In the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period...Show moreIn the 1980s, archaeological studies near the village of Valkenburg, South-Holland, unearthed the skeletal remains of individuals buried at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery during the Roman period. Part of multiple Roman fortifications along the Limes dating from 40 A.D. onwards, the cemetery was likely used as a burial ground for inhabitants of the Valkenburg fort or nearby vicus, a civilian settlement. The cemetery comprised at least 250 cremated individuals as well as 47 inhumations, which is a striking find that contradicts the common Roman practice of cremation. Due to these inhumated skeletal remains, the site provides an unique opportunity to employ osteoarchaeological analysis to reconstruct the lives of individuals that lived in the Roman Frontier region. This thesis utilizes cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis to infer activity patterns among individuals at the Valkenburg-Marktveld cemetery, as current research on the differences in bone geometry between different demographic groups within Roman communities in the Lower Rhine area is limited. The study further investigates the factors and potential activity patterns that might influence those variations, such as biological age and sex. To do so, it builds on the initial osteoarchaeological study conducted by Lonnée and Maat (1998), who reported the estimated sex and age-at-death of each individual. Following this, each relevant bone in the upper and lower limbs was measured on various points to generate the indices for each point of measurement, as well as calculate the percentage directional asymmetry (DA%) and absolute asymmetry (AA%). The resulting values were then compared statistically between the biological sexes and age-at-death categories. While statistical significance is limited, the interpretation of data highlights the potential of these analyses in inferring activity patterns. Results from the analysis indicate that males tend to display more robust and symmetric upper and lower limbs than females, which are likely attributable to biological factors or a wider range of activities in males. Age-at-death categories exhibited inconsistencies with patterns described in other study, which is possibly due to natural variation or the limited preservation and availability of the skeletal material. Despite the limited number of individuals that could be examined, this thesis contributes valuable insights into the application of cross-sectional geometry and bilateral asymmetry analysis in osteoarchaeological studies, complementing historical data and broadening our understanding of activities in Roman frontier regions.Show less
The horti, vast aristocratic and imperial estates directly bordering on the city of Rome, are taken as a case study on the appropriation of Hellenistic artistic and architectural styles by Roman...Show moreThe horti, vast aristocratic and imperial estates directly bordering on the city of Rome, are taken as a case study on the appropriation of Hellenistic artistic and architectural styles by Roman elites. Three types of material remains are analysed: architecture, surface art (e.g. mosaics, wall-paintings, veneering), and sculpture. The main conclusion is that many of the Hellenistic motifs and types of art that were imitated in the horti had a highly contextual (and often religious) significance in the Hellenistic world, but that the Roman owners of the horti treated these visual elements as mere decorative elements, while still making use of the intellectual and religious connotations that these had in their original settings. As such, concepts like code-switching and globalisation theory do not seem to adequately explain the Hellenistic elements that are seen in the horti, and we may instead speak of a thorough and far-reaching process of appropriation.Show less
In dit Bachelor Eindwerkstuk wordt de rol van water in Romeinse polytheïstische religies te Rome in de Republiek en prechristelijke Keizertijd onderzocht.
