History Commons^™

Voices On The Horizon: A Theory Of Ludic Rhetoric, Jeff Lohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Voices on the horizon: A theory of ludic rhetoric begins with the assumption that rhetoric and play offer hope for cooperation and community in a fragmented and divided world. Rhetoric and play share an intellectual trajectory in the history of ideas. The earliest use of the terms rhetor and rhetoric in the Western tradition encouraged playful cooperation. The move toward reason and science during the Enlightenment relegated rhetoric to mere techniques for persuasion and silenced alternative avenues for seeking truth. Reclaiming traditional rhetoric as a meeting place for potential negotiation and cooperation encourages constructive civic discourse. The conclusion of this …

The Actions And Reactions Of Trajan And Decebalus: A Brief Reconsidering Of The Causation Of The Dacian Wars, Wesley C. Cline

Student Publications

While one camp of historians have followed the words of Cassias Dio, that Trajan began the war to avenge the defeats of his predecessor Domitian and put down the ever growing power of the Dacians and subsequently was forced to fight a second war which was inevitably for conquest, the other camp argues that Trajan aimed for military glory and sought to conquer Dacia from the onset of hostilities. Neither camp has yet to conclusively utilize Decebalus’ and Trajan’s actions as a way to definitively prove their argument. By analyzing these two military leaders’ orders and strategies, it becomes clear …

Women In Roman Republican Literature: The Use Of Mulier In Sallust And Plautus, Emily Conley

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

Language and word choice are critical tools that allow an author to communicate how they want the audience to receive and think about a character or situation. Authors often will use colloquialisms or euphemisms to imply something about the characters that either cannot be said or is not appropriate to say. This is especially true of words used for women. There are several Latin words meaning ‘woman’ or ‘female’. In this thesis, I focus on the most common three: mulier, femina and puella. Because these terms can implicitly comment upon the social positions of characters, their fundamental meanings are …

Moses Flavius Vespasianus: Investigating Mosaic Themes In The Bellum Iudaicum Of Josephus In The Context Of The Emperor Vespasian, Sean Tobin

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

According to the autobiographical work that he wrote, Titus Flavius Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu, was born in the year 37, the same year Caligula ascended to the imperial throne in Rome. He was born in the Roman province of Judaea to a priestly, aristocratic family and raised in Jerusalem in the privilege and wealth associated with such a family. Following the war between the Romans and the Jews in 66 and his capture by the Romans at the siege of Jotapata, he became a prisoner of the future emperor, Vespasian, later winning his favor by prophesying his rise to …

Easy Money, Elite Anxiety And Rome's First Anti-Gambling Law, Suzanne B. Faris Phd

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

Co-Opted, Cults And The Classics: Highlighting The Magna Mater Cult In Rome, Janessa Reeves

Honors Projects

This paper argues for a more critical approach to classics, pushing for the de-sanctification of classical antiquity and deconstruction of ‘western civilization’ as a tool able to be co-opted by white supremacist agendas. In the latter part of the paper, I demonstrate what I hope this will look like through analysis of Roman reception of the Mother of the Gods cult, known in Rome as the cult of Cybele or Magna Mater, or the Phrygian cult, and how Roman reactions to the cult reveal xenophobic sentiments and toxic masculinity within the social fabric. Throughout this work, I engage with questions …

The Iconography Of The Gold And Silver Coinage Of Philip Ii Of Macedon And Alexander The Great, Nisha N. Ramracha

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The history of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great has been tremendously studied through ancient sources and archaeology. One approach has been through numismatics: a comprehensive study of currency in the form of coins and additional media for transactions, trade, payment and otherwise. This form of research gives scholars an economic perspective on the lives and campaigns of these renowned Macedonian Argead kings through statistical calculations in the form of weights, di-axes, ascertaining inauguration dates as well as appraisal of metals such as gold, silver and bronze in ancient economies, and deducing the locations of mints and various …

Thucydides' Account Of The Plague As Trauma Narrative, Jenna M. Colclough

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thucydides’ detailed description of the Athenian plague, which is estimated to have killed from a quarter to a third of Athens’ population[1]and led to the breakdown of several social norms, has been approached from a variety of scholarly perspectives, yet its potential as a trauma narrative is still underexplored.

Drawing on comparative evidence from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, such as Katherine Anne Porter’s fictionalized account Pale Horse, Pale Rider, this thesis examines the emotive and commemorative functions of Thucydides’ plague episode through the lens of trauma theory. By combining elements of personal narrative, literature, and …

Vergil's Aeneid: The Cornerstone Of Roman Identity, Makyra Williamson

Tenor of Our Times

This paper traces Vergil's account in the Aeneid and the way he uses his narrative to mold the public perception of Rome's identity.

An Analysis Of The Historiographical Treatment Of Athenian Democracy, John Thomas Ryan

Honors Theses

The government of Athens has had an uncommon influence through time. This influence is revealed by historians and writers who have examined time and time again this single city. Athens has been critiqued and praised by these writers ever since the city-state gained a position of prominence in the Greek world. The writers were all writing from different viewpoints and backgrounds and these clearly affected the tone and purpose of their writings. The Athenian government developed as a democracy slowly over centuries. This included periods of domination by tyrants such as Cylon, Peisistratos, and Hippias. These periods were often followed …