Classics Commons^™

Penitential Systems In The Latin West And Byzantine East, Elijah C. Dodson

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the development and organization of penitential discipline in early medieval Christianity through a comparison of the penitential tradition associated with Theodore of Canterbury in the Latin West and the canons attributed to John the Faster in the Byzantine East. The study focuses on how these texts regulated sexual sin and what their structures reveal about the institutional role of the Church in different historical contexts. The analysis is based on a comparative reading of penitential texts, supported by patristic writings and modern scholarship. By examining how specific categories of sexual misconduct are classified and disciplined, this study …

Tetradrachms, Shekels, And Denarii: Cross-Cultural Exchange In Money At The Edges Of Greece And Rome, Miles Thompson

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the coin collection of the University of Mississippi Museum. I cataloged ancient coins in its collection through consulting online databases and reference books, and designed an exhibition to display some of the notable examples. This exhibition was based around the theme of cross-cultural interaction between Greek and Roman cultures and other ones towards the edges. It had both a physical and virtual component, and was displayed in Bryant Hall, and the museum’s website. I provide greater historical depth and research on some of the coins I cataloged that illustrate these cross-cultural interactions well. This exhibition successfully …

“You Came Back To Me”: A Literary Analysis Exploring Themes Of Displacement And Homecoming In Toni Morrison’S Beloved And Homer’S Odyssey, Amya Franklin

Honors Theses

This thesis is a literary analysis of Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Homer’s Odyssey, using the themes of Beloved to inform the reading and thematic approach to the Odyssey. This work is a part of the larger conversation of how Black literary art adds to classical literature and the literary canon as a whole. This analysis is broken up into two major themes: homecoming and displacement. The creative and literary impact of Beloved redefines and highlights these themes within the Odyssey. This work highlights the conversation and interplay between Beloved and the Odyssey while also highlighting Beloved’s propensity …

Archaeology Showcase (2024), Jesse Tune, Jacqueline Frost Dibiasie-Sammons, Aileen Ajootian, Joseph Cruz, Karina Glenn, Greg Palculict, Maggie Wallace

Lecture Series

Professor Jesse Tune, UM Department of Sociology and Anthropology
"Moving to the Edge of the World: Ireland's First Peoples"

Professor Jacqueline Frost DiBiasie-Sammons, UM Department of Classics
"Mapping Media: A bird's eye view of charcoal, chalk and ochre graffiti in Pompeii"

UM Classics majors Mr. Joseph Cruz, Ms. Karina Glenn, Mr. Greg Palculict, Ms. Maggie Wallace
"To Rome and Back"

Professor Aileen Ajootian, UM Department of Classics
"Young Herakles"

Odyssey Of A Renegade Queen, Annabelle Harris

Honors Theses

After a violent shipwreck, Savannah washes up on the shores of Outis with no memory of her past. She is found by James, who she thinks is a suave but ill-tempered merchant. Outis turns out to be a more dangerous place than Savannah had thought. Through the aftermath of a traumatic encounter with another islander, she learns that James is a notorious pirate, and she is stuck on an island populated by his dangerous crew. James gives Savannah an ultimatum, and with no choice but to join his crew, she becomes the ship surgeon on the Cyllenia. During their sea-faring …

"Beowulf": Interpretation And Supplementation, Abigail Martin

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the various ways in which Beowulf has been interpreted across time, explaining how factors, called paratexts, have played a large part in shaping these interpretations and how, especially in reading the Beowulf manuscript, we inherit the sum of these influences. In order to demonstrate this, I present a variety of arguments and perspectives on the text that have been developed by scholars over the years based on different types of paratexts (physical, intangible, and translational) in the absence of a known author. At each stage of Beowulf’s life, there have been opportunities for individuals with authority …

University Of Mississippi Archaeology Showcase 2022, Aileen Ajootian, Carolyn Freiwald, Annabelle Harris, Sydney Lynch, Sierra Thomas, Brad Cook, Jacqueline Dibiasie-Simmons

Lecture Series

Welcome
Dr. Aileen Ajootian, Professor, Department of Classics

"The Artemis Sanctuary at Brauron in Roman Times: A Healing Cult ?"
Dr. Aileen Ajootian, Professor, Department of Classics

"The Lives of Ancient Dogs"
Dr. Carolyn Freiwald, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

"Students and Charcoal: Observations From Ancient Graffiti in Pompeii"
Annabelle Harris, Sydney Lynch, Sierra Thomas, UM Classics majors

"Swearing By Gold (in the UM Museum), An Update"
Dr. Brad Cook, Professor, Department of Classics

"Writing Among the Dead: Charcoal Graffiti in Pompeian Tombs"
Dr. Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics

