<p>This paper seeks to analyse the portrayal of Socrates in the Clouds in detail, with emphasis on the particularly unflattering aspects of the depiction, aspects which may have soured the public's perception of Socrates, or else at least may vocalize an already-soured perception of him. The establishment of the exact nature of this depiction is the primary objective of this paper then. But an interesting theme will emerge: the negative qualities in the depiction of Socrates will be shown to have a unity, rather than being random jabs. They constitute a general stereotype of the intellectual of the time, and the underlying criticism behind all of the negative qualities is that the intellectual is perceived to reject the middling egalitarian values so essential to his state. A large part of this rejection will be his religious heterodoxy, and the important implications that has for his character. The study of the nature of the portrayal of Socrates in the Clouds is a worthwhile topic by itself, but this detailed analysis of the depiction will also provide a useful point of reference for further studies of Aristophanes' comedy, Socrates' trial, and fifth and fourth century Athenian attitudes towards intellectuals.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to explore and examine the history and culture of the Volscian tribe in central Italy over a period of approximately 1000 years, from its appearance in the Italic peninsula in the Iron Age to the first century B.C. Using ancient literary sources, modern historical theory and analysis and archaeological evidence, the culture, language and social development of the Volscl is studied in detail from the fifth century to the decade following the Social War (91-87 B.C.), at which time the Volscian identity disappeared with the acquisition of Roman citizenship. Particular attention is paid to the settlement patterns of the Volscians in the Trerus and Liris river valleys, and the possibility of a chain of fortification centres in the fifth century is suggested. The improvement of this chain by the Romans into a communications network of intervisible forts and garrisons during the Volscian conquest of the fourth century, and later during the Samnite wars, is also investigated.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis investigates the images and inscriptions that decorate the extant corpus of gold-glass vessel bases, the majority of which dates to the mid fourth and early fifth centuries AD. There are an estimated 500 examples of gold-glass, but only a small handful of these have a known provenance. Those with documented findspots were extracted from funerary contexts, including the catacombs of Rome and other sites of burial in the former north and northwestern Roman provinces. Each gold-glass base originally served as the bottom of a vessel, but no intact examples of such vessels have survived from antiquity. The absence of a whole vessel and the lack of a secure archaeological context make it problematical to determine the original function of gold-glass vessels, as well as other elements of their production. On the basis of those bases that remain in situ in the Roman catacombs, it appears that gold-glass bases served as grave markers that were placed in the mortar of loculi tombs; evidence suggests, however, that this funerary function was secondary and not anticipated when the vessels were produced. The purpose of this study is to clarify the primary function of gold-glass vessels through an examination of the images and inscriptions that exist on a large portion of the bases. These two elements were conscious aspects of gold-glass design that were presumably chosen as part of filling a particular function, and as such, also reveal trends in the production and patronage of the vessels. The images and inscriptions are to be surveyed as separate elements of gold-glass decoration in the outset of this study, but the ultimate objective is to examine the correspondence of the images and inscriptions. A case study that examines the inscriptions that accompany gold-glass portraits (the most popular type of image) will take place in the final portion of this thesis. The methodology of simultaneously assessing the image and text on gold-glass vessel bases reveals interesting information regarding gold-glass production, patronage, and primary function.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Baths and bathing were a very important institution for the inhabitants of Ostia and the Roman Empire in general. They served the general populace not only as a place to wash, but also fulfilled important social functions and often offered a number of other services besides those directly connected to bathing. There are several different types of Roman Bath buildings that have been identified and they are usually classified according to size and layout. Most research to date has concentrated on the larger bath types.</p> <p>This thesis is concerned with a group of baths in a medium size-range that are intricately interconnected with their immediate neighbourhood, often in both a social and physical way. For this reason they are given the name Neighbourhood Baths. On the basis of both literary and archaeological evidence it can be concluded that these baths were privately owned businesses open to the public.</p> <p>The Terme del Faro, a building that has received little scholarly attention, serves as the representative example of a Neighbourhood Bath. Although unique in layout, it shares a number of the features that tie Neighbourhood Baths together as a group.