OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "Classical Studies"

Browsing by Subject "Classical Studies"

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Open Access
Captatio in law, life and literature : a study of the topos of inheritance-hunting in the context of Roman testamentary legislation and social practice
(1991) Sharland, Suzanne; Coleman, K M
"Captatio and the captator are stock elements of literature and undoubtedly existed in life, but as actual practice and figure in Roman society they are nearly impossible to identify" (Champlin 1989: 212). Captatio (inheritancehunting), as it appears in Latin literature, can be defined as the systematic courtship of elderly, preferably sickly or dying, childless wealthy people by social adventurers known as captatores, with the aim of gaining inheritances from these people by will. The methods by which this is shown to be achieved include gift-giving, salutatio, sexual favours, flattery etc. Roman literature suggests that this practice often took place within the exchange network of amicitia. This thesis examines captatio, as presented in the Latin literature of the early Empire, in the context of definable legal and social structures. It is not so much the purpose of this study to decide whether captatio existed or was a purely literary conceit, as to examine this literary topos in its broader context.
Open Access
Dea Roma and the Roman virtues : a comparative study in the policy and practice of Deified abstractions
(2013) Sharp, James Edward; Wardle, David
The purpose of this thesis is to provide an in-depth study of the goddess Roma and the development and spread of her cult across the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire from the second century BC to the reign of Augustus. In the east the institution of her cult was the result of expanding Roman influence in the region, and served as a means for people to conceptualise the presence of Roman power. In contrast to this, her worship in the west, as part of the imperial cult, was mandated by the emperor Augustus. In order to better understand the place of Roma in the context of the western empire, I argue that it is best to view her as a deified abstraction. The deified abstractions were a group of divinities in Rome that embodied a specific ideal or concept (the goddess Concordia embodying concord, Pax embodying peace etc.). In order to view the goddess in this manner, I examine what it meant for Roma to embody "Rome", and what this would have meant to the people who worshipped her. This examination also takes into account the views of scholars such as Mellor, who view Roma as little more than a political tool and a by-product of Greek sycophancy, as well as those scholars who view the deified abstractions in Rome as a carry-over of archaic Roman religion that held little importance to the people of Rome. Such opinions, I argue, are both erroneous and untenable.
Open Access
Fortune and family in the presentation of Octavian in Nicolaus of Damascus' Bios Kaisaros
(2006) Weightman, Clare; Wardle, David
This latter question necessitates a survey of the development of Greek biography through the Hellenistic era. Biography as a literary genre was characterised by a broad range of traits and styles, and was concerned with the character of the protagonist, details of his pirvate life, and his deeds, works or achievements. The belief that an investigation of a man's actions could shed light on his character was a feature of Hellenistic popular thought that had its origins with the Peripatetics. Nicolaus was a self-proclaimed follower of Aristotle's school, and certain motifs or features of Aristotelean thought permeate the Bios Kaisaros, particularly with regards to his characterisation of Octavian and Caesar. Nicolaus uses the theme of Fortune, a familliar topos of Hellenistic literature, at key moments during the text of the Caesar Extract, to highlight his presentation of Octavian and Caesar. The characterisation of Octavian and his relationship with his mother and Caesar forms the final focus of this dissertation, illustrating pertinent aspects of Nicolaus' technique in his presentation of Octavian as uniquely fitted to succeed to Caesar's political hegemony at Rome.
Open Access
A historical commentary on Cornelius Nepos life of Themistocles
(2008) Musnick, Larry Jason; Wardle, D
In writing a biography on Themistocles, Nepos consulted Greek sources, mainly consulted Thucydides. Nepos often paraphrases and quotes Thucydides, while also expressing his opinion on the death of Themistocles. When he departs from Thucydides' account, he uses Ephorus. The other extant, ancient sources on Themistocles are predominantly Greek, namely Plutarch, Herodotus, and Diodorus. Justin's Latin epitome of Trogus also covers this period.
