Classics Commons^™

An Etruscan Life And Death: 2025 Findings From The Valle Gianni Archaeological Site, Skye Mccord

Exceptional Scholarship & Artistry

The site of Valle Gianni, part of The Northwest Bolsena Archaeological Project, is located on the northwest lakefront of Lake Bolsena, and harbors many Roman and Etruscan archaeological findings dating back to the late Iron Age. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the cultural traditions of the Etruscans, their place in the wider Mediterranean during the late Iron Age into Classical antiquity, and the changes to both physical landscapes and cultural landscapes after their conquest by the Romans. The site of Valle Gianni acts as a case study in the dynamics of colonization and the repurposing of sacred …

The Perry-Campbell Collection: An Analysis Of Byzantine And Roman Coins, Samuel A. Skokan

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The Anthropology Collections of the Nebraska State Museum are home of the Gladys G. Perry Campbell and Iain Colin Gordon Campbell (I. C. G. Campbell) coin collection, which consists of an estimated 4,000 coins that date between the 1^st century BC to the 15th century AD. The collection consists of bronze coins (91%+) and billon (alloy) coins that represent low-denomination currency of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. There are approximately 3,200 Byzantine and 750 Roman coins. This study focused solely on the Byzantine coins of the Collection, to document their chronological range and research value. The collection can support …

Phantasma, Grace Wright

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Ever since the infamous Ides of March, scholars have been debating the true psychology behind Brutus’s betrayal. The purpose of this project is to take a step back from the politicized motivations and explore the emotional, strenuous conditions of Julius Caesar’s assassination. This project will transform William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar into a novella with its central focus on the relationship dynamics between the key figures of Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. The intention of the novella is to not only analyze the play through a critical queer lens, but to interrogate the themes of violence and desire that surround male relationships …

"All Power Over Ouranos And Gaia": The Maiestas Domini Supra Caelum Motif In Matthew 28:18 And The Junius Bassus Sarcophagus, Calan Christensen

Studia Antiqua

The maiestas domini supra caelum motif, as depicted in the central vignette of the upper register of the Junius Bassus sarcophagus, is widely understood as epitomizing a Christian ideal or an eschatological adventus as opposed to a representation of any “historical” biblical narra- tive. Nevertheless, this paper addresses the compelling iconographical al- lusion between the Bassus enthronement scene over Caelus and the final chapter of Matthew, specifically highlighting Jesus’s declaration of divine power “ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.”

Through an examination of the relevant contemporaneous theological and ritual literature produced during the period of Matthew’s authorship and the crafting of …

The Necropolis Of Lattara: An Examination Into Gender, Socioeconomic, And Ethnic Identities In A Funerary Context Following The Roman Conquest Of Mediterranean Gaul, Heather Fusco

Student Publications

This paper investigated how material goods both represented and actively created ethnic identity, gender, and socioeconomic status in a funerary context during a colonial period. Relying on evidence collected from a Roman-period necropolis from Lattara in Mediterranean France, these results were then examined alongside funerary evidence from the necropolis of the nearby Iron Age settlement of Ambrussum to compare pre-Roman and Roman funerary practices. Specifically, within the two necropolises, the grave goods, inscriptions, and biologically sexed remains were the main points of comparison. This paper also utilized the ideas and concepts from the subdivision of funerary archaeology, as well as …

Archaeogaming And The Re-Use Of Digital Archaeological Materials: Generating Serious Games For The Villas Of Roman Sicily, Kaitlyn Kingsland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With 10 million copies sold and 500 million dollars of revenue, the 11th installment of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018), showed how a videogame based on ancient Greek history and archaeology can make a splash in popular culture and that the distant past can become an extinguishable source of infinite engaging gaming narratives. As pedagogic and research counterparts to videogames of this kind, serious games and archaeogames focusing on Greek and Roman civilizations move from different premises, though aspiring to the same level of success. Serious games, created for a primary purpose other than sole entertainment, have …

Parnassus: Classical Journal (Volume 9, 2022), Parnassus Contributors

Parnassus: Classical Journal

No abstract provided.

Parnassus: Classical Journal (Volume 8, 2021), Parnassus Contributors

Parnassus: Classical Journal

No abstract provided.

Molding Diana: A Critical Analysis And Catalog Of A Selection Of Lamps From The Turnure Collection, Peyton Kendall

Honors Theses

In 2019, James Turnure, Samuel H. Kress Professor of Art History Emeritus, donated a collection of antiquities to Bucknell University’s Samek Art Museum. Among the artifacts were seventeen Roman oil lamps, seven of which were chosen to serve as the basis for this thesis. The selected lamps are included in the attached catalog, representing their first formal study and publication. This thesis thus serves to introduce the lamps into the known archaeological corpus, providing greater accessibility to future researchers. Accompanying the catalog are three chapters dealing in the modern reception of small finds, the ancient Roman oil lamp industry, and …

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 …

Migrants, Citizens And Subjects: How People Moved And Became Citizens In The Roman World, David Rocha

History Presentations

In this presentation, I explain the basics of my research. I study migrations and citizenship in the Roman world. I explain some of the different migrating groups from throughout the Roman world. I also explain citizenship, and how people became citizens. I also mention a few of the benefits that citizenship brought.

