Honors Projects

Dismemberment and Devotion: Anatomical Votive Dedication in Italian Popular Religion

Lindsay R. Morehouse — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:20:09 PDT

Anatomical votives are religious offerings that are made to look like body parts and are dedicated in exchange for healing. In many cases, they are dedicated to intermediary figures as a way to bridge the worlds of human and divine. There is evidence that Anatomical votives have been offered in Italy from the middle of the first millennia BCE to the present. This paper examines Etruscan, Greco-Roman, and Christian cults in order to explore continuity and change in this practice over time within Italy.

Nationalism, Archaeology, and the Antiquities Trade in Turkey and Iraq

Miranda Pettengill — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:20:30 PDT

The illicit antiquities trade is a vast and complex network comprising a large number of participants across the globe. This paper focuses specifically on looters and illegal excavators, those who first retrieve ancient objects from the ground to be traded on the black market. My research examines the reasoning and motivation behind looting; specifically, I evaluate how nationalistic ideologies in Turkey and Iraq affect the choices and actions of illegal excavators living there. I also discuss the benefits of community archaeology, an approach that includes local people in the practice and presentation of excavation, as a strategy to minimize the destruction of cultural heritage.

The Best of Stories: Yusuf as Joseph in Hebrew Translations of the Qur'an

Eve Woogen — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:02:49 PDT

The Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam, has been translated from Arabic into Hebrew four times. These works are influenced not only by the usual concerns of cross-cultural translation, particularly the translation of sacred texts, but also by the dynamic between Islam and Judaism. This dynamic is especially apparent in the case of narratives present in both the Qur'an and the Hebrew Bible, such as the story of Yusuf. By examining this story as it appears in these Hebrew translations of the Qur'an, I demonstrate how all four translators acknowledge and incorporate information from the parallel Biblical narrative of Joseph.

All Roads Lead Through Rome: Imperial Armatures on the Triumphal Route

Machal E. Gradoz — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:01:01 PDT

The cityscape of ancient Rome was filled with opulent buildings that created armatures— fluid, connective thoroughfares throughout the city. These armatures came together to form narrative pathways. The triumphal route, the memorialized, celebratory course of victorious generals, is one such narrative pathway. Among other strategies to legitimize his sole rule, Augustus constructed a self-promoting armature along the triumphal route, thereby linking him with the triumph. This paper examines how the construction of the Augustan armature along the triumphal route promoted Augustus and how the Flavians responded to it in advertising their own legitimacy in the wake of a civil war.

Advisor: Beth Severy-Hoven

Classics Department

Constructing Gender: Female Architectural Patronage in Roman Asia Minor and Syria in the First through Sixth Centuries CE

Grace K. Erny — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:53:01 PDT

The patronage of architectural projects was a major way that prominent citizens of the Roman Empire shaped urban landscapes. These acts of patronage constituted a series of performances through which categories such as “male,” “female,” “public,” and “private” were constructed. In this paper, I use architectural, epigraphical, and literary evidence to analyze examples of female architectural patronage in the cities of Roman Asia Minor and Syria in the first through sixth centuries CE. I explore how these architectural performances contributed to an ongoing discourse about gender and the allocation of space.

The Epistulae of Marcus Aurelius and Fronto: A Study and Commentary

Christopher W. Larabee — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:01:33 PDT

Long marginalized by Classical scholarship, the Letters (Epistulae) of Marcus Aurelius and Fronto serve as a powerful tool for use in the intermediate Latin classroom. This project proposes that through application of modern second language acquisition research, these letters can be brought to life to allow Latin teachers to take advantage of the ways their students learn language most naturally: through dialogue and conversation. By selecting letters based on principles established by second language acquisition research, the Epistulae can be presented in the format of an intermediate commentary and conversation, allowing students to learn Latin through their dialogical, accessible nature.

Mythological History, Identity Formation, and the Many Faces of Alexander the Great

James Mayer — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:30:56 PDT

Alexander the Great, ruler of Macedonia and conqueror of much of the eastern Mediterranean world in the fourth century BCE, figures prominently in folklore for centuries afterward. This paper analyzes several stories about Alexander to explore the intersections among history, myth and identity. By looking at accounts of Alexander written by Jews living in Alexandria in the Roman period, by early Byzantine Christians and by medieval Persian Muslims, I demonstrate that communities from all over the Mediterranean used myths about Alexander to redefine their identity in response to catastrophic changes.

Reforming "Hellenization" into a Two-Way Street: the dialectic of colonization between Greeks and Sikels in eastern Sicily

Dirk Petersen — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:00:10 PDT

Extensive colonization was a key feature of Greek-speaking societies of the ancient Mediterranean. Diffusion of colonizers likewise led to a diffusion of the colonized, ramifications of which pepper extant literature. Rather than acknowledging these groups’ multi-vocality, Classical scholarship traditionally discusses their relationship employing the one-sided term, “Hellenization.” Even those interested in the experiences of the colonized often employ concepts such as appropriation and assimilation in their discussions. Rejecting these approaches, this paper employs a case study of Greek colonization in eastern Sicily to seek, instead, a dialectic, a lens to account for the nuances of pluralism inherent in these interactions.

