Akroterion

XENOPHANES’ EPISTEMOLOGY: EMPIRICIST, GLOBAL SKEPTIC, OR BOTH?

2024-03-19T07:36:07+00:00

In this paper, I consider two interpretations of Xenophanes’ epistemology – that he is an empiricist and that he is a global skeptic. I argue that two these interpretations are not mutually exclusive, and that Xenophanes should, in fact, be thought of as both an empiricist and a global skeptic.

TOWARDS A CULTURAL VICTIMOLOGY OF ATTIC TRAGEDY: EPITHETS OF MISERY IN EURIPIDES’ HECUBA

2024-04-02T07:33:30+00:00

In recent scholarship, characters in Attic tragedies are often described as victims. Modern audiences may be familiar with the word ‘victim’, but victimological studies have shown that the notion of victimhood, the recognition of a person as a victim, is culturally and historically contingent. As a step towards a cultural victimology of Attic tragedy, this article posits that epithets of misery are markers of the undeserved and unjust suffering which often serves as a foundation for the development of victimhood. In order to illustrate how an analysis of epithets of misery can contribute to a victimological reading of an ancient text, the article discusses the use of these epithets in Euripides’ Hecuba, the extant Attic tragedy with the highest number of occurrences of such epithets.

ROMAN BIRTHDAYS IN THE ELEGIAC STORY-WORLD

2024-04-02T07:33:54+00:00

The article analyses private Roman birthday parties as they are represented in Augustan poetry, to discuss to what extent literary texts from the Augustan period can be trusted as sources revealing historical Realien. It revisits some of our knowledge regarding these celebrations and is especially interested in those birthday rituals referenced in the poems and considered private birthdays. The article makes interpretative remarks on poems where this historical knowledge contributes to our understanding of the poems as literary artworks, but since a large number of poems are covered, no in-depth analysis is attempted.

NOTES ON THE TEXT OF SUETONIUS DIVUS IULIUS

2024-04-02T07:34:13+00:00

The article makes critical comments on and proposes alternative readings to Kaster’s 2016 edition of Suetonius’ Divus Iulius.

NO ‘GREAT’ FLAVIAN WOMEN? PROCESSES OF SILENCING IN ANCIENT SOURCES AND (EARLY) MODERN SCHOLARSHIP

2024-04-02T07:34:33+00:00

Researchers routinely stress that, compared to the Julian-Claudian period, the Flavian period had no ‘great women’. But what do these researchers mean by ‘greatness’? This contribution examines processes of inclusion and exclusion of women in ancient, early modern and modern historical narratives about the Flavian period. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks advanced by Linda Nochlin and Michel-Rolph Trouillot, the article argues for more complex and more diverse grand narratives about Flavian women: instead of continuing the practice of making these women ‘invisible’, we would gain more by focusing on the subtleties of the act of silencing in both past and present.

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS OF POXY. 9.1220 (THIRD CENTURY AD)

2024-04-02T07:34:56+00:00

This article discusses the content of the private letter POxy. 9.1220, which provides information about the behaviour of hippopotamuses in the Nile region. The existence of the wild mammal in Oxyrhynchus is probably related to Thoeris’ cult in that city, while its occurrence in the text relates to its habit of raiding farm crops. This interpretation is supported by literary sources, but also by the sense of the verb ἀφανίζω, used to describe the animal’s behaviour, in current lexica of ancient Greek. Additionally, an examination of textual variants of the fragment dealing with the hippopotamus’ behaviour supports this interpretation and provides insights into animal-human interrelationship in Roman Egypt.

BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES: EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY OF POETRY AND ART IN MOSCHUS’ EUROPA

2024-04-02T07:35:16+00:00

Moschus’ Europa demonstrates a sophisticated use of descriptive language that blurs the boundaries between ekphrasis and narrative. In the ekphrasis of Europa’s basket, Moschus brings movement to the static artwork, giving it a more significant role in the overall frame narrative. On the other hand, he freezes scenes in the frame narrative (I focus on the meadow and Zeus as a bull) and, through vivid description, affords the reader the sensation of viewing works of art. By using these techniques, Moschus acknowledges poetry’s artifice and profoundly enriches engagement with the text on aesthetic and interpretive levels.

CASA TRANSLATION PRIZE 2023

2024-04-02T07:35:33+00:00

As an undergraduate at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, I wrote this translation of Catullus’ Carmen 27 for amusement.