Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,116.00
Summary
Reforming the Roman Republic. This project aims to generate new knowledge of institutional reform in the late Roman republic and the relevance of reform as a concept in ancient Rome. By analysing how Romans spoke and wrote about reform and examining a variety of particular reform efforts, the project seeks evidence of a Roman reform discourse and reform processes capable of producing structural change. Expected outcomes include fresh understanding of republican governance and an alternative to t ....Reforming the Roman Republic. This project aims to generate new knowledge of institutional reform in the late Roman republic and the relevance of reform as a concept in ancient Rome. By analysing how Romans spoke and wrote about reform and examining a variety of particular reform efforts, the project seeks evidence of a Roman reform discourse and reform processes capable of producing structural change. Expected outcomes include fresh understanding of republican governance and an alternative to the conventional view that the republic fell because of its inability to reform itself. This project should benefit the study of Roman history and foster dialogue with interdisciplinary scholarship which has questioned the reformability of ancient societies; it thus also informs the understanding of reform in contemporary societies.Read moreRead less
Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiqu ....Dreams, Prophecy and Violence from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam. In Classical Greco-Roman society dreams or visions were sometimes understood as vehicles of divine revelation. Early Christians and Muslims developed the religious interpretation of dreams, using it to bolster the religious authority of their leaders, who laid claim to the Jewish tradition of prophets who brought messages from God. This project aims to uncover the development of dream interpretation from Classical Antiquity through early Christianity to early Islam and give an understanding of how dreams and visions were used as tools of religious control and as justification of violence against other religions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101110
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,928.00
Summary
Popular Perceptions of Roman Emperors from Augustus to Theodosius I. This project aims to examine how Roman emperors were perceived by the inhabitants of their empire, from soldiers, slaves and freedmen to senatorial aristocrats. It has two main aims: to explain the different ways in which the emperors' military, judicial, religious and moral authority was conceived, interpreted and transmitted in the Roman world; and to analyse the continuities and changes in these aspects between the first and ....Popular Perceptions of Roman Emperors from Augustus to Theodosius I. This project aims to examine how Roman emperors were perceived by the inhabitants of their empire, from soldiers, slaves and freedmen to senatorial aristocrats. It has two main aims: to explain the different ways in which the emperors' military, judicial, religious and moral authority was conceived, interpreted and transmitted in the Roman world; and to analyse the continuities and changes in these aspects between the first and fourth centuries A.D. The significance of this study lies in its demonstration that the popular reception of imperial rule is crucial to understanding how and why the institution of emperorship endured in the Roman world. This outcome will enhance scholarly and public understanding of the Roman empire.Read moreRead less
Memories of utopia: Destroying the past to create the future (300-650 CE). This project aims to examine the evidence for competing utopian ideologies in early Christianity, which was a prelude to the later clash with Islam from the seventh century onward. Evidence from pagan-Jewish-Christian conflicts in Late Antiquity (300-650 CE) shows that violent destruction of the past is not exclusive to fringe religious groups. These past conflicts are relevant for understanding the conflict in the Middle ....Memories of utopia: Destroying the past to create the future (300-650 CE). This project aims to examine the evidence for competing utopian ideologies in early Christianity, which was a prelude to the later clash with Islam from the seventh century onward. Evidence from pagan-Jewish-Christian conflicts in Late Antiquity (300-650 CE) shows that violent destruction of the past is not exclusive to fringe religious groups. These past conflicts are relevant for understanding the conflict in the Middle East, precisely because analysis of the sources shows that, in intra- and inter-religious conflicts in Late Antiquity in this same geographic region, violent destruction of the past was a propensity in mainstream religion.Read moreRead less
Negotiating religious conflict: Letters between Rome and Byzantium in the seventh century, an era of crisis. Over 1000 letters survive in Greek and Latin from 590 to the end of the seventh century, when the Byzantine empire was at war first with Persia, and then with the Arab forces united under the new faith of Islam. Bishops and Emperors of Rome and Byzantium used letters to negotiate their claims to universal and local power in the course of conflicts over religion. The project will increase ....Negotiating religious conflict: Letters between Rome and Byzantium in the seventh century, an era of crisis. Over 1000 letters survive in Greek and Latin from 590 to the end of the seventh century, when the Byzantine empire was at war first with Persia, and then with the Arab forces united under the new faith of Islam. Bishops and Emperors of Rome and Byzantium used letters to negotiate their claims to universal and local power in the course of conflicts over religion. The project will increase our understanding of the ways in which religious conflict was handled through letter-exchange in early Medieval Europe and Byzantium, and what happened when these diplomatic avenues failed. It will shed light on the question of whether the seventh century was really the beginning of the Dark Ages, or a period of cultural regeneration.Read moreRead less