</p> <p>These common features include similarities in decoration. Many of the baths have painted decorations, stucco and mosaic floors. Although never identical, this decoration is often very similar from one bath to another. This suggests that in order to attract business Neighbourhood Baths had to cater to the tastes of their customers.</p> <p>Neighbourhood Baths were usually fully integrated into their surroundings, often fused together with apartment buildings and located on busy streets. Their very placement, often in locations with large population density, suggests not only how important they were for those who lived around them, but also that they had the potential for being lucrative businesses and good investment opportunities.</p> <p>A number of literary and epigraphic sources provide scattered information on names, costs, building regulations, possible owners and leaseholders, employees and customers.</p> <p>The thesis on the Tenne del Faro and the Neighbourhood Baths of Ostia is divided into six chapters. The first is an introduction to Ostia, Neighbourhood Baths and the general technical terminology of Roman baths. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the Tenne del Faro. The third and f0U11h chapters offer a detailed discussion of the architecture and decoration of Neighbourhood Baths. The fifth chapter considers their social and urban context, and the last chapter deals with the economics of such a bath.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis discusses the practical role of time in the lives of the citizens of ancient Athens. The theory proposed is that, from the fifth to the first centuries B. C., methods of and devices for marking time intervals were of growing importance to them. The literary and archaeological evidence for timekeeping in ancient Athens is presented and the conclusion reached is that the Athenian populace apparently became more conscious of the advantages of exploiting time in its daily activities.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis examines religious toleration in the Roman world throughout the republic and empire and its connection to Roman political power. While studies have examined the role religion played in Roman political success, few have looked at the reactions of the Romans in multiple situations involving religious groups that were incompatible with Roman society in order to draw broad conclusions about the nature of Roman religious toleration and how it was meant to maintain Roman supremacy. By examining a number of such groups, this study aims to outline the place of religion in the Roman political system, to show why certain religious groups were met with various forms of hostility, and finally to consider what these incidences reveal about Roman religious toleration and the place of religion in Rome's political landscape. This study finds that Roman religion had very specific characteristics and was a pillar of the Roman state, so that when a religious group caught the attention of the Roman authorities and did not fit the requirements of the Roman state religion, it was perceived as a threat to Rome's position of power. Each group examined received different treatment from Rome depending on other stresses endangering Roman political stability and the structure and practices of the group in question. Those that could be made into acceptable Roman cults were permitted to exist in their new form while others were completely rejected. Allowing groups to continue in any form, though, was done so under the supervision of the senate or emperor which shifted power back to the Roman state and re-established its control over the religious and hence political sphere. Such treatment of religious groups should not be called toleration and this thesis helps to correct such misjudgements which deny the importance that religion played in Roman political power.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to examine the cult of Dushara, the head of the Nabataean pantheon, in the Nabataean and Roman periods, in order to better understand Nabataean cultural identity following the Roman annexation of Nabataea by Trajan in AD 106. I explore Dushara's cult during the Nabataean and Roman periods by analyzing literary, archaeological, and artistic evidence. An important aspect ofDushara's worship is his close connection with the Nabataean king as lithe god of our lord (the king)" in inscriptions. A major question for this thesis is how Dushara's worship survived in the Roman period after the fall of the Nabataean king.