Laura R Bevilacqua | University of Chicago (original) (raw)
Papers by Laura R Bevilacqua
I quaderni del ramo d'oro on-line, 2018
This paper is about a subgroup of homogeneous virtue-centered deities, usually referred to as "ab... more This paper is about a subgroup of homogeneous virtue-centered deities, usually referred to as "abstract divinities" or "personifications". As a follow up to previous research on the same topic, published in this journal (n. 8, 2016), my paper explores the "ideal divinities" which have not hitherto been taken into account for reasons of space: namely, Concordia, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Salus, Victoria, and Virtus. Such divinised virtues, together with Fides and Pudicitia, embody the divine representation of determined collective behaviours, reckoned to be righteous among Roman citizens. Furthermore, they are regarded as useful to Roman citizenship as a whole: i.e., worshipping them leads to being a good citizen. By the same token, I analyze both the religious and civic nuance of the noun utilitas as a category of public Roman thought, using as primary source Cicero, somewhat influenced by Stoic ethics. The notion of utilitas allowed citizens, ideally, to understand what is the best thing to do in a given situation, both in terms of appropriate behaviour and for the benefit of the State.
I Quaderni del Ramo d'Oro On-line, 2016
This paper explores a distinctive feature of Roman religion: for each relevant area of Roman life... more This paper explores a distinctive feature of Roman religion: for each relevant area of Roman life, there are peculiar gods with matched powers. In particular, I focus on nine divinities known to scholarship as "abstract divinities" or "personifications": Concordia, Fides, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Pudicitia, Salus, Victoria and Virtus. They enjoy a special place in the Roman pantheon and we should instead name them "ideal divinities" since they really are a part of a whole in the divine taxonomy. They are in accordance with an anthropological pattern of attitudes and serve, as it were, as a handbook for the Roman citizen. I analyze the main attributes of these divinities as the Romans themselves described them: virtues that have a human essence and are functional for the community. There is also a slight distinction to be made. Some of them are intrinsic to humankind, while others are what every citizen is supposed to aim for. I also scrutinize the history of the subject matter: whereas I agree with categorizing such gods as "personifications", I strongly believe that designating them as abstract or concrete is not practicable.
Association Reynaldo Hahn, 2013
Questo lavoro è nato dall'interesse comune per la musica e per il mondo classico che condivido co... more Questo lavoro è nato dall'interesse comune per la musica e per il mondo classico che condivido con il mio relatore. Partendo dal mio desiderio di coniugare queste due discipline, apparentemente cosÏ distanti, ho avuto la possibilità di lavorare con lui sulla Nausicaa di Reynaldo Hahn, un melodramma in due atti del 1919. Insieme abbiamo pensato di analizzare la figura di Nausicaa in quest'opera, confrontandola con la principessa feace dell'Odissea.
Nel primo capitolo ho provato a delineare un quadro generale della vita di Reynaldo Hahn nel panorama storico e musicale del suo tempo, poichÊ si tratta di un autore che creò una musica di altissima qualità (soprattutto la produzione strumentale), ma che non ha avuto la popolarità che avrebbe meritato. Il secondo capitolo è specificamente dedicato all'analisi del personaggio di Nausicaa sia in Omero che in Fauchois, il librettista dell'opera: ho pensato di mettere in luce soprattutto i tratti in cui emergono le maggiori divergenze nel carattere e nell'atteggiamento della principessa. Nel terzo capitolo propongo la mia traduzione italiana del libretto dell'opera, originariamente scritto in francese e del quale esiste una sola traduzione in lingua inglese.
E' stato molto interessante vedere quanto la ricezione dell'episodio incentrato su un personaggio, noto sia al mondo antico che all'attualitĂ , sia mutata in un melodramma del Novecento rispetto al precedente letterario d'etĂ arcaica. Nell'Odissea il protagonista è senza alcun dubbio Ulisse, infatti tutti gli avvenimenti sono costruiti per la realizzazione del suo νĎĎĎÎżĎ, mentre a Nausicaa è riservata solo una breve sezione all'interno del poema. Nel melodramma di Hahn, invece, la protagonista è proprio la principessa, è per questo motivo, infatti, che nel titolo di questo lavoro ho scelto di privilegiare Nausicaa rispetto all'eroe omerico.
