Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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The present thesis centres on languages and linguistic features encountered in the documentary texts from the Dead Sea region, focussing on the documentary texts from Wadi Murabba’at and Nahal...Show moreThe present thesis centres on languages and linguistic features encountered in the documentary texts from the Dead Sea region, focussing on the documentary texts from Wadi Murabba’at and Nahal Hever. Especially those features that might tell something about the identity of the people responsible for the production of these documents will be examined in detail. The overall aim is to detect these features and to explain them in light of their cultural background: to what extent do the formal and linguistic features visible in the documentary texts convey elements of conscious choices and unconscious linguistic patterns relating to the identity of the people who wrote these texts and how can these features be explained? It will be attempted to answer this general question through two key-objectives: 1. Through determining linguistic features and patterns of language choice in selected case studies. 2. Through explaining these features in light of their cultural-historical background.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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One of the most intriguing plays of the Roman playwright Plautus (c. 254 – 184 BC) is his Pseudolus. In this play, the clever slave Pseudolus wants to help his young master Calidorus who is in love...Show moreOne of the most intriguing plays of the Roman playwright Plautus (c. 254 – 184 BC) is his Pseudolus. In this play, the clever slave Pseudolus wants to help his young master Calidorus who is in love with one of the prostitutes of the greedy pimp Ballio. Unfortunately, the girl has already been sold to another. Pseudolus therefore is left with only two options: 1) get enough money to buy the girl before the other buyer shows up; or 2) trick the pimp Ballio into giving him the girl. The lover’s problem instigates a performance full of deception, trickery and virtual cash flows. Pseudolus’ main occupation throughout the play is getting his fellow characters to trust him with money and belief (credere). Interestingly, this clever slave warns both his fellow characters and the audience that he is not to be trusted (caveant, ne credant mihi). The tension between this warning and Pseudolus’ actions which are the complete opposite of this warning, has serious consequences for the way the audience reacts to this play. For to enjoy a theatrical performance, it is necessary for the spectators to suspend their disbelief and temporarily take the theatrical world as a separate reality. This process can be stimulated by specific external stimuli created by the actors on stage. This concept is better known as dramatic illusion. Pseudolus’ warning does not only challenge the dramatic illusion, but also thematises it by naming three important factors within the play Pseudolus that are all connected to illusion: the audience; the producer of illusion (Pseudolus); belief and challenges to this belief (credere and cavēre). In all Plautine comedies, metatheatrical devices that challenge the dramatic illusion that was being portrayed can be found. Even more, as Plautine plays consist of quick shifts between the intradiegetical action and extradiegetical communication with the spectators, this dramatic illusion seems to be constantly under attack. The question then arises as to how a play that consciously challenges the illusion it is producing succeeds in keeping its audience involved in the play. Of all Plautine plays, Pseudolus is the most apt to answer this question, as the production and experience of illusion are thematised in the play. Pseudolus, as a producer of illusion, is asking for credit, while his audiences on and off stage are doubting whether to give him this credit or give heed to the warnings they receive. Moreover, the presence of metatheatrical comments justifies abstracting conclusions about audience experience from behaviour of characters that take on the role of audience-on-stage. On top of that, there is a doppelganger motif in the figure of Simia taking on the role of Harpax. This duplication of a performance within the play opens the possibility of looking for other doubles within and outside of the text. By exploring the way in which the three aforementioned factors (audience, producer, credere and cavēre) are connected in Pseudolus and establishing their relation to the parameters of the concept of dramatic illusion, this thesis contributes to a better understanding of the intricate ways in which dramatic illusion is undermined, stimulated, or played with in Plautus’ Pseudolus.