<p>This study follows the early years of the Roman province of Asia from the death of Attalus III, the last king of Pergamon, to the final defeat of Aristonicus and the annexation of the territory in 128. Despite the volume of scholarly work on facets of this subject, there remain gaps in our knowledge and a comprehensive study on the topic as a whole is required. The bequest of Attalus III was one of the more extraordinary events in Republican history, but it was not without cause. The first chapter focuses on the history of Roman-Pergamene relations, the character of Attalus III, and his will, in order to put the broader study into context. The second chapter deals with the crucial year 133 Be, when Aristonicus began his remarkably successful bid for the Pergamene crown, and the Roman Senate decided to grant freedom to the entire former kingdom. The third chapter deals with recently published epigraphic material from Metropolis, Pergamon, Caria and Phrygia to sort out fine, but important issues of chronology that help to explain Rome's eventual annexation of the territory. The chapter concludes with a discussion of when and why Rome chose to annex the former kingdom.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The goal of this thesis to prove that in analyzing the Caesarean acta as recorded by Josephus in Book Fourteen of his Jewish Antiquities, a careful study of the language of the text, as well as its various documentary aspects, helps to reveal the history behind these documents. Although their organization, chronology and authenticity have long been the subject of much scholarly discussion, much of this discussion has paid insufficient attention to the documentary contexts of the decisions. Interpreting them with a view to the formulaic requirements of their respective genres, however, can help to clarify their organization and chronology, and provide us with a new documentary narrative for how Caesar's decisions concerning Judaea and its ruler were made and recorded.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The criticism of Roman women, particularly from the Late Republic to the early dynasties of the Principate, was a constant in the literary and historie al accounts of ancient Roman society. This censure has previously been either attributed to the cultural misogyny inherent in a patriarchal society or treated disparately for the anecdotal content without a survey of themes and tropes found in the criticisms. When the material is gathered together and examined as a whole, several themes and patterns emerge from the episodes involving the disparagement of women close to power. Such women were criticized for their involvement in politics (often through influence over powerful men), administration, and the military. The criticisms were motivated by various anxieties experienced by the male elite, such as the disparity between cultural ideal for Roman women and the reality, the conflict between the domus and the res publica, and the overarching anxiety about the burgeoning monarchy (and women's place in it) developing in the Late Republic and coming into fruition with the Principate of Augustus, as it related to Roman ideas of tyranny. Chapter Two examines the themes of criticism in the accounts of strong Julio-Claudian female figures, Livia, Messalina, and Agrippina Minor. Chapter Three explores the origins of these criticisms in the anecdotes of public female action in the Republic, with particular emphasis on the triumviral period. Chapter Four deals with the women accompanying Roman officiaIs into the provinces (which were a kind of monarchy) to show that the themes and tropes in the censure of Roman women close to power were uniform across time period and geographical location.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This thesis is a history of the legions and auxiliary units of the Roman province of Moesia from 29 BC to AD 235. Some of the principal battles and campaigns undertaken in the area are discussed; however, the focus of the study is the movement of those units both in and out of the province, and also their emplacement, where possible, in the numerous forts so far found in Moesia. A variety of different types of evidence are used: inscriptions, and in particular stone inscriptions and the bronze diplomas are the most valuable sources; the ancient authors are important, and Tacitus, Josephus, Cassius Dio, and Ptolemy are the most valuable, although others are used. There are a handful of conclusions drawn from this study. Generally, during the Julio-Claudian period military units tended to cluster around each other. In the second and third centuries, they are more spread out, and tend to be fairly evenly distributed along the Danube. During the two major campaigns that happened over the course of the years from 29 BC to AD 235, there was a significant influx of troops, and in particular auxiliary units, which were well suited to the conditions. The total legionary disposition remained fairly consistent from Vespasian to Severus Alexander. In the second century, units became stationary and vexillations were often dispatched when the gravity of the moment called for reinforcements.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Garden paintings are ubiquitous in Campanian wall painting. This thesis examines the garden compositions of Pompeii. Despite the large number of well-preserved garden frescoes, these scenes have received relatively little attention from modem scholars. Yet following the earthquake of 62 A.D. they were among the first elements to be repaired by the inhabitants of Pompeii. Furthermore, due to the ephemeral nature of real gardens, garden paintings provide valuable information about the typical plantings, landscaping, decoration, and furnishings found in ancient viridaria.</p> <p>Chapter 1 surveys the gardens and depictions of gardens found in the vicinity of Rome, including funerary gardens, market gardens, private imperial gardens, and public horti. Garden paintings from Livia's Villa at Prima Porta, the Auditorium of Maecenas, the Domus Publica, the Farnesina House, and the Tomb of Patro are discussed in this chapter.