Sextus Propertius

In studying ancient Roman history, scholars most often look to well-known historians of the ancient civilization such as Suetonius, Livy, Caesar, Cicero and Tacitus.  In their works our understanding of ancient Rome has been enhanced in respect to politics, art, architecture and much more.  But for once I invite you to look into Rome through the eyes of Sextus Propertius, an elegiac love poet who wrote his Elegies I-IV under the reign of Augustus.

Propertius is estimated to have lived from around 55 to 16 BC.  The Elegies I-IV are four books of elegiac poems written about his lover, Cynthia.  While the content of the poems rarely shift away from Cynthia and the characteristics of love, in a very short poem in Elegies II he addresses Cynthia, telling her why he was so late to visit her.  Propertius indicates that he was delayed by watching the opening of the portico of the temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill.  His description is short, but one advantage to reading his poem is that it indeed very elegant with some beautiful visual imagery.  Here is a rough English translation by A.S. Kline:

“You ask why I came so late? Phoebus’s gold colonnade was opened today by mighty Caesar; such a great sight, adorned with columns from Carthage, and between them the crowd of old Danaus’s daughters. There in the midst, the temple reared in bright marble, dearer to Phoebus than his Ortygian land. Right on the top were two chariots of the Sun, and the doors of Libyan ivory, beautifully done. One mourned the Gauls thrown from Parnassus’s peak, and the other the death, of Niobe, Tantalus’s daughter. Next the Pythian god himself was singing, in flowing robes, between his mother and sister. He seemed to me more beautiful than the true Phoebus, lips parted in marble song to a silent lyre. And, about the altar, stood four of Myron’s cattle, carved statues of oxen, true to life.”

 

As you can see, not much is left of the temple of Apollo in Rome but Propertius certainly provides us with a stunning description of what the portico might have looked like when it was first constructed.

Enjoy your winter break!
Scott

A Little Fun Under the Hot, Turkish Sun

Hello Friends!

Your VP here - writing you for the first time! For those of you who may not know me, my name is Elif. I'm a senior at DePaul studying anthropology with a focus in archaeology. Therefore, this first post will be a tale of my adventures abroad last summer in the romantic world of archaeological excavations.

A little background knowledge will be helpful for this. I chose a field school in Turkey for a few key reasons. First off, I am a first generation Turk - both of my parents were born in Turkey, whereas I was born here in the states. I speak fluent Turkish so any language barriers that accompany foreign travels was not a concern, although language barriers are also fun. The site I visited is Antiochia ad Cragum, which is Latin for Little Antioch on the Rocks (glad to see those two years of Latin I took are benefitting me). It is located along the southern coastline and on a good day, we could see as far across the sea as Cyprus. I was a little spoiled in that my best friend, and roommate, Kelly McHugh (a member of DCC) went with me. Finally, I was already planning to go to Turkey over the summer, as I often do, to visit family and attend my cousin's wedding.

Here is a map to give you an idea of where the site is located.

For those of you who are interesting in attending a field school and might want to frolic in the dirt, I found my field school amongst many others at the Archaeological Institute of America's field school search engine. It's a wonderful tool and you can search according to country or your desired era. Here is the link for the Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin.

The main reason why I chose this particular field school is because the site dates to the Roman Imperial/Early Byzantine era. There were numerous attraction points going off of that. The site boasts the largest Roman mosaic in Turkey, wonderful inscriptions, a fully excavated temple, a bathhouse, city gates, and so much more it would make your head spin. After spending some time there, the participants and I all came to realize how rich the surrounding area is. We were located along the slopes of the Taurus mountain range and each visible mountaintop had some wonderful archaeological treasure waiting to be excavated.

We were quite spoiled in that we were staying in a sports center used by the local soccer team that is vacant during the summers. We had rooms with about 4 individuals each and an air conditioning unit in each room - you have no idea how lucky we were to have such a valuable commodity. The team consisted of American students and Turkish students from Atatürk University. Interesting fact, in order for a foreign team to engage in archaeological work in Turkey, there must be a Turkish team present. The hosting American institution is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under the direction of Dr. Michael Hoff.

So now to get to the fun stuff. First off, the site was awesome and the people on the project were amazing. It was well worth getting up at 5 am every weekday. Mind you, that is saying something for me because I am not a morning person - James, our main blogger, can attest to that. We would get up at 5 am, sleepily board the bus at 5:30 am, get on site by 6 am, eat breakfast as a group, then get working around 6:30-6:45 am.

Breakfast time - bring on the bread and jam.

So on a regular day, you start off by taking your levels. We were in a 4x4 m unit on top of the mound that was thought to be the site of a temple.

My lovely trench partner, Monica, taking levels.

Then you dig with your trowels and picks, fill up buckets of dirt, transfer the buckets into a wheelbarrow, wheel the dirt over to the dirt mound, climb the slope of doom, then dump it and repeat.