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis investigates the social networks of the inhabitants of Old Babylonian Nippur (modern Nuffar) in central Mesopotamia. The period chosen for this study is the period when Nippur belonged...Show moreThis thesis investigates the social networks of the inhabitants of Old Babylonian Nippur (modern Nuffar) in central Mesopotamia. The period chosen for this study is the period when Nippur belonged under the jurisdiction of king Samsuiluna of Babylon (r. 1749–1712 BCE), the son and successor of the king Hammurabi (r. 1792–1750 BCE). The selection of Si 1–30 is made out of interest in king Samsuiluna’s reign, especially concerning his political and economic struggles, and therefore its impact on socio-economic changes, which might possibly have an impact on the social networks. The core of this thesis consists of 191 cuneiform documents that the residents of Old Babylonian Nippur left behind, and the amount of individuals identified in these documents is 1165. The method for this research is Social Network Analysis (SNA). With SNA, one can visualize the interconnections between individuals. This is done by creating a database (FileMaker Pro 14) and using a computer program (UCINET) which uses various algorithms to measure the data.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
2018-09-22T00:00:00Z
In this thesis, I analyze the Akītu festival for the purpose of understanding the socio-political landscape of the Neo- and Late-Babylonian periods in Babylon (626 BCE - 100 BCE). The history of...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyze the Akītu festival for the purpose of understanding the socio-political landscape of the Neo- and Late-Babylonian periods in Babylon (626 BCE - 100 BCE). The history of the Akītu festival, known as the Mesopotamian New Year’s festival, spans several millennia, but was especially known in its 1st millennium form in Babylon. This analysis focuses on the relationship between kings, gods, and high priests of Babylon and their actions in an historical and social space with relation to this festival. The interaction between cult and state in this shared space is used to compare how each empire utilized the festival and gods in order to exert and subvert power over the other within both an historic context and a wider socio-political history. I show that the Akītu festival was a constantly developing festival that was as dependent on the ruling king as it was a defining factor of kingship in Babylon.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
under embargo until 2026-06-01
2026-06-01T00:00:00Z
This thesis examines the causative stem (C-stem) in two Aramaic translations of Genesis, Targum Neofiti (TgN) and Targum Onqelos (TgO). More specifically, it is focused on how this morphological...Show moreThis thesis examines the causative stem (C-stem) in two Aramaic translations of Genesis, Targum Neofiti (TgN) and Targum Onqelos (TgO). More specifically, it is focused on how this morphological causative is employed to translate different Hebrew verbs and stem forms as well as the situation aspect and transitivity of individual verbs. The survey and synthesis show (1) that the vast majority of C-stem verbs in these corpora have an intransitive basic stem (G-stem) and (2) that the C-stem adds an external agent to G-stem constructions, thereby increasing their valency. (3) It illustrates how the addition of an external agent changes the role of the causee (original subject). For example, the subject of an intransitive G-stem construction becomes the direct object of a causative construction: ‘He went out’ becomes ‘They brought him out’. Likewise, the subject of a transitive construction (e.g. ‘He drank wine’) becomes a second direct object, making certain C-stem constructions bitransitive. (4) It outlines how the addition of an external agent affects the situation aspect of three different verb types, stative verbs, process verbs, and action verbs. (5) Lastly, it shows that the ancient translators attempted to imitate the Hebrew text whenever possible by using the same verb and stem.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
under embargo until 2026-01-01
2026-01-01T00:00:00Z
Cognitive science of religion studies how religious ideas and behavior are conceptualized and processed in the human brain. A Standard Model has been developed to unite and operationalize its major...Show moreCognitive science of religion studies how religious ideas and behavior are conceptualized and processed in the human brain. A Standard Model has been developed to unite and operationalize its major principles. However, this is still largely a theoretical model. As of yet, not much empirical testing “in the wild” has been carried out with it. This thesis particularly goes into one aspect of the Standard Model: the concept of counterintuitivity. This concept states that in order for a religious idea to be remembered and transmitted it should not be too common, but not too strange either. By applying the concept of counterintuitivity to the ancient author Artemidorus of Daldis, the aim of this thesis is twofold. On the one hand, it will establish whether this concept from the Standard Model in its current (mostly theoretical) form is indeed applicable to data outside empirically controlled environments. On the other hand, it will help us to get a clearer view on Artemidorus’ method for interpreting dreams.