In this thesis, Roman slaves' access to water is used as a case study for the study of Roman marginalisation. Roman slaveholders used water to marginalise slaves in two different ways: on a...Show moreIn this thesis, Roman slaves' access to water is used as a case study for the study of Roman marginalisation. Roman slaveholders used water to marginalise slaves in two different ways: on a personal level, the access to water was restricted, and on a professional level, the access to water was increased. Access to water was a power tool consciously employed by Roman slaveholders to marginalise others.Show less
This thesis explores the Attic custom of pederasty by applying gaze theory to passages from Socratic philosophy, vase-paintings and a selection of Greek novels. This allows for previously under...Show moreThis thesis explores the Attic custom of pederasty by applying gaze theory to passages from Socratic philosophy, vase-paintings and a selection of Greek novels. This allows for previously under-emphasized emotions and views to be studied, which reveals that the repeated scholarly focus on static active and passive roles between lover and beloved respectively is unjustified and restricting. Instead a trope is present in the sources where the impact that gazing upon a desired youth had could render a lover passive to his beauty: the beloved held (emotional) power over him through the spectacle he presents.Show less
The purpose of this research was to expand the debate on gender by incorporating the age debate and by focusing on how different bodies were represented in ancient theories on dietetics. I studied...Show moreThe purpose of this research was to expand the debate on gender by incorporating the age debate and by focusing on how different bodies were represented in ancient theories on dietetics. I studied the representation of healthy and sick menstruating women, pregnant women, elderly, infants and children in ancient medical texts. This research found that dietetics was applied differently based on the condition of the body. The advices given had similar qualities to the body when the body was healthy and seen as well balanced. In contrast, when a healthy body was assumed to be less well balanced the diets employed the theory of ‘opposites cure opposites’. When someone became ill the dietetic advices always focused on curing the patient using the theory of ‘opposites cure opposites’. Most importantly in all treatments countering the diseased state took precedence over rebalancing inherent bodily imbalances. In conclusion, the ideas on different body types found in ancient medical theories were reflected in the application of dietetics. This reflection was more pronounced in advices given to healthy people than in those given to the sick.Show less
An investigation into the cult of Greek Nymphs in Archaic and Classical times with a focus on the popularity of the deities among different groups of people.
In this thesis, I will explore, on an intellectual and sensory level, the ways in which the night time was perceived and utilised in the context of ancient Greek warfare. By ascertaining what...Show moreIn this thesis, I will explore, on an intellectual and sensory level, the ways in which the night time was perceived and utilised in the context of ancient Greek warfare. By ascertaining what activities took place during the night time of the 4th century BC, in a military context, it will become possible to understand more about how the experience of the night was used and presented in antiquity. I will argue that far from being desolate and empty of human presence, the ancient night was a significant time for military activity and that it was in fact used in a variety of interesting ways that are not served by the rather simplistic image of nocturnal ‘colonisation’ presented in Histories of the Early Modern period.Show less
In the 5th century BC, athletes in Greece increasingly became heroized and celebrated in legend and cult. Through alleged displays of dúnamis, aretē, and other parts of their narratives, athletes...Show moreIn the 5th century BC, athletes in Greece increasingly became heroized and celebrated in legend and cult. Through alleged displays of dúnamis, aretē, and other parts of their narratives, athletes were compared to mythic heroes and associated with a ‘heroic paradigm’ that made it possible for them to gain enough kleos or ‘fame’ to turn into new heroes and to become incorporated in Greek legends. The aim of this thesis is to compare these ‘heroic athletes’ to non-heroized athletes in a threefold way: by looking at athletic feats and displays of strength (dúnamis), other ways in which athletes measured up to a heroic paradigm in life (aretē), and alleged manners of death and possible cults as they were narrated in Greek legends. In doing so, it lays bare similarities and differences between accounts of heroic athletes and those who were not heroized, and takes a step towards applying the notion of kleos to the ideological motivations behind Greek processes of heroization in the 5th century BC.Show less
Ancient Roman notions of the feminine were ambiguous: on the one hand the feminine was defined as wild, irresponsible and dangerous, but on the other hand the feminine was defined as a cultured,...Show moreAncient Roman notions of the feminine were ambiguous: on the one hand the feminine was defined as wild, irresponsible and dangerous, but on the other hand the feminine was defined as a cultured, productive and essential element of society. Pearls regularly feature in Roman discourses about the feminine, and posess a similar ambiguity. Pearls were used as a symbol or metaphor for both sides of the ambiguous identity of the feminine in literary, visual and archaeological sources. This thesis analyses the underlying thoughts and connections between pearls and the ambiguous notions of feminine identity in the Roman world.Show less
This thesis disagrees with the notion that "for an elite male Roman, privacy was hard to achieve." By presenting several literary fragments dealing with withdrawal, and combining these to rooms...Show moreThis thesis disagrees with the notion that "for an elite male Roman, privacy was hard to achieve." By presenting several literary fragments dealing with withdrawal, and combining these to rooms within Roman society specifically designed for this purpose, the goal was to add new data and arguments to the debate regarding privacy. The outline of the thesis is as following: in the first chapter a classification and categorisation regarding the flexible concept of 'alone' will be presented. After this, the chapters two and three will comprise the datasets (textual and archaeological) of references and ways to withdraw. The final chapter analyses these datasets and concludes with what these thoughts can mean in light of the debate.Show less
