This article offers the first complete survey of aunts (amitae
and materterae) in the Latin epigr... more This article offers the first complete survey of aunts (amitae and materterae) in the Latin epigraphical dossier. All 94 inscriptions are listed and commented on, as they offer the potential for intriguing case stories. The set of data is not only used to ask questions about consistent use of terminology, geographical distribution, ages, and patterns of commemoration. The material is also studied in the broader context of the demography of the Roman family, of Greek and Latin family terminology, literary sources, law, papyrology and Greek epigraphy. In the conclusion, this study asks broader questions about the study of the Roman family, and how it relates to questions as Romanisation and modes of funerary expression.
Nello Martinelli (1889-1976) is one of the most gifted Neo-Latin poets, with some distinguished r... more Nello Martinelli (1889-1976) is one of the most gifted Neo-Latin poets, with some distinguished rewards at the Certamen Hoeufftianum in Amsterdam. Yet, not many of his poems have received scholarly attention. In this chapter, I study his Drusus III, about Emperor Tiberius' nephew, son of Germanicus, who died a most unfortunate death in a Roman prison.
Another chapter in the thrilling history of Latin periodicals of the twentieth century, focusing ... more Another chapter in the thrilling history of Latin periodicals of the twentieth century, focusing on Malta and the Italian Latinist Alfredo Bartoli.
This paper deals with the “Transalpine Dream” (Somnium Transalpinum) that appeared in seven episo... more This paper deals with the “Transalpine Dream” (Somnium Transalpinum) that appeared in seven episodes in the Alaudae from 1890 to 1893. The Dream reads like a pamphlet to introduce Latin as the common language of the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I present and translate several fragments of this Dream, and contextualise various elements of it. I will study how the different arguments adduced in favour of Latin as an international language relate to or differ from other contemporary projects that served a similar purpose. In the digressions on neologisms, the text also reveals Ulrichs’ thoughts on how Latin can be adapted to the modern world. I also highlight possible political or religious backgrounds that played a role. Finally, the role of Latin will be compared with similar projects that aimed at the establishment of one common international language. I also want to bring the question of Latin as an international means of communication into broader discussions about European intellectual history.
This paper asks whether Graeco-Roman culture bears any traces of voluntary indulging in pain and ... more This paper asks whether Graeco-Roman culture bears any traces of voluntary indulging in pain and punishment as a form of sexual game. In order to answer such a question, the context of slavery and the use of violence in education needs to be acknowledged first. After this, I look for traces in ceremonies, iconography,love poetry, and role playing by children. More than a century ago, scholars had already tried to identify sado-masochism in Antiquity. Though such is surely an anachronistic approach, a careful inquiry of pain and reversal of roles reveals vital features of ancient society.
This essay fits in the tradition of writing fictional life stories according to the bioarchaeolog... more This essay fits in the tradition of writing fictional life stories according to the bioarchaeology of personhood model, with much attention for objects, care and anthropological comparison. As a starting point, it takes recent excavations at Ostia and environs. Ever since the nineteenth century, both writers and historians have tried to come closer to the voices of the past by writing faction. This is, however, the first attempt to bring disabled persons from the Roman period to life. The essay tries to do do justice to the multifaceted experiences of disabled people, who were never categorized as such in the ancient world.
This article for the first time systematically studies the surviving material from the oracle of ... more This article for the first time systematically studies the surviving material from the oracle of Dodona for the subject of life course. It combines a quantitative approach-with special attention to vocabulary and terminology-with a careful selection of some telling and revealing instances of inscriptions that are translated and commented upon. In all, this study covers what is probably the best available random sample to imagine if not recreate the rich diversity of a population's concerns in Graeco-Roman Antiquity.
Arctos has been published since 1954, annually from vol. 8 (1974). Arctos welcomes submissions de... more Arctos has been published since 1954, annually from vol. 8 (1974). Arctos welcomes submissions dealing with any aspect of classical antiquity, and the reception of ancient cultures in mediaeval times and beyond. Arctos presents research articles and short notes in the fields of Greek and Latin languages, literatures, ancient history, philosophy, religions, archaeology, art, and society. Each volume also contains reviews of recent books. The website is at www.journal.fi/arctos.
