History In Dispute: Classical Antiquity and Classical Studies

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ISBN: 9781558624962 | 1558624961
Cover: Hardcover
Copyright: 3/18/2005

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Looks at variety of historical topics throughout the centuries, including the Crusades, World War I, and conflict in the Middle East.

About the Series

Acknowledgments

xii

Permissions

xiii

Preface

xiv

Paul Allen Miller

Charles Platter

Chronology

xviii

Paul Allen Miller

Charles Platter

Classical Studies: Black Athena: Does Martin Bernal's Black Athena make an important contribution to our understanding of the ancient world?

(10)

Yes. Black Athena makes a critical contribution to our understanding of the ancient world by significantly challenging the questions we ask of the past and our motivations for asking them

(4)

Patrice D. Rankine

No. Black Athena does not make a critical contribution to our understanding of the ancient world because Martin Bernal's study of the past, which includes his use of myth and source criticism, is fundamentally flawed

(5)

Patrice D. Rankine

Classical Studies: German Philological Tradition: Does the German philological tradition offer a superior knowledge of antiquity to that of British amateurism?

(8)

Yes. German philology far surpasses the British tradition in the production of useful knowledge about antiquity

(3)

William M. Calder III

No. British scholarship produces superior results in the long run, both in terms of a well-rounded knowledge of antiquity and of the resulting education offered to students

(4)

Ward W. Briggs Jr.

Classical Studies: Homosexuality: Did the concept of homosexuality exist in the ancient world?

(10)

Yes. Homosexuality was a meaningful concept in the ancient world, even if the word itself did not exist

(3)

Amy Richlin

No. While sexual acts between members of the same sex were common in antiquity, homosexuality did not exist as a category of personal identity

(6)

Jerise Fogel

Classical Studies: The Marxist Approach: Does Marxism remain a valid historical approach to the ancient world?

(9)

Yes. Marxist concepts have proven their worth in the understanding of ancient history and culture, even as Marxism continues to offer a coherent theoretical rationale for a holistic understanding of the ancient world

(3)

Peter W. Rose

No. The historical record does not permit a classical Marxist interpretation of history, and Marxism's heuristic value has been largely superceded by feminism, cultural studies, and other nontraditional approaches

(5)

Charles Platter

Classical Studies: Modern Critical Theory: Is modern critical theory a useful tool for understanding the ancient Mediterranean world?

(9)

Yes. Contemporary literary theory offers new insights into Greek and Roman literature and culture and provides a means for linking the ancient world to the world of today

(2)

Carl A. Rubino

No. Critical theory is a form of obscurantist terrorism that is harmful to humanistic study as a whole and particularly deleterious to classics

(6)

Steven J. Willett

Classical Studies: Translation: Does translation inevitably distort our engagement with the ancient world?

(9)

Yes. Translation distorts our engagement with the ancient world because modern English does not offer the linguistic resources to convey classical culture

(4)

Elizabeth Vandiver

No. Since ancient languages are no longer spoken, texts in those languages are fixed and more accessible through translation

(4)

Paul Allen Miller

Greece: Aeschylus: Does democracy ensure the triumph of right over might as Aeschylus maintains in the Eumenides?

(9)

Yes. In the Eumenides, Aeschylus presents the foundations of a concept of justice based on law and procedure

(3)

Yves Citton

No. The institution of law and procedure is merely the formalization of power

(5)

Yves Citton

Greece: Alcibiades: Was Alcibiades self-absorbed and irresponsible, caring little for the interests of Athens?

(7)

Yes. Alcibiades was a megalomaniac who overturned the conservative policies of his protector, Pericles, in favor of reckless Athenian expansion. In the end, he was less Athens's savior than a cause of its downfall

(2)

Joel Allen

No. Many of the stories told about Alcibiades are fictitious. In fact, his life was filled with many worthy achievements

(4)

Joel Allen

Greece: Aristophanes: Was Aristophanes a reactionary?

(9)

Yes. Behind the evident levity that pervades the work of Aristophanes lay the political attitudes of a man deeply suspicious of the Athenian democracy and with pronounced conservative politics

(3)

Charles Platter

No. Although his comedies have a conservative side, Aristophanes faced many pressures in order to be a successful dramatist, and it would have been of only limited use for him to espouse one political position over another. His heavy use of allusion and parody combine to produce texts that are highly ironic with multiple meanings

(5)

Charles Platter

Greece: Aristotle versus Plato: Did Aristotle make a more lasting contribution to philosophy than Plato?