Conference Presentations by Laura R Bevilacqua
Local Traditions in the Ancient World, 2021
This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I inves... more This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I investigate the mysterious yet seemingly inevitable need for humans to make decisions based on some external mechanism. Such analysis has allowed me to reflect on morality, virtues, and polytheism in imperial Asia Minor. In my study, I have focused on the epigraphic textsâ cultural and internal elements, especially by adopting an emic approach wherever appropriate and ruling out any perspective that seems too general. The essay is structured in two sections. In the first section, I give an account of the previous scholarship on the lot oracles relevant to my arguments, including some related methodological issues. Then, I move on to the heart of this paper by advancing some hypotheses of interpretation for the texts labeled as âLot oraclesâ, proposing a case study: the personification of Victoria. I argue the following: the randomization of the dice oracles is fastened to the divine intervention in the very act of rolling them, which is the external mechanism needed to make the response significative and helpful in deciding what to endeavor; the overlapping content of dice oracles and gnomic literature is the underpinning support for morally determined behaviors, which provide some warranty from both a human and a divine standpoint; the dice oracles, connected as they are with public spaces and civic issues of morality and religion, feature exemplarity, advising on what is right to do and how to be a good citizen (which is crucial in imperial Asia Minor).
Ancient World Graduate Workshop Series (AWGWS), 2021
This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I inves... more This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I investigate the mysterious yet seemingly inevitable need for humans to make decisions based on some external mechanism. Such analysis has allowed me to reflect on morality, virtues, and polytheism in imperial Asia Minor. In my study, I have focused on the epigraphic texts' cultural and internal elements, especially by adopting an emic approach wherever appropriate and ruling out any perspective that seems too general. The essay is structured in two sections. In the first section, I give an account of the previous scholarship on the lot oracles relevant to my arguments, including some related methodological issues. Then, I move on to the heart of this paper by advancing some hypotheses of interpretation for the texts labeled as "Lot oracles", proposing a case study: the personification of Victoria. I argue the following: the randomisation of the dice oracles is fastened to the divine intervention in the very act of rolling them, which is the external mechanism needed to make the response significative and helpful in deciding what to endeavour; the overlapping content of dice oracles and gnomic literature is the underpinning support for morally determined behaviours, which provide some warranty from both a human and a divine standpoint; the dice oracles, connected as they are with public spaces and civic issues of morality and religion, feature exemplarity, advising on what is right to do and how to be a good citizen (which is crucial in imperial Asia Minor).
(The Rhetoric & Poetic Workshop @ UChicago) Today I will talk to you about my research on a topi... more (The Rhetoric & Poetic Workshop @ UChicago)
Today I will talk to you about my research on a topic that pertains primarily to Roman religion. I took an interest in eight divinities, ahead of the many others scholarly known as "abstract gods" or "personifications": they are Concordia, Fides, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Salus, Victoria, and Virtus.
These personifications are also gods, and they seem to have a distinctive spot among the Roman pantheon. As I hope to lay out in this workshop, I believe an appropriate name is "ideal or exemplary divinities.â I wish to highlight that they represent a Roman citizenâs most appropriate behavior through some Cicero passages. The research is much broader, but - in the interest of time - today I will be focusing on Cicero only.
As I endeavor to demonstrate, such divinities are harmonious with a pattern of attitudes, as though they serve as a handbook for the Roman citizen.
For the first half of this presentation, I will talk about the main attributes of such ideal divinities:
they are virtues,
they have a human essence and, finally,
they are functional for the community.
In the second part of this presentation, I will move on to discuss some scholarship issues: my primary argument, against those that have been proposed in the past, is that I agree with categorizing such gods as "personification,â but I strongly disagree with designating them as âabstractâ or âconcrete.â
The Research in Art and Visual Evidence (RAVE) Workshop (Jan. 22nd, 2020), 2020
In this talk, I explored the cultural model behind the connection of the thread of the Moirae, li... more In this talk, I explored the cultural model behind the connection of the thread of the Moirae, life, and death, through a case study of four epigrams within the New Posidippusâ corpus. I provided a brief literature review to orient the reader towards my assumptions, as well as some background information on Posidippusâ section of the anthology on funerary epigrams. Then, I moved on to the demonstration of my hypothesis. I showed some examples of how a metaphor is not merely a literary device, but it also illustrates how a determined culture visualizes their thinking. Posidippus took full advantage of the ΟοáżĎÎą/destiny and the connected image of the thread; he put the metaphor to the service of his poetry. In particular, he made use of this figurative speech for funerary epigrams dedicated to women: since spinning is an everyday task for women, by describing their relationship to the loom and the spindle he was able to offer a glance into their lives. Older women are portrayed as virtuous, whereas young girls suffering an untimely death cause sorrow for the life they did not get to live. Some scholars have dismissed the use of this metaphor as a sign of simplicity, while I argue that the more basic the metaphor, the more appreciable and effective is the image the poet intends to communicate.
