Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons^™

By The Power Vesta-Ed In Me: The Power Of The Vestal Virgins And Those Who Took Advantage Of It, Elena M. Stanley

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Vestal Virgins were high ranking members of the Roman elite. Due to the priestesses’ elevated standing, Romans made use of their inherent privileges. Through analyses of case studies from ancient authors and archaeology, I identify three ways Romans wielded Vestal power: familial connections, financial and material resources, and political sway. I end by exploring cases of crimen incesti, the crime of unchastity, which highlight all three forms. The Vestals were influential women who shared access to power in different ways. The Vestals were active participants in the social and political world of Rome.

Humanity And Nature: From Vergil To Modernity, Aaron Ticknor

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Though ecology is a relatively new field of study, the human relationship to nature has shifted and changed throughout history. In antiquity, it has been understood by scholarly consensus that there was a more general understanding of nature as a living force with spirit, for example the Roman animist concept of numen, and humanity being one with nature. In modernity, however, under the influence of Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon, nature is seen as completely separate from humanity and devoid of any value beyond the economic value of resources. Later philosophers such as Nietzsche lamented this shift, advocating for …

The Name And Its Significance: An Examination Of Names In Aristotle’S And Plato’S Philosophy Of Language, Matthew Blain

Honors Bachelor of Arts

In the early 20th century, philosophy underwent a “linguistic turn,” in which philosophy, humanities, and even sciences made a redoubled focus on language itself. This turn was quite comprehensive, focusing on nearly every aspect of language such as meaning, reference, truth and falsity, logic, and the connection of language and reality. This renewed focus garnered a significant amount of attention and thought in the 20th century by some of its most prominent thinkers of both the analytic and even continental traditions. In the analytic tradition, Wittgenstein, in his Tractatus, saw language as the logical limit of our known world, out …

Cultural Collapse Of The Seleucid Empire, John Paul Mastandrea

Honors Bachelor of Arts

This paper seeks to explore the causes for the collapse of the Seleucid Empire following the death of Alexander the Great. The reasons for this collapse were numerous, but primarily focus on the administrative difficulties inherited from the Persian empire, the vast cultural differences within the empire, and the priorities of the Seleucid rulers. In order to show a counter point of a Greek state that succeeded in ruling a foreign people, the exploration of Ptolemaic Egypt is put alongside the Seleucids. The Egyptian Greeks succeeded in all of the ways that the Seleucids failed. By putting these two states …

Roman New Comedy In The Renaissance: The Influence Of Plautus In Shakespearean Comedy, Nick Minion

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Undoubtedly the most well-known playwright in the English language, Shakespeare’s influence can be felt in most every genre in most every era. Allusions to his work can be found anywhere, from horror novels to sci-fi. Beyond allusions, most strongly felt is his stylistic influence in theatre. Names, plot devices, and images have all been taken from Shakespeare’s greatest works and implemented and transformed in new art forms. However, not all elements of Shakespearean drama originated with the bard himself. Shakespeare drew inspiration from the dramatists that preceded him, especially Roman playwrights. In his earlier works, these similarities are apparent. The …

The Unwelcome Guest: Envy And Shame Materialized In A Roman Villa, Andrew Scholtz

Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (MEAMS) Faculty Scholarship

A third-century C.E. inscribed mosaic from Skala, on the Greek island of Kefallonia, has greatly expanded our knowledge of envy’s evil eye in the Roman Mediterranean. Yet its inscription has not drawn the attention it deserves. Paying heed to the literary, affective, and material dimensions of this and other mosaic texts, I explore how the Skala poem, in tandem with the imagery it accompanies, mediates encounters between guest, host, and house. In so doing, it forms part of a decorative program materializing envy as actor in a drama celebrating a householder’s fortune while exposing the envious to general scorn.

Women In Livy And Tacitus, Stephen Alexander Prevoznik

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Although often neglected in Roman literature, women play important roles where they do appear. This is especially true in Livy's history called the Ab Urbe Condita or "From the Founding of the City" and Tacitus' work the Annals. For reasons I will clarify more in my presentation, Livy uses women as examples. Some are examples that the readers should follow. Lavinia, Lucretia, and the Sabine women all exemplify something good. Lavinia is noble in her aim, Lucretia is a model for chastity, and the Sabine women show the value of harmony. Livy also presents women who are bad examples. …

