Les protectores diuini lateris Augusti, soldats de haut rang attestés dans l’armée romaine entre le IIIe siècle et le VIe siècle, ont été considérés tour à tour par les historiens comme des gardes du corps impériaux, des officiers d’état-major, ou les successeurs des centurions. Mais ces interprétations soulèvent bien des contradictions que cette étude d’histoire militaire et sociale, appuyée sur un corpus prosopographique, vise à résoudre. Les évolutions du recrutement, des carrières et des fonctions des protectores sont révélatrices des recompositions du commandement de l’armée romaine tardive. L’analyse ouvre également une fenêtre sur l’environnement social et culturel de ces soldats privilégiés, amenés à fréquenter tant les champs de bataille que la cour impériale. Enfin, en plaçant au centre de la réflexion la relation de ces soldats avec l’empereur, à la fois chef de l’armée et garant de l’ordre social et symbolique du monde de l’Antiquité tardive, on comprend comment les protectores s’inscrivaient, aux yeux des Romains, au sein d’un ordre terrestre des dignités reflétant la hiérarchie céleste. / The protectores diuini lateris Augusti, high-ranking soldiers attested in the Roman army from the 3rd c. to the 6th c. AD, have been alternately defined by historians as imperial bodyguards, staff officers, or centurions under a new name. This study, based on a prosopography, aims to resolve the contradictions raised by these interpretations, from a military and social point of view. The evolutions of these soldiers’ recruitment, careers and functions, reflect deep changes in the command structure of the Late Roman army. The analysis also sheds light on the social and cultural background of these privileged soldiers, who were familiar with both the battlefield and the imperial court. By focusing on their privileged relationship with the emperor, who was at the same time general in chief and responsible for the social and symbolic order of the Late Antique world, we can finally understand how the protectores were part, in the eyes of the Romans, of an earthly order of dignities reflecting the celestial hierarchy.

(F. Horáček: Antropologie Synesiova spisu O snech) 30. 8. 2017 Synesiusʼ treatise On Dreams (early 5th cent. AD) contains a Neoplatonic conception of the so-called pneuma (called also ʻvehicleʼ, ʻluminous bodyʼ etc.) that, among its other functions, ʻrepresentsʼ the immaterial Neoplatonic soul in the material universe. As against the other Neoplatonic texts from Late Antiquity, the authorʼs book is relatively concetrated and detailed so that it offers a comparatively full picture of the pneuma even though the text is no clear cut self-explanatory piece of writing due to its intended esoteric Neoplatonic readership. In my work I try to discover possible implications for the pneuma against the background of other Neoplatonic conceptions of the earlier and also of slightly later time. Synesiusʼ views of the pneuma are not always identical with those of the earlier thinkers. As he switches backgrounds it is often hard to tell whether what he has in mind is identical, like or different from them. I address predominantly - beside contextualization of On Dreams and efforts to solve individual small-scale problems in the text - questions of physical existence of the pneuma before, during, and after reincarnation chain of individual souls, further I discuss the interface between materiality and...

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What do we see when we look at writing? In addition to the verbal messages conveyed by the written words, visual dimensions of script are powerful tools that hold semantic value. This dissertation focuses on one such visual element—the arrangement of written words into geometric shapes or patterns in the context of medieval Islamicate societies (1100–1250 AD)—to uncover its meanings. The dissertation offers a primary case study of the Kitāb al-diryāq (Book of Antidotes, 595 AH/1199 AD, BnF arabe 2964), an illuminated and illustrated manuscript with a variety of geometric patterns created using Arabic script. By examining a broad range of materials (scientific manuscripts, magical objects, and architectural decoration) across Late Antiquity and the medieval period, this heuristic study argues that the arrangement of script in geometric patterns was a vital medium of visualizing knowledge and transmitting knowledge—the form not only carrying cultural meanings but also shaping the reception of verbal messages. Magic is one form of knowledge that is particularly fruitful for examining the function of the geometric script patterns in general, and of the Kitāb al-diryāq in particular. This study traces the contexts in which the geometric script patterns appear, the cultural practices associated with them, and the medieval worldviews in which the patterns circulated. In considering these factors, the study argues that the combination of shape and script is embedded with knowledge that reflects the medieval scientific, magical, and popular imagination. / Graduate / 2023-06-23

(F. Horáček: Antropologie Synesiova spisu O snech) 30. 8. 2017 Synesiusʼ treatise On Dreams (early 5th cent. AD) contains a Neoplatonic conception of the so-called pneuma (called also ʻvehicleʼ, ʻluminous bodyʼ etc.) that, among its other functions, ʻrepresentsʼ the immaterial Neoplatonic soul in the material universe. As against the other Neoplatonic texts from Late Antiquity, the authorʼs book is relatively concetrated and detailed so that it offers a comparatively full picture of the pneuma even though the text is no clear cut self-explanatory piece of writing due to its intended esoteric Neoplatonic readership. In my work I try to discover possible implications for the pneuma against the background of other Neoplatonic conceptions of the earlier and also of slightly later time. Synesiusʼ views of the pneuma are not always identical with those of the earlier thinkers. As he switches backgrounds it is often hard to tell whether what he has in mind is identical, like or different from them. I address predominantly - beside contextualization of On Dreams and efforts to solve individual small-scale problems in the text - questions of physical existence of the pneuma before, during, and after reincarnation chain of individual souls, further I discuss the interface between materiality and...

Plato's 'Crito' depicts Socrates in prison awaiting his execution and arguing that despite the injustice of his sentence, he is morally obligated to remain there so that it can be carried out. The early Socratic dialogues were concerned with the nature of the virtues which formed the foundation of Athenian morals. This "primacy of virtue" has developed into the modern theory of virtue ethics. In this thesis, I argue that in the 'Crito', Socrates sets aside his typical virtue ethics approach, and instead utilizes a deontological framework for his arguments. I apply the deontological theories of Immanuel Kant and W. D. Ross to the 'Crito' in an attempt to demonstrate that it has a distinctly duty-based focus that is consistent with the work of Kant and Ross. Finally, I raise the question of whether Ross' theory can be viewed as a bridge between virtue ethics and deontological ethics.

Alexander the Great represents the pinnacle of mortal achievement. There are many histories, novels, and even self-help books written on Alexander, though very few discuss in detail exactly who this enigmatic youth was. Tragically, many historians deny the possibility of understanding the intricacies of Alexander's complex personality. This thesis espouses that Alexander can be studied as a human-being brimming over with wisdom and accomplishment. The research conducted for this thesis has involved combing the ancient authors whom Alexander read and was influenced by in order to fully represent Alexander as a deeply emulative hero. The portrait of Alexander that readers will find below is both deeply historical and fascinatingly mythical, for he lived in both worlds. Alexander believed in a prophecy uttered by Prometheus which foretold of a weapon that would "best the thunderbolt" of Zeus; the fulfillment of this prophecy would bring the glory of Alexander's heroic bloodline to a dramatic and powerful conclusion. To reach this goal, Alexander had to rival his ancestors Achilles and Hercules in accomplishment and then excel them in memory. It is the hope that this thesis will paint an original portrait of Alexander which is overflowing with the spirituality, passion, and adventure that characterized the young king.

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