Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Seeds of Discord: Extraordinary Commands and Constitutional Thought in the Roman Republic(2023) Cranford, Dustin Scott; Eckstein, Arthur; Lapin, Hayim; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Extraordinary commands remain a controversial subject in the history of the Roman Republic, especially regarding whether (or how) such commands contributed to the ultimate collapse of Rome’s republican government. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the definition of extraordinary commands or the criteria for identifying them in modern scholarship, without which historians are unable to discern the true significance of these commands in Roman history. This dissertation argues that extraordinary commands are best understood as deviations from the Roman constitution, wherein the socio-political norms and laws intended to regulate Rome’s magistracies were subordinated, through either senatorial decree or popular vote, in order to accommodate the creation of an otherwise illegal military command. Starting with a historiographical survey of the modern discussion surrounding extraordinary commands, the early chapters of the dissertation also focus on analyzing the socio-political norms and rules that formed the basis of Rome’s republican constitution, as well as a detailed examination of Rome’s political institutions, especially the development of its executive magistracies. Next, a philological analysis of the terms extra ordinem, extraordinarium, and their Greek equivalents examines how Romans and Greeks themselves perceived extraordinary commands. The final chapters of this dissertation argue that the identification of extraordinary commands ultimately comes down to three analytical perspectives: the potential legal criteria of irregular magistracies, the magnitude of their occurrence, and whether they represented a deviation from Roman constitutional law. Finally, the dissertation concludes with an overview of all exceptional and extraordinary commands occurring over the course of the Roman Republic (509-31 BCE), along with a statistical analysis of the changing trends and evolution of extraordinary commands over time. In the end, a proper method of defining and identifying extraordinary commands helps modern historians truly understand the significance of such commands in Roman history. A well-known facet of Rome’s constitution was its flexibility, which allowed the Romans to find innovative solutions to crises facing the state over time, but extraordinary commands represented the breaking point of this flexibility.Item THE LESSONS OF TREACHERY IN POLYBIUS’ HISTORIES(2022) Slavik, Jordan Francis; Eckstein, Arthur; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation offers a new analysis of Polybius of Megalopolis’ Histories by looking at the Achaean historian’s many depictions of treachery and deception during the third and second centuries BCE. Chapter 1 introduces the topic and explores how Polybius’ moral evaluations of treachery consistently center on the personal gain of the betrayer and the context of the situation. Chapter 2 surveys instances of treachery and deception taken against friends and allies in the Histories, which are remarkably even-handed. Polybius makes allowances for certain betrayals in the face of extreme necessity and wicked allies, and he is especially critical of treachery committed despite past kindnesses. Chapter 3 discusses Polybius’ accounts of treachery and deception carried out against one’s own state. In addition to showcasing continued Polybian contextual nuances, the chapter emphasizes the frequency and severity at which these internal betrayals occur in monarchies, when compared with republics, providing insight into Polybius’ attitude toward monarchies, republics, and the morally corrupting weight of power on different forms of government. Significantly, the Romans remain unique in the Histories in their utter lack of any such internal treachery. Chapter 4 explores instances of diplomatic deception employed during times of war, maintaining that Polybius allowed for a significant amount of diplomatic deception and maneuvering when a formal treaty or truce had not been sworn. In the Histories, when oaths are sworn, the Romans are typically the victims of such treachery, often characterized by Polybius as παρανομία. The exception to this is Polybius’ condemnation of Marcius Philippus’ deceptions against Perseus in 172/171, which seems inconsistent given Polybius’ heavy praise of Scipio in 203 and Flamininus in 198/197 for strikingly similar deceptions. This deviation matches Polybius’ efforts throughout the Histories to fabricate a contrast of earlier Roman virtue with contemporary Roman depravity. Chapter 5 adopts a “Greek vs barbarian” lens to argue that Polybius connected the acquisition of power with the moral decline and political collapse of the state – both of which are forecasted by Polybian descriptions of παρανομία. Notably, throughout the Histories the Romans never exemplify such παρανομία. The interconnection between moral corruption and pragmatic consequence is emphasized in Polybius’ descriptions of the many unjustified instances of treachery throughout his work, all of which are carefully shown to have dire consequences for the culprits. The dissertation concludes by arguing that Polybius realized that in the new unipolar reality of Roman domination, the only check on tyrannical Roman behavior would have to come from the Romans themselves. Thus, Polybius uses his fabricated model of past Roman virtue and present Roman depravity to challenge the Romans to surpass the benevolence of their ancestors, while warning the Romans about what would happen should they resort to “barbaric” tyranny. These didactic efforts suggest that Polybius wrote the Histories with a