I tried to give some reasons to acknowledge how elegant and precious Posidippusâ funerary epigrams are because they have been underestimated in the past. Posidippus was able to embellish a conception that was both common and culturally pregnant; he used it to adorn a particular and arduous kind of poetry.
Un numero cospicuo di fonti letterarie greche e latine tramanda narrazioni mitologiche incentrate... more Un numero cospicuo di fonti letterarie greche e latine tramanda narrazioni mitologiche incentrate sulla figura di Glauco. Tralasciando qui il celebre guerriero omerico, è possibile individuare tre personaggi omonimi collegati a tradizioni distinte con alcuni elementi in comune: il pescatore Glauco Pontico (o Glauco di Antedone), il quale acquista lâimmortalitĂ dopo aver ingerito unâerba magica; Glauco di Potnie, erede al trono di Corinto, il quale viene divorato dalle proprie cavalle; infine Glauco di Creta, che affoga in una giara di miele e ritorna in vita grazie allâintervento dellâindovino Polido. Il presente articolo è suddiviso in due parti. La prima parte è dedicata alla disambiguazione delle suddette figure, sulla scia di studiosi quali Deichgräber e Beaulieu. Oltre allâomonimia e a una certa sovrapposizione in termini genealogici dei tre Glauci, particolare attenzione è riservata al loro trattamento in ambito teatrale attraverso la lettura dei frammenti di opere di Eschilo, Sofocle, Euripide e Aristofane. La seconda parte si concentra invece sulla ricezione dei miti collegati a Glauco nella letteratura classica piĂš tarda e, soprattutto, nel mondo letterario e musicale dellâopera lirica. Due sono le opere liriche in esame: la tragedia in musica âScylla et Glaucusâ, unica opera giunta per intero del compositore barocco Jean-Marie Leclair, su libretto di d'Albaret, la cui prima performance ebbe luogo a Parigi nel 1746 allâAcadĂŠmie Royale de Musique; e il âGlaucoâ di Alberto Franchetti, su libretto di Giovacchino Forzano, rappresentato per la prima volta nel 1922. Si propone infine un confronto tra gli elementi mitologici reperibili nelle fonti antiche e la loro rielaborazione moderna nei testi dei librettisti.
I quaderni del ramo d'oro on-line, 2018
This paper is about a subgroup of homogeneous virtue-centered deities, usually referred to as "ab... more This paper is about a subgroup of homogeneous virtue-centered deities, usually referred to as "abstract divinities" or "personifications". As a follow up to previous research on the same topic, published in this journal (n. 8, 2016), my paper explores the "ideal divinities" which have not hitherto been taken into account for reasons of space: namely, Concordia, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Salus, Victoria, and Virtus. Such divinised virtues, together with Fides and Pudicitia, embody the divine representation of determined collective behaviours, reckoned to be righteous among Roman citizens. Furthermore, they are regarded as useful to Roman citizenship as a whole: i.e., worshipping them leads to being a good citizen. By the same token, I analyze both the religious and civic nuance of the noun utilitas as a category of public Roman thought, using as primary source Cicero, somewhat influenced by Stoic ethics. The notion of utilitas allowed citizens, ideally, to understand what is the best thing to do in a given situation, both in terms of appropriate behaviour and for the benefit of the State.
I Quaderni del Ramo d'Oro On-line, 2016
This paper explores a distinctive feature of Roman religion: for each relevant area of Roman life... more This paper explores a distinctive feature of Roman religion: for each relevant area of Roman life, there are peculiar gods with matched powers. In particular, I focus on nine divinities known to scholarship as "abstract divinities" or "personifications": Concordia, Fides, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Pudicitia, Salus, Victoria and Virtus. They enjoy a special place in the Roman pantheon and we should instead name them "ideal divinities" since they really are a part of a whole in the divine taxonomy. They are in accordance with an anthropological pattern of attitudes and serve, as it were, as a handbook for the Roman citizen. I analyze the main attributes of these divinities as the Romans themselves described them: virtues that have a human essence and are functional for the community. There is also a slight distinction to be made. Some of them are intrinsic to humankind, while others are what every citizen is supposed to aim for. I also scrutinize the history of the subject matter: whereas I agree with categorizing such gods as "personifications", I strongly believe that designating them as abstract or concrete is not practicable.
