Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, History

Traditionally, scholars of Classical Athenian history have assumed that the Athenian demokratia organized itself for war around the principle of egalitarianism. My dissertation, which focuses on the military contributions of the elite, marks a significant departure from this view by arguing that this is decidedly not the case. In fact, I argue that the elite were so dominant in every aspect of war-making that warfare under the demokratia was primarily an elite concern. Not only did wealthy Athenians serve more frequently in the ranks, but they did so in a larger number of capacities. The liturgies of elite citizens funded both the individual triremes and in many cases, entire military expeditions. Athenian armies and fleets were led by the most elite citizens, who also dominated debates over matters of war and peace in the ekklesia. This elite domination did not undermine the sovereignty of the demos as a whole, however, as the demos was able to keep its elite members in line due to strict accountability measures. Significantly, these accountability measures, which were vital to the demokratia, were enforced almost exclusively by the elite. This decidedly inegalitarian approach to warfare has a broader significance when it comes to understanding the very nature of demokratia itself. I argue that, when we consider both the inequalities that we see at work when the Athenians made war with better known inequalities, such as the non-inclusion of women in politics and the widespread use of slave labor, this shows that demokratia was built on different principles than modern democracy and did not share modern concerns about inequality. The broader significance of this realization, I argue, is that future studies of demokratia should be more careful about delineating the differences between demokratia and democracy before hazarding comparisons.

Committee: Greg Anderson (Advisor); Kristina Sessa (Committee Member); Anthony Kaldellis (Committee Member) Subjects: Ancient Civilizations; Ancient History; Classical Studies; Economic History; European History; History; Military History; Military Studies; Political Science; World History

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Arts and Sciences: Classics

The archaeological evidence for foodstuffs is an underappreciated topic within the field of Classics. While syntheses and narratives exist for prehistoric periods, this project foregrounds evidence for foodstuffs within an examination of animals and social change in ancient Greece. This study presents primary datasets of animal bones and teeth from three ancient Greek settlements framed in a larger narrative of changing food practices and urbanism in Greece: the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age village at Nichoria, the Archaic town at Azoria, and the urban center of Classical Athens. Classical Greek urbanism is accompanied by significant changes in the mobilization, processing, and distribution of animal resources within communities. While Homeric heroes might have feasted on heroic portions of meat, their Early Iron Age audience did not. By the Archaic period, corporate groups (cultic or civic in nature) provided meat to members in expressions of communal identity through feasting. There is a shift in how animals were processed related to the development of professional butchery. It is possible to trace the development of an urban cuisine – from textual sources, ceramic vessels, and organic remains – a meatier cuisine prepared in new ways within the Greek cityscape. Food production strategies shift from a fairly homogenous set of strategies in the Late Bronze Age to a fairly heterogenous set of strategies in the first millennium B.C. It is perhaps possible to conceive this shift as an adaptation to changing climate around this time, with heterogenous strategies a better fit for various ecological niches. These heterogenous production strategies, wherein different settlements practiced different productive strategies, perhaps contributed to an increase in connectivity in the Mediterranean. A narrative foregrounding animal bones contextualizes our understanding of ancient Greek feasting, butchery, animal husbandry, sacr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kathleen Lynch Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jack Davis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul Halstead Ph.D. (Committee Member); Antonios Kotsonas Ph.D. (Committee Member); Alan Sullivan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Archaeology

Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2015, Classics and World Religions

The Athenian playwright Euripides has often been labeled a misogynist, both by some of his contemporaries and some modern scholars. In my thesis I attempt to show that this claim is unfounded. I examine the evidence that has been brought forth by scholars for Euripides' misogynistic reputation. Then, I look closely at Euripides' works Medea, Hippolytus and Phaedra, particularly focusing on how Euripides changes the characterization of the women from myth and previous tragedies, and fashions their thoughts, feelings, and struggles to resemble those of 5th century B.C. Athenian women. A close reading of these works makes clear that Euripides was aware of tensions in Athenian society between men and women, brought about by their subordinate position to men in Athenian society, and was attempting to make his audience acknowledge and understand their struggles. He was not offering solutions for the tensions he observed, rather he was provoking his audience to question their assumptions and conceptions about women and possibly make a change in society.

Committee: Tom Carpenter Dr. (Advisor); Lynne Lancaster Dr. (Other) Subjects: Classical Studies