Category: Coming Soon

Ariadne and the Labyrinth

By Sarah H. Blake

A winding path through the darkness or a metaphor for self-discovery? Or both? This module goes deep into the Labyrinth as an over-abundant symbol in myth and traces its diverse interpretive history. We also explore the mythical figure of Ariadne and her connections to the Labyrinth.

Coming Soon, Reception

The Amazons

By Jody Valentine

With hundreds of Greek pots and many textual references depicting the Amazons, yet with no direct or verifiable information available, surviving evidence for these famed ancient female warriors requires careful scrutiny and critical inquiry. This module presents an intersectional feminist approach that illuminates how misogyny and ethnic othering dovetail in ancient Greek visual and textual accounts of the Amazons.

Coming Soon

Gender in Roman Civic Identity

By Kimiko Adler & Skylar Masuda

Examining Gender in Roman Civic Identity: Depictions of Cities and Provinces in Roman Art considers the iconography of geography in the Roman Mediterranean. In this module, students will explore three main questions: How were provinces, cities, and geographic features represented in public spaces across the Roman Mediterranean? What role does gender play in the geographic personifications? How does gender intersect with broader ideals of Roman imperialism (and conquest), peace, and prosperity?

The base module will center its lesson on examples from Roman sculpture, particularly from the Temple of Hadrian at Rome and the Basileon at Aphrodisias. In the “Further Exploration” section, we also provide secondary scholarship and additional examples, resources available for a student intending to expand upon the module in a research project.

Coming Soon

Menander’s Samia

By DEVON HARLOW
3rd c. AD mosaic panel from the House of Menander in Mytilene, Lesbos, showing a scene from the 3rd act of Menander's Samia (Girl from Samos). W.G. Arnott, Menander vol. 3 (Loeb), p. 4-5: The scene ... portrays the moment when Demeas expels Chrysis and the baby from his house before the apparently puzzled gaze of the cook (cf. lines 369ff. of the play). Demeas ... wears a long cloak decorated with double-axe motifs; his left hand holds a stick and his right arm is raised aggressively in the direction of Chrysis ... who stands on his right. She is richly attired in atunic and gown of many colours, nestles the baby in her left arm and looks slightly to her left. On Demeas' left stands the cook (Mageiros inscribed on his left), portrayed with a remarkably dark face and four dreadlocks on each side dropping over his shoulders. Demeas' age is emphasised by white hair and beard and wrinkles on his face. Standard ed.: S. Charitonidis, L. Kahil, R. Ginouvs, Les Mosa•ques de la Maison du MŽnandre ˆ Mytilene (Antike Kunst, Beiheft 6, Berne 1970), 38-41 and colour plate 4. TBL Webster, Monuments Illustrating New Comedy (3rd ed. revised and enlarged by J.R. Green and A. Seeberg, London 1995), I.93 (XZ 31) and II.469 (6DM 2.2); L. Berczelly, BICS 35 (1988) 119-27.

Menander’s Samia can be a jumping off point for many potential discussions about Athenian cultural and/or political context. This module offers two potential areas for investigation:

a. Sex work and The Samia

b. Ancient Athenian Laws about sexual assault and The Samia

Coming Soon