Open Access
Luxury as a theme in Latin love elegy
(1991) Chandler, Clive; Whitaker, Richard A
The territorial expansion of Rome in the second and first centuries B.C. was accompanied by an influx of foreign luxuries and fashions into Italy. Roman,society and literature responded to this influx ambiguously, but the overall tone was one of disapproval. The association of luxury with women, attested dramatically at the rescinding of the lex Oppia, was firmly established in erotic literature by the latter part of the first century B.C. Latin Love Elegy provides an opportunity for studying the response of a particular genre to the phenomenon of luxury in an erotic context. After a general introduction to the role of luxury in the economic life of Republican Rome, the literary response to luxury is investigated with special emphasis on erotic literature. Following this, the elegies of Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid are analysed sequentially and in detail with respect to how these poems treat luxury. It is found that luxury in Latin Love Elegy retains the ambiguity associated with it outside erotic literature, and functions as a rhetorical tool in the process of seduction. ,The attitude of the elegiac persona to luxury sheds light on the fictional lover, and demonstrates how the elegists accommodate in their poetry traditional and contemporary views of a real phenomenon.
Open Access
Madness in Lucretius' De rerum natura
(2012) Shelton, Matthew James; Chandler, Clive
In the following thesis I examine the experience and etiology of madness in Epicurean philosophy and focus on Lucretius’ accounts of epistemology, disease and emotion in De rerum natura. I situate my general argument within Lucretius’ accounts of the physical and cognitive aspects of emotional disorder.
Open Access
Martial's Apophoreta : an introduction and commentary
(1993) Leary, Timothy John; Coleman, K M
No commentary on Martial Book 14 has appeared since that of Ludwig Friedlander (1886). Since Friedlӓnder dealt with Martial' s entire corpus, his introductory remarks to Book 14 were necessarily subordinated to his wider concerns. While his commentary is very superficial. This work hopes, therefore, to fill a significant gap. The thesis comprises three main parts. The introduction discusses the Roman Saturnalia, concentrating on its origins, the way it was celebrated, and the licence, lotteries and gifts which characterised these celebrations. Further discussion deals with the book's title and the order of the epigrams it contains. Another section defends Friedlӓnder' s dating of Book 14 against a recent challenge
Open Access
On Judging Alexander: A Matter of Honour
(2007) Atkinson, John
Cartledge's insistence that Alexander was guided by the heroic 'moral code of honour' is considered in terms of paradigms established in Stewart's Honor, and in contrast with Holt's view of the 'Homeric code'. This paper deals first with Alexander's pursuit of honour in the successive phases of his career, and then with his attempt to accommodate competing codes of honour as he won control of the Achaemenid Empire.
Open Access
Panegyrici Latinei, 6 and 7 : Translated with introductions and commentary
(1979) Sang, John Campbell; Atkinson, John E
The j)rin;ary aim of this thesis is to make available in English for the first time a translation of, and full commentary on, the panegyrics in question. A general introduction contains sections on the collection of panegyrics known as the XII Panegyrici Latini, the term panegyricus, the uses to which panegyrics might be put, and the scope of the present study. Attention is then turned to the two panegyrics themselves and, in each case; an introduction, dealing with the occasion and the date, the question of authorship, and the place of delivery, is followed by a translation and commentary, which concentrates on historical problems. In the introduction to Pan. VII, proposed delivery dates of 31 March 307 (Seston et al.) and 25 December 307 (Lafaurie and Bruun) are discussed and rejected, along with the proposal of a third dies nataZis for Constantine; Sutherland's date of late April is upheld, but it is emphasized (pace Sutherland) that the speech jointly celebrates Constantine's marriage to Fausta and his promotion as Augustus. In the introduction to Pan. VI, a precise date of delivery of August 310 is suggested, and it is considered unlikely that the orator was a jurist or had held a full-time post in the imperial administration; the eviuence of the speech itself indicates that he combined occasional ewployment by the palace as orator, with a career as master of rhetoric. An appendix contains an index of the imperial virtues and attributes found in Pans. VI and VII.