Μηδὲν Ἄγαν: Conviviality And Excess In The Symposium, Lauren B. Alberti

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

This multi-disciplinary project demonstrates that the archaic and classical Greek symposium was a moralizing and educative space that governed the consumption of wine through the social protocol of the metron “measured restraint.” In Chapter One, I investigate sympotic drinking behavior contextualized within this concept of the metron as described by Theognis. Utilizing literary evidence and art historical representations of drinking at the symposium, I argue that a specified drinking protocol encouraged the community to benefit the male aristocratic citizen and ultimately their place in the polis. The symposium was an educative and moralizing space that encouraged communal harmony and …

Two Sides Of The Same Coin: Vergil And Ovid's Clashing Portrayals Of Individual And Group Identity, Dante G. King

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study examines Vergil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Heroides and Metamorphoses with regard to Aeneas and Turnus as analogues for Roman citizens and Italic provincials respectively. As this project is primarily concerned with textual investigation, philological analysis of Vergil and Ovid’s texts takes center stage and is supplemented by contemporary material evidence and secondary scholarship in foundation narratology, identity, and political theory. So, whereas Vergil characterizes Aeneas as a dominant hero destined to found a new home for his people, the proto-Roman Trojans, and Turnus as a rebellious but ultimately ineffectual Italic monarch, Ovid presents the former as a detestable …

The Fabric Of Gifts: Culture And Politics Of Giving And Exchange In Archaic Greece, Beate Wagner-Hasel

Zea E-Books Collection

When the Greek leader Agamemnon took for himself the woman awarded to Achilles as his spoils of battle, the warrior’s resulting anger and outrage nearly cost his side the war. Beyond the woman herself was what she symbolised — a matter of esteem rather than material value. In Archaic Greece the practices of gift giving existed alongside an economy of market relations. The value of gifts and the meanings of exchange in ancient societies are fundamental to the debates of 19th-century economists, to Marcel Mauss’s famous Essai sur le don (1923-4), and to the definition of experiential value by modern …

A Living Faith: Christianity’S Pre-Constantine Survival, Derek Allen Seifert

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Précis

In my thesis, I argue that the beliefs and practices of Christianity helped it to not only coexist with but survive beyond the cults that were prevalent and more established. To demonstrate this, I compare Christianity with said cults. In my first chapter, I examine three mystery cults, looking at the factors that gave them their popularity. In the second chapter, I discuss Christianity. Citing authors such as Tacitus and Pliny, I reveal the ill reception given to Christianity. I then use sources, such as Saint Justin Martyr, Saint Cyprian, and Saint Dionysius, to explain what exactly Christians believed …

On A Defense Of Democracy: How Roman Delatores And Emperors Dismantled Libertas And Established The Principate In The Early Roman Empire, Justin R. Scott

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Precis

My thesis argues that the delatores’ legal and political actions restricted political freedom and cemented a shift in authority from the Roman Senate to the Roman Emperor. This thesis utilizes primary works from Cicero, Dio, Pliny the Younger, Quintilian, Suetonius, and works from Tacitus, that had lived under the times when the delatores held the most power and influence over Rome. I also include secondary scholarship about how historians have understood the impact of the delatores on the Roman political and legal systems, all of which explain who the delatores were and how they impacted Roman society after …

The Impact Of Ancient Doctor-Patient Relationship Standards On Modern Bedside Manner, James P. Stebbins

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Precis

An examination of the oaths surrounding the doctor-patient relationships in the healthcare systems of antiquity, as well as those of the early Medieval period and modernity, reveals that the modern concept of bedside manner is one with roots throughout history, and has changed according to the predominant religion of the time. This is done by comparing the oaths taken by physicians across these periods, and examining how they outline the tenets of the relationship between a patient and their healthcare provider. I also provide examples of religious beliefs and how they interact with medical practice to show how bedside …

The Galileo Affair In Context: An Investigation Of Influences On The Church During Galileo’S 1633 Trial, Evan W. Lamping

Honors Bachelor of Arts

This paper explores the context of the 1616 trial of Galileo within the history of the geocentric and heliocentric theories of the solar system, as well as some factors that may have initiated this trial or influenced the result. Some of these factors include the criticism of contemporary Reformers, Galileo’s relationship with the Pope, and recently uncovered Vatican documents accusing Galileo of atomism. These last two are found in Pietro Redondi’s book Galileo Eretico, which alleges that Pope Urban VIII spared Galileo by having him investigated for holding heliocentric views, instead of letting him face potential charges of heresy …

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 …

“I See” Said The Blind Man; “I Know” Said Oedipus: An Analysis Of Physical And Metaphysical Sight Through Greek Tragedy And Philosophy, Emma Barlow

