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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

The Mosaic Programs Of The Basilica Of San Vitale And The Great Palace Of Constantinople: A Unique Reinvention Of Roman Pasts, Justine R. Spencer Mar 2024

The Mosaic Programs Of The Basilica Of San Vitale And The Great Palace Of Constantinople: A Unique Reinvention Of Roman Pasts, Justine R. Spencer

University Honors Theses

The Church of San Vitale and the Great Palace of Constantinople offer remarkable examples of artistic productions in early Byzantine mosaics. Bridging from the same Roman past they reinvented a classical medium with their unique interpretations of earlier traditions. They exemplify the diversity of Byzantine artistic productions that could coexist within the same medium and era. The mosaics of the Great Palace were part of a secular governmental public space and found deep in the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire. The mosaics of the Church of San Vitale were made for the domain of the newly reconsecrated Orthodox church …


The Contested Exempla Of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Victoria Theresa White Dec 2023

The Contested Exempla Of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Victoria Theresa White

Dissertations and Theses

In 82 BCE, Lucius Cornelius Sulla emerged the victor of his civil war against the supporters of Marius and Cinna. The brutal aftermath of this victory, characterized by the creation of the proscriptions, would brand Sulla as a cruel and immoderate victor. Still, his successes in Rome’s previous wars against foreign enemies had enshrined Sulla as a brilliant military commander within Roman memory. Previous scholarship about Sulla has focused on the dichotomy of Sulla’s actions, often in order to evaluate his clemency or cruelty and his aims of his political reforms. This thesis analyzes how ancient Roman and Greek authors …


The Vestal Virgins And The Transition From Republic To Principate Under Augustus C. 30 Bce - 14 Ce, Jamie R. Ditzel Jun 2022

The Vestal Virgins And The Transition From Republic To Principate Under Augustus C. 30 Bce - 14 Ce, Jamie R. Ditzel

University Honors Theses

For centuries, ancient historians have been intrigued by the Vestal Virgins, a priestess order older than Rome itself that was dedicated to Vesta, Roman goddess of the hearth. From our ancient sources we can glean that the cult, though shrouded in mystery, was regarded as playing an invaluable role in the prosperity of Rome and notions of what it meant to be Roman. Scholars such as Mary Beard and Ariadne Staples have been pioneers in studies of the Vestals, proposing the widely accepted theories that the Vestals served as physical embodiments of republican values, Roman people, and the city of …


Romans, Religion, And The Aid Of The Gods: An Exploration Of The Pontifex Maximus In Roman Society, Gregory Meade Jun 2021

Romans, Religion, And The Aid Of The Gods: An Exploration Of The Pontifex Maximus In Roman Society, Gregory Meade

University Honors Theses

Ancient Roman history is heavily defined by an evolving relationship with Romans and their gods. Between the Monarchy (753 BCE – 509 BCE) and Republic (509 BCE – 27 BCE), religion developed into an interconnecting web of institutions that performed rituals to ensure appeasement of the gods in various Roman affairs. Fostering a productive relationship with the gods equated to what the Romans called maintaining pax deorum or peace with the gods. This thesis explores the moments in which the influence of religion played a key role in the developing periods of the Monarchy and Republic leading up to the …


Roman Law And Magic, Abigail Preston Jun 2021

Roman Law And Magic, Abigail Preston

University Honors Theses

Ancient Roman court cases, like that of Apuleius and Libanius, indicate that "magic" was an offense punishable by law, and literary sources such as Pliny the Elder and Horace substantiate this with references to illicit magical rites. Curse tablets, particularly those of Roman Britain, show another side of magic in the Roman world wherein the use of curse tablets has restrictions and guidelines, and the use of such curses have been institutionalized into some communities as an observant practice. Many Roman religious rites appear similar to modern, Euro-centric depictions of 'magic;' which provokes the central question when prosecuting cases of …


Senatorial Bias In The Portrayal Of Gaius Caligula, Haley E. Stark Apr 2020

Senatorial Bias In The Portrayal Of Gaius Caligula, Haley E. Stark

Young Historians Conference

Caligula is one of the most infamous names in history, often ranked among the likes of Stalin and Ivan the Terrible. His most outrageous acts include threatening to make his horse a senator and having incestous relationships with his three sisters. But is this truly how Caligula behaved? This paper explores the possibility that Caligula was not the monster he was made out to be, but the victim of a hostile Senate that used historians to slander the emperor at all costs.


