Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology - The ethnic epithet in imperial literature

Supervisor: Dr Ben Cartlidge

Supervisor bio: Ben Cartlidge is a Lecturer in Greek Culture and Classical Receptions. He studied classics and linguistics at Oxford and Cologne and has taught at Oxford and Liverpool. He works on ancient literature, both Greek and Latin and is particularly interested in the ways linguistic issues affect the interpretation and reception of ancient texts.

Email: benjamin.cartlidge@liverpool.ac.uk

School: Histories, Languages, and Cultures

Department: Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology

Module Code: HIST000

Suitable for students of Classics, Archaeology, Ancient History

Desirable experience/requirements: Knowledge of either ancient Greek, or Latin, or both. Some experience with Excel would be advantageous

Places Available: 2

Start Dates: 10 June 2024, 1 July 2024

Project Length: 4- 12 weeks

Virtual Option: Yes - virtual, hybrid and in-person options

Project Description: 

The expanding "oikumene" brought Romans and Greeks into continuous, ever-expanding contact with a wide range of ethnic groups. Furthermore, both Greece and Rome themselves were comprised of communities of various histories, understood by a rich tradition of (what we would term) mythical and historical materials. The histories of intercultural contact, on the one hand, and processes of self-definition, on the other, led to a vast system of ethnic terms that have left traces across the literary and epigraphic traditions of Greece and Rome. These terms are, however, often undertheorised, and are frequently poorly understood. This project aims to articulate a data-driven view of the ethnic epithet in antiquity by examining usage in literature and attempting to understand why different epithets are chosen by different authors and at different times. The mental landscape of different authors will be mapped by examining which distinctions they value.

Your role will be to examine a Latin or Greek author from the Imperial period, catalogue the ethnic epithets they use into a (pre-existing) database, and then analyse their distribution and usage against existing commentaries and relevant epigraphic data. Epigraphic approaches are also possible, and discussion of the point is welcomed!

Additional Requirements: N/A