14 Black Classicists, Michele Valerie Ronnick

Lecture Series

The Department of Classics is hosting a traveling photographic and historical exhibit called, “14 Black Classicists”. The exhibit, conceived and curated by Dr. Michele Valerie Ronnick of Wayne State University, reflects on the role of advanced education (and especially of the study of Classics) in building a free and prosperous Black community in the United States. Dr. Ronnick has collected the stories of nineteenth-century Black Americans who chose to pursue advanced education in Greek and Latin language and ancient history, literature and art, and went on to teach in the field. The exhibit is open until November 18th, Monday through …

Heroines And Murderers The World Of Sophoclean Women, Nathan Debar

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the female characters of the extant and fragmentary plays of the 5th-century BC Athenian poet Sophocles. These plays’ composition date ranges from the second half of the 5th century BC. Not every play will be considered for this study, as some do not contain female characters or female characters cannot be ascribed to a fragmentary play. Only plays that feature female characters or plays in which female characters and their actions can be reasonably estimated will be used in this study. For the fragments and their information, I shall default to Hugh Lloyd-Jones’ 1996 Sophocles: Fragments. …

Hecabe: The Dog-Queen In Contemporary And Ancient Mythmaking, Makayla Steede

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the character of Hecabe from Greek mythology as she is depicted in both ancient and contemporary sources. The sources feature both literary and scholarly work relating to Hecabe and Greek mythology. The primary source texts are The Iliad by Homer, Hecabe by Euripides, Trojan Women by Euripides, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, and The Women of Troy by Pat Barker. The goal of the thesis is to examine the roles Hecabe plays in each book and examine the similarities and differences in how her story is told across the various texts.

Mercy Otis Warren’S Marcia(S) And Cornelia(S): A Case Study In Women’S Internalization Of Classicism In Early America, Brittany Ellis

Honors Theses

The connection between people in early America and classicism is a field of study that has been heavily documented, although it has remained a very male-focused field with little research done about how women in early America formed a relationship with antiquity. This thesis reveals that elite white women had a deep emotional and intellectual attachment with mothers and matrons from ancient Greece and Rome as a basis for expressing political thoughts and identity; classicism formed a common language that many women could relate to each other before, during, and after the American Revolution. This assessment is achieved through a …

Death Comes To Oplontis: Victims Of Mt. Vesuvius Reveal Life In 79 Ad, Kristina Killgrove

Lecture Series

Dr. Kristina Killgrove delivered a fascinating virtual lecture entitled “Death Comes to Oplontis: Victims of Mt. Vesuvius Reveal Life in 79 A.D.” The talk offered a rich supplement to current students in Dr. Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons’ Fall 2021 course, Art and Archaeology in Pompeii and Herculaneum, but was accessible to more general audience as well and had more that sixty attendees.

Greco-Roman Paganism And Women Leaders: The Foundation Of Early Christian Art, Rowan Murry

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I explore the impact of Greco-Roman pagan motifs as well as women leaders and officials on the development of Early Christian art by analyzing catacomb paintings, sarcophagi, and minor arts such as finger rings and carved gemstones. I also discuss surviving primary sources written by Tertullian, Eusebius, St. Jerome, and Clement of Alexandria, to gain a better understanding of anti-art views in the first few centuries of the Church’s rise to power. These anti-art sentiments were often rooted in attempts to disassociate themselves from pagan practices while Early Christian art was emerging amongst the lower classes who …

Fable In Action: A Discourse Analysis Approach To The Life Of Aesop, Martha Hamilton Mccafferty

Honors Theses

In this essay, I examine instances of fable-telling throughout the Life of Aesop in a new light by using linguistic theories from the subfield of Pragmatics in my analysis. I suggest that the author’s purpose in composing the Life of Aesop is to instruct his audience on how to use fable effectively, and that Aesop serves as both the positive and negative example for this lesson. I begin by considering the nature of fable and demonstrate why it is necessary to define fable in reference to the social action which it performs. I then address the complex position of fable …

Divine Or Demonic? A Social Approach To Epilepsy From Greco-Roman Antiquity To The Early Middle Ages, James Nicholas Sumrall

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to evaluate how epilepsy was defined, perceived and understood in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as how these ideas were adapted and changed during the early centuries of Christianity. To this end, the thesis is divided into six parts. The Introduction briefly explains epilepsy and discusses how the social approach method can be applied to the disease. Chapter I introduces the Hippocratic understanding of epilepsy and outlines the Greco-Roman religious concepts of pollution and purification, which frequently informed ancient perceptions of epilepsy. The first chapter also analyzes the general relationship between disability, disease and divine selection …

The Art And Importance Of Deliberative Rhetoric In Political Communications, Cameron Sadler

Honors Theses

This project explores the use of deliberative rhetorical appeals in political communications. Seven professionals spanning all levels of politics were interviewed about their work as communications specialists and strategists. Their insights further proved the necessity for attention to rhetoric in messaging.

