precisely then for Aristotle the TA-Schema would amount to:

TA-Schema*: ‘S is P’ is true ↔ the universal P is instantiated in the case of S. TASchema( n)*: ‘S is not P’ is true ↔ …

The Athenian Institution Of Adoption During The Fourth Century Bce: A Reflection Of And Contribution To Athens' Patriarchal Society, Maria Duda, Nancy Sultan, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Isis In Ancient Ostia: Religion, Commerce, And Politics, Jenna Johnson, Nancy Sultan, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Climate And Teleology In Aristotle's Physics Ii.8, Yancy Hughes Dominick

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Weather, including rain, happens as a result of natural and teleological processes, but that is compatible with the claim that rain falls not for the sake of something, but of necessity, and any benefit from the rain comes by chance. Aristotle need not embrace the conclusion, therefore, that it rains for the sake of the crops. Climate, on the other hand, is regular and beneficial. If the disjunct from Physics II.8 holds, climate ought to be for the sake of something even while rain is not.

Sagp Newsletter 2010/11.3 Pacific, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Justice As Self-Transmitting Power And Just Acts In Republic 4, Andrew Payne

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

In his influential paper “A Fallacy in Plato’s Republic,” David Sachs charged Plato with committing a fallacy of irrelevancy. Plato’s Socrates is asked to show that justice understood as acting in conformity with conventional morality, so-called vulgar justice, is beneficial to the just person. Socrates actually demonstrates something else, namely that psychic justice, a state of internal harmony between parts of the soul, is beneficial to its possessor. A generation of Plato scholarship has reacted to Sachs’ reading of the Republic by using discussions of moral psychology and education elsewhere in the dialogue to bridge the gap between psychic justice …

The Effect Of Misogyny On The Persecution Of Women As Practitioners Of Magic In Ancient Greece, Rome, Medieval And Early Modern Europe, Mark J. Mangione

Honors Bachelor of Arts

This paper will look at the history of magic from the time of the ancient Greeks, to its development and integration into the culture of the Romans, and finally its evolution, downfall, and outlawing in the Medieval and Early Modern Europe. More specifically, this paper intends to focus upon the gender of practitioners of magic. There is a discrepancy between classical literature and non-literary sources of who actually were practitioners of magic. Women prevail as practitioners in Greek and Roman literature but non-literary sources say that men too were practitioners of magic. Glimpses of misogynistic thoughts can be found in …

Studies On The Reception Of Plato, Kyriakos N. Demetriou

Kyriakos N. Demetriou

This collection of essays focuses on the reception of Plato and Greek political thought in the work of some major (pre)Victorian classical scholars and expands on a remarkable range of hotly debated issues on the interpretation of Greek antiquity. The central figure in this volume is the radical philosopher, utilitarian, and Platonist George Grote, whose works on the history of Greece and Plato moved away from traditional models of classical interpretation. His works and their background are critically explored in light of his philosophical commitment and political radicalism. Article IV brings to light a forgotten manuscript by Grote, "On the …

Distortions In The Historical Record Concerning Ager Publicus, Leges Agrariae, And The Gracchi, Maria Therese Jeffrey

Honors Bachelor of Arts

In this thesis, I examine some tales of the earliest leges agrariae as reported by Livy and Dionysus because the motifs they employ in telling these stories are seen in the Gracchan tales as well. In addition, no discussion of the Gracchi is complete without some consideration of what kind of land they aimed to redistribute and who would benefit. Plutarch and Appian do not go into detail about ager publicus or previous leges agrariae and secondary scholars might unconsciously ignore them in turn. Therefore, I examine ager publicus and leges agrariae for a fuller understanding of the importance of …

Sagp Newsletter 2010/11.2 Central, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Law, Philosophy, And Civil Theodicy: An Interpretation Of Plato's Epinomis, Steven Thomason

Presentations and Lectures

Scholars have mostly neglected Plato’s Epinomis. To my knowledge no one has attempted an interpretation of the dialogue as a whole in recent memory. In part this is because some scholars have argued that the Epinomis was not written by Plato. However, this is not the opinion of many prominent Plato scholars of the last century and a half. For example, George Grote, Paul Friedlander, A.E. Taylor, and Paul Shorey all considered it an authentic Platonic dialogue. Additionally, its authenticity was hardly doubted by ancient commentators. The main argument made for its not being authentic is not interpretational but alleged …

Shame And Conflict - Lysis's Philosophical Akrasia, L. Albert Joosse

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

We will see a conflict within Lysis between his newly stimulated love for wisdom and his habitual self-restraint. Born and raised an aristocrat, Lysis experiences conflict when his mind is enticed outside its wonted limits. What he experiences is, in fact, shame of himself: he notices that part of him falls short of the ideal he has been brought up with and to which part of him still adheres. His is a philosophical akrasia.

Cassius Dio's Livia And The Conspiracy Of Cinna Magnus, Eric Adler

Classics Faculty Publications

The dialogue between Livia and Augustus about the conspiracy of Cinna Magnus (Dio 55.14-22) subtly undermines Livia, portraying her clemency as Machiavellian, in a manner consistent with Dio’s view of powerful women.

The Temple Of Divus Iulus And The Restoration Of Legislative Assemblies Under Augustus, Darryl Phillips

Classics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lies, Lyres, And Laughter: Surplus Potential In The Homeric Hymn To Hermes, Christopher Bungard

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This paper seeks to reevaluate scholarly responses to the laughter in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. Using Zupančič's recent work on comedy, I argue that Hermes intentionally exploits surplus potentials that emerge from splits in the perceived unity and completeness of Zeus's cosmos. Through surpluses (a tortoise-lyre, a baby cattle rustler, a baby master of legal speech), Hermes is able to attain his place among the Olympians. The laughter of the audience is one final expression of this acceptance of Hermes and his potential.