Open Access
Poetry & patronage in the early imperial era : through the eyes of martial
(2005) Austin, Richard; Wardle, David
This dissertation has three main aims: firstly, to establish and confirm Martial's status as a client; secondly, to confinn his reliability as an eyewitness in regard to the functioning of patronage in Roman society; and thirdly, to consider the intention behind the epigrams directed toward the emperor. This study hopes to show that, whilst allowing for the devices which are inherent to poetry, Martial's epigrams do have some merit as brief sketches of the complex social machinery of patronage. Additionally, it will be made evident that the many epigrams dealing with his working relationships with various patrons and benefactors offer ample evidence for the practical origins of his discontent with his own clientage. The essay is divided simply into three related components. Remaining largely in the theoretical realm, the first chapter explores the nebulous workings of patronage, as well as amicitia, a closely related concept. The discussion considers the ideals behind these complex concepts, and their practical functioning in Roman society. A clear understanding of both of these social phenomena is essential so as to lay the necessary groundwork for the more specific examinations of function. By contrast, the second chapter shifts the discussion into the application of such relationships in reality. Thus, the chapter begins by considering whether or not notions of patronage were even applicable to poets. In this section I uphold the argument that poets could in fact become clients, drawing evidence (with caution) from the Epigrams. The question is thus answered by looking at what Martial himself says about clientage and the necessary obligations involved. A contrast may be drawn between Martial's hopes and dreams for his own life, as opposed to the realistic prospects of a client in Rome. Additionally, while Martial has much to say about his own living conditions, any conclusions drawn from his comments must be tempered by considerations of intent. Having acquired an understanding of client life through Martial's eyes, the third chapter begins with an overview of the specific conditions of literary patronage during Domitian' s reign. With the necessary framework in place, I consider the possible function of his epigrams in the context of his pursuit of imperial patronage. Some controversial Vl interpretations of such poems see in them veiled and ambiguous references in regards to Domitian's legislation and his personal behaviour. Consequently, the epigrams concerned are analysed for their possible ironic content, and the implications thereof considered. Finally, some general conclusions are drawn regarding Martial's depiction of the "reality" of patronage, both under the emperor and in Roman society at large. For, it is evident that while his idyllic dream of a poet's life differs significantly from the reality of his life in Rome, his poetry offers an insight into the differing modes of communication between patron and client, and as such constitutes a valuable and under-rated resource for patronage studies.
Open Access
The prose prefaces of Martial and Statius : a study in literary purpose
(1991) Parker, Grant; Coleman, K M
In this thesis I offer a detailed examination of the ten prose prefaces which head the Epigrams of Martial (AD c45-c96) and the Siluae of Statius (c45-c96). The most remarkable feature of these ten short pieces of prose lies in the field of literary history: these are the first extant instances of collections of verse which are headed with pieces of prose, and it is chiefly from this angle that the prefaces are studied. The body of the thesis (Section B) is devoted to a close thematic examination of the prefaces. Their content is discussed under three main headings, namely justification, information and request (chapters 5, 6 and 7 respectively). Within this framework the prefaces are examined in the terms suggested by the four chapters of Section A - the literary history of prefacing (both prose prefaces per se and proems to collections of verse), the production and dissemination of ancient literature, the patronage of letters, and the biographies of the two poets (chapters 1 to 4 respectively). All these topics are treated broadly in Section A and then with specific reference to the prefaces in Section B.
Open Access
The semantic development of some Roman ethical concepts in the second century B.C. : based on contemporary literary epigraphical and numismatical evidence
(1968) Van Gysen, Nico; Atkinson, John E
In almost any general study of Roman history, references can be found to the character of the Roman people. Roman character forms the explanation of their conquests, the justification of their empire. Roman character and its resultant code of behaviour influenced early Christian writers; Roman ethical concepts form the firm foundation of Western civilization. Augustine used the Roman spirit of sacrifice for the common good as an example for the inhabitants of the City of God. Dante claims that the Roman people were ordained by nature for empire by foregoing their own advantage to secure the public safety of mankind. Many modern authors echo these sentiments: R.H. Barrow says: 'His virtues are honesty and thrift, forethought and patience, work and endurance and courage, self-reliance, simplicity and humility in the face of what is greater than himself.' He even gives a 'catalogue of virtues' which Romans regarded as characteristically Roman throughout their history. Religio, pietas, officium, gravitas, discipline, industria, virtus, clementia, mores maiorum are the character traits of the Roman people. F.R. Cowell gives a much shorter list (pietas, virtus, gravitas) but he at least warns his readers that these are the virtues which Cicero regarded as typically Roman. Cowell regards them as symptoms of Cicero's enthusiasm for the good old days, and he adds: 'we have learnt in our own day that there are few more misleading imaginative exercises than that of generalizing about the supposed character of so large and complete an organism as a nation.' The purpose of this study is to investigate some of these concepts, their development and importance in early Roman sources. The approach will be ideogrammatic, but to make more general conclusions possible the group of concepts has to be fairly large and this of course means sacrificing depth for the sake of breadth.