Association Reynaldo Hahn, 2013
Questo lavoro è nato dall'interesse comune per la musica e per il mondo classico che condivido co... more Questo lavoro è nato dall'interesse comune per la musica e per il mondo classico che condivido con il mio relatore. Partendo dal mio desiderio di coniugare queste due discipline, apparentemente cosÏ distanti, ho avuto la possibilità di lavorare con lui sulla Nausicaa di Reynaldo Hahn, un melodramma in due atti del 1919. Insieme abbiamo pensato di analizzare la figura di Nausicaa in quest'opera, confrontandola con la principessa feace dell'Odissea.
Nel primo capitolo ho provato a delineare un quadro generale della vita di Reynaldo Hahn nel panorama storico e musicale del suo tempo, poichÊ si tratta di un autore che creò una musica di altissima qualità (soprattutto la produzione strumentale), ma che non ha avuto la popolarità che avrebbe meritato. Il secondo capitolo è specificamente dedicato all'analisi del personaggio di Nausicaa sia in Omero che in Fauchois, il librettista dell'opera: ho pensato di mettere in luce soprattutto i tratti in cui emergono le maggiori divergenze nel carattere e nell'atteggiamento della principessa. Nel terzo capitolo propongo la mia traduzione italiana del libretto dell'opera, originariamente scritto in francese e del quale esiste una sola traduzione in lingua inglese.
E' stato molto interessante vedere quanto la ricezione dell'episodio incentrato su un personaggio, noto sia al mondo antico che all'attualitĂ , sia mutata in un melodramma del Novecento rispetto al precedente letterario d'etĂ arcaica. Nell'Odissea il protagonista è senza alcun dubbio Ulisse, infatti tutti gli avvenimenti sono costruiti per la realizzazione del suo νĎĎĎÎżĎ, mentre a Nausicaa è riservata solo una breve sezione all'interno del poema. Nel melodramma di Hahn, invece, la protagonista è proprio la principessa, è per questo motivo, infatti, che nel titolo di questo lavoro ho scelto di privilegiare Nausicaa rispetto all'eroe omerico.
Local Traditions in the Ancient World, 2021
This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I inves... more This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I investigate the mysterious yet seemingly inevitable need for humans to make decisions based on some external mechanism. Such analysis has allowed me to reflect on morality, virtues, and polytheism in imperial Asia Minor. In my study, I have focused on the epigraphic textsâ cultural and internal elements, especially by adopting an emic approach wherever appropriate and ruling out any perspective that seems too general. The essay is structured in two sections. In the first section, I give an account of the previous scholarship on the lot oracles relevant to my arguments, including some related methodological issues. Then, I move on to the heart of this paper by advancing some hypotheses of interpretation for the texts labeled as âLot oraclesâ, proposing a case study: the personification of Victoria. I argue the following: the randomization of the dice oracles is fastened to the divine intervention in the very act of rolling them, which is the external mechanism needed to make the response significative and helpful in deciding what to endeavor; the overlapping content of dice oracles and gnomic literature is the underpinning support for morally determined behaviors, which provide some warranty from both a human and a divine standpoint; the dice oracles, connected as they are with public spaces and civic issues of morality and religion, feature exemplarity, advising on what is right to do and how to be a good citizen (which is crucial in imperial Asia Minor).
Ancient World Graduate Workshop Series (AWGWS), 2021
This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I inves... more This research is about the so-called "Lot oracles" of Asia Minor from the 2nd century AD. I investigate the mysterious yet seemingly inevitable need for humans to make decisions based on some external mechanism. Such analysis has allowed me to reflect on morality, virtues, and polytheism in imperial Asia Minor. In my study, I have focused on the epigraphic texts' cultural and internal elements, especially by adopting an emic approach wherever appropriate and ruling out any perspective that seems too general. The essay is structured in two sections. In the first section, I give an account of the previous scholarship on the lot oracles relevant to my arguments, including some related methodological issues. Then, I move on to the heart of this paper by advancing some hypotheses of interpretation for the texts labeled as "Lot oracles", proposing a case study: the personification of Victoria. I argue the following: the randomisation of the dice oracles is fastened to the divine intervention in the very act of rolling them, which is the external mechanism needed to make the response significative and helpful in deciding what to endeavour; the overlapping content of dice oracles and gnomic literature is the underpinning support for morally determined behaviours, which provide some warranty from both a human and a divine standpoint; the dice oracles, connected as they are with public spaces and civic issues of morality and religion, feature exemplarity, advising on what is right to do and how to be a good citizen (which is crucial in imperial Asia Minor).
