Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
This thesis studies the Opening of the Mouth ritual in the Middle Kingdom through iconography, textual material and archaeological finds. The current understanding of the ritual is largely based on...Show moreThis thesis studies the Opening of the Mouth ritual in the Middle Kingdom through iconography, textual material and archaeological finds. The current understanding of the ritual is largely based on New Kingdom material, with little regard for its roots in the Old and Middle Kingdom. The first chapter discusses the ritual based on the depiction of objects related to the Opening of the Mouth on object friezes present in Middle Kingdom coffins. In this chapter, an overview of research on the New Kingdom iconographical material is also given, most notably the tomb of Rekhmire in Thebes. The second chapter discusses textual attestations of implements used for the ritual. The main source for the Middle Kingdom are the so-called ‘Coffin Texts’. The chapter also discusses important sources from the New Kingdom. The third chapter focusses on archaeological material throughout Pharaonic history, in order to look at the actual implementation of the ritual. The conclusion provides new insight into the performance and presence of the Opening of the Mouth ritual in the Middle Kingdom.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
An investigation of the portrayal of the character of Aeneas in the Dictys Cretensis Ephemeris belli Troiani and the Daretis Phrygii de excidio Troiae historia.
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
This thesis examines the relationship between humans and dogs in ancient Egypt. The study focuses on three key aspects: the symbolism of dogs in art and hieroglyphs, their practical roles in daily...Show moreThis thesis examines the relationship between humans and dogs in ancient Egypt. The study focuses on three key aspects: the symbolism of dogs in art and hieroglyphs, their practical roles in daily life, and the broader societal and cultural context of this relationship. Through a comprehensive analysis of archaeological and textual sources, the research reveals how dogs were depicted and valued in ancient Egyptian society. The findings shed new light on how the human-dog relationship provides insights into the broader social and cultural structures of ancient Egypt. The conclusion reflects on this relationship and its significance within the Egyptian civilization, while the included images offer visual support for the discussed themes.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
This thesis examines the language, style and in particular the vocabulary of the Greek author Xenophon through an analysis of his vocabulary in two passages from his book Cyropaedia, aiming to gain...Show moreThis thesis examines the language, style and in particular the vocabulary of the Greek author Xenophon through an analysis of his vocabulary in two passages from his book Cyropaedia, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of Xenophon’s unique language, style and vocabulary. To this day Xenophon is renowned for his distinctive language, vocabulary and style. Previous scholarly research has provided various explanations for the peculiarities of his language, while much has been uncovered about his linguistic traits, there are still new insights to be discovered in Xenophon’s vocabulary today. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of Xenophon's vocabulary by analysing the attestation-patterns and usage of words in his works and exploring how style and context influence this. In this thesis I want to find the answer to the question: What are the characteristics and attestation-patterns of Xenophon’s language, style and in particular vocabulary and how does he vary his choice of language, style and words in different text-types?Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
This thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a scientific discipline. It examines the classically inspired discipline of renaissance Egyptology and the influence it had on Kirhcer's views on ancient Egypt. After an excursus on the Pamphilian obelisk, the thesis examines medieval Arabic writing on ancient Egypt. Finally, the use of the Arabic sources in Obeliscus Pamphilius is explored through a number of case-studies.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
Ovid's curse poem 'Ibis' is a very elusive and obscure poem, which might explain why it has long remained in the shadow of Ovid's other exile poetry. One of the great questions of scholarship on...Show moreOvid's curse poem 'Ibis' is a very elusive and obscure poem, which might explain why it has long remained in the shadow of Ovid's other exile poetry. One of the great questions of scholarship on the Ibis is who the eponymous enemy is whom Ovid curses in the poem: who is Ibis? This thesis proposes a metapoetic interpretation of the figure of Ibis, thereby interpreting Ovid's enemy as a representation of the poet's pre-exile poetry. This is done by looking at intertextuality between the Ibis and Ovid's earlier poetry, specifically the Tristia and the Metamorphoses.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
