Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis focuses on the epigraphic material found in monumental tombs from both Palmyra and the Nabataean kingdom in the ancient Middle East, discussing the use of the various terms for funerary...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the epigraphic material found in monumental tombs from both Palmyra and the Nabataean kingdom in the ancient Middle East, discussing the use of the various terms for funerary architecture in their dialects of Aramaic and Greek. The subject is approached from a sociolinguistic perspective, discussing the socio-cultural implications of the distribution and the use of the vocabulary. The combined evidence shows that the funerary sphere, as the most local sphere visible through the epigraphic evidence, is strongly impacted by social change. Different terms are used for different funerary complexes, depending on their location above or below the surface, or on whether they housed individual or grouped burials. The socio-economic developments in Palmyra and Nabataea in the first centuries of our era led to groups from a new upper middle class gaining interest in expressing their cultural identity through funerary complexes, which were previously reserved for the upper elite. These social developments and their consequences are also partly reflected in the vocabulary used for funerary architecture. This thesis hopes to show what a thorough analytical approach on a specific set of vocabulary can bring to the study of identity in the Roman Near East. Diachronic developments in the Aramaic and Greek vocabulary, divisions across region, tomb type and time will be examined, as they show how the funerary landscape developed in the ancient Middle East from the 1st century BCE up to the 3rd century CE. A database of all attested terms for funerary architecture will be provided and analysed, allowing for a detailed view into the use of these different terms across time and place.Show less
Palmyra, the ancient major city and moderator in trade between the East and the Roman West. Over the last decades it has become clear that Palmyra flourished from a tiny settlement into a large...Show morePalmyra, the ancient major city and moderator in trade between the East and the Roman West. Over the last decades it has become clear that Palmyra flourished from a tiny settlement into a large trading centre due to its trade along the Silk Road during the first three centuries CE. This research dives into the relationship between the material culture and the international engagement of Palmyra culturally. By studying a few samples of materials in three different case studies, the objects showed evidence for cultural fusion. However, the results are far from complete, as there is an insufficient amount of materials available. Future research should include the excavation of the residential area in Palmyra. The downside of the story is that no further research can be conducted on site since the Syrian civil war. In addition, the political turmoil saw the rise of Islamic State, a group that has caused severe damage to the Palmyrene heritage, by blowing up the ancient remains of the city, destroying the museum and looting the area. To this day, Unesco and the World Heritage Committee try to protect the heritage, but with little result so far. Media and science tried to spread awareness for the situation, but concrete plans for the Palmyrene heritage are not visible. The research puts forward a suggestion in order to continue archaeological research, it is important to create better access to the already available Palmyrene material that is now scattered across many museums and private collections around the globe.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
some documents under embargo
The focal point of this thesis is the relationship between women and jewellery in the Roman Empire. This relationship is surrounded by positive and negative values, e.g. the responses of ancient...Show moreThe focal point of this thesis is the relationship between women and jewellery in the Roman Empire. This relationship is surrounded by positive and negative values, e.g. the responses of ancient authors range from more positive comments to extreme criticism. The central research question was: What social norms, relations and values does jewellery signify regarding women in the Roman Empire? The central aim is to differentiate and investigate the social norms, relations and values that were associated with the relationship between women and jewellery. In order to do this, jewellery finds and sculptural representations of jewellery from Rome (defined as core) and Palmyra (defined as periphery) in the first two centuries AD were studied. These two categories of evidence were analysed separately per region and then compared. Comparative investigation of the material in both regions increases understanding of the signifying function of jewellery with regard to the prevailing social norms. In visual culture other values, social norms and relations come forward than in the jewellery finds. Four central aspects regarding the finds and representations were focused on: types of jewellery, context, social position of the owner/portrayed, and the expression of gender. These aspects followed from the framework that was developed to study the relationship between women and jewellery, which included the concepts gender, sculptural representations and core-periphery. The research problem this study intended to solve was that archaeological evidence has been rather neglected in the study of women and jewellery. The systematic quantitative and qualitative analyses of the jewellery finds and sculptural representations of jewellery from Rome and Palmyra, attempted here for the first time on exemplary sample sets, as well as the comparison between them, have brought new insights to this field of study.Show less