</p> <p>Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Semitic sources attest to the worship of Dushara in the post-Nabataean period, but these sources are often vague and sometimes present misinterpretations. Therefore, we must necessarily look to archaeological and artistic evidence to present a more complete picture of Dushara's worship in the Roman period. Specific archaeological sites examined in this thesis include Oboda and Sobata in the Negev; Bostra, Umm el-Jimal, and Sī' in the Hauran; Hūrāwa, Khirbet edh-Dharih, and DhIban of central Jordan; Petra, Hawara, and Iram in southern Jordan; and Hegra in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Most of these sites contain some evidence for Dushara's worship, although much cannot be dated. Artistic evidence is also an important aspect in the study of Dushara's worship. In the Nabataean period, Nabataean deities, including Dushara, are generally depicted as a betyl, a rectangular, aniconic stone; however, given the relative lack of inscriptions and other datable evidence associated with betyls, their date is often difficult to determine. Numismatic evidence suggests that Dushara's cult continued into the Roman period. Aniconic imagery appears on coinage from Antoninus Pius in the mid-2nd century to Gallienus in the mid-3rd century, including coins from Bostra, Adraa, Charachmoba, Medaba, and Petra. However, anthropomorphic imagery of Dushara appears on coinage from Bostra for a brief span under Commodus in AD 177 and Caracalla in AD 209/210. This emergence of anthropomorphic imagery, which possibly reflects earlier portraits of Nabataean kings, may have been influenced by the Hellenized elites, the presence of the <em>Legio III Cyrenaica</em>, or the rise in power of the indigenous peoples.</p> <p>This thesis demonstrates that a fundamental aspect of Nabataean culture survived following the fall of the kingdom. Although the evidence for Dushara's cult is erratic and often difficult to interpret, it is clear that the cult continued in some capacity well into the Roman period and possibly as late as the Islamic period. The worship of Dushara was perhaps one way in which the people of Arabia could associate themselves with the culture of the past stay and stay connected to their Nabataean roots.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The goal of this study was to examine the group of sacred caves located within the geographical area of Attica and in use during the historical period of antiquity for patterns in their locations and how they related to the polis of Classical Athens. These features of the caves revealed that there were patterns in their placement according to the dedication of the cave. Each of the groups of Attic caves has revealed a distinct pattern for their locations and each pattern is directly related to the functions of the cults and nature of the deities.</p> <p>The first pattern to emerge from the sacred caved in Attica was the physical features and locations of caves dedicated to the Nymphs. These features are high elevation, previous use by ancient peoples, water sources and a closed-type entrance. Secondly, the appearance of cave cults in the city of Athens is explored in connection with the ideals of the polis. Both urban caves and the cult of Pan carry connotations of chaos, savagery and the wilderness all of which are elements that are in conflict with the civilized area-of polis. Thirdly, the connection between the-urban-and-rural is seen through the mirroring of the rural cults on the slopes of the Athenian Acropolis. This type mirroring of sanctuaries is unique to Attica and it is used for sanctuaries other than cave cults. In the cases where this mirroring is used, the primacy of the polis is symbolically asserted. Finally, the last aspect of caves that became apparent through this study is the chthonic connection. The placement of caves connected to chthonic deities is largely based on the pre-existing landscape and the legends and mythology concerning each figure and their association with death or the Underworld.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis sets forth to prove that the letter from Antiochus III to Zeuxis preserved by Josephus (<em>AJ</em> 12.147-153) is authentic. The authenticity of the letter has been the subject of much scholarly debate, all of it focussed on the style and vocabulary of the text itself. Since this approach has failed to provide a compelling argument, this thesis will use a different approach, and attempt to fit the letter as a whole into its historical context. The underlying premise is that, in the absence of a compelling argument for forgery, if the letter matches the general historical context in which it was produced, then it should be considered authentic.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Numerous studies have been conducted on the principate of Emperor Tiberius, but only one study conducted by G. Maranon in 1956, has examined his personality. The methods that were used in this study are no longer applicable to modern psychiatry and the details of Tiberius' personality begged for a reexamination. A thorough examination of the ancient sources was made and all of Tiberius' personality traits were considered and a complete diagnosis using the five modern psychiatric axes was made. The findings of this careful study found that Tiberius suffered from a premorbid Axis II Obssessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, with a later onset of Axis I, Major Depressive Disorder, Substance Abuse (Alcohol), and Event-caused Persecutory Delusional Disorder, and Axis III Myocardial Infarction (Heart-Attack). This updated diagnosis is particularly favourable since it strengthens the arguments which have previously been made by modern scholarship, about his political and economic policies, as well as his administrative skills. These findings also account for a variety of anomalies which modern scholarship has chosen to reject without good reason such as his sexual conduct, and actions at Rhodes. Finally, as a means of verifying this study, all conclusions and findings have been verified by a practicing psychiatrist to ensure that the data herein was properly analyzed.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)