Classics Commons^™

Failures Of Grace: Limits Of Tragedy In The Late Nineteenth-Century Novel, Anick S. Rolland

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Failures of Grace argues that nineteenth-century novelists challenge the hegemonies of literary form and the value of personal suffering through what I call the trans-genre tragic novel. This new form is emblematic of a period in which values hang in the balance and places traditional values at odds with themselves by combining the low form of the novel with the highest mimetic mode in the Western tradition: tragedy. It simultaneously proposes the most vulnerable members of society as tragic heroes in contrast to the noble figures who previously were presumed to define the genre.

Through close readings of works by …

In And Out Of Character: Socratic Mimēsis, Mateo Duque

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the Republic, Plato has Socrates attack poetry’s use of mimēsis, often translated as ‘imitation’ or ‘representation.’ Various scholars (e.g. Blondell 2002; Frank 2018; Halliwell 2009; K. Morgan 2004) have noticed the tension between Socrates’ theory critical of mimēsis and Plato’s literary practice of speaking through various characters in his dialogues. However, none of these scholars have addressed that it is not only Plato the writer who uses mimēsis but also his own character, Socrates. At crucial moments in several dialogues, Socrates takes on a role and speaks as someone else. I call these moments “Socratic mimēsis.” …

Etymologies Of Chinese Hànzì And Japanese Kanji: Explanations On Liùshū 六書 And Rikusho 六書, William P.M. Funk

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This paper outlines Liùshū 六書 interpretations of Chinese character etymology to help co-create a better approach for educators in supporting character literacy development in students of the East Asian languages that utilize Chinese writing. The Liùshū 六書 Rikusho 六書approach to character instruction can be interpreted as a strategy to spark interest in western learners providing more detailed explanations that deal with the pictographic and compound nature of Chinese character formation. All non-English words are italicized or bolded, Chinese based terms are in Mandarin Pīnyīn 拼音, and Japanese terms are written in Romaji ローマ字 representing their differences phonetically to integrate foreign …

Review Of "After 69 Ce - Writing Civil War In Flavian Rome", Jessica Blum-Sorensen

Modern & Classical Languages Faculty Publications

Review of

Lauren Donovan Ginsberg, Darcy A. Krasne (ed.), After 69 CE - Writing Civil War in Flavian Rome. Trends in classics - supplementary volumes, volume 65. Berlin; Boston; De Gruyter, 2018. Pp.x, 489. ISBN 9783110583960.

Sagp Newsletter 2019/20.2 Scs And Eastern Division Programs, Anthony Preus

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

SAGP Panels for the meetings of the Society for Classical Studies and the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association for January 2020

The Fatale Monstrum And The Nasty Woman: Public Portrayals Of Cleopatra Vii And Hillary Rodham Clinton, Emma Baker

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Textiles From A Late Roman/Byzantine Ecclesiastical Centre At Abu Sha’Ar, Egypt, Lise Bender Jørgensen

Egyptian Textiles and Their Production: ‘Word’ and ‘Object’

Around AD 400 a group of Christians were looking for a new home. An abandoned Roman military fort at what is now called Abu Sha’ar, c. 20 km north of Hurghada on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, became the answer to their prayers. Steven Sidebotham of the University of Delaware excavated the site in 1987-1993. The fort had been established in AD 309-311 to house a mounted unit, the Ala Nova Maximiana, guarding the Via Nova Hadriana. The military phase was however short-lived: the soldiers abandoned the fort before AD 400. The new settlers turned the former military headquarters into …

Mythic Background, Erwin F. Cook

Classical Studies Faculty Research

Myth, according to a well known formulation by Walter Burkert, “is a traditional tale with secondary, partial reference to something of collective importance” (1979: 23). Andrew von Hendy, who declares Burkert’s definition the “gold standard” in classical studies, offers a Marxist reformulation, so that myth “is traditional narrative with a high degree of ideological saturation” (2002: 269, 277). This definition accords with the fact that muthos, the Greek word that most closely approximates myth, also designates “story” generally, and, as we might expect in an oral culture, “speech” (its meaning of “fiction” is post-Homeric). It also allows …

And You Will Be Amazed: The Rhetoric Of Authority In The Greek Magical Papyri, Radcliffe G. Edmonds Iii

Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies Faculty Research and Scholarship

An analysis of the rhetorical strategies used in the so-called Greek Magical Papyri to bolster the authority of the authors provides insight into the authors of these texts and their intended audiences. This article reviews the scholarship on the identity of the composers of the Greek Magical Papyri and explores the rhetorical strategies used in the texts to create authority, before comparing the dominant strategies in the Greek Magical Papyri with similar ones in other kinds of recipe collections, specifically alchemical and medical texts. The authors of the recipes in the Greek Magical Papyri make little use of the traditional …