Body As Battleground: Feminine Prophecy and Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean

Daniel M. Picus — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:02:09 PDT

Women who spoke with the voice of divinity existed in the literature and mythologies of many cultures across the ancient Mediterranean. This paper examines six of these prophetesses from ancient Greek and Jewish traditions. It shows that prophecy is an experience deeply rooted in conceptions of the human body and “femininity.” By studying prophetesses in this light, I conclude that their bodies become battlegrounds for individual identities which may otherwise be subsumed by the god for whom they prophesy.

From Pagan to Christian: an archaeological study of the transformation of Corinth in Late Antiquity

Eli J. Weaverdyck — Tue, 01 May 2007 13:28:49 PDT

This thesis examines the process by which Christianity became the dominant religion of Corinth as evidenced in the archaeological record. I compare the evidence in Corinth to historical evidence for the Eastern Roman Empire, including imperial legislation and evidence for Christianization in five other eastern cities. I conclude that, in order for Christianity to supplant paganism as the dominant religion in ancient society, it had to accept many of the institutions and traditions of paganism. My investigation of the archaeological evidence in Corinth, specifically the monumental architecture, the sculpture, and the cemeteries, reveals the same phenomenon in Corinth.

Pour Forth the Sparkling Chalice: An Examination of Libation Practices in the Levant

Amy M. Fisher — Tue, 01 May 2007 05:49:11 PDT

Across the Levant “libation installations” have been identified at numerous ancient archaeological sites. This paper examines these claims in light of both the surrounding material remains and the surviving texts of the region that mention libations of wine and water. It shows that libation, the ritual pouring out of a liquid offering to a god, in ancient Syria-Palestine did not require a receptacle for successful completion of the act. Rather, the category “libation installation” exists not because of solid evidence but to fulfill the needs of modern scholars and any such claim must be carefully scrutinized before being accepted.

The Nuptial Ceremony of Ancient Greece and the Articulation of Male Control Through Ritual

Casey Mason — Tue, 16 May 2006 10:36:49 PDT

This work is the result of recent scholarship which has stimulated renewed dialogue concerning the status of women in ancient Greece. It is both a reconstruction of the nuptial ceremony and an investigation of the rituals within it. Ritual actions are used to express an idea or ideal about culture, and through the examination of these rituals we may evaluate both how and why men in ancient Greece exercised complete power over women. This new interpretation both confirms and contradicts our old beliefs, and is a constructive contribution to our modern discussion of ancient gender issues.

Peirates, Leistai, Boukoloi, and Hostes Gentium of the Classical World : The Portrayal of Pirates in Literature and the Reality of Contemporary Piratical Actions.

Aaron L. Beek — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:52:59 PDT

My honors thesis addresses three things. I address first the history of Classical piracy, specifically, piratical and pseudo-piratical actions lurking beneath the description of events; second, the usage of language, the connotations of words used for pirates and other linguistic portrayals of pirates and piracy; and finally, through literary analysis, how literary pirates compared to real pirates, what the authors thought about pirates, how pirates could be used to portray others, and what role pirates played in society. Through these three points, I intend to prove that the pirate’s role in the Classical Mediterranean was much greater than usually supposed.

The Mirror's Reflection: Virgil's Aeneid in English Translation

Evelyn W. Adkins — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:51:57 PDT

Virgil’s Roman epic the Aeneid is one of the canonical works of Western culture. A classic in its own time, it continues to be used as a mirror to reflect on contemporary culture. I examine the history of the Aeneid in English translation from 1513 to 2005, specifically the translations of Book VI by Gavin Douglas, Thomas Phaer, John Dryden, C. Day Lewis, Robert Fitzgerald, Allen Mandelbaum, and Stanley Lombardo. Throughout, I discuss how each translator saw and emphasized the reflection of his own political, religious, and cultural concerns in the mirror of Virgil’s Aeneid.

The Effects of Romano-Persian Interaction on the Cultures of the Cities on the Syrian Limes of the Roman Empire

Matthew Selmer — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:50:55 PDT

Despite the almost continuous state of war that existed between the Roman and Persian Empires from the first century BCE until the destruction of the Sassanid Persian Empire, cultural exchange between East and West occurred frequently in the cities on the borders of these two empires. Despite their more apparent influences of Rome and Persia, local culture often had far reaching effects, not only in their respective cities and territories, but throughout Antiquity. This paper seeks to explore and explain the nature of this phenomenon and to give a new face to the relationships between the cultures and peoples that were caught in this ancient clash of civilizations. To accomplish this, the material culture of two cities will be explored in depth, Dura in the north and the city-state of Palmyra to the south. Each city provides unique examples of the combined influences of Rome and Persia and how these influences interacted with local civilizations to create two unique cultures.

Rethinking Ovid: A Collection of Latin Poetry and Commentary on Composition

Anna C. Everett et al. — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:48:24 PDT

The ultimate result, and the central focus, of this paper is two poems written in Latin according to classical conventions of meter, language and style. The paper also describes the processes and difficulties of composing poetry in Latin and according to these standards. In re-setting two stories from Ovid, the author examines both the historical background and the literary interpretations of the stories. Strong emphasis is placed on feminine viewpoint, that is, how male poets of Greece and Rome imagined female characters and how the author, a female, differs in perspective from the male authors of a male-dominated world.