Open Access
The shepherd of Hermas : some aspects of its composition and transmission
(1990) Kirkland, Alastair; Atkinson, John E; Ettlinger, G H
The authorship and time of origin of the Shepherd have not been subjected to the same rigorous enquiry as the First Epistle of Clement and the Epistles of Ignatius. The reason for this is probably that the Shepherd has had little to contribute to contemporary polemics in the way that the other two Apostolic Fathers did. The method followed in this study is the reconstruction, where possible, of the contents of each codex of which we have fragments or quotations, and the comparison of the contents of these codices. Where the content of the original codex appears to have been only a part of the Shepherd, calculations based on the traditional three sections - Visions, Mandates and Similitudes - have been used. Where these have not sufficed, manuscript notations have been called into play. The results indicate that there are a number of lines of cleavage within the Shepherd where ancient codices began or ended their selection of material. These lines of cleavage, it is hypothesised, must have originated in the process of composition of the Shepherd. Yet at the same time there was in the ancient codices a perception of the various parts of the Shepherd as a unity. The oldest codex known to us contains the Shepherd in its entirety. Once the lines of cleavage have been established by means of the reconstructed codices and the manuscript notations, a study of internal inconsistences of the sort traditional in "Quellenkritik" or "Literary Criticism" is undertaken, and a chronological schema of the different strands which make up the Shepherd is offered. It is suggested that the core (Viss. I to IV, Mandd. I to XIIa, Simm. I singular parts only, II to VIII) came from one hand, probably towards the end of the first century. This core underwent four subsequent editorial reworkings which produced the text known to us today by the end of the second century.
Open Access
The Byzantine system from within: a comparison of Procopius' Secret History and Lydus' On the Magistracies, and their presentation of the regime of Justinian
(2002) Carew, Gregory
[pg 124,129 is missing] The reason for choosing Procopius and John the Lydian (or Lydus, as he will be referred to for convenience hereafter) for this study of the reign of Justinian is that they both provide contemporary accounts from within the imperial system and portray different persepectives on the reactions to radical change. In this regard, it will be argued that Procopius reflected a reactionary aristocratic point of view and Lydus a bureaucratic one, yet their origins were similar. In his useful content analysis on the work of Lydus, Carney describes him as a representative of the sub-elite. Although the work of other sources contemporary to the reign of Justinian, or dealing with it directly in the later Byzantine period, will be referred to, the comparison in this discussion has been made between Lydus and Procopius for a number of reasons. Firstly, Procopius is by far the most detailed and comprehensive source for the reign of Justinian extant. Moreover, although he doesn't emphasize the role of Christianity in this period in the same manner that those writing ecclesiastical histories and world chronicles do, he has left us with three very different works from different perspectives on Justinian's reign, yet bearing a commonality. Lydus in turn, although not producing a classic of literature as such, has left us with three works detailing aspects of the Roman use of the calendar, portents and the functioning and history of the civil service. The two works that I shall be considering in the most detail will be Procopius' Secret History (or Anecdota, hereafter S.H.) and Lydus' On the Magistracies (referred to for convenience by its Latin title De Magistratibus, abbreviated to De Mag.). At first glance, the former appears unique in classical literature, yet it will be argued that it was not entirely without precedent and needs to be seen in its literary and historical context. Furthermore, the emphasis that it places on administrative history makes it a suitable comparison to Lydus. The latter, however was less controversial, but reveals unique details about one writer's attempt to understand what Justinian's changes meant and what their effect on the Praetorian Prefecture was (which by the reign of Justinian had become the most powerful magistracy in the empire).
Open Access
The Roman Senate at War: A Study of Senatorial Government and Administration during the Second Punic War, 218-201 BC BCE
(2023) Ballard, Ross; Roth, Roman
It is readily accepted that throughout of the third and second centuries, the midRepublican Roman Senate became an increasingly significant body within the political framework of the Republican state. However, little attention has been paid to the effect the devastating and crisis-inducing Second Punic War (218-201 BCE) had upon this political, social, and institutional shift. Thus, this thesis will address the extent to which the military and political responsibilities required of the Senate during the war propelled it to a position of enhanced and accepted prominence. More specifically, it will be argued that the Senate's response to the strains of the Hannibalic war precipitated a distinct centralization of key military affairs of state under the authority of the collective Senate. The primary historical sources that will be used in this thesis are the literary texts for the period in question, most prominently the histories of Polybius and Livy, with supplementary accounts by Appian, Cassius Dio (and Zonaras), Plutarch, and Valerius Maximus. These literary accounts (together with any relevant epigraphic evidence) will be carefully cited, discussed, and analysed to form a positivist, empirical, and evidence-based inquiry into the period in question. Aside from demonstrating that the Hannibalic war did decidedly increase the military and political role of the Senate within the political culture of the Republic, the most promising conclusion drawn from this thesis is that the conflict, and in particular the significant losses in battle amongst the Republican elite, resulted in the firm establishment of the consulares social type, and the political domination of the Senate by senior consulares which would continue well into the second century BCE.