The Vandal Renaissance: Latin Literature in Post-Roman Africa (435-534CE). The project aims to investigate the Latin literature of the Vandal kingdom of North Africa. It expects to identify a vibrant literary culture that celebrated multicultural diversity, embraced the Classical tradition, and contributed to Christian theology, while helping form a distinct Vandal identity. Expected outcomes include a more detailed understanding of the intellectual influences on Vandal African authors, the mech ....The Vandal Renaissance: Latin Literature in Post-Roman Africa (435-534CE). The project aims to investigate the Latin literature of the Vandal kingdom of North Africa. It expects to identify a vibrant literary culture that celebrated multicultural diversity, embraced the Classical tradition, and contributed to Christian theology, while helping form a distinct Vandal identity. Expected outcomes include a more detailed understanding of the intellectual influences on Vandal African authors, the mechanics of Vandal court patronage, and the breadth of these authors' contribution to the history of Latin literature. The project will benefit Australian culture by providing a detailed historical example of the benefits and challenges of a multicultural society.Read moreRead less
From Where the Fine Warships Come: Democratic Athens at War . This project aims to transform our understanding of classical Athens. This Greek state is famous for developing democracy to an extremely high level and for being the leading cultural innovator of classical Greece. Less well known is the dark side of this success story. Athens revolutionised warfare, killing tens of thousands of combatants and civilians. There is a good case that democracy itself sustained this military record. But th ....From Where the Fine Warships Come: Democratic Athens at War . This project aims to transform our understanding of classical Athens. This Greek state is famous for developing democracy to an extremely high level and for being the leading cultural innovator of classical Greece. Less well known is the dark side of this success story. Athens revolutionised warfare, killing tens of thousands of combatants and civilians. There is a good case that democracy itself sustained this military record. But this case has hardly ever been studied. By filling this big gap in our knowledge this project will be highly significant. It will massively increase capacities in research training and international collaboration. The benefits will include new ideas for better understanding the wars that democracies wage today. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101539
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$382,983.00
Summary
Religious belief and Social cohesion. This project aims to investigate the role of religious belief and educational training in the formation of a person's sense of self in society, leading to either social harmony or conflict. It does so by examining a moment of tension in late antique Alexandria to understand the processes that transformed classical antiquity into Byzantine Christendom. This historical analysis will provide Australians with a more multi-faceted understanding of the sources of ....Religious belief and Social cohesion. This project aims to investigate the role of religious belief and educational training in the formation of a person's sense of self in society, leading to either social harmony or conflict. It does so by examining a moment of tension in late antique Alexandria to understand the processes that transformed classical antiquity into Byzantine Christendom. This historical analysis will provide Australians with a more multi-faceted understanding of the sources of Australian culture, so that they can better understand their heritage to promote social cohesion.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101577
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,362.00
Summary
Like frogs around a pond: Maritime Religion and Seafaring Gods of Ancient Greek Culture. Maritime religion is an important but overlooked factor in ancient Greek culture. Cults of seafaring gods throughout classical antiquity included rituals of embarkation, prayers at sea and offerings for a safe arrival, all of which contributed to establishing and maintaining a collective Greek cultural identity around the Mediterranean Sea. This project aims to assemble both textual and archaeological eviden ....Like frogs around a pond: Maritime Religion and Seafaring Gods of Ancient Greek Culture. Maritime religion is an important but overlooked factor in ancient Greek culture. Cults of seafaring gods throughout classical antiquity included rituals of embarkation, prayers at sea and offerings for a safe arrival, all of which contributed to establishing and maintaining a collective Greek cultural identity around the Mediterranean Sea. This project aims to assemble both textual and archaeological evidence for ancient Greek maritime religion; to explore the significance of cults of seafaring gods for ancient Greek ethnic identity, migration and colonisation; and to contextualise ancient Greek maritime religion with comparable modern customs.Read moreRead less