The Campaigns Of Alexander: How Arrian’S Character Of Alexander Influences How He Is Portrayed In Writing, Peyton M. Myers Apr 2020

The Campaigns Of Alexander: How Arrian’S Character Of Alexander Influences How He Is Portrayed In Writing, Peyton M. Myers

Young Historians Conference

Historians have long been discussing and analyzing Arrian's The Campaigns of Alexander, and not just for it's valuable and rare insights on the life of Alexander the Great. In his books, Arrian appears to have a more apologetic approach when writing about Alexander. It leads the reader into thinking Alexander was a better man than he actually might have been. In this paper, I take a look at five different authors-- both fictional and nonfictional-- and how they portrayed Alexander the Great as a person. Each of the authors wrote Alexander as a noble and just person, highlighting his …


Epictetus’ Enchiridion And The Influence On Women, Eloise C. Schell Apr 2020

Epictetus’ Enchiridion And The Influence On Women, Eloise C. Schell

Young Historians Conference

The Enchiridion, attributed to the ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus, has been interpreted in many ways since its creation nearly two thousand years ago. This research explores the ways in which Epictetus’ teachings in the Enchiridion, although not originally intended for women, have influenced women throughout history. Not only are the interpretations relating to gender different from the intended purpose of the text, but also the way that the Enchiridion has influenced women has changed over time. In some cases the Enchiridion was used to reinforce power differentials between genders and, in others, it was cited in support of female independence. …


The Influence Of Spanish Mines On Roman Victory In The Second Punic War, Fisher W. Ng Apr 2018

The Influence Of Spanish Mines On Roman Victory In The Second Punic War, Fisher W. Ng

Young Historians Conference

The idea that one factor can win a war seems preposterous, yet Rome’s acquisition of the Spanish mines turned the tides of the Second Punic War in their favor. While most scholars agree Rome’s conquest of the Spanish mines was a step in defeating Carthage, there is no consensus that the mines directly influenced the war. The accounts of ancient Roman historians Titus Livius and Pliny the Elder, as well as Greek historian Diodorus, attest to the unparalleled amount of precious metals the Spanish mines produced--treasure capable of stimulating Roman economy. Modern scholarship agrees controlling precious metals sources allowed Rome …


Galen: The Philosophical Physician, Chloe Sellers Apr 2018

Galen: The Philosophical Physician, Chloe Sellers

Young Historians Conference

Analyzing the works of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, this paper reveals the specific influences each of the three had upon Galen’s medical practice, asserting that the influence of philosophy was ultimately responsible for distinguishing Galen from his contemporaries. Drawing from various primary sources, including Plato’s “The Apology,” Timaeus and The Republic, as well as Aristotle’s Physics, and comparing them to Galen’s works, “The Art of Medicine” and “A Method of Medicine to Glaucon,” numerous similarities are revealed between the works of Galen and those of the philosophical trio. By evaluating these many connections among the works, as well as using …


Aristotle's Politics And Slavery In Ancient Athens, Krystyna D. Klucznik Apr 2018

Aristotle's Politics And Slavery In Ancient Athens, Krystyna D. Klucznik

Young Historians Conference

The relationship between Aristotle’s theoretical discussion of slavery in Politics and the reality of slavery in ancient Athens is complex and multifaceted. In tandem with Politics, which was my main primary source, I also drew on multiple pieces of secondary scholarship on both Politics and slavery in Athens to compare the two presentations of slavery. Additionally, I drew on the works of Euripides and Solon. In particular, my paper focuses on the process of manumission, the lack of social mobility afforded to freed slaves, and how slaves were viewed generally. A comparison of these sources reveals that there are significant …


The Veiled Exploitation Of The Vestal Virgins, Lara Mclain Apr 2018

The Veiled Exploitation Of The Vestal Virgins, Lara Mclain

Young Historians Conference

This paper discusses the political dynamics of the Roman religious systems, specifically the Vestal Virgins. This work seeks to refute the commonly accepted understanding of the Vestal Virgins as an empowering, religious cult and build an understanding of the cult of Vesta as a political tool that was used by the Roman state to maintain power and traditional values. The location of the Temple of Vesta in the Forum, the political epicenter of the Roman Empire, serves as the foundation for this paper’s assertion that the Vestals were an essentially political tool. Livy’s description of Hannibal’s advance towards Rome and …