(8)

Yes. Aristotle has a more coherent theory of the good

(3)

Chad Wiener

No. Plato is a greater philosopher than Aristotle because he demarcated the intellectual domain that philosophy occupied and in which Aristotle's own philosophic activity took place. Plato, moreover, created the conditions in which the mode of consciousness underlying Aristotle's work was able to crystallize and express itself

(4)

Matthew E. Kenney

Greece: Demosthenes: Was Demosthenes' call to Athenian resistance against Philip II of Macedon doomed from the start?

(8)

Yes. In spite of Demosthenes' best hopes, Athens's decline had been irreversible since losing the Peloponnesian War. It had neither the economic nor the political strength to mount a credible resistance to Macedonian hegemony

(2)

Joel Allen

No. Demosthenes' resistance to Macedonian rule was not ill-conceived; his advice was heeded too late

(5)

Joel Allen

Greece: Elgin Marbles: Should the Elgin Marbles be returned to Greece?

(9)

Yes. The Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece because their illegitimate removal from the Parthenon compromised the integrity of the temple. Moreover, the Greeks have begun to implement the conditions set by the British government for the return of the marbles, most notably the restoration of the Acropolis and the building of a new museum

(3)

Nancy Sultan

No. The marbles should remain in the British Museum because Lord Elgin's legal removal saved them from destruction. They are available to a wider public than they would be in Athens, and their return to Greece would set a precedent that would empty many great museums of their collections

101

(5)

Nancy Sultan

Greece: Euripides: Was Euripides a misogynist?

106

(8)

Yes. Euripides' work demonstrates misogynistic tendencies. His plays portray women either as monsters who would disrupt the family or the state, or as models of self-sacrifice. Those few female characters who are empowered in his plays merely act like men

107

(3)

Paul D. Streufert

No. Euripides' plays demonstrate a sort of protofeminism rather than misogyny. The variety of strong and sympathetic women characters found in his plays demonstrates his commitment to critiquing patriarchal oppression in Athens

110

(4)

Paul D. Streufert

Greece: Herodotus: Was Herodotus the father of history?

114

(9)

Yes. Herodotus's attempt to describe fully events of the recent past and to explain the causes of those events marks the beginning of historiography in the Western European tradition

115

(3)

Elizabeth Vandiver

No. Although Herodotus's conception of the past as something susceptible to rational inquiry was groundbreaking, he did not provide a good example of how to put this concept into practice

118

(5)

William E. Hutton

Greece: Hesiod: Was Hesiod an oral poet?

123

(7)

Yes. Hesiod composed his songs without the use of writing. He did not inherit a written text, and he did not transmit one to others through writing

124

(2)

Apostolos N. Athanassakis

No. Hesiod composed his songs in writing; this non-oral method of composition might have included some written text inherited by him

126

(4)

Apostolos N. Athanassakis

Greece: Homer: Was Homer an oral poet?

130

(8)

Yes. The style of Homeric epic is not one of a poet who composed in writing, and comparative evidence from oral poetry in other cultures suggests traditional poetry is able to sustain large-scale compositions along the lines of the Iliad and the Odyssey

131

(3)

Robin Mitchell-Boyask

No. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are longer than oral poems are likely to have been, and both show evidence of a thoughtful reworking of traditional material that is probably the product of written composition

134

(4)

Charles Platter

Greece: Library at Alexandria: Were there repositories other than the Ptolemies' Library at Alexandria of equal value in preserving Greek culture?

138

(7)

Yes. The existence of the Alexandrian Library was not a precondition for the production of standard texts of Greek authors or for the survival of Greek literature. Greek literary culture was widely diffused and practiced throughout the entire Mediterranean basin long before the conquests of Alexander and the beginning of the ``Hellenistic'' era

139

(2)

T. Keith Dix

No. The Ptolemies assembled the greatest collection of Greek literature from the classical period, during a time crucial for the transformation and transmission of the Greek cultural heritage, and they inspired imitators among the other Hellenistic dynasties and the Roman emperors

141

(4)

T. Keith Dix

Greece: Literacy: Was literacy a sufficient force for producing the cultural revolution in Greece?