Based on fi ve case stories, this article deals with the relation between power and infi rmity in... more Based on fi ve case stories, this article deals with the relation between power and infi rmity in the Byzantine empire. It appears that to deal with imperial imperfection practical solutions were often preferred. The idea that a healthy state needed a strong emperor was thus to a certain degree negotiable. At the same time, this study explores the subject of disability and Byzantine emperors. Accusations of impairment often were fluid and rhetorical. Though the anecdotal character of the evidence presents us with real-life evidence on living with a disability, it is primarily the rhetorical and metaphorical aspect that needs to be taken into account.
Historians of the pre-modern period mostly come up with early Islamic society as the 'true' inven... more Historians of the pre-modern period mostly come up with early Islamic society as the 'true' inventor of mental asylums. To Michel Foucault, it was the rational response of the Age of Enlightenment that separated the mad completely from society. This paper argues that the famous quest for the prima causa has led historians to not seeing more fundamental issues: what was really going on in hospitals, or the profound impact of demonology and possession in different cultures alike. Moreover, I argue that the roots of the existential approach towards the mentally challenged at least go back to Late Antiquity: the miracles performed by Jesus, and subsequently by the saints, caused certain categories of disabilities to become more established and canonized than others.
This is my third journal article on multilingual contacts, this time bringing me and the readers ... more This is my third journal article on multilingual contacts, this time bringing me and the readers to the fascinating New World, where such multilingual encounters are described in great detail by missionaries. This article, of which you find the proofs, is published in Vox Latina, a wonderful journal that only publishes scholarly work in Latin. As this pdf contains the last proofs, page numbers in the publication itself are different, though the lay-out has remained the same.
This article is meant as a response to the extended review article by Jewell, E. (2016) 'Another ... more This article is meant as a response to the extended review article by Jewell, E. (2016) 'Another social history of Roman "youth", with questions about its restlessness', Journal of Roman Archaeology 29: 642-50. It also takes the opportunity to suggest new approaches and ways for studying youth in Antiquity.
In this contribution, I attempt to bring a thorough compilation of both the literary and the epig... more In this contribution, I attempt to bring a thorough compilation of both the literary and the epigraphic sources on educators in Late Antiquity. For the latter sources, the focus will be on the rich inscriptional evidence from the City of Rome. Professional, usually servile, educators were common in elite and (upper)-middle class households of the Principate. This changed in Late Antiquity when households instead relied mainly on family members as educators. However, this fundamental change in hierarchical values of the honourable Roman society is never attested explicitly in the ancient records. There are some indications in the works of literary writers, but the inscriptions cannot be used to prove this change statistically. Still, the change must have been profound : educational tasks, which were in the mind-set of a Roman family members so much linked with servile labour, became more entrusted to other family members. It is only by looking at the wider context that we can catch a glimpse of how fundamentally things might have changed for educators and the families which made use of their services. Ideas of social hierarchy still existed in Late Antiquity, and so there still were slave educators. However, by the late sixth century, all this was embedded in a society which would have been hardly recognisable by those who lived there two centuries before.
SUMMARY WRITING THE HISTORY OF FATNESS AND THINNESS IN GRAECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY Fatness and thinnes... more SUMMARY WRITING THE HISTORY OF FATNESS AND THINNESS IN GRAECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY Fatness and thinness has been a much underexploited topic in the study of classical Antiquity. After carefully analyzing the Greek and Roman vocabulary to denote the matter, I catalogue information on concrete instances of persons who were considered to have suffered from overweight, or emaciation. On a second level, I deal with popular mentality regarding overweight or thinness. Thirdly, medical and/or philosophical theory regarding weight problems are studied. In this, the moral discourse linking obesity with gluttony or weakness and avarice with underweight will be studied. I will also ask whether changed Christian attitudes towards the body and bodily functions lead to new concepts regarding the matter. For these different levels of questions, I take into account concepts of disability history, asking whether the obviously impairing factors of excess weight or the opposite of it lead to social disfunctionality, hindering people from important social functions and subjecting them to social stigma.
After five years, this article is now open for online-access. I hope historians of ancient childh... more After five years, this article is now open for online-access. I hope historians of ancient childhood will benefit from the archaeological data mentioned, and usefully integrate them into their research.
This article offers the first complete survey of aunts (amitae
and materterae) in the Latin epigr... more This article offers the first complete survey of aunts (amitae and materterae) in the Latin epigraphical dossier. All 94 inscriptions are listed and commented on, as they offer the potential for intriguing case stories. The set of data is not only used to ask questions about consistent use of terminology, geographical distribution, ages, and patterns of commemoration. The material is also studied in the broader context of the demography of the Roman family, of Greek and Latin family terminology, literary sources, law, papyrology and Greek epigraphy. In the conclusion, this study asks broader questions about the study of the Roman family, and how it relates to questions as Romanisation and modes of funerary expression.