To What Extent Does Aristophanes’ Knights Reflect Greek Opinion Of Cleon And The Peloponnesian War?, Samuel M. Hinerfeld Apr 2018

To What Extent Does Aristophanes’ Knights Reflect Greek Opinion Of Cleon And The Peloponnesian War?, Samuel M. Hinerfeld

Young Historians Conference

This paper analyzes the similarities between the works of Greek Intellectuals like Thucydides and Plutarch, and Aristophanes’ representation of Cleon and the Peloponnesian War in his early comedy, Knights. Aristophanes satires of the Peloponnesian War were extremely popular among Athenian elite– despite this status, his early comedies failed to dissuade the Athenian Assembly from ushering the downfall of Greek power. While Aristophanes’ Knights was largely ineffective in swaying support for the conflict, it notably provides an accurate representation of the irrational nature of Athen’s demos under Cleon. Through this play, he portrays the Demos as dysfunctional and fickle–supporting policies in …


The Pawn Of Rome: The Roman Infantryman, Nanyi R. Yang Apr 2018

The Pawn Of Rome: The Roman Infantryman, Nanyi R. Yang

Young Historians Conference

Even to this day, the Roman army stands out as one of the most successful military forces in human history. The widespread success of the Roman Empire was in large part due to its armies, who were able to meet challenges with flexible and effective troops. These armies faced all kinds of attacks, from the swift hit-and-run attacks of the Germanic tribes to the crushing cavalry charges of the Parthian Empire. Rome’s military might, however, was unrelenting. This paper focuses on the Roman soldier and how he was trained to be adaptable to the variety of enemies and obstacles he …


Athenian Women Through The Eyes Of Sophocles (But Not Oedipus), Isabel C. Pereira Apr 2017

Athenian Women Through The Eyes Of Sophocles (But Not Oedipus), Isabel C. Pereira

Young Historians Conference

Ancient Greece was known for its achievements in democracy, new technologies, and, above all, artistic expression. The works of poets and playwrights in this time period not only reflected the culture and society, but also impacted it. Sophocles, arguably one of the most well-known playwrights in Greece in the 5th century BCE, wrote pieces that provide us with a strong commentary on what life was like for the people of Greece, particularly highlighting the roles that women played in society or were expected to play. This paper focuses on the lives of women in ancient Athens, one of Greece’s most …


The Edict Of Milan And The Early Roots Of Christianity In The Roman Empire, Christopher J. Chow Apr 2017

The Edict Of Milan And The Early Roots Of Christianity In The Roman Empire, Christopher J. Chow

Young Historians Conference

With the Christian religion becoming so widely accepted and dominant today in the Western world, it is easy to forget the journey that the religion went through to reach its current state. It was once a heavily persecuted religion, yet it took the Roman Empire by storm and became the backbone to the Catholic Church. Christianity's spread was no accident. This paper will examine some of the factors regarding Christianity's early roots to identify what led up to its success in a heavily dominated Pagan culture.


The Influence Of Hellenism On The Literary Style Of 1 And 2 Maccabees, Dimitra S. Fellman Apr 2017

The Influence Of Hellenism On The Literary Style Of 1 And 2 Maccabees, Dimitra S. Fellman

Young Historians Conference

The Jewish people living within Hellenistic Greece experienced great freedoms, and many assimilated into the non-Jewish societies around them. Yet, under the Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the 2nd century BCE, the Jewish people experienced oppression and persecution, which has been chronicled in the books 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. At a glance, these books appear opposed to the blending of Hellenistic culture and society into surrounding Jewish communities, but a deeper analysis of both texts reveals that the authors depended on Hellenistic constructs to effectively tell their story. This paper explores the degree to which the authors of 1 …


Sappho's Queer Female History, Tess M. Waxman Apr 2017

Sappho's Queer Female History, Tess M. Waxman

Young Historians Conference

Sappho was a queer woman in ancient Greece. Scholars have researched her sexuality, promiscuity, and sexual orientation, often instead of analyzing her works. Sappho’s poetry provides historians a rare view into the lives of queer women in ancient Greece, shaping the largely untold female LGBTQ history. She introduces a unique viewpoint; she brings complex ideas, such as the justice of Aphrodite, active versus passive lover roles, and erotic culture. Sappho’s distinctly queer poetry is important to explore in an attempt to better understand the past of more people.