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Sight in the ancient world is best understood through Greek tragedy and philosophy. There is a certain duality of sight that is present in tragedy – physical and metaphysical. Physical sight is represented through “vision” and “sight” itself. Metaphysical sight is represented through “knowing” and “understanding”. Physical and metaphysical sight do not necessarily need each other, but the combination of the two results in higher wisdom, something that is sought by one of the most prominent figures in Greek tragedy, Oedipus. In fact, Oedipus Tyrannus, Heracles, and Prometheus Bound best exemplify the duality of sight in tragedy. The seers in …

The Transactions Of Mortal Coil: Hellenic Meaning In The Suffering Of The Iliad And The Oresteia, Stephen L. Bothwell

Honors Bachelor of Arts

The meaning of suffering is enigmatic. To grasp at it cosmologically, I examine both Archaic and Classical Greek views of suffering via their primary literature and culture. Homer’s Iliad reveals the transactionality of suffering as it is embedded in the heroic code through an analysis of the Glaucus-Diomedes exchange. An investigation of Achilles’ development portrays both the Homeric system that equates honor and suffering and the unquantifiable suffering that critiques said system. Meanwhile, a study of Aeschylus’ Oresteia exhibits the interrelation of suffering and learning in Zeus’ law. The progression of the trilogy displays an accruement of wisdom by means …

Reevaluating The Nika Riot & Placing It In Conversation With The Antioch Riot Of 387, Ty Richer

Honors Bachelor of Arts

The reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, from 527 to 565, despite its many high points and achievements, was a struggle for him and his people. One of his most famous, or infamous, challenges was during the Nika riots. During this time Justinian sees the people of Constantinople attempt to crown a usurper as emperor instead of him. As Justinian convened with his advisors, hiding from the mob in his palace, one question must have rung true in his mind: how did this happen? This presentation answers this question while also giving an overview to the time and the people …

Reevaluating The Nika Riot & Placing It In Conversation With The Antioch Riot Of 387, Ty A. Richer

Honors Bachelor of Arts

The reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, from 527 to 565, despite its many high points and achievements, was a struggle for him and his people. One of his most famous, or infamous, challenges was during the Nika riots. During this time Justinian sees the people of Constantinople attempt to crown a usurper as emperor instead of him. As Justinian convened with his advisors, hiding from the mob in his palace, one question must have rung true in his mind: how did this happen? This presentation answers this question while also giving an overview to the time and the people …

Comparing Ancient To Modern: How Ancient Greece And Rome Provide Insight For Citizenship And Immigration In The 21st Century, Viktoria Schumacher

Honors Bachelor of Arts

I believe that when searching for solutions to current migration crises and problems with the US immigration system, we must turn to ancient examples. The Ancient Greeks provided examples of both what not to do and what to do when faced with mass migration and a sudden increase in the population of citizens. Additionally, Ancient Rome demonstrated a necessity for a clear definition of citizenship and multiple mechanisms for its extension. The United States has struggled to establish a system which retains exclusivity while still providing assistance in the wake of large groups of displaced people. Ideas from Ancient Greece …

Lucian's Imagines: A Student Reader, And Pro Imaginibus: A Translation, Jesse Amar

Honors Scholar Theses

This student reader provides a complete Greek text of Lucian's Imagines (Eikones, or Portraits), with linguistic and literary commentary for the intermediate student of Ancient Greek. There follows a new translation of Lucian's Pro Imaginibus, the author's own take on his work.

The Death Of Tragedy: Examining Nietzsche’S Return To The Greeks, Brian R. Long

Honors Bachelor of Arts

In what follows, I will demonstrate how necessary the balance between Apollo and Dionysus is, how it exists in tragedy, and how it is destroyed. In my first chapter, I will discuss the Apolline and Dionysian powers, giving some background on Apollo and Dionysus. I will then explore the struggle between the two powers, noting the specific role of the Silenic wisdom. In the second chapter, I will examine several tragedies in light of these two powers, culminating in a discussion of Euripides’ Bacchae. This discussion will demonstrate how the Apolline and Dionysiac powers were at work on the …

Democracy Vs. Liberty: The Telos Of Government, Ryan C. Yeazell

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Democracies are known for being relatively stable and ensuring freedom for their citizens. However, those assumptions are called into question by the various failures of modern democracies to both maintain authority and enshrine liberty. Are the institutional checks and balances failing to prevent some of the expected issues with governments based on popular voting? Or is there some other cause of failure outside of the institutional structures themselves?