Nello Martinelli (1889-1976) is one of the most gifted Neo-Latin poets, with some distinguished r... more Nello Martinelli (1889-1976) is one of the most gifted Neo-Latin poets, with some distinguished rewards at the Certamen Hoeufftianum in Amsterdam. Yet, not many of his poems have received scholarly attention. In this chapter, I study his Drusus III, about Emperor Tiberius' nephew, son of Germanicus, who died a most unfortunate death in a Roman prison.
Another chapter in the thrilling history of Latin periodicals of the twentieth century, focusing ... more Another chapter in the thrilling history of Latin periodicals of the twentieth century, focusing on Malta and the Italian Latinist Alfredo Bartoli.
This paper deals with the “Transalpine Dream” (Somnium Transalpinum) that appeared in seven episo... more This paper deals with the “Transalpine Dream” (Somnium Transalpinum) that appeared in seven episodes in the Alaudae from 1890 to 1893. The Dream reads like a pamphlet to introduce Latin as the common language of the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I present and translate several fragments of this Dream, and contextualise various elements of it. I will study how the different arguments adduced in favour of Latin as an international language relate to or differ from other contemporary projects that served a similar purpose. In the digressions on neologisms, the text also reveals Ulrichs’ thoughts on how Latin can be adapted to the modern world. I also highlight possible political or religious backgrounds that played a role. Finally, the role of Latin will be compared with similar projects that aimed at the establishment of one common international language. I also want to bring the question of Latin as an international means of communication into broader discussions about European intellectual history.
This paper asks whether Graeco-Roman culture bears any traces of voluntary indulging in pain and ... more This paper asks whether Graeco-Roman culture bears any traces of voluntary indulging in pain and punishment as a form of sexual game. In order to answer such a question, the context of slavery and the use of violence in education needs to be acknowledged first. After this, I look for traces in ceremonies, iconography,love poetry, and role playing by children. More than a century ago, scholars had already tried to identify sado-masochism in Antiquity. Though such is surely an anachronistic approach, a careful inquiry of pain and reversal of roles reveals vital features of ancient society.
This essay fits in the tradition of writing fictional life stories according to the bioarchaeolog... more This essay fits in the tradition of writing fictional life stories according to the bioarchaeology of personhood model, with much attention for objects, care and anthropological comparison. As a starting point, it takes recent excavations at Ostia and environs. Ever since the nineteenth century, both writers and historians have tried to come closer to the voices of the past by writing faction. This is, however, the first attempt to bring disabled persons from the Roman period to life. The essay tries to do do justice to the multifaceted experiences of disabled people, who were never categorized as such in the ancient world.
This article for the first time systematically studies the surviving material from the oracle of ... more This article for the first time systematically studies the surviving material from the oracle of Dodona for the subject of life course. It combines a quantitative approach-with special attention to vocabulary and terminology-with a careful selection of some telling and revealing instances of inscriptions that are translated and commented upon. In all, this study covers what is probably the best available random sample to imagine if not recreate the rich diversity of a population's concerns in Graeco-Roman Antiquity.
Arctos has been published since 1954, annually from vol. 8 (1974). Arctos welcomes submissions de... more Arctos has been published since 1954, annually from vol. 8 (1974). Arctos welcomes submissions dealing with any aspect of classical antiquity, and the reception of ancient cultures in mediaeval times and beyond. Arctos presents research articles and short notes in the fields of Greek and Latin languages, literatures, ancient history, philosophy, religions, archaeology, art, and society. Each volume also contains reviews of recent books. The website is at www.journal.fi/arctos.
Based on fi ve case stories, this article deals with the relation between power and infi rmity in... more Based on fi ve case stories, this article deals with the relation between power and infi rmity in the Byzantine empire. It appears that to deal with imperial imperfection practical solutions were often preferred. The idea that a healthy state needed a strong emperor was thus to a certain degree negotiable. At the same time, this study explores the subject of disability and Byzantine emperors. Accusations of impairment often were fluid and rhetorical. Though the anecdotal character of the evidence presents us with real-life evidence on living with a disability, it is primarily the rhetorical and metaphorical aspect that needs to be taken into account.
