Conquest, Control, and Interconnections: The History of the Roman Empire

Course Description

Spanning from Britain to Iraq, the Roman Empire connected vast areas and different cultures in a time before the internet, telephones, or mass media. How did the Romans gain such an Empire, how did they govern it, and ultimately why did it fall? This course examines the history of the Roman Empire and considers the unique social, cultural, and political concerns of an imperial world.

There will be an overlapping set of questions that will be the focus of the course:

1. What is the nature of Empire? This is a broader theme that will form the methodological and theoretical basis of the historical questions being asked. In this sense, the course contributes greatly to the students’ understanding of how historians approach complex questions. For this reason, the course is a benefit for students interested in any historical field or period.
2. How did the Romans acquire, govern, and lose their Empire? These are the specific questions that will be examined throughout the course. Here, there will be a focus on the ‘techniques of the Ancient Historian.’ Students will look at primary sources from antiquity (including, texts, archaeology, coins, and inscriptions) and learn about the particular challenges facing Ancient Historians, such as, "How can we use small bits of lots of different types of evidence to fill in a more complete historical picture?” In the process, students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

These learning goals will be achieved through lecture, discussion, and “practical skills” units that are mini workshops on different techniques used by historians who study the Ancient World (e.g. “What information can an ancient inscription tell us?”).

The two goals most important for the course are reading critically and gaining a realistic knowledge of how historians, and other scholars, actually use data to form larger arguments about the past. The first of these will be achieved through daily assigned reading of both modern and ancient texts, as well as the active discussion of those texts. The students will, throughout the course, take turns at presenting the readings (probably in small groups) and will be required to come up with discussion questions for the rest of the class. The second goal will be achieved through the mini workshops on techniques used by historians and through the continual focus on the "facts behind the arguments" of secondary readings.

Gods and Mortals: Athens, Rome, Jerusalem

Course Description

Ancient texts are filled with deities, humans, and everything in between. What makes a god a god, and what makes a human a human? Where do they come from? How should they act? How do we, as humans, become more like the gods? In this course, we will look at a variety of ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish texts to see how writers in the ancient world answered these questions. Some of the literature we survey may seem familiar--but the answers it holds will be surprising.

This course will focus on ideas about gods and humanity in ancient religion (specifically Greek, Roman, and Judaeo-Christian, although we will also examine some lesser-known texts from Manichaean and Zoroastrian authors). It is designed to look in depth at what important texts and thinkers from the ancient Mediterranean world have to say about where humans come from, how they relate to the gods (or God), and how both should act and live. We will also look at the process of trying to become "like" the divine, a practice that looks strikingly different from how we might conceive of it today (and surprisingly similar across many traditions). In effect, this course will function as an introduction to ancient religion through the reading of important (and often well-known) myths and literature. Students will have a firm grasp of how to read these texts as sources by the end of the course, and a solid grounding in their interpretation.

We will look at these texts in their original contexts, starting with ancient Greek and Jewish creation stories, and moving through later interpretations of these texts. Foundation myths will serve as our point of embarkation, but we will cover a wide array of topics, including philosophy, worship, and how ancient authors dealt with the question of evil. The course will move through texts as diverse as Plato, Virgil, the New Testament, and the Talmud, endeavoring to contextualize each of them, and to introduce the students to a wide range of sources.

By the end of this course, students will be able to read and analyze a selection of ancient texts critically. They will be able to dissect and discuss the rhetoric of religion, humanity, and divinity that a variety of authors use, and articulate arguments about the relationship between gods and humans. Students will also be able to place these arguments historically, and articulate why it is important to read and study evidence contextually.

The Birth of Athena

I spent my summer at Brown University, at a program called... Summer at Brown.  I took two courses there: one was about comparative mythology, while the second one was about the Roman Empire.  The following essay was written for my final project for the class about comparative mythology, called the Birth of Athena.