</p> <p>Chapter 2 gives a detailed description of the types of features and decorations found in the real gardens of Pompeii. Important background information regarding the source of inspiration of garden paintings is conveyed by outlining the characteristic elements of private gardens.</p> <p>Chapter 3 enumerates and discusses the basic elements found in garden compositions. The elements are divided into three separate and distinct categories, namely architectural elements, decorative elements, and flora and fauna.</p> <p>The composition of garden paintings is examined in Chapter 4. The arrangement of the constituent elements, such as lines, colours, and shapes comprises the main focus of this analysis.</p> <p>Chapter 5 deals with the placement of garden paintings within domestic settings. Trends, such as the tendency to place verdant scenes in certain types of rooms and in conjunction with specific thematic programs, are identified in this chapter.</p> <p>The discussion of the final chapter revolves around the possible functions of garden paintings. Specific roles were assigned to garden paintings in indoor and outdoor contexts.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The title of this thesis is Ambitus: Electoral Corruption and Aristocratic Competition in the Age of Cicero, and its purpose is threefold. First, it is an examination of documentary evidence concerning legislative action against electoral bribery in Rome during that last years of the republic. Second, it explores the rather creative responses to the legal restrictions those laws imposed on overzealous candidates and electioneers. Finally, it investigates the implications of electoral bribery in the wider context of Roman politics, what role it played in determining the electoral freedom of voters in Rome, and the main difficulty inherent in studies of ambitus; its ambiguity.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The amatory epigrams of Dioscorides have been largely ignored by scholars. The bulk of the comment that his erotic poems have received has concerned the text; little has been written in way of appreciation of the poetic craft of the epigrammatist. In this thesis I have focused on developing a critical appreciation of the amatory epigrams of Dioscorides. I have devoted each chapter to one of the thirteen epigrams of Dioscorides, with the exception of chapters four, seven and eight. In these chapters I have dealt with the epigrams which seem to have been written in the same tradition. The chapters break down as follows: chapter one deals with A.P. 5. 138; chapter two 5. 55; chapter three 5. 54; chapter four 12. 37 and 5. 56; chapter five 12.42; chapter six 12. 14; chapter seven 5. 53 and 193; chapter eight 5.52 and 12. 170; chapter nine 12. 171; chapter ten 12. 169.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>During the second half of the sixth century B.C., the popularity of Herakles scenes in Attic vase-painting reached a peak. New scenes were developed, old scenes gained variants. This phenomenon was noticed by John Boardman who used it as the background to a novel theory, that Peisistratos and his sons were deliberately using Herakles as a propaganda tool to further their own interests, and moreover, that in this program there was some association of Peisistratos with Herakles, Furthermore, he argued that certain Herakles scenes reflected specific events from Peisistratos' Career. This theory was developed in several influential articles in the 1970's, and subsequently attracted many followers. In this thesis however I shall argue that the theory is seriously flawed, so much so that it must be considered untenable.</p> <p>The thesis will begin by setting out Boardman's side of the argument. First, the developments in the iconography of Herakles are laid out (Chapter One), then Boardman's (and his followers') interpretations of them (Chapter Two). A critical examination of the theory follows. The statistical evidence is not as supportive of Boardman's theory as he suggests (Chapter Three), nor do the developments occur in ways that would necessarily confirm his interpretation (Chapter Four). No more supportive are the historical events taken to lie behind the images (Chapter Five). The possible mechanisms for the transmission of the needed influence from the Peisistratids to the vase-painters create another major problem area (Chapter Six). A variety of other factors also argue against the political interpretation (Chapter Seven). As a result of the failure of this interpretation, a different explanation must be found for Herakles' popularity during this era (Conclusion).</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The period of Late Antiquity was a time of substantial and fundamental change in cities throughout the Roman Empire, and North Africa presents plentiful (if often frustratingly enigmatic) evidence of this. By the 3^rd century AD most if not all cities of any respectable size had a full complement of the monumental buildings which defined the standard Roman city, in particular a <em>forum</em> with its surrounding religious, administrative, business, and entertainment buildings. By the middle of the 5^th century however it seems that many of these traditional urban centres had been abandoned, and that a new form of monumental architecture had appeared on the scene: the Christian church. The coincidence of these two events, the abandonment of the traditional <em>forum</em> complex and the rise of monumental Christian worship buildings, has caused some scholars to speculate on a link between them, and has even prompted some to propose that the churches replaced the <em>fora</em> as centres of urban life. This theory, however, rests on a number of questions which have not yet been fully answered. First, can the archaeological and epigraphic evidence support the assertion that churches were built at the same time as <em>fora</em> were abandoned? Second, did church buildings usurp any of the functions fulfilled by the <em>fora</em>, and in so doing replace them as urban foci? This thesis, by investigating both of these questions, shows that while the construction of churches and the decline of <em>fora</em> may indeed be related, that relationship is far more complex than one of simple replacement of function.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)