Meltem, my other trench partner, pointing out our friend on top of the pile of dirt.

Dig, dig, dig. In 5 cm layers. Which, I might add, is very hard to do when your trench is featureless so you are literally just digging 4x4 m slices of dirt that is only 5 cm in depth. After about 3 levels of this, Monica, Meltem and I were getting very discouraged because we had nothing.

Begin to lose all hope.

Then... something amazing happened. Let me preface this part of the story with an important mini story. We had been on site each day for just over 2 weeks and nowhere in between 7 am and 1 pm (lunch time) did I ever need to use the bathroom. I was, indeed, drinking water, and lots of it. But when temperatures are lingering above 100 degrees on any given day, you tend to sweat it all out. On the one day that I decided to trek back up to the dig house from the excavation area to use the bathroom, Monica finds this:

A mosaic floor!

We struck proverbial gold! Our flat, featureless trench that caused us nothing but shame and misery yielded an amazing discovery that just about made me pee my pants from excitement. When I was nonchalantly walking back to the trench after using the bathroom that morning, not knowing what Monica had stumbled upon, I found a group gathered around my trench. "Huh, that's odd... what's going on?" I thought. Then Monica, being the lovely, delicate lady that she is yells at me "ELIF, get your ass over here!" I ran so fast I nearly tripped over a root.

Brushing off the mosaic. The colors are awash in brown due to centuries under the dirt.

From there on out, I never wanted to leave our trench. Not for lunch even at the end of the work day. That mosaic became the reason I woke up every morning with a smile on my face for, most likely, the first and last extent of time in my life. After uncovering about half of our mosaic, the trench adjacent to us uncovered the other half. In the second session, after I had left the site, the surrounding border was opened up and excavated as well for the mosaic stretched beyond our two trenches. The walls of the temple foundation had also been uncovered and we had a pretty good idea of the dimensions that we were working with all in all. After the mosaic was uncovered, conservation work began immediately to resuscitate the tesserae back to life and preserve its state. We had to be very careful not to knock out any more pieces than were already dislodged. The damage that we saw on the mosaic was most likely due to time but also could be the work of radical Christians, according to Dr. Hoff.

Conservation work is very meticulous and requires a careful hand.

The directing archaeologists were estimating our mosaic to date to the late 2nd - early 3rd centuries. More research needs to be done and more artifacts need to be found in order to solidify the numbers. Dr. Hoff also mentioned the need for more research to be done on how mosaic floors relate to temple architecture for this is not a common phenomena. I am currently working on a research project that is based off of this site and the work I did there. The mosaic that we found is the second mosaic on site. The first mosaic was found outside the bathhouse and that is the one that I referred to as the largest Roman mosaic in Turkey.

This is only half of the bathhouse mosaic.

Another important find from this past summer's season is the life-size head of the goddess Aphrodite - the first example of a monumental statue at this site.

Aphrodite: "Hey, girl, hey!"

However, I am very impartial to my mosaic and I think it's the most wonderful piece of ancient history at Antiochia ad Cragum. Here are some pictures to steer you towards agreeing with me on this.

Conservation work.

In all its glory - the temple floor mosaic.

The single most beautiful photograph displaying the gorgeous colors and the intricate detail along the border.

All I can really say to sum up this experience is that it was life altering, monumental, amazing, and it will forever be seared in my brain as the most exciting thing I have done thus far. I would need to spend another 20 paragraphs to cover the amazing people that I met on site and how I made such wonderful, life-long friendships while I was in Turkey. However, this post is not the place because I have said so much already. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments on archaeological fieldwork, this site, or anything related: elifsenturk@yahoo.com.

To finish, I will leave you with a collection of photographs from the field school that I think are worth a glance. At the very end is a YouTube video from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that showcases this past season and the uncovering of our mosaic. Thanks for taking the time to read folks. I hope I have stirred an excitement in your hearts and that you will consider participating in an archaeological excavation someday!

Break time is nap time.

Afternoon swim in a beautiful cove along the Mediterranean? Yes please.

Most important thing to do - celebrate your discovery!

YouTube Video: UNL archaeological team unearths giant Roman mosaic in southern Turkey

Engineering an Empire

As many of us know, the History Channel has become a little too focused (in this writer's humble opinion) on more recent history and whether Jesus Christ is on his way back to Earth after catching a ride with ancient aliens and carting the formal apocalypse in his back pocket. However, there was a time when the History Channel did some truly amazing work, work that was as insightful as it was dazzling to watch.

