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The Library and Literary Endeavors of T. Pomponius Atticus

Classical Studies

The Library and Literary Endeavors of T. Pomponius Atticus

2017 by Brooke Bergantzel

Titus Pomponius Atticus was a wealthy Roman citizen of the late Republic period who is now best remembered as a close friend of the orator Cicero. However, he is notable in his own right for a substantial personal impact on the literate sphere of the ancient world. He was a writer himself, as well as … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2017 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

American Librarian: Thomas Jefferson and the Classics

2017 by Brooke Bergantzel

“I cannot live without books.” To Thomas Jefferson, reading was more than a hobby; it was his investment to the future, one of his loves in life. He enjoyed the classical epics and poems as well as reading the new mathematical and scientific happenings and the philosophies of ancient and modern thinkers. The Virginia native … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2017 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

The Library of Hadrian – A Beacon for Athenian Intellect

2017 by Brooke Bergantzel

The Library of Hadrian is located in Athens, Greece and lies beyond the Roman Agora. An immense structure, the Library was funded by Emperor Hadrian in 132 CE. The incredible size of the structure paired with the amount of materials that were imported for its decoration – Phrygian marble from Asia Minor, alabaster from Egypt, … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2017 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Ascanius: The Backbone of the Aeniad

2015 by Belou Quimby

The Odyssey and Aeneid are both epics about finding home and father-son relationships. Yet, unlike The Odyssey, which shows Telemachus as unsure and without the role model of his father Odysseus, the Aeneid shows Ascanius (Iulus) accompanying his father Aeneas and as always being confident in his qualities and abilities. Aeneas’ son is an essential … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2015 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Hedges, Oral Session Two

The Analysis of Ceramics from Site 13ML168

2015 by Belou Quimby

Rowe Ware is considered to be much older than Sterns Creek Ware; however, the evidence at the site suggests otherwise. At the research excavation site, both Rowe and Sterns Creek ceramic wares were found. These ware types were found in the same excavation levels, which suggests a shared time period of use. This research project … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2015 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Morning Poster Session, OC

The Never Ending Battle: Odysseus and PTSD

2015 by Belou Quimby

War is not just physical combat, but also an emotional struggle. After ten years of a physically and emotionally taxing war in Troy, Odysseus had another ten-year journey of extreme physical and emotional peril before he was able to complete his nostos—his journey home. Odysseus’ behavior throughout The Odyssey bears striking similarity with those who … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2015 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Durham, Oral Session Three

From Script to Print: Making Comics at IDW Publishing

2014 by Brooke Bergantzel

Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry. Learn what it takes to get a comic book from idea to print on some of the biggest entertainment titles and Eisner Award winning favorites in the world. Jessika Castillo-Rivera, ’14 Munster, … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2014 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Sulpicia’s Triumph Over Lovesickness: A Woman’s Voice in Roman Elegy

2014 by Brooke Bergantzel

Traditional Roman elegists, such as Propertius, typically used a male speaker that was a slave to love, passive and powerless at the hands of an indifferent lover. Sulpicia’s strong and assertive elegiac style stands out next to these impotent and passive male fellow elegists, which gave her a distinctly feminist voice in Augustan Rome. This … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2014 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Controlling Epidemics in the Ancient World: Malaria

2014 by Brooke Bergantzel

Since antiquity malaria has been detrimental to the health of communities and therefore has had a major impact on society.  It continues to have this impact today; the World Health Organization chose to focus on the disease as one of its eight Millennium Development Goals. Although in antiquity the disease was not understood as it … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2014 Symposium Tagged: Biology, Classical Studies

Wagner and the Epic: A Study of the Homeric Leitmotiv in Parsifal

2013 by Belou Quimby

Wagner’s work Parsifal is closely linked to antiquity and the epic tradition in its ambition and vision.  While it is well-known that his Der Ring des Nibelungen was inspired in numerous ways by Aeschylus’ Oresteia, I contend that Wagner’s Parsifal has important connections with Homer, especially The Odyssey. Jessika Castillo-Rivera, ’14 Munster, IN Majors: Classical … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2013 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Music

Triumphal Arches: Two Strategies to Legitimize Imperial Rule in Rome

2013 by Belou Quimby

Throughout the Roman Empire, victorious Roman armies marched along the Triumphal Way in celebration, passing important monuments, like the triumphal arches specifically dedicated to victory. The arches were, however, much more than symbols of victory.