Roman readership in mind.Item Spoken Words, Embodied Words: A New Approach to Ancient Egyptian Theatre(2022) Hedges, Allison; Hildy, Franklin; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this dissertation, the author advocates for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of dramatic texts and theatrical performances in ancient Egypt. Two primary lines of inquiry run through this study. The first is an in-depth historiography of ancient Egyptian drama and performance in the American discipline of theatre history over the last one hundred years, to better understand the positioning (or lack thereof) of ancient Egypt in American narratives of early theatre history. An important aspect of this historiographical approach is the observation of missed connections between twentieth century Egyptological advances in the discovery and interpretation of dramatic texts, and contemporary conversations in the field of theatre history about the role of ancient Egypt in the formation of the art form. The second line of inquiry follows a Performance as Research (PAR) approach, to evaluate theatrical practice as a useful tool in further interpreting dramatic texts and understanding theatrical performances in ancient Egypt. The goal of this study overall is to encourage collaboration between theatre practitioners, theatre historians, and Egyptologists for a more holistic understanding of the ancient Egyptian theatrical tradition, and to raise awareness of the potential for modern performance of ancient Egyptian dramatic texts.Item CHOOSING ONE’S WORDS: HOW JULIO-CLAUDIAN EMPERORS COMMANDED THEIR ELITE SUBJECTS IN THE WORKS OF LATIN HISTORIANS(2022) Abrams, Brian Michael; Eckstein, Arthur; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Roman emperors acted within a culture deeply concerned with personal honor. In this environment issuing commands to aristocratic subjects presented the potential for conflict, as the honor of the commanded subject was at risk. One technique adopted by some of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was to embrace ambiguity in how they phrased their commands. Through an examination of the verbs used by Latin historians to describe the emperor issuing a command, it becomes clear that emperors relied upon this type of ambiguous phrasing when dealing with elite subjects. However, there was little use of ambiguity when dealing with non-elite subjects. There is a generational divide in the use of ambiguity, and it is argued here that this was because the elder Julio-Claudians had been present for the genesis of this strategy during the reign of Augustus, while the younger members of the dynasty had not. Strategic ambiguity was a method by which the emperor could fashion himself as first citizen rather than as a master.Item SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND SOCIAL RELATIONS IN PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN THE AGE OF JUSTINIAN(2021) Birch, Kevin; Lapin, Hayim; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The work concerns the social structure and social relationships in the sixth-century writings of Procopius of Caesarea. It aims to not only shed light on the changes and continuities in Roman society and social relationships of the sixth century, it also aims to establish the reliability and accuracy of Procopius with regard as an author. This is accomplished by examining a number of groups within Roman society and the roles they play in his works such as the political elite, non-Romans, religious communities, and others and then establishing Procopius’ reliability by a comparative analysis with other contemporary sources-literary, archaeological and epigraphic.Item Resistance in the Digital Workplace: Call Center Workers in Bell Telephone Companies, 1965-2005(2021) Goldman, Debbie J; Greene, Julie; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Resistance in the Digital Workplace analyzes the ways in which a predominantly female unionized workforce contested the degradation of the labor process and downward pressure on living standards and job security in the automated call centers of two leading telecommunications companies, AT&T and Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) in the latter decades of the twentieth century. In their struggles with employers, the call center workers and their union, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), fought for good, secure, humane jobs amidst the digital revolution, neoliberal policy regime, the financial turn in capitalism, and the decline of unions. The study argues that the very forces that were driving change in the call centers also shifted and frequently narrowed the terrain upon which these call center workers struggled with management for control and power. While CWA and its call center members scored impressive victories in placing limits on abusive surveillance, work speed-up, and some forms of outsourcing, the study also demonstrates the boundaries of collective worker power in the highly automated call center environment. Resistance in the Digital Workplace examines key questions of labor history: workers’ struggles for job control in automated workplaces; the opportunities and constraints of the U.S. enterprise-based collective bargaining system; the failure of U.S. labor law to protect workers when organizing; alternative organizing models such as CWA’s bargain to organize strategy; the impact of neoliberal regulatory and economic policies on the decline of union power; the rise and fall of labor-management partnerships in the 1990s; the financial turn in capitalism; the fissuring of employment systems; global outsourcing of service work; and the successful strike against the corporate giant Verizon in the year 2000. The contests of CWA and its call center members, operating in one of the most dynamic and