Between 2005 and 2007, History televised easily one of their greatest endeavors celebrating the ancient world, "Engineering an Empire." The series, hosted by Peter Weller (aka Robocop), actually achieved the History Channel's mantra by bringing "the past alive" through computer generated simulations of the structures built by such greats as the Persians, Egyptians, Carthaginians, and, of course, the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. The series consulted legitimate scholars from around the globe to ensure academic authenticity and to lend credence to the show's claims. Overall, the series was, and frankly still is, one of the best programs of its class to date.

Posted below are complete episodes from Youtube featuring the Persian, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine empires. The series is far larger than these five episodes, but the complete series (14 episodes plus additional footage) can be found for as little as $25 on Amazon.

Enjoy!




The Persians

The Carthaginians

The Greeks

The Romans

The Byzantines

Forgotten Women of Early Christianity

Women have never truly been afforded the respect they are entitled to for the many contributions they have made to history. Sure, we have great names such as Cleopatra, Dido, Helena, Elizabeth, or Michelle to consider, but these women either held or hold tremendous power and cannot be counted upon to act as a solid representation of the sex as a whole.

The real foundation of history lies squarely on the shoulders of the "lesser" women, the unsung heroines who helped tend farms, silently ran governments, and introduced and supported the implementation of new religious beliefs.

Whether you're a fan of Christianity or not, the fact remains that this juggernaut of a religion would not have survived nor thrived if it weren't for its female followers. Yet, it's traditionally the men in history that get all of the credit (*think Constantine vs. Helena's discovery of the True Cross) for moving Christianity forward and settling new frontiers. However, Professor Kate Cooper of the University of Manchester has given rise to a new understanding of the role women played in the early days of Christianity and she illustrates just how powerful the "simple"woman truly was.


Article Link: Forgotten Women of Early Christianity

6th century mosaic of women at the tomb of Christ, Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna

The School Year Fast Approacheth

It's hard to believe, but the 2013-2014 school year is fast approaching and our summer is drawing to a close. In about 3 weeks we return to the daily grind of term papers, midterms, research, and banging our heads against the wall in perfect unison. However, don't let the "school blues" get you down; take a great Classics focused class instead!

This Autumn, the Departments of Modern Language (our parent department), History, Religious Studies, and Philosophy are offering classes dedicated specifically to the Classical World and Antiquity.

Here are a few offered this Autumn that still have space available:

MOL 211- Heroes and Epics, Professor Byros
MOL 212- Classical Tragedy, Professor Shellko
HST 285- Rome: Augustus to Constantine, Professor Miller
HST 296- Ancient Rome: Origins to the End of the Republic, Professor Bucking
PHL 293- Ancient Philosophy, Professor White
REL 237- Gods in the Roman Empire, Professor Mount
GRK 101- Basic Classical Greek, Professor Shellko
LAT 101- Basic Latin, Professor Shellko

Finally, did you know that DePaul has a Classical Studies minor? If not, we do! Speak to your advisor about becoming a minor in this fascinating field.

Already a Classical Studies minor? If so, all of the above courses help fulfill your 5 class general requirement for graduation. Remember, you must also complete at least 3 quarters of either Greek or Latin -in addition to the 5 general classes- in order to graduate with a Classical Studies minor.


Have a great school year and welcome back to DePaul!

The Ancient World Through the Modern Lens

For many of us, traveling abroad and exploring the great historic sites of the classical world is a dream we all hope to make a reality someday. Once great cities such as Caesarea, Ephesus, Apamea, and Leptis Magna beckon us to visit their ancient streets and ruined structures.

While I wish I could transport all of us with a flick of my magical caduceus, I appear to be fresh out of magic...or perhaps I've annoyed the gods. At any rate, we're all pretty much stuck right where we are. However, through the magic that is YouTube, a short jaunt to Antiquity's great sites is somewhat possible, provided you pretend a little and put your face really close to your computer screen.


Caesarea, Israel- Roman city of Herod; incredibly important harbor town; currently used as a suburban resort
Caesarea Overview



Library of Celsus
Ephesus, Turkey- One of the most crucial and important cities in Greek/Roman/Byzantine/Ottoman history
Ephesus/Efes- Tour


The Great Colonade and Roman Cardo
Apamea, Syria- Renowned center of commerce since 300 BCE
Apamea- View of Ruins


Roman Ruins of Leptis Magna, Libya- Great coastal urban center and harbor under Roman rule; believed to have been founded by Phoencians ~10th Century BCE - 7th Century CE
Leptis Magna Overview

Celebrating the Ancient World: Facebook Style

Facebook is most often associated strictly with social exchanges and photos from last night's escapades. However, did you know that there are beautiful pages dedicated to the ancient world?!

Below, please find links to Facebook pages that we believe embody our mission as an organization. We hope you love them as much as we do.


GraecoMuse- Facebook
***Also, check out the corresponding Wordpress page!
GraecoMuse- Wordpress

DivineRome- Facebook


AncientElissar (Phoenicia)- Facebook