To examine these questions, I will be comparing a few examples of failed modern democracies with arguably history’s longest lasting democratic government: the Roman Republic. Although separated by over two thousand years …

Piecing Together Roman Life And Art: The Impact Of Societal Changes On Developments In Roman Mosaics, Emily A. Lewis

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Although changes in mosaics in ancient Rome can be attributed to various factors such as available resources, skills of the mosaicists, and room aesthetics with wall paintings, the changes in the relationship amongst social classes is a factor that is rarely examined, but strongly impacted these development in mosaic styles. First, an analysis of various mosaics from the 2^nd century BC-2^nd century AD will be given so that there is an understanding of the changes that occurred. From there, reasons for the adaptations of polychrome into black and white will be assessed; focusing the argument on analysis of …

Zero To Hero: Elite Burials And Hero Cults In Early Iron Age Greece And Cyprus, Alina M. Karapandzich

Senior Independent Study Theses

Adulation of heroes, including the flawed, militaristic, authoritative men of Homeric epic, was an important feature of ancient Hellenic culture. This phenomenon is reflected in cults and shrines built in the Archaic period. How did these so-called “hero cults” form, and can Early Iron Age (EIA) elite burials form a connection between the tomb cults of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) and the hero cults of the Archaic and later Classical periods? The purpose of this study is to examine EIA burials whose elite goods and archaeologically visible tombs reflect the burial of a “heroic” person. In doing so, I …

Textile Terminologies From The Orient To The Mediterranean And Europe, 1000 Bc To 1000 Ad, Salvatore Gaspa, Cécile Michel, Marie-Louise Nosch

Zea E-Books Collection

The papers in this volume derive from the conference on textile terminology held in June 2014 at the University of Copenhagen. Around 50 experts from the fields of Ancient History, Indo-European Studies, Semitic Philology, Assyriology, Classical Archaeology, and Terminology from twelve different countries came together at the Centre for Textile Research, to discuss textile terminology, semantic fields of clothing and technology, loan words, and developments of textile terms in Antiquity. They exchanged ideas, research results, and presented various views and methods.

This volume contains 35 chapters, divided into five sections: • Textile terminologies across the ancient Near East and the …

Roman Propaganda In The Age Of Augustus, Alex Pollok

Senior Theses

This paper is an examination of the methods and utilizations of propaganda in the Late Republic/Early Imperial period of Ancient Rome. The focus is on the propaganda of Augustus Caesar whose rulership ushered in the era referred to as the Pax Romana or Roman Peace. Augustus created a mythical image of himself that served as inspiration for future emperors. This image and its influence on future Romans is also examined. Today, we have film and/or television acting as the primary focal point for propaganda. In ancient Rome, the primary methods were literature, statues, monuments, and coins (though these are still …

The Origins And Identity Of Roman Mithraism, Charles R. Hill

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

This thesis is a reassessment of scholarship concerning the origins of the cult mysteries of Mithraism in its Roman form during the Imperial Period. While much has been published in the debate over the cult’s true origins, we are still left without a satisfactory answer. The present work is an attempt to reconcile some of the arguments posed in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries with those of the later 20^th and 21^st centuries, focusing mostly on the cult’s art and iconography in Mithraea, the central spaces of Mithraic worship. First will be a summary of …

The Eighth Sacrament? The Evidence Of Hincmar Of Rheims, Doyle M.B. Baxter

Honors Bachelor of Arts

The Catholic Church did not dogmatically define the list of seven sacraments until the Council of Trent in the 16th century, marking the culmination of hundreds of years of theological study and reflection upon sacraments. After the definition of seven, French theologians argued that the coronation of their king was an eighth sacrament. In this paper, I contend that Hincmar of Rheims, his theology of kingship, and the coronation rites that he compiled are likely responsible for the French claim. Hincmar was the Archbishop of Rheims from 845 until his death in 882. During his time as archbishop, he compiled …

Mode Of Operations: A Critique Of The Agonistic View Of Greek Musical Modes In Plato And Aristotle, Robert Crawford

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Music has the power to transcend the confines of mere spatial geometry into the bounds of philosophy and emotion. In the views of the ancient philosophers Plato and Aristotle, music, namely the Greek modes, is valuable pedagogically in two ways: first, as a means to knowing the Good, e.g., the Dorian and Phrygian modes, and second as a means for suiting people for political life. Since their goal is to educate future rulers, Plato and Aristotle need to heighten some but censor other musical modes, e.g., the Lydian and Aeolian modes, due to some of the unsavory feelings, or affects, …