Open Access
To what extent does Horace present a coherent præceptor persona in the Ars poetica?
(2011) Williams, Hamish
In the ensuing dissertation I explore the extent to which a coherent praeceptor persona may be found in Horace's Ars Poetica. In the first chapter, 'Interpreting the Ars Poetica', I commence by reviewing and commenting upon previous critical attempts to explain Horace's poem. This I have divided into three main sections: 'Interpretations of Incoherence', 'Interpretations of Coherence', and 'Authorial Personae'. In the first of these I explore how some critics have denied the possibility of arriving at a coherent interpretation of the poem, which they regard as an unfinished hotchpotch effort. Most notably in this section I illustrate how the Ars Poetica fails to conform to the expected form of any one particular literary genre. In the second section, 'Interpretations of Coherence', I examine attempts, particularly Brink's in his Prolegomena, to structure the poem into certain fixed aesthetic units, and I then explore some of the difficulties of utilizing such rigorous and tendentious rubrics in a flexible and free-flowing poem. Lastly, in the third section, 'Authorial Personae', I review more modern attempts to explain Horace's poem through the identification of an authorial persona within the text. I proceed to justify my preference for this interpretative method by explaining it both with reference to modern literary theory and ancient poetic and dramatic practice. Lastly, in this chapter I briefly introduce the character of the authorial persona whom I shall endeavour to locate in the Ars Poetica â€“ the teacher or praeceptor persona. In the second chapter, 'The Praeceptor Persona in Play', I commence by trying to build a characteristically Horatian concept of the teacher figure in the Ars Poetica, in my section, 'The Horatian Concept of the Praeceptor'. To this end I turn to the Satires of Horace, particularly, 1.1, 1.4, and 1.10, where I show that the Horatian model of a praeceptor can be explained through three conceptual criteria â€“ 'instruction ', 'demonstration', and 'play'. Applying in turn each of these three conceptual criteria to the text of the Ars Poetica I illustrate how the very language of the authorial persona of the poem fulfils these criteria. In the third chapter, 'The Teacher of Satire 1.4 ', having established the presence of a Praeceptor persona in the Ars Poetica, I turn my attention to the Satires of Horace where the most extensive critical work has been undertaken with respect to the character of the authorial persona; particularly, since it has informed my concept of the Horatian praeceptor, I examine the teacher figure of Satire 1.4. In the first section, 'Interpretations of the Teacher Persona', I examine and criticise four scholarly attempts to explain the character of the teacher figure in the sermo. I identify the mixture of instruction and humour in the language as the key critical concern of these critics. In the final section, 'The Playful Satirist' I then apply my conceptual criterion of 'play' to the discourse of the teacher of 1.4, suggesting that his humour is not incompatible with instruction, but is actually a vital constituent of his role as a praeceptor. Finally, I give a brief 'Epilogue', summarising my analysis and, more importantly, emphasising the importance of identifying a characteristically Horatian model of a praeceptor. A detailed bibliography is then given of the source material consulted and references used through the dissertation.
Open Access
Valerius Maximus on Vice: a commentary on Facta et Dicta Memorabilia 9.1-11
(2016) Murray, Jeffrey; Wardle, David
The Facta et Dicta Memorabilia of Valerius Maximus, written during the formative stages of the Roman imperial system, survives as a near unique instance of an entire work composed in the genre of Latin exemplary literature. By providing the first detailed historical and historiographical commentary on Book 9 of this prose text - a section of the work dealing principally with vice and immorality - this thesis examines how an author employs material predominantly from the earlier, Republican, period in order to validate the value system which the Romans believed was the basis of their world domination and to justify the reign of the Julio-Claudian family. By detailed analysis of the sources of Valerius' material, of the way he transforms it within his chosen genre, and of how he frames his exempla, this thesis illuminates the contribution of an often overlooked author to the historiography of the Roman Empire.

Browsing by Subject "Classical Studies"

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