The Birth of Athena is part of Hesiod’s Theogony.  While we do not have any written records about when the Theogony was written, we say around Hesiod’s life span in the eighth century before the Common Era.  The Theogony is the story of the birth of the universe, Titans, and Olympians.  The Birth of Athena is the story about how the goddess, Pallas Athena, came to be.  The important characters are Zeus (king of all the gods), Metis (the goddess of thought), Athena (goddess of wisdom and strategy), and Hephaestus (god of the forge).  It all started when Zeus married Metis.  However, Zeus swallowed Metis, because he feared that she would produce a child that would be stronger than him.  While in Zeus’ stomach, Metis was pregnant with Zeus’ child and gave birth to Pallas Athena.  This caused Zeus to have a massive headache.  He screamed with such pain, that he needed Hephaestus to crack open Zeus’ skull with his hammer and chisel.  At that moment, Athena burst out of Zeus’ head with her armor.  This was when Athena became part of the Olympians.

            The Birth of Athena shows that gods are very similar to humans.   In Hesoid’s Theogony, Zeus is described to have “seized her [Metis] with his hands and put her in his belly, for fear that she might bring forth something stronger than his thunderbolt”.  This statement describes Zeus swallowing Metis, as shown by the phrase, “put[ting] her in his belly”.  The statement also suggests that Zeus was afraid that Metis’ offspring would be stronger than him, as shown by the phrase, “for fear that she might bring forth something stronger than his thunderbolt”, with the thunderbolt symbolically representing Zeus.  One could point out that if the offspring was stronger than Zeus’ thunderbolt, then the offspring could match Zeus, but not destroy him.  This suggests that Zeus is greedy and wants all the power to himself, which could be true.  While one theory suggests that Zeus was afraid of being overthrown, and while the other theory suggests that Zeus was afraid of finding his equal, both suggest that the gods have some human-like characteristics.  The determination to avoid fate, shows up in many myths, such as Oedipus Rex, and the House of Atreus.  The fear of finding one who you cannot beat, is also something that humans can experience.  In short, gods are not much different from humans.  This statement is related with the entire story because Zeus’ fear of being dominated (or finding his equal) by his child led to him swallowing Metis.  This led to Athena being born inside Zeus, which led to Hephaestus cracking Zeus’ skull and Athena’s birth.  The storyteller is telling this myth to explain that while gods and humans have distinct differences, they are often similar based on their emotions that guide their actions.  One could also say that the story is about why humans think.  In my opinion, this could be true because humans have been thinking since the beginning of time, and to the Greeks, some god must have controlled their wisdom, and they created the myth to justify wisdom and strategy’s existence.  However, I feel that there is a deeper truth to this myth other than the justification of wisdom’s presence.  In conclusion, Athena’s birth, on the outside perspective, can be about why strategy and wisdom exist, but an inside theory suggests that it is meant to compare gods and humans by their emotions, and overall actions.

The line “But she [Metis] straightway conceived Pallas Athena: and the father of men and gods gave her birth by way of his head” also suggests that gods and mortals are similar.  Even though she was inside Zeus, Metis still gave birth to Athena, which can be considered miraculous since she is a goddess.  However, she is still comparable with Greek women, because she can give birth, just like mortal women.  Another way of comparing gods to mortals is the phrase, “the father of men and gods”.  This name refers to Zeus.  Mortals have fathers and mothers.  Zeus’ title suggests that gods and mortals are similar because they both have parents.  One could also say that this could also mean that not only is Zeus the father of all the gods, but of all mortals as well, which connects both gods and mortals with a common father.  In my opinion, I do not agree with this because we have evidence to suggest that Zeus was not the father of the gods, because there were deities before him who were also called gods, and maybe not the father of men, because there are many myths about the creation of humans, some not involving Zeus creating the mortals.   The phrase, “gave her birth by way of his head”, is interesting.  First, men cannot give birth, and second, no one can give birth through their head.  However, Zeus was in pain, and was in so much pain that he needed Hephaestus to crack open his skull.  Mortals also experience pain, which further compares mortals to gods.  Some say that cracking open a skull is not necessarily a birth, but I disagree.  Since men were superior to women, if they were to ever give birth, one can assume that the baby would be born from somewhere superior to a womb.  There are two reasons that Athena was born from Zeus’ head: first, the head was most important part of the body and it represented a man role in the house, and second, as the goddess of the mind, it would be proper to have her come out of Zeus’ head.  The former compares gods and mortals because both have authority over women, and are the heads of the family.