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis explores the reception of the biblical King Solomon as a lover in Judaism and Christianity. It concentrates on the Testament of Solomon and compares its presentation of Solomon’s...Show moreThis thesis explores the reception of the biblical King Solomon as a lover in Judaism and Christianity. It concentrates on the Testament of Solomon and compares its presentation of Solomon’s downfall to Graeco-Roman Jewish and Early Christian texts. Rather than approaching the Testament as an example of 'rewritten scripture' and an interpretation of 1 Kings, the thesis studies the Testament's own interests in portraying Solomon as a lover whose downfall was caused by desire.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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In his lecture course on Ovid's Epistula Sapphus (1481) Angelo Poliziano (1454-1494) shows himself to be a driven and original scholar, who is concerned with the restoration and revival of ancient...Show moreIn his lecture course on Ovid's Epistula Sapphus (1481) Angelo Poliziano (1454-1494) shows himself to be a driven and original scholar, who is concerned with the restoration and revival of ancient texts. In his examination of Sappho's letter Poliziano handles many different subjects: (correct) commentary practice, the rhetorical analysis of the effects of poetry, the history and poetry of Sappho, and the theory of the Greek rhetoricians Demetrius and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Each time an innovative approach and constructive use of tradition define his method. His notes functioned as a medium for advancing classical scholarship, and especially the study of Greek literature.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis explores the understudied work Latium (1671) by the German Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Rather than focussing on the accuracy of its content, it provides insight in the...Show moreThis thesis explores the understudied work Latium (1671) by the German Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Rather than focussing on the accuracy of its content, it provides insight in the reasons that motivated its coming into existence. By contextualizing this work in the antiquarian, Jesuit, scientific, political and religious traditions in the seventeenth century, this study addresses questions that are central to the field of classical reception studies.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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The legal and political position of the Jewish population of the Imperium Romanum is an oft-debated and exceedingly complex topic. After all, the attitude of the Roman state towards its Jewish...Show moreThe legal and political position of the Jewish population of the Imperium Romanum is an oft-debated and exceedingly complex topic. After all, the attitude of the Roman state towards its Jewish subjects varied substantially over the course of the Judeo-Roman relationship, ranging from explicit legal advancement in the form of honours and exemption from military service to open military conflict in the form of three Judeo-Roman wars. A number of scholars have attempted to resolve the apparently contradictory evidence, and form a generalized picture of ‘the’ attitude of ‘the’ Roman state towards ‘the’ Jews. While their descriptions of this Roman attitude vary strongly, they overwhelmingly assume that centralized Roman policy was ultimately what determined the experience of Jews throughout the Empire. This thesis will discuss how local circumstances influenced the legal and political treatment of the Jews in the Roman Empire, focussing on the case studies of Alexandria and Asia Minor. By studying the inception, contents and implementation of Roman legislation on Judaism, this thesis will argue that local factors were of fundamental importance to each of these three phases, and that intervention of the central government occurred primarily to deal with extraordinary circumstances. Thus, while local and interregional events were often connected, the existence of a single, coherent Roman policy towards Jews throughout the Empire ultimately cannot be proven.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis explores the polemical function of the Clarorum virorum epistolae (1514) and the Illustrium virorum epistolae (1519), two collections of humanist letters published in the context of the...Show moreThis thesis explores the polemical function of the Clarorum virorum epistolae (1514) and the Illustrium virorum epistolae (1519), two collections of humanist letters published in the context of the Reuchlin affair, a seminal intellectual debate waged on the threshold of the Reformation. It also addresses the question, of how the letter volumes contribute to our current understanding of the process of humanist support in the debate.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
closed access