Deficient Virtue In The Phaedo, Douglass Reed

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Plato seems to have been pessimistic about how most people stand with regard to virtue. However, unlike the Stoics, he did not conclude that most people are vicious. Rather, as we know from discussions across several dialogues, he countenanced decent ethical conditions that fall short of genuine virtue, which he limited to the philosopher. Despite Plato's obvious interest in this issue, commentators rarely follow his lead by investigating in detail such conditions in the dialogues. When scholars do investigate what kind of virtue, if any, Plato thinks is open to non-philosophers, they typically look to the Republic. But in the …

Male Stage-Nudity In Aristophanes, Gwendolyn Compton-Engle

2020 Faculty Bibliography

The stage-nudity of male characters is relatively common in comic scenes of the fifth century and first half of the fourth century, in both Attic and South Italian vase-painting. A review of the material evidence shows that stage-nudity is particularly frequent in scenes of vigorous physical activity; a few scenes indicate plot-prompted disrobing. These scenes indicate that stage-nudity may have been more common in the performance of Aristophanes than previously believed based on textual evidence alone. This paper reconsiders possible instances of male-stage nudity in extant plays, including the possibility of extended stage-nudity in Peace and Knights.

From Viewer To Voyeur: Victimizing The Barberini Faun, Quentin Clark

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

This essay explores the connection between the Barberini Faun and sexual predation. Often referred to as a hypersexualized statue, the Barberini Faun is a Hellenistic piece that relies on viewer-statue interaction to communicate ideas involving ancient Greek sexuality. By utilizing literary and material evidence, this essay suggests that the highly sexual yet vulnerable depiction of the Barberini Faun forces its viewer into a position as voyeur, transforming him or her into a potential sexual predator. The Barberini Faun turns the traditional depiction of a satyr on its head, making the statue an object of sexual desire – a potential sexual …

‘​De Monstris​’: The Madness Of Isolation In Suetonius’ “Caligula” And “Nero”, Maya Menon

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

In The Lives of the Caesars , Suetonius delves into the enduring legacy of madness and depravity of the emperors Nero and Caligula. By highlighting their extreme personal shortcomings in their roles of princeps to the Roman people, he shows how the two rulers were almost entirely divorced from reality. Our thesis is the following: by juxtaposing “Caligula” and “Nero” , we can see how Suetonius attributes the unacceptable aspects of their reigns to the isolation that was a direct result of not only their personal education and ideology, but also the expectations and pressures of the Roman perception s …

Beyond City And Country At Mycenae: Urban And Rural Practices In A Subsistence Landscape, Lynne Kvapil, Jacqueline Meier, Gypsy Price, Kim Shelton

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

No abstract provided.

The Roman Toga: Construction And Cultural Implications, Natalie Houliston

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This poster discusses the Roman Toga, its modern impact, and a wide variety of aspects about the article of clothing. These other aspects range from the various types, process of making one, materials they are made of, and its role in society among other details.

Ancient Medicine, Matt Henson

Classics Ancient Science Fair

The ancient Greek’s understanding of medicine including anatomy was quite rudimentary to begin with. However, figures like Hippocrates and Herophilus of Chalcedon, were aware of certain things others were not, and they utilized their time to research how the human body functions. Much of the study of the human body came from injuries inflicted on people. Physicians would examine the injuries in order to form a better understanding of the human body. This would give a basis to study the human body, but without advanced technology and possibility of autopsies would hinder the ability for the physicians to truly understand …

Ancient Aqueducts, Zachary Helm

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This presentation discusses the science behind the Roman Aqueducts. It discusses a wide variety of advances and updates they developed.

The Mechanical And Scientific Significance Of The Ships Of Nemi, Troy Frazier

Classics Ancient Science Fair

In 1929 the first of the two Nemi ships breached the waters of lake Nemi, seeing the surface of the lake for the first time in centuries. To recover the two ships, a pair of pleasure ships created under the rule of Caligula, an attempt was made to drain lake Nemi. This proceeded and in 1931 the second ship exceeded the water level as well. Over the course of this recovery of these sunken ships and prior attempts and findings a treasure trove of information was uncovered, expanding the understanding of the mechanical feats accomplished during the Roman Empire.

Roman Aqueducts, Rachel Caughey, Krista Long

Classics Ancient Science Fair

Access to safe, clean drinking water is essential for any city’s survival. This was especially difficult but still necessary for cities in antiquity. Rome was able to construct conduits that provided enough water to supply its citizens and clean the sewer systems. This was an engineering feat that was unsurpassed by other states in the ancient world.

Pharmaceuticals Of The Ancient World, Jennifer Swabb

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This presentation discusses the various aspects of pharmaceuticals within the ancient world. It begins with discussing the foundations in plants, and analyzes the changes over time. It also discusses some major contributors, and some major plants used in the past.