The Notion Of Madness In Literature, Philosophy, And Tragedy: Evolving Conceptions Of Mental Illness In Athens, David Z. Bartolome Apr 2017

The Notion Of Madness In Literature, Philosophy, And Tragedy: Evolving Conceptions Of Mental Illness In Athens, David Z. Bartolome

Young Historians Conference

It is a basic understanding of modern medicine that mental illness is a disorder of the mind. But from where did this notion originate? In Homer’s popular epics, mental afflictions such as madness and depression are described as divine punishments rather than true mental illness. By the Hellenistic Age, Greek medical journals show a rejection of this divine explanation in favor of the mind. What changed in Greece? This paper tracks the Greek's understanding and conceptualization of madness throughout history and unites disciplines of literature, politics, tragedy, and philosophy to argue that modern understanding of mental illness has its earliest …


A Diachronic Approach To The Confusion Of B With V In Spanish, Eva Núñez-Méndez Sep 2016

A Diachronic Approach To The Confusion Of B With V In Spanish, Eva Núñez-Méndez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

This volume presents specific topics in diachronic Hispanic linguistics. These topics include: lexical survivals in Ibero-Romance, Arabisms, lexical variation in early modern Spain, the origins of the confusion of b with v, Andalusian Spanish in the Americas, the expansion of seseo and yeísmo, processes of koineization, syntactic change in scribal documentation from the Middle Ages, and the semantic changes of the verbs ser, estar and haber. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the Spanish lexicon, phonetics, morphosyntax, dialectology and semantics with the input of ten prominent scholars.

It focuses not only on relevant issues in the evolution of Spanish but …


The Rise And Fall Of Human Dissection In Hellenistic Alexandria, Ellie H. Barany Apr 2016

The Rise And Fall Of Human Dissection In Hellenistic Alexandria, Ellie H. Barany

Young Historians Conference

Classical and Hellenistic Greece were known to be a hub of scientific research. However, the potential for scientific discovery was limited by dominating religious beliefs. Advancements in the study of human anatomy were inhibited by religious taboos that prevented the practice of human dissection. These taboos took hold of Greek society, with a consequence of exile to anyone who violated them. The exception however, is in Hellenistic Alexandria under the rule of the Ptolemaic Kings, Soter and Philadelphus. This paper examines the factors under which the Greek scientist Herophilus was allowed to practice systematic human dissection, as well as the …


Women In Power: The Unique Position Of Vestal Virgins In Ancient Rome, Elizabeth D. Walker Apr 2016

Women In Power: The Unique Position Of Vestal Virgins In Ancient Rome, Elizabeth D. Walker

Young Historians Conference

The Vestal Virgins, priestesses in Ancient Rome, were placed in an atypical position of power. They were given many religious responsibilities that replaced the traditional expectations for women of Antiquity. This cult of the goddess Vesta lasted for the majority of Roman civilization, seemingly serving as an argument for an advancement in the rights of ancient women. Though the Vestal Virgins seem to be an outstanding exception to the rule of female oppression throughout history, further examination suggests that the role of Vestal priestess was simply another mode through which Roman men could control their female counterparts.


What’S Your Temperament: The Humoral Theory’S Influence On Medicine In Ancient Greece, Riley Sebers Apr 2016

What’S Your Temperament: The Humoral Theory’S Influence On Medicine In Ancient Greece, Riley Sebers

Young Historians Conference

Prior to the birth of Hippocrates of Cos in 460 BCE, medicine in ancient Greece revolved around the gods and magic. During Hippocrates lifetime, he remastered an old practice called the humoral theory: an idea stating that every individual person has a unique balance of substances called humors in their body. The balance of these humors is what keeps a man healthy, and if a specific amount is disturbed, sickness sets in. This theory allowed physicians in ancient Greece to move away from dominantly using magic to treat illness and start using the humoral theory instead.


