Words from the sand: A lexical analysis of early Greek papyri from Egypt. The project's central outcomes will be a more systematic knowledge of the development of one of the world's three oldest continually-recorded languages, and insight into the dynamics of lexical usage in different speech communities within a multicultural context. These outcomes will maintain Australia's prominent international role in investigating the history of the Greek language over three millennia, and offer social be ....Words from the sand: A lexical analysis of early Greek papyri from Egypt. The project's central outcomes will be a more systematic knowledge of the development of one of the world's three oldest continually-recorded languages, and insight into the dynamics of lexical usage in different speech communities within a multicultural context. These outcomes will maintain Australia's prominent international role in investigating the history of the Greek language over three millennia, and offer social benefits through study of the interaction of language and social dynamics in Diaspora speech communities and multilingual societies, addressing the National Research Priority Goal of 'Understanding our region and the world' by enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its global environment.Read moreRead less
Byzantine Chronicle of Kedrenos, Translation and Commentary. Mid-East and Balkan tensions have roots in the 11th-12th centuries when Orthodox Byzantium, already under northern pressure (Slavs), became the battleground where the West (Normans, Franks, Catholic Christianity) fought the Arabs and Islam for the glittering prize: Jerusalem.
Kedrenos's massive Chronicle, from the heart of this period, is indirectly a major ideological statement. The key of intertextuality can unlock its insights in ....Byzantine Chronicle of Kedrenos, Translation and Commentary. Mid-East and Balkan tensions have roots in the 11th-12th centuries when Orthodox Byzantium, already under northern pressure (Slavs), became the battleground where the West (Normans, Franks, Catholic Christianity) fought the Arabs and Islam for the glittering prize: Jerusalem.
Kedrenos's massive Chronicle, from the heart of this period, is indirectly a major ideological statement. The key of intertextuality can unlock its insights into the genesis of current attitudes and conflicts.
The project joins a "dream team" of Australian Byzantinists (world leaders in this approach) with specialist international collaborators to produce a reliable, accessible text and reveal its relevance.
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Accounting for the Ancient Theatre: a new social and economic history of Classical Greek drama. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the Classical theatre, an institution at the fountainhead of the European tradition that continues to form a major element in Australia's cultural and historical heritage. The undertaking of such an ambitious project in this field on Australian soil will greatly enhance the international profile of Australian humanities research, and serve a ....Accounting for the Ancient Theatre: a new social and economic history of Classical Greek drama. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the Classical theatre, an institution at the fountainhead of the European tradition that continues to form a major element in Australia's cultural and historical heritage. The undertaking of such an ambitious project in this field on Australian soil will greatly enhance the international profile of Australian humanities research, and serve as a proud counterweight to the regrettable tendency that sees Australian-trained scholars conduct such research outside the country. It will have particular resonance for the prominent Italian and Greek communities in Australia in its exploration of a key element of their cultural heritage which has now also become a truly global phenomenon. Read moreRead less
Aetiana: laying foundations for the study of the history of ancient philosophy Part 2. Ancient philosophy is one of the pillars of the tradition of western thought. It has made a magnificent contribution to reflection on lasting problems in the areas of science, ethics, theory of knowledge, metaphysics and logic. The Socratic tradition of discussion on how we should live is a striking example of how ancient philosophy remains directly relevant to issues in our society today. Research that streng ....Aetiana: laying foundations for the study of the history of ancient philosophy Part 2. Ancient philosophy is one of the pillars of the tradition of western thought. It has made a magnificent contribution to reflection on lasting problems in the areas of science, ethics, theory of knowledge, metaphysics and logic. The Socratic tradition of discussion on how we should live is a striking example of how ancient philosophy remains directly relevant to issues in our society today. Research that strengthens our knowledge in this area will thus be of considerable benefit to the community. Australia will also benefit from the international scholarly cooperation and the training of younger scholars that will take place in carrying out the project.Read moreRead less
Linguistic Structures and Identity in a Multicultural Society: Idiolect and Social Dialect in the Zenon Archive. This project offers a unique insight into the linguistic facet of multiculturalism in Hellenistic Egypt. It will be the first study to combine newly developed electronic tools with existing resources in order to interpret linguistic structures and identity. The distinctive language of individuals within the speech community (idiolects) and the distinctive language of social groups wit ....Linguistic Structures and Identity in a Multicultural Society: Idiolect and Social Dialect in the Zenon Archive. This project offers a unique insight into the linguistic facet of multiculturalism in Hellenistic Egypt. It will be the first study to combine newly developed electronic tools with existing resources in order to interpret linguistic structures and identity. The distinctive language of individuals within the speech community (idiolects) and the distinctive language of social groups within that speech community (social dialects) will be analysed. The anticipated outcome will be a powerful and transferable model for interpreting individual and group identity in Greek and other languages.Read moreRead less
The Madrid Skylitzes: Electronic reproduction and international interdisciplinary study of the first illustrated history book. With its 574 miniatures, the Madrid Skylitzes is the only known illustrated Greek chronicle (and the sole source for certain periods). But is it Europe's first illustrated history book or copied from a Constantinopolitan original? Token Greek resistance to the increasing Latinization of tri-cultural Sicily or Norman propaganda to undermine Byzantine claims to the island? ....The Madrid Skylitzes: Electronic reproduction and international interdisciplinary study of the first illustrated history book. With its 574 miniatures, the Madrid Skylitzes is the only known illustrated Greek chronicle (and the sole source for certain periods). But is it Europe's first illustrated history book or copied from a Constantinopolitan original? Token Greek resistance to the increasing Latinization of tri-cultural Sicily or Norman propaganda to undermine Byzantine claims to the island?
Isolated studies have produced starkly contradictory answers. Recent cross-disciplinary investigations by an international team have yielded better results. The collaborators will apply the methods of codicology, palaeography, stylistics, art history, historiography, computational linguistics, narratology and intertextuality to elucidate this key cultural product.
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Crisis management in late antiquity: the evidence of Episcopal letters. Appropriate responses to environmental and social crises, by individuals, communities, governments, religious and charitable organisations, are increasingly under focus in the twenty-first century. Understanding the failures of past leaders as well as their successes is crucial for values-driven policy making. This project reinforces the international reputation of quality Australian research in late-antiquity studies by anc ....Crisis management in late antiquity: the evidence of Episcopal letters. Appropriate responses to environmental and social crises, by individuals, communities, governments, religious and charitable organisations, are increasingly under focus in the twenty-first century. Understanding the failures of past leaders as well as their successes is crucial for values-driven policy making. This project reinforces the international reputation of quality Australian research in late-antiquity studies by anchoring contemporary responses to management of crises such as natural disasters, climate change, population displacement, poverty, religious disputes, violence, and social abuses in their historical antecedents. The project will develop and reinforce existing links with scholars in Japan, Korea, Belgium and South Africa.Read moreRead less