Equatorial Sundials In The Ancient World: Construction And Applications, Alyssa Stark

Classics Ancient Science Fair

Time is an easy concept on the surface. Most people comprehend the idea of a year, month, week, day, and second. This was not the case for the ancient populations who lived before us. One of the earliest methods for determining time throughout the day was utilizing shadows which were cast from objects. Tall trees, due to their sedentariness, were great tools in early time telling. Ancient people would have observed these shadows much earlier than we have record for. However, the idea of time telling using shadows continued long past the ancient world.

Sundials are the tool created to …

Comparison Of Euthytone And Palintone Capabilities, Gregory Ryherd

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This presentation is a comparison between two different long range siege weapons. The poster presentation compares their usage, practicality, and other various aspects of the weapons.

Pliny The Younger & Mt. Vesuvius, Taylor Huxlrey

Classics Ancient Science Fair

Pliny the Younger's letters painted a beautiful picture of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. His letters are thought to have allowed modern volcanoligists to discover information about the eruption and the destruction of Pompeii. This presentation discusses how impactful these letters truly were.

Preliminary Report On The 2017 Season Of The American Excavations At Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (Cap), Andrew Tharler, D. Alex Walthall, Elizabeth Wueste, Christy Schirmer, Ben Crowther, Jared Benton, Randall Souza, Katharine P.D. Huemoeller

Art Faculty Publications

In its fifth season, the American Excavations at Morgantina: Contrada Agnese Project (CAP) continued archaeological investigations inside the Southeast Building, a modestly-appointed house of Hellenistic date located near the western edge of the city. The 2016 CAP season had revealed the full extent of the property’s boundary walls and allowed us to propose a cohesive phasing scheme for the building’s construction, occupation, and abandonment. We suggested that the house was occupied for approximately 60-75 years, beginning in the second quarter of the third century BCE. The 2017 CAP excavations resolved a number of remaining questions, particularly those concerning the phasing …

Ancient Snakebite Literature: The Brooklyn Medical Papyrus And Nicander’S Theriaca, Montgomery Q. Stewart

Publications and Research

The Brooklyn Papyrus is an Egyptian medical treatise on the subject of snakebite cures. It is a part of the Brooklyn Museum’s Charles Edwin Wilbour collection (47.218.48 and 47.218.85). In the 1960s, the papyrus was translated into French by Egyptologist Serge Sauneron. This research paper includes the first full translation of the Brooklyn Papyrus, as well as an introductory essay, which analyzes the structural and religious elements of the work. It also compares the Brooklyn Papyrus to another notable work on snakebites, Nicander of Colophon’s Theriaca.

Homer’S Thebes: Epic Rivalries And The Appropriation Of Mythical Pasts, Elton T. E. Barker, Joel P. Christensen

Publications and Research

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the only early Greek heroic epics to have survived the transition to writing, even though extant evidence indicates that they emerged from a thriving oral culture. Among the missing are the songs of Boeotian Thebes.

Homer’s Thebes examines moments in the Iliad and Odyssey where Theban characters and thematic engagements come to the fore. Rather than sifting through these appearances to reconstruct lost poems, Elton Barker and Joel Christensen argue that the Homeric poems borrow heroes from Thebes to address key ideas—about politics, time, and genre—that set out the unique superiority of these texts in …

Lost In Translation, Presumption, And Interpretation: Adam, Noah, And The Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology Of The Creation And The Flood, Saad D. Abulhab

Publications and Research

The common, biblical believes in an initial, single human creation, and a subsequent survival of a punishing, catastrophic flood were among the key forming pillars of the Near East monotheist religions. The other key pillar was, arguably, the belief in the existence of a one, supreme god and creator. However, neither the two stories of human creation and catastrophic flood, nor the belief in one supreme god, were originally introduced by these monotheist religions. Key inscriptions from ancient Mesopotamia have clearly indicated that various versions of these beliefs were commonplace for thousands of years before. Despite the differences in details, …

Roman Medical Instruments, Mickayla Hite, Kendall Westmor

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This poster presents information about a variety of Roman Medical Instruments. It includes Scalpels, Cauteries, Forceps, Gynecological Instruments, Probes, Bleeding Cups, and Materials.

The Ancient Greek Trireme: A Staple Of Ancient Maritime Tradition, Joseph York

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This poster presented information on the Greek Trireme. The Ancient Greek Trireme was a staple ship of Greek naval warfare, and played a key role in the Persian Wars, the creation of the Athenian maritime empire, and the Peloponnesian wars.

Archimedes Catapult, Dominick West

Classics Ancient Science Fair

This presentation discusses various weapons used in the past. It starts with discussions of the belly bow, torsion springs, and catapults that use the spring.