This thesis has aimed to explore how Plato and Aristotle develop the philosophical basis for the analysis of fictionality that Lucian interacts with in the Verae Historiae to construct his own...Show moreThis thesis has aimed to explore how Plato and Aristotle develop the philosophical basis for the analysis of fictionality that Lucian interacts with in the Verae Historiae to construct his own account of fictionality. Even though Lucian engages with Plato’s conceptions about mimesis and the falsity of literature and places the Verae Historiae on the truth-false spectrum, he actually follows Aristotle in his approach to mimesis and fictionality. When reading the ‘Trip to the moon’ as a joke about the existence of an alternate world, the Realm of Forms, Lucian attacks and ridicules the actual metaphysical cause of why literature is often false, within the framework of entertaining mimesis, and therefore makes light of the entire idea of falsity. From this reading, it seems that Lucian is agreeing with Aristotle and opposing Plato. Lucian, like Aristotle, does not suppose literature that is fictional is harmful, but causes pleasure. In Aristotle it is an inherent quality of successful mimesis and in Lucian it is even a goal in itself.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
The role that Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has played in the forming and interpretation of legal concepts has been neglected in modern (legal) research, especially of equity (aequitas). This...Show moreThe role that Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has played in the forming and interpretation of legal concepts has been neglected in modern (legal) research, especially of equity (aequitas). This research tries to fill that gap by giving a comprehensive answer to the question what Augustine’s conception of equity was. Preliminary research has shown that there are more than forty passages in which Augustine says something about equity and which have yet to be examined. Apart from discussing his understanding of equity, this research also wants to outline the framework in which he operated, because to understand the works of Augustine, they should be seen in the context of centuries of (legal) tradition, especially of Roman law and legal thinking (Plato, Stoics, Cicero, Rhetorica ad Herennium, Ulpian). To get a more complete understanding of the place Augustine takes in the development of legal philosophy concerning equity, this research will also look at (textual) influences on later authors (Isidore of Seville, Alexander of Hales, Thomas Aquinas, Geert Grote). Through doing so, it gives an answer not only to the question how Augustine conceived equity, but also why he did so and what his significance would have been for later authors.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
The third encomium to Love in Plato’s 'Symposium' is given by the physician Eryximachus. He discusses not only medicine, but also other disciplines such as music, astronomy, and divination. In...Show moreThe third encomium to Love in Plato’s 'Symposium' is given by the physician Eryximachus. He discusses not only medicine, but also other disciplines such as music, astronomy, and divination. In doing so, Eryximachus seems to draw on various Presocratic philosophers. The physician cites Heraclitus directly. Moreover, the double Love seems to resemble Empedocles’ Love and Strife. Given that Eryximachus is a physician, there might also be influences of Alcmaeon. This thesis combines selected fragments attributed to these three Presocratic philosophers with the theory of knowledge transfer proposed in Kjell Arne Røvik’s monograph 'A Translation Theory of Knowledge Transfer: Learning Across Organizational Borders' (2023). In doing so, this thesis attempts to provide an innovative interpretation of the significance of these three Presocratics in Eryximachus’ speech.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
This thesis is an analysis of the aromatics industries in the Ancient Near East in the 3rd millennium BCE with a particular focus on the records from the archive of the e2-mi2 ("House of the Woman"...Show moreThis thesis is an analysis of the aromatics industries in the Ancient Near East in the 3rd millennium BCE with a particular focus on the records from the archive of the e2-mi2 ("House of the Woman") in Girsu (modern Tello). The topic of aromatics production, the people involved in it, and the materials used has been studied extensively through the records of later periods (Ur III onwards), but earlier sources have largely been unused, citing their relative scarcity as a reason. In this sense, this thesis collects the earlier sources and makes them available for discussion. The main research questions are: who were the people involved in the aromatics production in Girsu? What were their tasks other than making scented substances? To what extent are the sources of Girsu representative in a broader context? The methods used are those of social history. A corpus of sources is presented and analyzed, with particular emphasis on the people's social status, activities, and the way in which the documentary practices of Ancient Mesopotamia shape our knowledge about this period. The result is a description of diverse practices, with locally specific characteristics, nonetheless all being a part of a wider, shared tradition of production and use of aromatics.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
In this thesis I analyze the reciprocal relationship between the farmer and the land, presented by Xenophon in his Socratic dialogue the Oeconomicus. I approach the text with an ecocritical...Show moreIn this thesis I analyze the reciprocal relationship between the farmer and the land, presented by Xenophon in his Socratic dialogue the Oeconomicus. I approach the text with an ecocritical perspective to shed new light on how Xenophon envisions and conceptualizes the natural world and the position of humankind within the natural world.Show less
