Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons^™

The Enigma Of The Spartan Woman, Jalena M. Post

Young Historians Conference

Active in both social and economic spheres, Spartan women possessed much more mobility than their counterparts in Athens. In the areas of education, the arts, land ownership, marriage, and family life, the women of Sparta enjoyed a large amount of sovereignty when compared to other ancient societies. The absence of Spartan men during almost constant times of war necessitated women taking on more responsibility than they would have otherwise, but to what extent? This paper strives to characterize the unique role of the women of Sparta during the classical period of Greek history, especially as in contrast to their Athenian …

Livia's Power In Ancient Rome, Tori L. Allen

Young Historians Conference

When one thinks of the ancient Roman heroes, Caesar and Augustus come to mind. We picture Roman men on the front lines in culture and society, while the women are kept back and oppressed. And while women definitely faced obstacles in ancient Rome, it didn't stop them from making an impact. This paper argues that Livia, wife of Roman emperor Augustus, was able to secretly manipulate politics in Rome as a mother and a wife, as seen in honorific statues, Ovid's poetry, and honorific titles.

Power Structure, Nathaniel Klein

Young Historians Conference

By today's standards morally reprehensible subjects are difficult to examine, however, from a historical perspective topics such as infanticide offer insight into individual behavior, therefore reflecting societal norms. This paper explores the practice of infanticide used during the course of the 7th century BCE to reinforce the power structures of the period. Infanticide was far more than a simple way to dispose of unwanted offspring; it was a tool that was used by ancient Greek societies to maintain systems of control and promote social values upon which society depended.

Not All Were Created Equal, Sarah Cox

Young Historians Conference

This paper explores the exceptional social, political and economic status afforded to women in Sparta by their society. Women were not simply relegated to the domestic sphere in Sparta, their responsibilities included managing both public and private affairs in the absence of their husbands, brothers and fathers. Their collective role in society allowed them to contribute to and serve their city state. It asserts that women in Sparta, unlike their contemporaries in other ancient Greek city states, had more opportunities to affect the overall impact of Sparta as a dominate military power.

Transgression And Limits In Euripides' Alkestis, Leshu Torchin

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper seeks to understand Euripides' Alkestis in the terms of the transgression described by both Michel Foucault and Longinus. The first section explores transgression as a process that erases the prior limits in order to reconstruct and redefine them. During this process, limits and boundaries are stripped away. A period of horror and liminality ensues in which the meaning of boundaries comes into question. The second section examines the positionality of death as the primary limit that frames the events of the tragedy. The third Section explores the deteriorating functionality of the gender roles held by Admetus and Alkestis. …

Homer In Virgil, Thomas Kerns

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper argues that the biggest influence on Virgil’s Aeneid was Homer’s epics. By tracing Homer’s influence on the Aeneid, there is a heightened sense of the reasons underlying the themes in Virgil’s writing. One of Virgil’s main purposes in writing the Aeneid is to identify Augustus with Aeneas. In the end, this paper suggests that not only are the influences of Homer important for an understanding of the Aeneid, but in fact are vital for it to accomplish its goals.

Plato's Protagoras: Myth And Democracy On Trial, David Johnson

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper traces how the use of a trial in Plato’s Protagoras serves to highlight the issues of Myth and Democracy; one might even say to put them on trial. While the Protagoras is a complicated work, some aspects of its underlying themes are quite clear. For Plato, democracy pales in comparison to the philosopher-king, and the Protagoras’s structure enables Plato to set up Socrates as just such a figure.

Power Bitches Of Ancient Greece, Jennifer Ingram

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper takes the form of a transcript of the Sally Jessy Raphael show on which Nancy Reagan answers questions about Women in ancient Greek Epics. Specifically, this transcript focuses on Medea (as shown by Euripides) and Clytemnestra (from the Agamemnon by Aeschylus). The focus is on strong “masculine” women and how the story of lover’s revenge is played out by both characters.

The Judicial Message In Seneca's Apocolocyntosis, Sylvia Gray Kaplan

Dissertations and Theses

Seneca's Apocolocyatosis is a satire on the deceased emperor Claudius, probably written in the early months after his death in AD54. Although the authorship and title of the work have been called into question, scholars have now reached a consensus that the satire was written by Seneca and is titled "Apocolocyatosis." Its purpose, characteristic of the Menippean genre, was didactic.

Although the meaning of the Apocolocyatosis has often been discussed, few have emphasized the predominance of the legal theme, when in fact the legal motif is the key to interpreting this work. The work satirizes Claudius particularly in …

The Phaedo: A Painting In Three Parts, Sharon Parker

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper argues that Plato’s Phaedo might be interestingly viewed as a painting: a landscape in three parts. This triptych is unified through the central question of the immortality of the human soul. This paper traces this conception of the Phaedo through an interrogation of the textual markers that might lead to an understanding of the whole. In the end, The Phaedo is seen as ascending from the corporeal to the ethereal.

