History Commons^™

"Future City In The Heroic Past: Rome, Romans, And Roman Landscapes In Aeneid 6–8", Eric Kondratieff

History Faculty Publications

From the Intro: “Arms and the Man I sing…” So Vergil begins his epic tale of Aeneas, who overcomes tremendous obstacles to find and establish a new home for his wandering band of Trojan refugees. Were it metrically possible, Vergil could have begun with “Cities and the Man I sing,” for Aeneas’ quest for a new home involves encounters with cities of all types: ancient and new, great and small, real and unreal. These include Dido’s Carthaginian boomtown (1.419–494), Helenus’ humble neo-Troy (3.349–353) and Latinus’ lofty citadel (7.149–192). Of course, central to his quest is the destiny of Rome, whose …

Richard Newhauser (Ed.), The Seven Deadly Sins: From Communities To Individuals (Book Review), Denise A. Kaiser

History Faculty Publications

Book review by Denise Kaiser:

ISBN 9789004157859

Book Review: Empire Of Ashes, Jeanne Reames

History Faculty Publications

Three historical novels about Alexander the Great were published in 2004 to coincide with the November release of Oliver Stone’s epic film on the conqueror: The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield, who is best known for Gates of Fire (1998) about the Battle of Thermopylae; Queen of the Amazons by Judith Tarr, who wrote about Alexander once before in Lord of the Two Lands (1993); and Empire of Ashes by relative newcomer Nicholas Nicastro.

The Column And Coinage Of C. Duilius: Innovations In Iconography In Large And Small Media In The Middle Republic, Eric Kondratieff

History Faculty Publications

"[From the conclusion]: This discussion presents a linked series of hypotheses, each one suggested in its turn by evidence relating directly to C. Duilius (cos. 260), and contextualized by near-contemporary precedents wherever possible, or relevant-seeming analogues from slightly later periods. Taken together, these hypotheses support a plausible scenario in which the elogium on Duilius’ rostral column may be read not only as an account of a cunning and audacious commander whose pioneering efforts in naval warfare destroyed the myth of Carthaginian supremacy at sea, but also as an encomium on a generous benefactor to Rome’s citizenry. The inscription’s redactor has …

A History Of Alexander On The Big Screen, Jeanne Reames

History Faculty Publications

Oliver Stone’s Alexander arrived in theaters on November 24, 2004 – one of two big-budget films slated to deal with the life and times of the conqueror. The other, to be directed by Baz Luhrmann and produced by Martin Scorsese, will not begin shooting until 2005. And despite Luhrman’s protests that his film will go forward, the general mood in Hollywood seems to be “wait and see.” In addition to these two high-profile Alexander projects, a small, independent film about Alexander’s youth, Alexander the Great of Macedonia, produced by Ilya Salkind (known best for Superman), was filmed and slated to …

The Mourning Of Alexander The Great, Jeanne Reames

History Faculty Publications

To say that Hephaistion's death devastated the conqueror merely repeats a commonplace. But was Alexander's subsequent bereavement excessive, or-to use clinical terms-pathological?l Pervading popular opinion has been a guarded (or not-so-guarded) "yes." Nonetheless, I propose to argue that a number of actions heretofore seen as abnormal are in fact behaviors typical of the bereaved. The difference in Alexander's case was due to his wealth and his authority: he could both afford such gestures and have them enforced.

An Atypical Affair? Alexander The Great, Hephaistion Amyntoros And The Nature Of Their Relationship, Jeanne Reames

History Faculty Publications

Most recent Alexander historians - especially those writing after Stonewall - assume that the friendship of Alexander the Great and Hephaistion Amyntoros was not purely platonic.² Despite this, the names of Alexander and Hephaistion rarely find their way into modem lists of ancient lovers, nor are they much mentioned in studies of Greek homoeroticism³ - perhaps because they fail to fit the model first detailed by K.J. Dover in 1978. This dichotomy is a curiosity of recent specialization in classics. Alexander historians assume the affair while historians of Greek sexuality ignore it. In any case, the matter of …