Romanization Through Mosaics: Transition At Fishbourne And Colchester, Elizabeth Kurtulik Mercuri

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Romanization has been discussed extensively by scholars as a way to describe the acculturation of providences under the Roman Empire. This thesis will look at mosaics from two early sites in southeast Britain and examine their connection to the Roman Empire. Fishbourne, Roman Palace presents us with a detailed view of a private villa from the first century. The city of Colchester provides a non-elite, urban perspective from the second century. Both sites contain surviving mosaics that provide a lasting imprint of the visual and material culture that was valued in Britain during its early years under Roman occupation.

In …

The Exceptional Case Of Plancia Magna: (Re)Analyzing The Role Of A Roman Benefactress, Barbara F. Caceres-Cerda

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis analyzes the extravagant renovation of the Hellenistic gate complex funded by Plancia Magna, an elite woman from Perge, a city in the Roman province of Pamphylia. By using Plancia Magna as a case study, I hope to use her patronage of an outstanding architectural program to examine the dynamic roles elite women held under the Roman Empire in the late 1st century to 2nd century CE. Euergetism played a key role in developing cultural standards and civic obligations. Predominantly a male dominated practice, Plancia Magna stands out as one of its active and independent participants by commissioning the …

Four Facets Of Diminishment In Cicero's Pro Caelio: Dilemma, Irony, Understatement, And Comedy, Donald Matthew Pasko

Graduate Theses and Capstone Projects (excluding DNP)

No abstract provided.

Classics Department Newsletter 2017-18, Classics Department, Gailann Rickert, Carolyn S. Snively

Classics Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Safety And Efficacy Of Classical Greek And Roman Treatments Compared To Modern Treatment, Morgan A. Wynes

Senior Honors Projects

Classical Greek and Roman civilizations survived for centuries and have greatly influenced the civilizations that have succeeded them. The treatments of diseases of both civilizations changed over time as physicians and philosophers such as Hippocrates and Galen developed a better understanding of the human body. Some of the treatments for disease used in ancient Greece and Rome remain in use today.

This project was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of classical Greek and Roman medicinal treatments and compare them to modern day treatments. The first step of the project was to identify classical diseases with telltale symptoms that …

The Struggle Between The Center And The Periphery: Justinian's Provincial Reforms Of The A.D. 530s, Mark-Anthony Karantabias

Theses and Dissertations--History

This dissertation analyzes the struggle between the imperial court and the periphery in the context of Justinian’s reforms in the early A.D. 530s. The reforms targeting select Roman provinces sought to reduce the size of the imperial bureaucracy while simultaneously attempting to maintain imperial vertical authority. The reforms epitomize the imperial court’s struggle to rein in the imperial bureaucracy in the provinces of the Roman Empire. The analysis is framed within the cultural, social, political and economic evolution occurring in Late Antiquity. It shall be proposed that the reforms are one example of the imperial court’s attempt to limit the …

The Responses Of The Roman Imperial Government To Natural Disasters 29 Bce-180 Ce, Michael Timothy Mccoy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the practice of imperial disaster relief between 29 BCE and 180 CE. It focuses upon both the process of disaster aid delineating how Roman emperors were petitioned for assistance, the forms disaster relief took, and the political motives individual emperors had for dispensing disaster aid. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the topic. Chapter 2 outlines the scope of the study as well as the examples used to establish disaster relief in context. Chapter 3 gives an overview of euergetism and also discusses two cases of disaster assistance that pre-date the reign of Augustus. Chapter 4 …

The Rock-Cut Room On The Acropolis At Golemo Gradište, Konjuh: Date And Purpose, Carolyn S. Snively

Ancient Greek and Roman Studies Faculty Publications

The anonymous city at the site of Golemo Gradište at the village of Konjuh, R. Macedonia, belongs to the period of Late Antiquity; the evidence indicates that it was founded in the 5th century. The lower town on the northern terrace was reconstructed, probably during the second quarter of the 6th century, but the inhabitants abandoned it, for the most part, later in that century and fled for refuge to the acropolis, where a settlement continued to exist into the early 7th century. Earlier material, beginning with the Late Neolithic and continuing sporadically through Bronze Age to Hellenistic, has been …

From Daimon To Demon: The Evolution Of The Demon From Antiquity To Early Christianity, Hailey Marie Fuller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the most fascinating entities of religious thought is the demon, which is still pervasive in both religious and popular culture today. The demon is something that is present not just in various religious texts, but is also a staple of the modern horror film. The question at hand in this thesis is whether or not the demon was always considered to be synonymous with evil. The demon itself has existed in religious culture and magic practice since antiquity, but most scholars tend to either ignore the entity, or conflate it with ghosts or minor gods. This thesis traces …