Shameless Shame: St. Augustine's Confessions, Regina Eastman

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

his paper suggests that the “Shameless Shame” of Augustine’s manipulatory language and rhetoric in the Confessions serves the distinct purpose of converting the reader to Catholicism. By tracing the way in which St. Augustine uses diverse literary forms to appeal to his readers and guide their path. This paper suggests that there is a particular reason for the rise of Catholicism, and it’s not just faith. Augustine’s use of language that could appeal to multiple strata of society allowed each to take their path to conversion, but ultimately conversion comes to be seen as a social act. One imbued with …

The Argonautica: Apollonius' New Epic, Christopher Frank

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Apollonius’ Argonautica takes as its general form the epic tradition of Homer, but often diverges from traditional paths in order to show trends in Hellenistic life. The poem is generally thought of as an Imitation, but its complex imitations do not perfectly follow the Homeric epic tradition. This paper points out the influences that led to these differences and then suggests that ultimately Apollonius is making a concrete and interesting statement about his own culture.

An Explication Of The Phaedo, Thahn Ngo

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Plato’s Phaedo has multiple meanings and uses its narrative framework, sets up debates, and implements myths and allusions in order to present this multiplicity of meaning. This paper looks at the above characteristics in the Phaedo and interrogates their use. The Phaedo is nominally about the last hours of Socrates’s life, but it contains far more than mere biography. This paper traces the ways Plato uses this basic framework to create a multi-faceted work.

Perception And Power, Marisela F. Nyoka

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

In Virgil’s Aeneid, the hero is epic enough but is importantly different enough from the tradition of the Greek epic hero to warrant investigation. At the crux of it is that Virgil utilizes a Roman approach to the Greek cosmos. Thus the hero reflects the political changes and moods of the times. This paper traces how Virgil’s use of language constructs this Roman vision of the Greek cosmos. In the end it suggests that humans in Virgil’s world have a greater task than they did before and that only the pious will survive.

The Loss Of Feminine Representation From The Aeneid To The Confessions, Merlin Douglass

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper argues that “the change in the power of women from the time of Vergil to the time of Augustine altered the way in which they were represented” in the seminal texts of Vergil’s Aeneid and Augustine’s Confessions. Augustine’s Confessions have long been thought to be inspired by and echoing of the Aeneid. This paper, however, suggests that the striking loss of the female voice from the Aeneid to the Confessions is a result of the changed status of female power between the two time periods as well as a reminder of the purpose of the Confessions: to show …

Vergil's Aeneid: A Homeric Dichotomy?, David Dysert

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

This paper investigates the question of why scholars have traditionally labeled Vergil's Aeneid a "Homeric dichotomy." The Aeneid is often seen as a combination of the two great Homeric epics, the Odyssey and the Illiad, and is of criticized for its lack of transitions between the two. This paper argues that while the Aeneid certainly should be seen as a dichotomous work, its allusions stretch further than only to Homer’s epics. The paper traces a number of these allusions and suggests that the Aeneid should be viewed as a synthesis of Homer with other Greek traditions and epics rather than …

Augustine's Contribution To Star Wars, Scott Franklin

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

The parallels between Augustine’s Confessions and the movie Star Wars might at first seem to be few and far between, but this paper argues for that the opposite in fact is true when viewed through the lens of rhetoric. This paper suggests that both the Confessions and Star Wars reframe traditional storylines for their own times. For Augustine it is the Bible and for Star Wars it is a traditional WWII Storyline.

Neoplatonic Influences In Augustine's Confessions, Shon H. Kraley

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Augustine wrote the Confession at a time when Christianity was still a small religion mostly populated with peasants and lower-class individuals. This paper argues that he actively utilized Neoplatonic philosophies and ideas in order to give credibility to his Christian doctrine. By doing so he accomplished the goal of expanding Christianity and appealing to the Intellegentsia.

Intellectual Traditions As Predecessors To St. Augustine, Jennifer Lovell

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

St. Augustine both explicitly and implicitly relied on existing intellectual traditions in the construction of his Confessions. He not only explicitly references Neoplatonic thought, he also implicitly constructs his argument around Neoplatonic ideals. He also used rhetorical and epic traditions to create his Christian Doctrine. By blending the teachings of the Bible with these traditions, this paper argues that St. Augustine effectively appealed to the intellectual elite.

Nineteenth Century French And German Interpretations Of The Early Medieval Germanic Invasions, James N. Owens

Dissertations and Theses

Various interpretations of the Germanic invasions of the early Middle Ages have been advanced. These present to the student of historiography a fertile field for inquiry. In this thesis the interpretations of the Germanic invasions propounded by Jules Michelet (1798-1874) and Gustav Freytag (1816-1875) are examined with a view to establishing the cultural context in which their mutually exclusive versions were formulated, and the extent to which that context lent the interpretations of both writers a perceptible national and aesthetic bias.