How do you kill a hero? The deaths of Sherlock in the 19th century, and that of Eline Vere in Louis Couperus’ Eline Vere in the early 20th century stirred the hearts of their audiences to such a...Show moreHow do you kill a hero? The deaths of Sherlock in the 19th century, and that of Eline Vere in Louis Couperus’ Eline Vere in the early 20th century stirred the hearts of their audiences to such a degree that people actually believed an actual person had died. In present popular culture, the death of a protagonist can still have a profound impact. Lord Eddard Stark’s death, the main protagonist in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, comes rather unexpected and the very unorthodox way of killing the characters in the rest of this series has become a meme on the internet. The death of Brian the talking dog in the sit-com Family Guy (season 12, episode 6) even led to protest and Facebook pages to get him back into the series. Patroclus’ death is considered to be “terrifying”, and to have “great psychological depth” Janko (1992, p. 312). Together with Sarpedon’s death before and afterwards Hector’s, it is claimed by De Jong (2012, 13-15) to be the central death scene in the Iliad. With the modern examples in mind, the question arises how the narrator of the Iliad conveys the emotional charge these deaths have. To investigate how the audience is involved in their deaths, the study of immersion will be applied. This thesis will deal with the emotional involvement in the death scenes of three heroes: Sarpedon, Patroclus, and Hector. These deaths are knitted together. Patroclus kills Sarpedon, and against Achilles’ wishes, he rushes to the Trojan walls. There he is killed by Hector. In return, Hector is killed by Achilles to avenge his fallen friend Patroclus. Elements of Sarpedon’s death are repeated in Hector’s. Sarpedon is the leader of Troy’s allies, and second to Hector. In both scenes, Zeus deliberates on their deaths. In all killing scenes there are a dialogue, spoliation of armour, and threat of mutilation. There is a fight for Sarpedon’s, and Patroclus’ corpse; Hector’s is claimed by Achilles, and the Greeks only run around his body. The central question of this thesis will therefore be how these death scenes relate to each other and to other deaths in the Iliad. In order to substantiate judgments like “terrifying”, this research will assess scenes with the deaths of minor and major heroes. It can be expected that the former are less immersive than the deaths of major heroes that have a crucial role in the plot. Scene 6.1-24 will be assessed for minor heroes. Passage 16.394-867, Sarpedon’s and Patroclus’ deaths, and 22.90-404, that of Hector, are examined as examples of the deaths of major heroes. I will argue that visual and sensory immersion is present in most deaths, but that emotional immersion is used mostly in passages important to the development of the story. The continuation of the same mental space will be shown to be an important feature of visual immersion in death scenes. Allan, De Jong, & De Jonge (2014) have already argued for the immersive style of Homer’s epic. This thesis will add to this claim that, when larger stretches of narrative are taken under scrutiny, it is revealed the Homeric narrator does not just use these immersive elements at random: there is logic to his choices.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis investigates the treatise 'De resurrectione' of Pseudo-Justin as part of the resurrection debate around 180 CE: How it is related to the dominant intellectual discourse of Hellenistic...Show moreThis thesis investigates the treatise 'De resurrectione' of Pseudo-Justin as part of the resurrection debate around 180 CE: How it is related to the dominant intellectual discourse of Hellenistic philosophy and what its place is in the development of Christianity.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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It has long been recognised that ancient Egyptian women occupied a unique position within society in comparison to women in other ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilisations. This was...Show moreIt has long been recognised that ancient Egyptian women occupied a unique position within society in comparison to women in other ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilisations. This was already characteristic of the culture in antiquity and recognised by ancient Greek and Roman historians. Classical visitors of Egypt, like Herodotus, commented on the position of women as unusual and different from the situation they knew from their own cultures. This situation persisted even after the introduction of Greek and Roman traditions, which more heavily restricted women’s position and activities. Women participated in the economy of Egypt to a greater extent than can be documented for women from any other society in antiquity. When compared to women from other ancient cultures, such as Greece or Rome, the average Egyptian woman was relatively independent. She could inherit, own and dispose of property in her own right. She enjoyed a legal status, in theory equal to a man, and could act independently in business and court settings. In contrast to some cultures, no male guardian was required to act for her. Considering all these examples of female independence within society, it seems to be expected that women also enjoyed a certain degree of freedom when it comes to their occupational activities.Show less
