By Jane Lilly
At a glance, the Harvard Art Museum’s (HAM) Stamp in the Form of a Foot seems unremarkable, particularly in conversation with the five other Roman stamps also stored at HAM. Each of these six stamps was cast in a lost-wax process with an inscription on the front and a loop on the back. However, upon further inspection, the oddities of this stamp become apparent.
Category: Research
England’s Ancient Roman Military Sites: A Glimpse into Roman Conquests
By Matthew Breier Glimpses into Ancient Roman history come in many forms. Sometimes we are awed by the Romans’ ingenuity and other times by their military prowess, albeit at the expense of the defeated. One can dive into the history of Roman conquests with a walk through contemporary eastern and northern England in Colchester […]
The Vagueness in Musical Works from a Platonist Perspective
By Tianhao Luo 1. Introduction When I hear the noise of grass mowers outside my room, I know it is a noise. When I hear a Mozart symphony in a concert hall, I know it is a performance, or instantiation, of a musical work. However, what if a grass mower is rumbling while the […]
The Mythical Edge of the World: Julius Caesar and His Exploitation of Britain
By Edward Tomlinson Introduction: Why Britain? Throughout its history with ancient Rome, Britain experienced great continental influence. Britons interacted with the European mainland through contact with a Roman culture that saw unprecedented development over centuries. As time progressed, Britain’s importance grew. “From [Julius] Caesar onwards, Britain occupied a particular and significant place in the […]
A New Look at Zosimus’ New History
By Alexander Larrow
The New History of Zosimus has frequently been neglected and disdained by modern historians, with assessments of his work typically ranging from mediocre to incompetent or even malicious.
The Building of Eumachia and Female Patronage in the Roman Empire
In antiquity, private patrons commissioned numerous works of art and architecture. For the Latin West of the Roman Empire, a patron — a patronus — donated public amenities. In many cases, a patron was also a civic official designated by a community. A majority of surviving honorifics of patrons are those of men. Nevertheless, evidence for female patrons does exist…
Osteoarchaeology and the Ancient World Scholar’s Toolkit
Osteoarchaeology and the Ancient World Scholar’s Toolkit
by Adam Hope
Osteoarchaeology: What, Why, and How?
Osteoarchaeology uses bodily remains recovered in archaeological contexts to develop historical insights. The evidence base is the human skeleton, which, when complete, consists of 206 bones and either twenty “baby” or thirty-two “adult” teeth depending on age at death. The completeness of a skeleton hinges on various factors: naturally, burial is a must — meaning this approach is unsuitable for the study of societies which practice “sky burial,” such as pre-Islamic Iran or medieval Tibet — while looting and soil acidity determine the quantity and quality of surviving bone material. Upon detection, bone is excavated by careful troweling. Extensive records are then produced, detailing the anatomical features found, the stratigraphic level at which they were discovered, and features such as visible signs of damage or indicators of sex and age.
Roman Art & Imperial Marmor
In this paper, I discuss the Roman imperial exploitation of valuable white and colored stone resources—or marmor—and the implications of their usage for public, provincial, and private arts across the Mediterranean. I argue that from the late Republic through the high Empire, Roman elites privileged marble, granite, porphyry, and other polished stones as signifiers of status, taste, and regional domination.
Medea Through the Centuries
Medea Through the Centuries
By Maggie Yuan
A witch. A sorceress. An enchantress. Each of these terms have been ascribed to Medea, the Colchian princess who married Jason and aided him in his quest for the Golden Fleece. Her story has fascinated audiences for centuries, inspiring writers to craft their own versions of the myth…
Practical Just War: St. Augustine & His Framing of Just War Theory
Practical Just War: St. Augustine & His Framing of Just War Theory
By Benjamin Elkins
Today, the application of moral terms to warfare may seem quite ordinary. Discussions about which military general is or is not a criminal, which states are just or unjust, or who should or should not be held accountable for war crimes are commonplace within modern discourse. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, scholars were quick to call it an unjust war of aggression. As a result, thousands of people bought flags and posters that read “Slava Ukraini” — glory to Ukraine. Throughout the 2023 Hamas-Israel war, numerous opinion pieces have been published evaluating the morality behind either side…