(The Rhetoric & Poetic Workshop @ UChicago) Today I will talk to you about my research on a topi... more (The Rhetoric & Poetic Workshop @ UChicago)
Today I will talk to you about my research on a topic that pertains primarily to Roman religion. I took an interest in eight divinities, ahead of the many others scholarly known as "abstract gods" or "personifications": they are Concordia, Fides, Honos, Mens, Pietas, Salus, Victoria, and Virtus.
These personifications are also gods, and they seem to have a distinctive spot among the Roman pantheon. As I hope to lay out in this workshop, I believe an appropriate name is "ideal or exemplary divinities.â I wish to highlight that they represent a Roman citizenâs most appropriate behavior through some Cicero passages. The research is much broader, but - in the interest of time - today I will be focusing on Cicero only.
As I endeavor to demonstrate, such divinities are harmonious with a pattern of attitudes, as though they serve as a handbook for the Roman citizen.
For the first half of this presentation, I will talk about the main attributes of such ideal divinities:
they are virtues,
they have a human essence and, finally,
they are functional for the community.
In the second part of this presentation, I will move on to discuss some scholarship issues: my primary argument, against those that have been proposed in the past, is that I agree with categorizing such gods as "personification,â but I strongly disagree with designating them as âabstractâ or âconcrete.â
The Research in Art and Visual Evidence (RAVE) Workshop (Jan. 22nd, 2020), 2020
In this talk, I explored the cultural model behind the connection of the thread of the Moirae, li... more In this talk, I explored the cultural model behind the connection of the thread of the Moirae, life, and death, through a case study of four epigrams within the New Posidippusâ corpus. I provided a brief literature review to orient the reader towards my assumptions, as well as some background information on Posidippusâ section of the anthology on funerary epigrams. Then, I moved on to the demonstration of my hypothesis. I showed some examples of how a metaphor is not merely a literary device, but it also illustrates how a determined culture visualizes their thinking. Posidippus took full advantage of the ΟοáżĎÎą/destiny and the connected image of the thread; he put the metaphor to the service of his poetry. In particular, he made use of this figurative speech for funerary epigrams dedicated to women: since spinning is an everyday task for women, by describing their relationship to the loom and the spindle he was able to offer a glance into their lives. Older women are portrayed as virtuous, whereas young girls suffering an untimely death cause sorrow for the life they did not get to live. Some scholars have dismissed the use of this metaphor as a sign of simplicity, while I argue that the more basic the metaphor, the more appreciable and effective is the image the poet intends to communicate.
I tried to give some reasons to acknowledge how elegant and precious Posidippusâ funerary epigrams are because they have been underestimated in the past. Posidippus was able to embellish a conception that was both common and culturally pregnant; he used it to adorn a particular and arduous kind of poetry.
Un numero cospicuo di fonti letterarie greche e latine tramanda narrazioni mitologiche incentrate... more Un numero cospicuo di fonti letterarie greche e latine tramanda narrazioni mitologiche incentrate sulla figura di Glauco. Tralasciando qui il celebre guerriero omerico, è possibile individuare tre personaggi omonimi collegati a tradizioni distinte con alcuni elementi in comune: il pescatore Glauco Pontico (o Glauco di Antedone), il quale acquista lâimmortalitĂ dopo aver ingerito unâerba magica; Glauco di Potnie, erede al trono di Corinto, il quale viene divorato dalle proprie cavalle; infine Glauco di Creta, che affoga in una giara di miele e ritorna in vita grazie allâintervento dellâindovino Polido. Il presente articolo è suddiviso in due parti. La prima parte è dedicata alla disambiguazione delle suddette figure, sulla scia di studiosi quali Deichgräber e Beaulieu. Oltre allâomonimia e a una certa sovrapposizione in termini genealogici dei tre Glauci, particolare attenzione è riservata al loro trattamento in ambito teatrale attraverso la lettura dei frammenti di opere di Eschilo, Sofocle, Euripide e Aristofane. La seconda parte si concentra invece sulla ricezione dei miti collegati a Glauco nella letteratura classica piĂš tarda e, soprattutto, nel mondo letterario e musicale dellâopera lirica. Due sono le opere liriche in esame: la tragedia in musica âScylla et Glaucusâ, unica opera giunta per intero del compositore barocco Jean-Marie Leclair, su libretto di d'Albaret, la cui prima performance ebbe luogo a Parigi nel 1746 allâAcadĂŠmie Royale de Musique; e il âGlaucoâ di Alberto Franchetti, su libretto di Giovacchino Forzano, rappresentato per la prima volta nel 1922. Si propone infine un confronto tra gli elementi mitologici reperibili nelle fonti antiche e la loro rielaborazione moderna nei testi dei librettisti.