Posted in: 2013 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Plautus’ Poenulus: An Analysis of Ancient and Modern Sex-Trafficking

2012 by Belou Quimby

Poenulus, a comedy by the Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus (254-184 BC) tells the story of two sisters who were abducted as children from Carthage and then sold into prostitution. A young man falls in love with one of the sisters and, through a series of comedic mishaps, he helps overthrow their pimp and returns … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2012 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Erin Daly

Tacitus on Morality and the “Ideal” Woman in Post-Augustan Rome

2011 by Belou Quimby

Roman historian Tacitus (56-101 AD) composed the Germania (98 AD), an ethnographical and historical description of the German peoples. The surviving, comprehensive study of the society was one of the earliest and most complete works of its kind. While it may seem an unlikely source to contain insights into the complexities of the Roman aristocracy, … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2011 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Lucan’s Erictho: Allusions and Illusions of Power

2011 by Belou Quimby

In book 6 of Lucan’s Civil War, Sextus Pompey attempts to foresee the result of the final battle between Caesar and Pompey the Great by consulting the necromancer Erictho. With the notable exceptions of Clauser and Masters, the scholarly opinion on Erictho is that she is the most powerful witch in the ancient world, capable … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2011 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

The Roman Social Hierarchy: Sexuality in Catullus’s Poetry

2011 by Belou Quimby

A unique social hierarchy, based on a pyramid structure, characterized ancient Roman society.  While elite men stood at the top, youth and upstanding women were in the middle, and slaves were at the bottom.  In “Invading the Roman Body: Manliness and Impenetrability in Roman Thought,” Jonathan Walters argues that sexual roles were instrumental in producing … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2011 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

“One of all women who took her hand to her beloved children:”The Ino Myth in Euripides’ Medea

2010 by Belou Quimby

In the final antistrophe of the last stasimon in Euripides’ Medea (1282-92) the chorus offers its best historical comparison to Medea: the doomed mother Ino.  Some scholars argue that this comparison is ineffective – that Ino serves as a poor exemplum for Medea.

Posted in: 2010 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Oh Spartacus, Where Art Thou?

2010 by Belou Quimby

For being the most famous gladiator to ever live, there is a surprising dearth of information about the man called Spartacus.  Yes, his slave rebellion against the Roman Republic in 73 B.C.E. and the managerial skills with which he conducts it are both documented and recounted multiple times by both Greek and Latin authors, but … [Read more…]

Posted in: 2010 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

“But When for the Fourth Time”: Homer’s Transformation of an Oral Formula

2009 by Belou Quimby

One of the most important but least studied formulaic patterns in the Iliad uses various combinations with tris (Greek for ‘three times’) and tetarton (fourth).

Posted in: 2009 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Sympathy for the Trojans: Human Connections in Homer’s Iliad

2009 by Belou Quimby

Homer’s epic Iliad is viewed most often as a tale of the triumph of Greek forces against the foreign Trojan enemy.

Posted in: 2009 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies

Achilles, A Strong Pity

2009 by Belou Quimby

A close examination of the use of the Ancient Greek word eleos (pity) in Homer’s epic the Iliad reveals a concept of pity that is radically different from the traditional western Christian notion.

Posted in: 2009 Symposium Tagged: Classical Studies, Philosophy

Chrysalis: A Novella Based on the Eros and Psykhe Myth

2007 by Belou Quimby

Drawing from material in Metamorphoses by Apuleius, this creative writing project centers on the romance between Eros, the god of love, and Psykhe, a mortal princess.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies

Seduction, Adultery, and Catholicism: The Secret Lives of English Professors in David Lodge’s Novels

2006 by Belou Quimby

David Lodge is known most notably for his academia themed novels depicting the lives of English professors and his literary criticism. This foreign, hidden world to the general public is portrayed in Lodge’ s novels as a world of sex, intrigue, and English criticism.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies, English & Creative Writing

The Unwanted Guest: Violations of Hospitality in the Homer’s Odyssey

2006 by Belou Quimby

When Odysseus returned home after twenty long years on the road, he found his home full of suitors who did not want to return home.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies, English & Creative Writing

How Jewish is Herod the Great? Evidence for Ritual Bathing (Mikva’ot) in Ancient Judea

2003 by Belou Quimby

Herod the Great who ruled Judea from 40 until 4 B.C.E., built extensively and for many purposes, such as residences, assembly halls, fortresses, temples, and monuments. He often employed the latest technologies of his time period, and brought many styles and new forms of architecture and art to Judea from Roman and Hellenistic worlds.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies, Religion

Defining Mystery Cults: An Examination of Greco-Roman Mystery Cults and the Kachina Cult

2002 by Belou Quimby

Mystery cults are one of the most fascinating and yet generally misunderstood aspects of pagan religion.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies, Religion

Re-building Rome: The Architectural Synthesis of Augustus Caesar

1999 by Belou Quimby

The reign of Augustus (13BC-14AD) was a period of transition in Roman history.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Classical Studies

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