Thèse (M.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2007. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.

Revision of the author's thesis, Hamburg, issued originally under title: Interpretationen einiger ausgewählter Exkurse im Geschichtswerk des Herodot. / "Literatur-und Abkürzungsverzeichnis": p. [225]-229.

Revision of the author's thesis, Hamburg, issued originally under title: Interpretationen einiger ausgewählter Exkurse im Geschichtswerk des Herodot. / "Literatur-und Abkürzungsverzeichnis": p. [225]-229.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of History, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Dec. 8, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-04, Section: A, page: 1460. Chair: Leah Shopkow.

Thesis (PH.D.)--Syracuse University, 2003. / "Publication number AAT 3113229."

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2004. / Adviser: Watts, James W. "Publication number AAT 3160407."

Inaug.-diagr.- Münster. / Lebenslauf. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (May 24, 2006) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis reconsiders the cultural and economic relevance of landownership for the Roman republican peasants. In the Introduction, I define direct agricultural producers (hereafter 'peasants') as the object of my investigation. In Chapter 1, I argue that throughout the republic peasants owned little or no land, and private landholdings had a marginal role in peasants' production strategies. The frequent land schemes did not make the distribution of property more egalitarian, because they were not designed for that purpose, and due to their poverty peasants were unable to maintain control of the allotments. In Chapter 2, I explain that in ancient literature peasants were idealized as symbols of complete independence and self-sufficiency, and in political reflection they were considered the most perfect citizens. In accordance with the widespread view that Roman power had peaked and was now declining, already by the time of Fabius Pictor early and middle republican Rome was idealized as a society of peasants, whose supposed decline was threatening the republic. I conclude that in the Gracchan period peasants' discontent may have been a consequence of growing inequality, rather than utter impoverishment. In Chapter 3, I argue that in order to understand whether the free peasantry was actually declining we should consider variations in peasants' opportunities for dependent labour on the one hand, marketing on the other. Therefore, I reconsider the available data on the demography of Roman Italy and on commercial agriculture. I conclude that, while peasants could profit from increased access to markets, there is no conclusive evidence that competition for labour grew. In Chapter 4 I explain that the late republican peasants were perfectly aware that land had an economic value, and were even able to carry out evaluations. I suggest that this was a consequence of census procedures.

This dissertation explores the significance of spoils and the practice of spoils-taking in Roman culture. Working from the premise that spoils in the classical sense (Latin spolia, exuviae) are items singled out for their symbolic value and accordingly subjected to different treatment than other war booty (Latin praeda, manubiae), I begin by examining arma, one of the primary targets of despoliation, in order to show how this symbolic value is generated based on the identity of the spoils’ original owners. From there I show that the value of spoils depends directly upon the virtus (i.e. “manliness” as demonstrated primarily through courage or prowess in combat) of the parties involved in taking and giving them, as shown by cases involving male figures who lack this quality or female figures who exhibit it. In the following two chapters I propose a model of “inheritance by conquest”: that spoils are earned through successful acts of virtus and can thereafter be deployed as handles by which to manipulate the identity of their original owners. In order to demonstrate this model at work, I trace several case studies that highlight the role of spoils as symbolic capital in the context of aristocratic competition, as well as the transformation of two spoils traditions (the laurel-wreath and the spolia opima) during the transition from Republic to Empire. Finally, I look to related phenomena, including headhunting and other human trophy collecting, relic culture, and architectural spolia, to help illuminate the dual nature of spoils as both proofs and remembrances of victory and victim. / Classics