145

(9)

Yes. The coming of literacy produced a cultural revolution in Greece by changing the structure of language

146

(3)

Paul Allen Miller

No. Literacy did not produce a cultural revolution in Greece. Such assertions are based on oversimplified notions of what causes cultural change and the difference between oral and literate cultures

149

(5)

Paul Allen Miller

Greece: Plato as an Aristocrat: Was Plato an aristocratic sympathizer with the oligarchic factions within the Athenian state?

154

(10)

Yes. Plato was an aristocrat who favored rule by those with superior natures and thoroughly detested the democracy of his time

155

(4)

Charles Platter

No. Plato, although an aristocrat of the highest pedigree, broke with his class when he met Socrates and developed a devastating critique of traditional aristocratic thinking about politics

159

(5)

Charles Platter

Greece: Sappho: Does Sappho's poetry represent a departure from the traditional masculine view of love?

164

(8)

Yes. Sappho's poetry departs from a traditional masculine view of love by presenting love relations as mutual and reciprocal, in contrast to the model of love relations found in Archaic Greek male poets

165

(2)

Ellen Greene

No. Sappho depicts love relations as driven by domination and conquest. Her poems also treat typically male themes such as politics and philosophy

167

(5)

Ellen Greene

Greece: Sophists: Did the sophists exercise a pernicious influence on Greek culture?

172

(9)

Yes. Some sophists, by cultivating a program of moral relativism, propounded teachings that had deleterious effects on Greek political and social life

173

(3)

Patrick O'Sullivan

No. The sophists expounded richly diverse views on a range of issues, not necessarily renouncing ethical principles but rather opening up new areas for critical speculation and debate that enhanced the intellectual life of their own times and beyond

176

(5)

Patrick O'Sullivan

Greece: Sports: Were ancient Greek sports amateur athletics?

181

(8)

Yes. Ancient Greek athletes were not paid professionals, and the awards they received were usually honorary rather than financial

182

(2)

David H. J. Larmour

No. Ancient Greek athletes frequently received monetary and material rewards, which effectively gave them a status similar to that of professionals. There is no ancient term that corresponds to the word amateur

184

(5)

David H. J. Larmour

Roman Period: the Aeneid: Was the Aeneid Augustan propaganda?

189

(8)

Yes. The Aeneid was written in response to Augustus's deliberate and explicit cultural program. In spite of the immense subtlety of the poem, its fundamental endorsement of Roman and Augustan dominance cannot be avoided

190

(4)

Micaela Janan

No. Far from being a piece of propaganda, the Aeneid is a poem suffused with loss, suffering, and nostalgia. Virgil may well have ``believed in Rome,'' but he was well aware of the immense costs involved in Rome's triumph

194

(3)

Carl A. Rubino

Roman Period: Cato: Were Cato's attacks on Hellenism pure political opportunism?

197

(7)

Yes. Cato's attacks on Greek culture at Rome were undertaken purely to advance his own position in the Roman ruling class

198

(2)

Philip Thibodeau

No. Cato's outbursts against Hellenism were based on a conviction that Greek culture had value but needed to be kept subordinate to Roman interests and customs

200

(4)

Philip Thibodeau

Roman Period: Christian Neoplatonism: Did Christian Neoplatonism evolve directly from the ancient philosophical tradition?

204

(8)

Yes. Christian Neoplatonists adhered to ancient philosophical traditions and gained enormous influence throughout the Christian world in the first millennium

205

(3)

Carlos Steel

No. Christian Neoplatonists rejected the tradition of open philosophical debate

208

(4)

Jan Opsomer

Roman Period: Cicero Versus Caesar: Were Cicero's contributions as a political figure ultimately more responsible and significant than Caesar's?

212

(9)

Yes. Cicero was a true statesman who dedicated himself to expanding the intellectual and moral frontiers of his compatriots

213

(3)

Carl A. Rubino

No. Cicero failed to recognize the fundamental currents of political change occurring around him. Caesar, by contrast, not only diagnosed the crisis correctly but was also able to act decisively to shape events

216

(5)

David H. J. Larmour

Roman Period: Donatist Controversy: Did Donatist bishops fail to offer a convincing defense of their beliefs at the Conference of 411 c.e. in Carthage?

