Classics
The Classics Department offers a wide range of papers in Classical Studies, Greek and Latin. There are introductory papers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman history, and Mycenaean art and archaeology, as well as more specialised papers in such areas as Roman society, Cicero, Alexander the Great, Greek tragedy, and Graeco-Roman art, myth and literature. The Greek and Latin languages are taught from beginners' level on a reading-based approach, leading to the reading of texts of major authors at higher levels.
Recent Deposits
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Alleviating Death Anxiety in Epicureanism
Eradicating the fear of death is a central concern in Epicurean philosophy. As hedonists, the Epicureans seek to pursue pleasure and avoid pain in order to achieve a life of eudaimonia. The fear of death is viewed as a ... -
doctor Ovid: teaching what to whom in Tristia 2?
This study undertakes a close reading of Ovid’s poem Tristia 2, which was composed in AD 9 when the poet was in exile. I argue that although the poem, explicitly addressed to Augustus, takes the form of an earnest plea for ... -
Epameinondas the Great
Epameinondas the great Theban general and politician (c. 318/312-362 B.C.) deserves credit for crippling the might of Sparta, founding the independent polis of Messenia and advancing the Boeotian League to the foremost ... -
An Empire at War: Economic Disparities in the Roman Empire 260-275 CE
The third century CE was a period of turmoil for the Roman Empire, as can be seen for example in the disastrous years between 260-275 CE. The emperor Valerian had been captured by the Sasanids, and Rome was left scrambling ... -
Rising Above the Risible: Laughter in Plato
Laughter is a neglected topic in Plato studies. And yet laughter proves to be a constant and recurring feature, appearing in various forms throughout the majority of Plato’s works. While efforts have certainly been made ... -
“Opening up the World Below”: A New ‘Reading’ of Ancient Greek Eschatological Topography
This study presents a new methodology for reading ancient Greek eschatological topography. The crux of this reading is a balancing of the tension between the holism of an eschatological imagining and the inherent fluidity ... -
Klytaimestra: Genetic and Gender Conflict in Greek Tragedy
Klytaimestra is depicted as the accomplisher of great evil, in Archaic and Classical epic, lyric, and tragedy in ancient Greece. In the view of many, her characterization in ancient literature stands at the beginning of ... -
Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke 17.1-61: A Translation & Historical Commentary
Book 17 of Diodorus' Bibliotheke covers the campaigns of Alexander the Great, from his accession in 336 BC to his death in 323 BC. This thesis provides a fresh translation and commentary for the first half of Book 17, up ... -
Robert Arthur Lawson, architect, 1833-1902
PROBLEM Why did Lawson at the height of his professional career in 1889, decide to leave Dunedin and set up anew in Melbourne? METHOD AND PROCEDURES In attempting to trace the professional career of Lawson, the ... -
Martial Epigrammata, Book X : a commentary
This thesis represents the first full-scale commentary on Book 10 of Martial's Epigrams. Jenkins' commentary on Book 10, a thesis from Cambridge in 1982, is the other detailed commentary on Book 10, but examines only 23 ... -
Identity, Ideology, and Policy: Panhellenism and the Last Acts of Philip II
In the last years before his assassination, Philip II enacted two final, major policies. First was the establishment of a peace through a proto-federal union of the Greek states known as the League of Corinth, and second ... -
A Sin Against God: The Rhetoric of Incest in Senecan Tragedy and Tacitean History
Tacitus’ depiction of Agrippina the Younger in his Annales is controversial, as certain elements of this depiction bear a striking resemblance to the incestuous women depicted by Seneca the Younger in his Oedipus, Phoenissae ... -
Conquest, Kingship, Calamity: Demetrius Poliorcetes After Ipsus
Demetrius Poliorcetes (336-282 BC), was one of the extraordinary figures of the Hellenistic Age, whose career began in wake of the chaos that followed the death of Alexander the Great. His father was Antigonus Monophthalmus, ... -
Ultimus Romanorum: Cassius the Tyrannicide and Caesar's Assassination
This thesis represents the first monograph on Cassius the tyrannicide for almost a century, and the only one in English. It provides a detailed treatment of his career down to 44 BC, and, in particular, re-assesses Cassius’ ... -
Persuasive ethics: The direct discourse of women in Plutarch’s Roman Lives
This thesis examines the ways in which the speech of women and their interaction with men contribute to the ethical framework of Plutarch’s Roman Lives. In particular, it explores the significant features shared by the ... -
The Roles of Geographical Concepts in the Construction of Ancient Greek Ethno-cultural Identities, from Homer to Herodotus: An Analysis of the Continents and the Mediterranean Sea
The main objective of the thesis is to investigate and explain the roles that concepts of geographical space played in the construction of ancient Greek ethno-cultural identities, from Homer to Herodotus. I focus specifically ... -
Politics and Priesthoods in Late Republican Rome
This thesis examines the influence of the two major priestly colleges in late republican Rome, the pontificate and the augurate, and aims to explain why membership was valued so highly by members of the Roman élite. ... -
Representations and Receptions of Scipio Africanus from the Second Century BCE to the Present
This dissertation catalogues the numerous representations of the elder Scipio Africanus from Roman times to the present day. Chapter one provides a brief analysis of the ancient sources relevant to his life. The biography ... -
Jewels or Dreams? The Jewellery of the Fayum Portraits.
The Fayum Portraits are a collection of bust-style painted images from Roman Egypt dated to the first centuries of the first millennium AD. This thesis first considered the history and necessity of encaustic portraiture. ... -
Aspects of the Moon in Ancient Egypt, the Near East and Greece
This study discusses the various perceptions of the Moon in pre-Hellenistic Egypt, the Bronze Age Near East, and Archaic and Classical Greece. It covers diverse aspects of these cultures including mythology, cult practice, ...