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
2023-03-02T00:00:00Z
The response of Greek literature to Roman domination varied through different eras, authors and texts. During the so-called “Second Sophistic”, the renewed interest of the literate Greek elite for...Show moreThe response of Greek literature to Roman domination varied through different eras, authors and texts. During the so-called “Second Sophistic”, the renewed interest of the literate Greek elite for the accomplishments of the classical past led to a renegotiation of the relationship with Rome. The present paper examines the role of Rome in the Panathenaicus of Aelius Aristides. Basing my analysis on the rhetorical device of “figured speech”, I examine the rhetorical function of Rome inside the speech, its relationship with Athens, as well as the emerging stance of Aristides towards Roman rulership. I support that Aristides downsizes the status of Rome to extoll the greatness of Athens, while at the same time giving voice to his general hesitation towards the empire by highlighting the Greek cultural preeminence over the Romans. In this way, I hope to cover the relevant research gap, since scholarship on the relationship of Aristides with Rome is predominantly based on the homonymous oration, while the Panathenaicus has been mostly analyzed on the base of Athenian religious preeminence over the emperor.Show less
An in-depth look at political alliances in the late Republic, using Lucius Sergius Catilina as a case study. This thesis rejects the idea of a two-party system or division between so-called...Show moreAn in-depth look at political alliances in the late Republic, using Lucius Sergius Catilina as a case study. This thesis rejects the idea of a two-party system or division between so-called populares and optimates, and rather argues for a system of dynamic and fluid alliances.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
2022-08-31T00:00:00Z
How can you conceptualise a multi-layered and chronologically dense case study in its entirety without losing focus on the parts, and vice versa? This methodological problem lies at the heart of...Show moreHow can you conceptualise a multi-layered and chronologically dense case study in its entirety without losing focus on the parts, and vice versa? This methodological problem lies at the heart of this thesis, in which the seventeenth-century Roman church of Domine Quo Vadis will be used as a case study. Using a palimpsestic framework, this thesis sets out to explore the historical and material dimensions of the Domine Quo Vadis while also acknowledging its status as a mediator of the divine.Show less
Pieter van Laers (1599-1642) merkwaardige Zelfportret met heksenattributen (c. 1635 – 1637), waarop duivelse klauwen het magische ritueel van de schilder verstoren, werd tot op heden vaak verklaard...Show morePieter van Laers (1599-1642) merkwaardige Zelfportret met heksenattributen (c. 1635 – 1637), waarop duivelse klauwen het magische ritueel van de schilder verstoren, werd tot op heden vaak verklaard vanuit een persoonlijke belangstelling van deze Bentvueghel voor magie en occultisme. De overweldigende gelijkenis tussen het schilderij, ontstaan tijdens Van Laers verblijf in Rome, en de Necromancers van Angelo Caroselli (1585-1653) en Pietro Paolini (1603-1681) maakt echter duidelijk dat het afbeelden van een specifiek type magiër: de necromancer, een Romeinse traditie was. Deze Necromancers waren in trek bij de Romeinse clientèle en kwamen terecht in de collecties van belangrijke kardinalen, die de schilderijen verzamelden vanwege hun spottende en vermanende ondertoon. Een analyse van de Romeinse context laat zien dat magie alomaanwezig was in de Eeuwige Stad, maar er is geen bewijs dat Van Laer er zelf bij betrokken was. Tijdgenoten merkten bij Van Laer geen bijzondere belangstelling voor magie op, maar wel een humoristische inslag. Deze humor is terug te zien in het schilderij; Van Laer dreef de spot met zichzelf, andere schilders en de schilderkunst in het algemeen door zich af te beelden als falende magiër. Het Zelfportret als necromancer, zoals het werk zou moeten heten, sloot dus eerder aan bij een algemene magische trend dan bij een persoonlijke belangstelling van de schilder.Show less
In this thesis the theme of the diffusion of the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world is treated, by investigating some of the approaches that have been...Show moreIn this thesis the theme of the diffusion of the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world is treated, by investigating some of the approaches that have been employed by Bommas, Woolf, Bricault, and Versluys in their analysis of the theme; and by examining the features of the Temple of Isis of Philae, the Temple of Isis at the Campus Martius in Rome, and the Temple of Isis at Pompeii. While the Temple of Isis at Philae mostly features architectural elements that are typical of indigenous Egyptian temples, the Italian Iseums of Pompeii and of the Campus Martius feature elements meant