221

(10)

Yes. The irrational and erratic behavior of the Donatist bishops during their debate with their Catholic antagonists in 411 C.E. clearly showed not only the bad faith in which they agreed to the proceedings but also the lack of a logical and legal argument that they could employ to defend their case

222

(4)

Erika T. Hermanowicz

No. The Donatists, who were faced with a hostile imperial court and bureaucratic overseers whose mission was to ensure their defeat, employed various strategies in order to fashion a transcript of the meeting that could be used to their benefit in subsequent legal appeals

226

(5)

Erika T. Hermanowicz

Roman Period: Elegists: Were the Roman elegists protofeminists?

231

(7)

Yes. The Roman elegists presented their puellae (beloveds) as powerful, autonomous women who refused to assume accepted roles of submission to men

232

(2)

Christel Johnson

No. The Roman elegists may have bent conventional male gender roles, but they did not offer women equality nor did their poetry seek to change the place of women in Roman society

234

(4)

Ellen Greene

Roman Period: Fall of the Republic: Was Roman decline inevitable with the fall of the republic?

238

(11)

Yes. The republican constitution was what made Rome great; without that structure, decline was inevitable

239

(3)

Mark A. Beck

No. The notion that the collapse of the republic led to the decline of Rome is a manifest ideological fiction that cannot withstand a rigorous examination in terms of chronology, the instability of the republic, the benefits of the imperial system, and the class biases of the ancient commentators

242

(7)

Paul Allen Miller

Roman Period: Gladiatorial Contests: Was the purpose of the gladiatorial contests to satisfy the blood lust of the Roman mob?

249

(8)

Yes. The gladiatorial games drew upon the bloodthirsty urges of a populace hardened by continual warfare and were used by the emperors as a means of keeping the mob entertained

250

(3)

David H. J. Larmour

No. Although they were spectacles of bloodshed, the gladiatorial games were designed as a manifestation of deeply rooted Roman values and aimed to display to the populace the power of their empire

253

(4)

David H. J. Larmour

Roman Period: Ovid: Does Ovid's exilic poetry represent a principled resistance to imperial tyranny?

257

(8)

Yes. In his exilic poetry Ovid subtly criticizes the ambitions of the emperor Augustus

258

(3)

Paul Allen Miller

No. Although his exilic poetry is full of ambiguities, Ovid acknowledges and accepts the power and authority of Rome

261

(4)

Paul Allen Miller

Roman Period: Ovid versus Virgil: Has Ovid's Metamorphoses had a greater influence than Virgil's Aeneid on postclassical literature?

265

(8)

Yes. Ovid's Metamorphoses has had a greater influence upon postclassical literature, as exemplified through its many translations and stage adaptations

266

(3)

Christel Johnson

No. Unlike Ovid's epic, whose main theme is indisputably metamorphosis, Virgil's Aeneid presents a nexus of themes that have supported a wide variety of interpretations

269

(4)

Sarah Spence

Roman Period: Pausanias: Is Pausanias a reliable source for the history of ancient Greece?

273

(10)

Yes. Pausanias was an honest and diligent researcher; his Description of Greece preserves much valuable information from antiquity that no other source provides

274

(4)

William E. Hutton

No. Pausanias wrote during an age when proper historical methodology was not observed or even recognized; the information in his Description of Greece is frequently inaccurate

278

(5)

William E. Hutton

Roman Period: Plutarch: Is Plutarch the founder of modern biography?

283

(9)

Yes. Plutarch is rightly considered the founder of modern biography because he had a profound influence upon later practitioners of the genre, especially Samuel Johnson and James Boswell

284

(3)

Mark A. Beck

No. Plutarch cannot be termed the founder of modern biography because his methods and concerns are not those of the biographer as the term is understood today. He wrote most of the Lives in pairs for the moral and philosophical instruction of his readers

287

(5)

David H. J. Larmour

Roman Period: Tiberius Gracchus: Was Tiberius Gracchus a honest champion of the Roman underclass?

292

(7)

Yes. Tiberius Gracchus was a determined champion of what he saw as the best interests of the Roman people

293

(3)

Joel Allen

No. Tiberius Gracchus was a failed aristocratic politician who manufactured a social crisis for his own political gain

296

(3)

Joel Allen

References

299

(12)

Contributors

311

(2)

Index

313

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History In Dispute: Classical Antiquity and Classical Studies

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials