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
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: 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
Atrocity in warfare: a social and cultural history. This project aims to investigate how and why atrocity in war is understood, questioned, and given meaning. It plans to focus on a pivotal historical moment in the conceptualisation of legitimate and excessive violence in war – the medieval crusades from c. 1095–1300 – to analyse how societies came to establish the limits of violence and why it was historically important for them to do so. The anticipated outcomes of the project are new understa ....Atrocity in warfare: a social and cultural history. This project aims to investigate how and why atrocity in war is understood, questioned, and given meaning. It plans to focus on a pivotal historical moment in the conceptualisation of legitimate and excessive violence in war – the medieval crusades from c. 1095–1300 – to analyse how societies came to establish the limits of violence and why it was historically important for them to do so. The anticipated outcomes of the project are new understanding of how and why the medieval period was crucial in the formation of ideas about the boundaries of war; new insights into how concepts of atrocity become culturally and socially important; and expansion of Australia's knowledge base in the history and conduct of war.Read moreRead less
A History of Early Modern Natural Resource Management. This project aims to analyse how early modern Europeans managed two key assets, water and forests. It expects to generate detailed knowledge of their practices and mindsets that still shape present responses to environmental challenges. It will use an innovative cultural history approach to identify and compare evidence drawn from legal, economic, scientific, literary and artistic sources. Expected outcomes include broadening how we think ab ....A History of Early Modern Natural Resource Management. This project aims to analyse how early modern Europeans managed two key assets, water and forests. It expects to generate detailed knowledge of their practices and mindsets that still shape present responses to environmental challenges. It will use an innovative cultural history approach to identify and compare evidence drawn from legal, economic, scientific, literary and artistic sources. Expected outcomes include broadening how we think about managing resources. Significant benefits include improving how we can analyse different management systems across different times and places, and high-quality early career training.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
Albrecht Dürer’s Material World – in Melbourne, Manchester and Nuremberg. This project aims to analyse prints in the world-class collection of the iconic Nuremberg artist, Albrecht Dürer, in Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, and to track their 20th-century migration as objects of civic identity from Manchester to Melbourne. A focus on Dürer’s fascination with the technology and craft of objects aims to show how his creativity was rooted in the vibrant entrepreneurial climate of Nuremberg ....Albrecht Dürer’s Material World – in Melbourne, Manchester and Nuremberg. This project aims to analyse prints in the world-class collection of the iconic Nuremberg artist, Albrecht Dürer, in Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, and to track their 20th-century migration as objects of civic identity from Manchester to Melbourne. A focus on Dürer’s fascination with the technology and craft of objects aims to show how his creativity was rooted in the vibrant entrepreneurial climate of Nuremberg c.1500 and to provide a new scholarly path for exploring the relationship between prints and material culture. Expected outcomes include major collaborative articles, an agenda-setting book, exhibitions, website, and community masterclass. These will benefit ongoing research, museums and galleries, and the broader public.Read moreRead less
The visual art of preaching in the Sistine Chapel in the fifteenth century. This project aims to take a new approach to understanding the history of the wall frescoes of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, a complex artistic program which has never been satisfactorily explained by scholars. Emphasising the interplay of oral and visual media in the period, the project seeks to demonstrate how preachers and artists shared practices and resources to construct transformative messages. The project expects ....The visual art of preaching in the Sistine Chapel in the fifteenth century. This project aims to take a new approach to understanding the history of the wall frescoes of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, a complex artistic program which has never been satisfactorily explained by scholars. Emphasising the interplay of oral and visual media in the period, the project seeks to demonstrate how preachers and artists shared practices and resources to construct transformative messages. The project expects to provide new insights into this remarkable (UNESCO) world heritage site, using an innovative methodology at the intersection of aural, visual, and performative cultures. It will expand Australia’s knowledge base in the history of religious and cultural change.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
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