Historians of the pre-modern period mostly come up with early Islamic society as the 'true' inven... more Historians of the pre-modern period mostly come up with early Islamic society as the 'true' inventor of mental asylums. To Michel Foucault, it was the rational response of the Age of Enlightenment that separated the mad completely from society. This paper argues that the famous quest for the prima causa has led historians to not seeing more fundamental issues: what was really going on in hospitals, or the profound impact of demonology and possession in different cultures alike. Moreover, I argue that the roots of the existential approach towards the mentally challenged at least go back to Late Antiquity: the miracles performed by Jesus, and subsequently by the saints, caused certain categories of disabilities to become more established and canonized than others.
This is my third journal article on multilingual contacts, this time bringing me and the readers ... more This is my third journal article on multilingual contacts, this time bringing me and the readers to the fascinating New World, where such multilingual encounters are described in great detail by missionaries. This article, of which you find the proofs, is published in Vox Latina, a wonderful journal that only publishes scholarly work in Latin. As this pdf contains the last proofs, page numbers in the publication itself are different, though the lay-out has remained the same.
This article is meant as a response to the extended review article by Jewell, E. (2016) 'Another ... more This article is meant as a response to the extended review article by Jewell, E. (2016) 'Another social history of Roman "youth", with questions about its restlessness', Journal of Roman Archaeology 29: 642-50. It also takes the opportunity to suggest new approaches and ways for studying youth in Antiquity.
In this contribution, I attempt to bring a thorough compilation of both the literary and the epig... more In this contribution, I attempt to bring a thorough compilation of both the literary and the epigraphic sources on educators in Late Antiquity. For the latter sources, the focus will be on the rich inscriptional evidence from the City of Rome. Professional, usually servile, educators were common in elite and (upper)-middle class households of the Principate. This changed in Late Antiquity when households instead relied mainly on family members as educators. However, this fundamental change in hierarchical values of the honourable Roman society is never attested explicitly in the ancient records. There are some indications in the works of literary writers, but the inscriptions cannot be used to prove this change statistically. Still, the change must have been profound : educational tasks, which were in the mind-set of a Roman family members so much linked with servile labour, became more entrusted to other family members. It is only by looking at the wider context that we can catch a glimpse of how fundamentally things might have changed for educators and the families which made use of their services. Ideas of social hierarchy still existed in Late Antiquity, and so there still were slave educators. However, by the late sixth century, all this was embedded in a society which would have been hardly recognisable by those who lived there two centuries before.
SUMMARY WRITING THE HISTORY OF FATNESS AND THINNESS IN GRAECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY Fatness and thinnes... more SUMMARY WRITING THE HISTORY OF FATNESS AND THINNESS IN GRAECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY Fatness and thinness has been a much underexploited topic in the study of classical Antiquity. After carefully analyzing the Greek and Roman vocabulary to denote the matter, I catalogue information on concrete instances of persons who were considered to have suffered from overweight, or emaciation. On a second level, I deal with popular mentality regarding overweight or thinness. Thirdly, medical and/or philosophical theory regarding weight problems are studied. In this, the moral discourse linking obesity with gluttony or weakness and avarice with underweight will be studied. I will also ask whether changed Christian attitudes towards the body and bodily functions lead to new concepts regarding the matter. For these different levels of questions, I take into account concepts of disability history, asking whether the obviously impairing factors of excess weight or the opposite of it lead to social disfunctionality, hindering people from important social functions and subjecting them to social stigma.
After five years, this article is now open for online-access. I hope historians of ancient childh... more After five years, this article is now open for online-access. I hope historians of ancient childhood will benefit from the archaeological data mentioned, and usefully integrate them into their research.
This Conference aims to bring together innovative perspectives about the conception and the exper... more This Conference aims to bring together innovative perspectives about the conception and the experience of old age in Antiquity, especially in relation to those rulers who held power into old age.
This running bibliography can also be consulted on the webpage http://www.disability-ancientworld... more This running bibliography can also be consulted on the webpage http://www.disability-ancientworld.be/ You are kindly invited to have a look there too, or to join the website!
The economic success of the Roman Empire was unparalleled in the West until the early modern peri... more The economic success of the Roman Empire was unparalleled in the West until the early modern period. While favourable natural conditions, capital accumulation, technology and political stability all contributed, ultimately economic performance depended on people' s the ability to mobilize, train and co-ordinate human work efforts. In Work, Labour, and Professions in the Roman World, the authors discuss recent new insights, ideas and interpretations on the role of labour and human resources in the Roman economy. They study the various ways in which work was mobilised and organised and how these processes were regulated. However, wWork as a production factor, however, is not the exclusive focus of this volume. Throughout the chapters, the contributors also provide an analysis of work as a social and cultural phenomenon in Ancient Rome.