important sectors of the U.S. and global economy, highlight the opportunities, challenges, and constraints that so many U.S. service workers face in their struggles for power in the post-industrial service economy.Item POLEMIC AGAINST PRE-ISLAMIC DEITIES IN THE SŪRAH NAMED AFTER THE PLEIADES(2020) Zaman, Asad Uz; Borrut, Antoine; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The thesis explores the idea of whether Allāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt were worshipped as manifestations of Venus by Muhammad’s pagan opponents known as the mushrikūn; an idea inspired through engagement with Gerald Hawting’s book The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam. By reading Q53 Sūrat al-Najm within a broader context of ancient Near Eastern astral religion/mythology I develop an “astral” interpretation of Muhammad’s angelic vision of the Archangel Gabriel, highlighting how the description of Gabriel at the beginning of the sūrah parallels the movements of Venus as the morning star in some salient features. Based on this finding I argue that the Venusian description of Gabriel serves as a polemic posing him in comparison to the goddesses mentioned later in the sūrah at Q53:19-20. These developments prompt me to examine their implications for the Satanic verses story and propose a date for Q53’s revelation.Item The End of Pagan Temples in Roman Palestine(2018) Stoehr, Greg; Lapin, Hayim; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)I am investigating fate of polytheist temples in Late Antique Roman Palestine, with a primary focus on the archaeological remains of the temples themselves. This focus is a deliberate effort to steer the conversation about “Christianization” and the “end of paganism” into the domain of empirical evidence. The inner religious states of individuals, and hence populations, confound efforts at quantification. Thus, this dissertation is instead an accounting of the fate of the public venues that were used by pagans, for specific ritual behavior that enhanced status, in what was the most significant part of the Empire in terms of the history of Christianity. Ancient Palestine in the third and early fourth centuries was part of the normal Mediterranean pagan milieu. Cities such as Bet Shean, Aelia Capitolina, and Caesarea Maritima provide us with evidence for dozens of pagan temples. This study finds evidence for forty-four temples. There were certainly many more than those for which we have evidence. All of these pagan temples eventually went out of commission. Only three temples in Palestine had endings that were remarkable enough to be preserved in the literary record. The ending of the rest was far less dramatic, if we even know about it. A combination of neglect, natural disaster, extended quarrying through time, and encroachment of ritual space by other buildings was significantly more common than more dramatic scenarios that involved overt social conflict. What we hear from impassioned literary sources does not seem to be typical when compared with the archaeology. It might be hypothesized that an urban culture of enlightened indifference preferred to allow temples to linger and slip away, in an unremarkable fashion, rather than forcibly eliminate them.Item PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA, PRAGMATIKE HISTORIA, AND THE LIMITS OF IMPERIAL POWER(2017) Frechette, Joseph Raymond; Eckstein, Arthur M; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The implicit assumption in many recent treatments of the sixth century historian Procopius of Caesarea and his history of the wars of the emperor Justinian is that the “classicizing” elements contained in the Wars are a product of mimesis that Procopius deployed for literary or political purposes. These approaches lead to the conclusion that the Wars are disconnected from the realities of the mid sixth century. This dissertation suggests that we may gain a better understanding not only of this important historian and his most substantial work, but also the regime he served and criticized, by suspending our disbelief and taking the Wars on its own terms. That is, as a work of analytical history whose author expected would be useful to its readers in the conduct of military and political affairs. To this end it examines Procopius’ career, the nature and relative dates of his works, the historiographic context in which he operated, the nature of his audience, some of the recurrent issues faced by Roman commanders as described in the Wars and their practical applicability to a contemporary military audience, points of contact between Procopius and the didactic military literature of the period, the inapplicability of discussing Procopius as a critic of a “totalitarian” regime, and the Wars’ portrait, instead, of an imperial regime limited by both external and internal constraints.Item Egyptian Pagans through Christian Eyes(2016) Juliussen-Stevenson, Heather Ann; Holum, Kenneth; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Construction of Christian identity in Egypt proceeded in pace with construction of the Egyptian pagan “Other” between the second and sixth centuries. Apologies, martyrdoms, apocalypses, histories, sermons, hagiographies, and magical texts provide several different vantage points from which to view the Christian construction of the Egyptian pagan “Other”: as the agent of anti-Christian violence, as an intellectual rival, as an object of anti-pagan violence, as an obstacle to salvation, and—perhaps most dangerously—as but another participant in a shared religious experience. The recent work of social scientists on identity, deviance, violence, social/cultural memory, and religiosity provides insight into the strategies by which construction of the “Other” was part of a larger project of fashioning a “proper” Christian religious domain.