Why Myth Matters: The Value Of The Female Voice In Greek Mythology, Kylie Rogers

Honors Theses

In this thesis I will primarily examine how the retellings of Greek myths from the female perspective provide insight into the importance of myth and why these stories are still relevant today. Specifically, I will examine three major figures: Circe in Madeline Miller’s Circe, Penelope in Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, and Medusa in Marjorie Garber’s The Medusa Reader, along with a few other minor characters featured in Nina MacLaughlin’s Wake, Siren. By studying the fresh perspectives provided by the narration and journeys of these characters and connecting them to plights and experiences that are currently affecting women as evidenced by …

Shipwrecks And The Transport Of Luxury In The Roman Mediterranean, Carrie Atkins

Lecture Series

During the late Republic and early Empire, Rome had a voracious appetite for importing luxury objects from around the Mediterranean: spices from the Arabian Peninsula, sculptures and bronzes from Greece, glassware from Egypt and the Levant, and textiles from India, to list a few examples. Some of these so-termed luxuries have been preserved in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, yet these objects only represent a small portion of the overall cargoes. By examining several Roman shipwrecks (ca 200 BCE – 200 CE) that were transporting such luxury objects, I discuss how these assemblages force us to re-evaluate static definitions of luxury …

University Of Mississippi Archaeology Showcase (2020), Aileen Ajootian, Matthew Murray, Jacqueline Dibiasie-Sammons, Nancy Wicker

Lecture Series

Presentations about current research by UM archaeology professors and students.

Welcome

“New Clothes for a Hero: Herakles and Greek Identity at Ancient Olympia” Dr. Aileen Ajootian, Professor of Classics and Art, Department of Classics

“Walking Through the Past: An Archaeological Investigation of 6000 Years of Prehistory in The Heart of Bavaria, Germany” Dr. Matthew Murray, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

"Line Drawings and the Study of Campanian Graffiti" Dr. Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics

"Ceramic Analyses From 2019 Excavations at the Ely Mound, Lee County, Virginia" Shannon Wooten, Graduate Student, Department of Sociology and …

Approaches To Reconstructing The Past: The Architecture Of The Athenian Acropolis, Nancy Klein

Lecture Series

In the early 19th century, the fledgling country of Greece devoted itself to establishing a national identity that reflected its classical heritage. The Acropolis of Athens was central to this vision and became a symbol of the birthplace of democracy and the humanistic arts. Efforts to free the classical monuments of the Acropolis from the overburden of later history saw the removal of many post-classical buildings in order to expose the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike. Excavation from modern ground levels to bedrock brought to light thousands of fragments of architecture, sculpture, pottery, and …

On Translating Greek Lyric Poetry, Lucy Turnbull

Studies in English

No abstract provided.

The Matron Of Ephesus: An Identification, Allen Cabaniss

Studies in English

No abstract provided.

The Matron Of Ephesus Again: An Analysis, Allen Cabaniss

Studies in English

No abstract provided.

Etruscan Biophilia Viewed Through Magical Amber, Greta Rose Koshenina

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I explore the usage and purpose of amber objects in burials from Etruria, specifically from the late Villanovan Period (ca. 800-720 BCE) to the Orientalizing Period (ca. 720-580 BCE). I have followed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches as well as visual analysis of amber grave goods. While there has been extensive research on the medicinal and ritual purposes of amber grave goods from excavated Etruscan tombs, I show that there was likely a specific interest in amber that contains organic inclusions likely because of the Etruscans’ interest in nature. I examine the presence and …

New Fieldwork From Classical Olynthus, Greece: Towards An Archaeology Of Identity, Lisa Nevett, University Of Mississippi. Department Of Classics, Archaeological Institute Of America

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

The Landscape Of Siege, Gwyn Davies, University Of Mississippi. Department Of Classics, Archaeological Institute Of America

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

After Actium: Imagining Egypt In Ancient Rome, Molly Sweatnam-Burland

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

Reception Ex Nihilo: Doubling, Improvisation, And Metatheater In The Plautine Comedy And Seinfeld, T. H. M. Gellar-Goad

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

Rebranding The Classics: The University Of Mississippi, Maraea Cardner

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the current perceptions of the study of classics from an Integrated Marketing Communications perspective with the goal of realigning misconceptions with the contemporary ideology of those within the field. The field of classics is facing challenges stemming from misappropriation of the field itself, and there is a current debate about the decline in the number of classicists in the field and in the number of undergraduate students studying classics. Specifically, this thesis looks at the Department of Classics at the University of Mississippi as a model for other like departments across the field to use …

Of Canaanites And Kings: The Ongoing Excavation Of A Middle Bronze Age Palace At Tel Kabri, Israel, Eric Cline, University Of Mississippi. Department Of Classics, Archaeological Institute Of America

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.