And here another review of mine -- a rare case in which I considered it important to dedicate ten... more And here another review of mine -- a rare case in which I considered it important to dedicate ten full pages to the review of one monograph. As in a research paper, I hope to offer some stimulating new thoughts on the relation between disabilities and monotheism, and on disabilities in the long term of western history. Also, I take the opportunity of recommending this exceptional electronic review, the collaboration with which I enjoyed a lot:
I rarely post reviews of mine, but there are good reasons to do so for this one. Not only is the ... more I rarely post reviews of mine, but there are good reasons to do so for this one. Not only is the book under review a terrific monograph, which contains a goldmine of new and unexpected information. I also hope to be of help to colleagues who do not sufficiently read French to fully enjoy the monograph.
Fatness and thinness has been a much underexploited topic in the study of classical Antiquity. In... more Fatness and thinness has been a much underexploited topic in the study of classical Antiquity. In this presentation, I will carefully analyse the Greek and Roman vocabulary to denote the matter. After this, I will catalogue information on concrete instances of persons who were considered to have suffered from overweight, or emaciation. On a second level, I will deal with popular mentality regarding overweight or thinness. Thirdly, medical and/or philosophical theory regarding weight problems will be studied. In this, the moral discourse linking obesity with gluttony or weakness and avarice with underweight will be examined. I will also ask whether changed Christian attitudes towards the body and bodily functions lead to new concepts regarding the matter. For these different levels of questions, I will take into account concepts of disability history, asking whether the obviously impairing factors of excess weight or the opposite of it lead to social disfunctionality, hindering people from important social functions and subjecting them to social stigma.
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Papers by Christian Laes
and materterae) in the Latin epigraphical dossier. All 94 inscriptions are
listed and commented on, as they offer the potential for intriguing case
stories. The set of data is not only used to ask questions about consistent
use of terminology, geographical distribution, ages, and patterns of
commemoration. The material is also studied in the broader context of the
demography of the Roman family, of Greek and Latin family terminology,
literary sources, law, papyrology and Greek epigraphy. In the conclusion,
this study asks broader questions about the study of the Roman family,
and how it relates to questions as Romanisation and modes of funerary
expression.
common in elite and (upper)-middle class households of the Principate. This changed in Late Antiquity when households instead relied mainly on family members as educators. However, this fundamental change in hierarchical values of the honourable Roman society is never attested
explicitly in the ancient records. There are some indications in the works of literary writers, but the inscriptions cannot be used to prove this change statistically. Still, the change must have been profound : educational tasks, which were in the mind-set of a Roman family members so much linked with servile labour, became more entrusted to other family members. It is only by looking at the wider context that we can catch a glimpse of how fundamentally things might have changed for educators and the families which made use of their services. Ideas of social hierarchy still existed in Late Antiquity, and so there still were slave educators. However, by the late sixth century, all this was embedded in a society which would have been hardly recognisable by those who lived there two centuries before.
and materterae) in the Latin epigraphical dossier. All 94 inscriptions are
listed and commented on, as they offer the potential for intriguing case
stories. The set of data is not only used to ask questions about consistent
use of terminology, geographical distribution, ages, and patterns of
commemoration. The material is also studied in the broader context of the
demography of the Roman family, of Greek and Latin family terminology,
literary sources, law, papyrology and Greek epigraphy. In the conclusion,
this study asks broader questions about the study of the Roman family,
and how it relates to questions as Romanisation and modes of funerary
expression.
common in elite and (upper)-middle class households of the Principate. This changed in Late Antiquity when households instead relied mainly on family members as educators. However, this fundamental change in hierarchical values of the honourable Roman society is never attested
explicitly in the ancient records. There are some indications in the works of literary writers, but the inscriptions cannot be used to prove this change statistically. Still, the change must have been profound : educational tasks, which were in the mind-set of a Roman family members so much linked with servile labour, became more entrusted to other family members. It is only by looking at the wider context that we can catch a glimpse of how fundamentally things might have changed for educators and the families which made use of their services. Ideas of social hierarchy still existed in Late Antiquity, and so there still were slave educators. However, by the late sixth century, all this was embedded in a society which would have been hardly recognisable by those who lived there two centuries before.
You are kindly invited to have a look there too, or to join the website!