to evoke the Egyptian environment and elements of the cult of Isis that are represented in a Graeco-Roman fashion. After comparing the different characteristics of these structures, it emerges that the element that can be found in Egyptian temples of Isis (or in at least, the one at Philae) that persisted in the Temples of Isis when these were built in Italy, was the Nilometer, which was featured at the Temple of Isis at Pompeii, although it is not possible to know with certainty if this was featured in the Iseum Campense by looking at the archaeological evidence. In any case, many conducts for water were found in the latter structure, which could have been likely linked to the presence of a Nilometer or of other elements connected to water, and this would underline the persistence of at least the importance of the presence of water in the concept of the Iseum, and thus likely also in the practice of the cult. However, It has to be underlined that in the case of Philae, the Nilometer was with most probability used in connection to the presence of the river Nile in the vicinity of the structure, while in Italic temples this would have been an element related to the ritual of the cult. Other Egyptian-izing features, such as the dromos of the Iseum Campense, and the purgatorium of the Temple of Isis at Pompeii, were not present at the Temple of Isis at Philae, thus probably being features meant to evoke the concept of Egypt in general more than reflecting the characteristics of Egyptian Iseums. Therefore, it is possible to assume that the almost-total refashioning of the concept of the Iseum when this kind of structure was built in at least Rome and Pompeii might be a reflection of the refashioning of the cult that took place after it diffused out of Egypt.Show less
Als antwoord op het artikel van Sam Heijnen, waarin wordt betoogd dat de Romeinse interesse in de Griekse wereld niet begon met de komst van Augustus maar in de laatste eeuw van de Republiek al...Show moreAls antwoord op het artikel van Sam Heijnen, waarin wordt betoogd dat de Romeinse interesse in de Griekse wereld niet begon met de komst van Augustus maar in de laatste eeuw van de Republiek al aanwezig was te zien in het voorbeeld van Athene, worden ongeveer vijftien steden uit Griekenland gekozen om getoetst te worden volgens dezelfde criteria, om te kunnen zien of er degelijk sprake was van Romeinse interesse voor, tijdens of na de komst van Augustus.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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Throughout history religion has played an important role, as a means of connecting people, maintaining political power and social order, from the Ancient Near East to the Middle Ages and onwards to...Show moreThroughout history religion has played an important role, as a means of connecting people, maintaining political power and social order, from the Ancient Near East to the Middle Ages and onwards to the 21st century. This thesis will focus on the role of religious festivals in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome, the function these fulfilled in a socio-political context, and on how the two cultures differ from one another. In the case of Egypt, the state cult by which I refer to religious practices where the Pharaoh or priests appointed by him mediated between gods and men, was not accessible to the commoner. This in turn must have led to social tensions and inequality. During the festivals, the state cult was made more ‘accessible’ . The Roman festival we will be looking at, which is the Saturnalia, on the other hand, initiated a complete role reversal on a social level.Show less
Het petition-and-response-model van Fergus Millar is jaren lang een leidraad geweest in historiografische debatten omtrent de rol van de Romeinse keizer met betrekking tot besluitvorming. Het model...Show moreHet petition-and-response-model van Fergus Millar is jaren lang een leidraad geweest in historiografische debatten omtrent de rol van de Romeinse keizer met betrekking tot besluitvorming. Het model betoogt dat de keizer hierin een passieve houding aannam, in plaats van dat hij actief beleid maakte en op de lange termijn te verwezenlijken doelen nastreefde. Deze theorie is door de jaren heen niet onomstreden gebleven en is van een ruime hoeveelheid kritiek voorzien. In dit onderzoek wordt aan de hand van drie primaire bronnen uit de regeerperiode van keizer Tiberius (14-37 n. Chr.) geanalyseerd in hoeverre het petition-and-response-model verenigbaar is met besluitvorming in het Romeinse Rijk. Het eerste hoofdstuk gaat in op het model zelf en behandelt tevens de geleverde kritiek van onder anderen Hopkins, Buraselis, Osgood, Ando en Edmondson. De overige drie hoofdstukken behandelen respectievelijk een edict uit 14/15 n. Chr. omtrent de verordening van transport; een senatus consultum voor eerbetonen aan de overleden Germanicus uit 19-20 n. Chr.; een brief van Tiberius aan de gemeenschap van Gytheion naar aanleiding van aan hem geschonken eerbewijzen uit 15 n. Chr.Show less
