Arts and Humanities Commons^™

“The Holy Brick Of Birth-Giving”: A Reassessment Of Ancient Near Eastern Birth Bricks And Their Medical Role In Delivery, Emily Jo Liske

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The bricks of birth are often described as a birthing tool in ancient Near Eastern societies. Assertions about their function and usage are based almost solely on two sources: ancient religious texts and ethnographic studies. However, upon closer investigation, the religious texts suggest that the bricks were primarily ritual implements, and the ethnographic studies cited only briefly allude to the possible use of bricks prior to delivery.

In order to assess the likelihood that birth bricks were used as a medical aid during labor, this project evaluates the available textual and archaeological sources, the central terminology, and commonly-cited ethnographic studies. …

A Quiet Mind: The Key To Musical Performance, Rebecca Ann Percy

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

In this day and age, many people believe they can multitask. From texting and driving to watching television while studying for a test, we always want to accomplish many things at once. Musicians often try to multitask while practicing their instruments. They think about breathing, articulation, jaw movement, finger technique, and more. However, research has proven that multitasking is impossible. According to Christine Rosen in “The Myth of Multitasking,” time and efficiency are actually lost while the brain decides which task to perform. Practicing with a “quiet mind” will lead to peak performance and avoid the detrimental effects of trying …

Archaeometric Approaches To The Roman Near East, Gayatri Nandwani

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

The purpose of my research this summer has been to participate in a full suite of archaeometric and geoarchaeological analyses, particularly as they are applied to sedimentology. The first section of my research has focused on an introduction to these procedures at ARL including laboratory safety procedures, proper sample collection and processing methods, and introduction to methods and purposes for a variety of laboratory analyses including grain size distribution analysis using a state of the art Malvern Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction particle size analyzer, organic matter and inorganic carbon analysis, and microartifact analysis. During the field collection phase I worked …

Representation Of The Human Musculature In The Bronze Age Aegean, Emily R Brower

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Bronze Age sculptures range from abstract to realistic, but how accurate are the realistic sculptures? To answer this question, it is useful to compare three pieces of artwork: Prince of Lilies from Knossos, Kouros from Palaikastro, and the Boxer Rhyta from Ayia Triadha to a musculature replica. These pieces originate from the Bronze Age in the Aegean. What this comparison will tell us is how much the ancient peoples were studying the human body, along with the reasons as to why these sculptures were portrayed with such realistic characteristics. To accomplish this goal this paper takes the artifacts background into …

Social Reform And Gender: Henry Bergh, "Manliness", And The Early Animal Rights Movement In America, Hannah Gretchen Nelsen

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

In 1867, New York resident and philanthropist Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (better known now the ASPCA). He was responsible for creating the first animal cruelty society of its kind in the United States, only a few years after the United States had abolished slavery and decades before women would be given the right to vote. While Bergh's work would start a revolution into the way Americans treated animals legally, he did not do so without controversy.