Skyscrapers Of Rome, Elizabeth B. Condie Apr 2016

Skyscrapers Of Rome, Elizabeth B. Condie

Young Historians Conference

After the death of his mentor, Julius Caesar, in 27 B.C.E., Caesar Augustus scrambled to establish his power over the people. One of the tactics he used to exert his power was architecture. Throughout the years, succeeding emperors followed his example to use architecture as a means to control public image, maintain military and political authority, and display their divine power. The Roman forum, the Coliseum, and the Arch of Titus give insight into the control of the Roman Emperors. From these buildings sprang many different types of architecture, that are still used to display the power of states and …


Slavery: The Main Ingredient To An Ancient Greek Polis' Military Dominance, Steven T. Tran Apr 2016

Slavery: The Main Ingredient To An Ancient Greek Polis' Military Dominance, Steven T. Tran

Young Historians Conference

Spartan and Athens' victories against the Persians and their eventual military dominance cannot be attributed to military strategy or government alone. The social acceptance of slavery provided the foundation for Greek poleis' social and economic spheres, leading to the development of slave deployment during the Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War. An in-depth analysis of Classical Greece slavery shows that its prevalence is much greater than what previous historians have thought, and more notably, that it was one of the most massive slave usage in history, allowing for the development of a dominating western world.


Encyclopedia Of Hispanic Linguistics, Eva Núñez-Méndez Jan 2016

Encyclopedia Of Hispanic Linguistics, Eva Núñez-Méndez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.


The Roman Army: Strategy, Tactics, And Innovation, Weiyi Zhou Apr 2015

The Roman Army: Strategy, Tactics, And Innovation, Weiyi Zhou

Young Historians Conference

The Roman Empire at its peak covered millions of square miles of ground, encompassing a vast variety of cultures of people. In order to ensure continued peace and stability in such a mammoth multiethnic empire, the Roman Army was forced to engage and repel a variety of foreign opponents utilizing different tactics across a wide spectrum of terrain, from Macedonian phalanxes on flat plains to Gallic barbarian hordes on forested ground. Simultaneously, the Roman Army also had to avoid compromising internal stability and maintain a force capable of putting down a large range of insurrectionist forces. Even today, with the …


Celtic Romanization: Cultural Assimilation Or Cultural Exchange?, Shawn Lee Apr 2015

Celtic Romanization: Cultural Assimilation Or Cultural Exchange?, Shawn Lee

Young Historians Conference

The rise of the Roman Empire created not only a military but also a cultural hegemony over colonized populations. While this interaction is often portrayed as a primarily unidirectional process of cultural assimilation, this may not be the case for Celtic peoples following their colonization in the mid first century BC. An examination of Roman perception of Celtic culture, perceived compatibility of Celtic culture, and mixed Romano-Celtic culture indicates that the cultural exchange between Romans and Celts was bi-directional.


The Pursuit Of Pleasure: An Intersection Between Aristotle's Poetics And Sixteenth Century Renaissance Music, Eliza M. Kamerling-Brown Apr 2015

The Pursuit Of Pleasure: An Intersection Between Aristotle's Poetics And Sixteenth Century Renaissance Music, Eliza M. Kamerling-Brown

Young Historians Conference

Aristotle’s Poetics is unparalleled as one of the most translated texts in history. The Greek philosopher’s cross-cultural influence can be traced through the evolution of countless practices over time, ranging from Late Antiquity to philosophy of mind to political theory. Yet far beyond the work’s commonly-known political, dramatic and philosophical influences, the components of Poetics were essential in shaping the distinctive style of sixteenth century renaissance music, a medium whose aim of reviving the ethical power of the ancient past has helped Aristotelian concepts survive through the centuries.


The Dichotomy Of Pudicitia, Amber L. Harvey Apr 2015

The Dichotomy Of Pudicitia, Amber L. Harvey

Young Historians Conference

The lives of women in the Roman Republic were incredibly restricted and controlled by their male counterparts, yet key counters to this restriction are often overlooked, mainly that of a woman’s pudicitia. Pudicitia was a defining moral quality that encompassed state, familial, sexual, and other duties, a woman held in society. These qualities, are shown in the mythical Rape of the Sabines, and allow female participation in the Conflict of the Orders and the defiance of the Vestal Virgins. These allowances are countered by aspects of pudicitia that restricted rights and participation, ultimately yielding a system that paradoxically encouraged …