The Sacred Command Of The Lord My Brother The Emperor Should Have Come As Something Not To Neglect, Jacqueline Long

Classical Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Late Roman stereotypes assigned women certain powers.1 Thus for example, when the elder but not senior emperor Theodosius faced a choice between defending the interests of Valentinian II, his ineffective colleague from the previous dynasty, or acceding to the aggression of Magnus Maximus, his countryman, an unimpeachably orthodox Catholic, a proven effective general, and as an emperor one whose imperium Theodosius had recognized,2 Valentinian’s Arian mother Justina could be understood to have swayed Theodosius decisively by offering him her daughter Galla in marriage.3 This scenario enabled hostile interpreters to trivialize Theodosius’s decision as irresponsible appetite and to belittle its execution …

Zeugma As The Provenance Of 12 Mosaic Fragments At Bowling Green State University, Stephanie Langin-Hooper, S. Rebecca Martin, Mehmet Önal

Art History Research

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio is the current owner of 12 sections of floor mosaic dating to the 2nd-3rd c. A.D. Purchased by the university in 1965, these mosaic fragments were believed to be from the site of Antioch. In 2010-11, the mosaics were conserved and installed in BGSU’s Wolfe Center. In the following year the first-named author, organizing a symposium to celebrate the new display of the mosaics, invited R. Molholt to be the keynote speaker. During the course of preparing their respective papers for the symposium, she and Molholt uncovered evidence that an Antioch provenance for …

Roman Slavery: A Study Of Roman Society And Its Dependence On Slaves., Andrew Mason Burks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rome's dependence upon slaves has been well established in terms of economics and general society. This paper, however, seeks to demonstrate this dependence, during the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, through detailed examples of slave use in various areas of Roman life. The areas covered include agriculture, industry, domestic life, the state, entertainment, intellectual life, military, religion, and the use of female slaves. A look at manumission demonstrates Rome's growing awareness of this dependence. Through this discussion, it becomes apparent that Roman society existed during this time as it did due to slavery. Rome depended …

Time, Lawrence Kim

Classical Studies Faculty Research

In his monumental work Time and Narrative, Paul Ricoeur distinguishes 'tales about time', like The Magic Mountain or Remembrance of Things Past, from 'tales of time', which all narratives are by virtue of the fact that they are read and unfold in time. Few would put the ancient novels into the former category; they are not explicitly about time in an abstract sense, that is, they rarely discuss time in a philosophical or reflective fashion. Much scholarship has instead focused on how the novelists manage their 'tales of time' - for example how Heliodorus manipulates the temporal order …

Ha-Tayassim Road, Tel Aviv, A-3764/2002, A-4683/2003, Yoav Arbel

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In 2002 and 2003, excavations were conducted at a 5.5 dunams plot between Ha-Tayassim Road and Tslilei Hanina Street (Permit Nos. A-3764, A-4683; map ref. 182517-58/661650-81), under the direction of Giora Parnos. The site is located on a natural hill approximately 30 meters above sea level, on the third kurkar ridge of the central coastal plain. It is surrounded by fertile soil and lies near the main road connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem.

Tel Hai A-853/1979, Gershon Edelstein

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In September 1979, a salvage excavation was conducted in the courtyard of the youth hostel at Tel Ḥai under the direction of G. Edelstein. Burial caves were exposed after being damaged during the quarrying of a pit for the construction of a shelter. According to the excavation diary, three burial caves were documented; in one of them, two loculi were identified, along with five additional loculi. The finds from the caves and the loculi included pottery and glass vessels dating to the Roman period.

Jerusalem, Har Ha-Zetim (Mount Of Olives) A-780/1978, Amos Kloner

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In 1978, an excavation was conducted on Har Ha-Zetim in Jerusalem (map ref. 22309/63175). The excavation, on behalf of the Department of Antiquities and Museums, was directed by A. Kloner. A tomb that was dated to the Roman period was exposed.

Jerusalem, Nahal Raqafot (Bayit Ve-Gan Neighborhood) A-593/1975, Amos Kloner, Yosef Gat

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In December 1975 and early 1976, an excavation was conducted in Jerusalem at Naḥal Raqafot (Bayit ve-Gan neighborhood; map ref. 21829/62980), under the direction of A. Kloner and Y. Gat. The excavation was undertaken following the discovery of a cave during preparations for the construction of a college. The cave, which was damaged during the development works, comprised a single chamber.

Jerusalem, Giv’At Shapira A-551/1975, Renee Sivan

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In 1975, an excavation was conducted in the neighborhood of Giv’at Shapira in Jerusalem (map ref. 2229/6347). Three burial caves were exposed.

Ma’Alul A-399/1973, Gershon Edelstein

Favissa: Past Archaeological Excavation Reports

In February 1973, a trial excavation was conducted in the area of the village of Ma’alul near Nahalal (map ref. 222/733), under the direction of G. Edelstein. A one-day inspection was carried out, following the discovery of a mosaic.