Dissertation
“The Rhetoric and Conceptualization of Enmity in Classical Athens”
Directed by Professor Andrew Wolpert
In my dissertation I argue that the Attic orators construct narratives about their past hostile relationships with their opponents to support character and probability arguments.
Since litigants frame their accounts to conform to Athenian views on enmity, we can use this evidence to learn what types of behavior the jury would believe characteristic of enemies. I also use history, drama, and philosophy to enrich the evidence drawn from the orators. These sources yield a view of society in which Athenian males were frequently engaged in semi-formalized relationships of enmity and believed it their duty to harm their enemies. Athenians expected enemies to engage in insults, lawsuits, and political rivalries, but aggressive, violent behavior was, in the Athenian imagination, limited by democratic ideology and institutions. While previous discussions of enmity have posited competing “codes,” one agonistic and one restrained, I reject this dichotomy. My thesis provides a fresh perspective, addressing separately the Athenian ideas about making enemies, spreading enmity, and harming enemies. My research further illustrates how a close analysis of rhetorical topoi and legal arguments is instrumental to understanding the nature of Athenian society. I defended the dissertation on February 26, 2010.Research Agenda
My research interests are diverse, covering both Greek and Latin topics. I have published an article, “The Non-Homeric Cyclops in the Homeric Odyssey,” in Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies (2009: 323-333), arguing that two separate passages in the Odyssey are intended to undermine an alternative version of the myth of Odysseus. Another article on a textual problem in Propertius, “A Hyperbolic Statement: Propertius IV.1.38,” has been accepted by Philologus for publication in 2010. I have also presented papers at conferences on issues ranging from Greek political and social history to Augustan poetry.
In the coming years I plan to turn my dissertation topic into a book. I also have other projects in mind for the near future, including patronage in classical Athens and its relationship to the Roman clientele system. I hope to continue my previous work on the Battle of Chaeronea and to submit my paper on Vergil's Eclogues for publication after further revisions.