The phrase, “goddess (Athena) received that whereby she excelled in strength all the deathless less ones who dwell in Olympus, she who made the host-scaring weapon of Athena” creates another perplexing thought.  The texts says that Athena “excelled in strength”, which adds to her title as the goddess of strategy.  If men only went to war, then why would a woman be the goddess of strategy, (and to an extent, war), wearing armor?  According to Nicolle Stein, Athena was created to be a direct contrast of Ares, the god of war.  The opposite of a man, is a woman.  Also, while Ares is a god of violence, ferocity, viciousness, and hatred; Athena is a goddess of strategy and wisdom to achieve victory.  This further compares the mortals and gods by having two genders, and that men and women are direct contrasts with each other.  This connects to another idea, about Athena’s gender.  While the Greek Pantheon is ruled primarily by male, and the Greek lifestyle is a patriarchal society, it is interesting to point out that Athena is a woman.  Greek women were forced to do household work for their husbands.  They had to cook, clean, weave, and sew.  Athena is also the goddess of weaving and sewing.  Thus, demonstrating, that female goddesses have similar roles to Greek women.

In conclusion, The Birth of Athena, part of Hesiod’s Theogony, explains that while gods and mortals have some differences, they share many aspects of physical and emotional attitudes that define Greek culture.  In the story, Zeus swallows Metis to avoid having a powerful offspring.  The action can be justified by Zeus’ fear of being subjugated by his offspring, or fear of finding his equal, and therefore having to share his power.  Another fear is the fear of one’s fate.  Zeus tries to avoid his fate by swallowing Metis.  This idea shows up, not only in myths, but in our daily lives as well.  These fears are common in human society, which bonds gods and mortals through similar fears.  The story can also inform the reader that the Greeks justified their thought and wisdom through the will of Athena, and without Athena’s birth, the Greeks’ lifestyle would probably be different, because they would find another way to justify thought.  Also, even though the idea that a deity is born from another deity, while inside a third deity, is considered impossible for humans, the idea of childbirth is similar, since both goddesses and women can give birth.  Zeus’ title “father of gods and men” further unites both, by both sharing the idea of parenthood within a family, and that Zeus could be the father of both gods and mortals (which bonds both groups; this is debatable).  While men cannot give birth, let alone through their heads, the feeling of pain, is common within both groups.  Also, since men were superior to women, they idealized that if a man were to give birth, then they would give birth through the most important part of the body: the head, which symbolically represents the head of the family.  So, this compares gods and mortals because they both are patriarchal societies.  The question is raised about why Athena is the goddess of strategy.  Some say that she is the direct contrast of Ares, the god of war, as a female counterpart.  This claims that gods and mortals are similar because they both support the idea that men and women are direct contrasts.  Another question talks about Athena’s gender.  Since she is also the goddess of weaving and sewing, she is comparable with mortal women, because both weave and sew, which highlights women’s role in Greek society.  All put forth, gods and mortals have certain, similar qualities that can highlight what is important in Greek society.

Work Cited:

"Hesiod, Theogony." Hesiod, Theogony, Line 1003. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard>.

"Greek Men." Ancient for Kids and Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://greece.mrdonn.org/men.html>.

"Ancient Greece - Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum." Ancient Greece - Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/explore/exp_set.html>.

"History: Women in Ancient Greece." History: Women in Ancient Greece. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://webpage.pace.edu/nreagin/F2004WS267/AnnaCho/finalHISTORY.html>.

Stein, Nicolle. "Athena as a Female Goddess - Object Worlds in Ancient Greece - NYU Wikis." Athena as a Female Goddess - Object Worlds in Ancient Greece - NYU Wikis. Confluence, 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 21 July 2016. https://wikis.nyu.edu/display/owag/Athena+as+a+Female+Goddess.

Picture:

"That's a Headache. Even Back in 550 BCE." Digital image. Blue Ridge OB/GYN Associates. September 12, 2012. Accessed October 10, 2016. http://www.blueridgeobg.com/top-10-pregnancy-myths-595.

Guest at "So What's Your Story?" Radio Show

I had the honor to be the guest speaker at the "So What's Your Story?" radio show, with Dr. Hank Roubicek, last Thursday night..  This was my introduction:

My name is Jeremy Jason.  I’m going into 10^th Grade and I go to Awty International School.  I’m enjoying high school, and am a bit anxious to face college.  I don’t know entirely what I want to be when I grow up, but presently I think I want to be a history teacher.  I find myself a bit different from other kids, while the others play sports for extra-curricular activities, I learn Latin and study Greek and Roman history and myths.  I have always had a fascination for storytelling, and I enjoy telling and writing stories.  I like it because it takes the listeners on an enchanted joyride through a world that highlights certain values that can help us citizens of the modern world.  I personally like Greek and Roman history and myths because the heroic actions and bravery stand out and show the true nature of these stories. 

On your show, I would like to tell the Greek myth, “Theseus’ Labors”, about Theseus’ heroic actions before his encounter with the Minotaur.  In short, he goes into a forest and encounters different bandits who are known to kill travelers in weird and disgusting ways.  I find this story very relatable because this story involves Theseus as an adolescent, which is relatable because I am an adolescent.  I find that his actions symbolize an adolescent’s purpose.  I don’t mean to kill random bandits, but the idea to take action and to find out who you really are, is extremely relatable.  Adolescence is a time of questioning.  Who am I?  What am I doing here?  What will I become?  These questions lead to actions, which separates children and adults.  Theseus’ actions mold the poor child from a poor village to a hero who awaits the biggest challenges that the world fears. 

Listen to the show:

 From left to right: Jacob Reiner, Jeremy Jason, Dr. Hank Roubicek and Nicole Grady

Live!

The Labors of Theseus

Theseus needed to go to Athens to meet his father.  As he went on his journey, he realized that the path he was taking was the fastest route to Athens, but he would have to face dangerous bandits who were known for their horrendous ways of killing poor travelers who come across the forest.  Despite the risks, he decided to go forward.  The first bandit he met was a huge man with a bronze club called Periphetes.  He liked to kill his victims by hitting them on the head with his bronze club, which killed them instantly.  Theseus prepared to fight the man, and quickly dodged a blow, grabbed the club from Periphetes, and clonked him on the head instead, which killed the half-giant.  Next was Sinus, which means the pine bender.  In his garden were two trees held together by a single rope.  He tied the hands of his victim to one tree and the ankles to the other, and when he let go of the rope, his victim has been split in two.  Theseus realized the trick, and after a minute, Sinus has been split by the very same trees he used to kill others.  The next monster was called the Crommyonian Sow, which was a man-eating giant pig.  No one dared to approach it or else they would be eaten.  Theseus did not fear the monster, and with a swift move of his sword, the pig lay dead.  The fourth bandit was Sciron.  He loved to make his victims wash his feet by a cliff and push them off, and waiting for them was a giant man-eating turtle.  Theseus played along with the trick and as he was washing Sciron’s feet, he grabbed them and threw his host off the cliff.  Sciron met a “snappy” end (buh-dum bum).  Next was Cercyon.  He challenged his victims to a “friendly” wrestling match, however, he made it into a fight to the death, leaving his victims lifeless on the floor.  Theseus was pinned down, but quickly lifted Cercyon in the air and threw him on a pile of jagged rocks nearby.  Thus the end of Cercyon.  Finally, there was Procrustes, which means the stretcher.  He had a bed and offered his victims to lay in it.  Then, if the victim was too big, he would hack off bits of their body until they fit perfectly.  If they were too small, he would stretch them until they fit perfectly.  Theseus looked at Procrutes, and realized that his host was too big for the bed.  A fight ensued leaving Procrustes pinned down on the bed, and Theseus cutting him until he fit perfectly.  He gave Procrustes a taste of his own medicine.  Theseus left the forest, eventually arrived in Athens, and met his father, who was king of Athens.  There he would stay until he met his next biggest challenge: the Minotaur.

Picture: "Theseus Greek Mythology." Digital image. Quirky Berkeley. September 26, 2015. Accessed October 10, 2016. http://quirkyberkeley.com/theseus-and-his-sinking-ship/.