This paper deals with the cult and myths of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechth... more This paper deals with the cult and myths of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who lived on the Acropolis. The myth, preserved in Euripides’ tragedy Erechtheus, establishes the deceased daughters as goddesses who are owed cult by the Athenians. It further equates them with the Hyades, a prominent star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, which they form after their deaths. We examine here the possibility that this myth not only narrates the placement of the girls after their death in the sky in the form of the Hyades, but also may have bound the constellation to certain festivals held on the Acropolis, which through their aetiological myths were connected to the daughters of Erechtheus and in which the participation of young girls (arrhēphoroi) was important. To explicate this cult, we explore its context on the Acropolis as fully as possible, through the visual arts, the literary myth, the festival calendar, and the natural landscape and night sky, so as to determine whether the movement of the Hyades was indeed visible from the Acropolis during the time when the young maiden cult rites were performed on the hill. This study investigates for the first time the role of the night sky and astronomical observations in the performance of the nocturnal festival of the Arrhēphoria.
Despite being one of the most recognisable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly un... more Despite being one of the most recognisable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly understood. While its architecture has been well studied, its function remains uncertain. This paper argues that both the design and the meaning of the Pantheon are in fact dependent upon an understanding of the role of the sun in the building, and of the apotheosised emperor in Roman thought.
The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true ma... more The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor's project, analysing the archaeoastronomy of the best preserved part of the Domus, the Esquiline Wing. In particular, we study the so-called Octagonal Room, the huge vaulted room which is in many respects a predecessor of the Pantheon. The project of the room turns out to be connected with astronomy, as will be that of the Hadrian's Pantheon 60 years later. Indeed, the divinization and "solarisation" of the emperor placed at the equinoxes as a point of balance in the heavens are shown to be explicitly referred to in the rigorous orientation of the plan and in the peculiar geometry of the design of the dome.
Despite being one of the most recognizable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly un... more Despite being one of the most recognizable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly understood. While its architecture has been well studied, its function remains uncertain. This paper argues that both the design and the meaning of the Pantheon are in fact dependent upon an understanding of the role of the sun in the building, and of the apotheosized emperor in Roman thought. Supporting evidence is drawn not only from the instruments of time in the form of the roofed spherical sundial, but also from other Imperial monuments, notably Nero's Domus Aurea and Augustus's complex of structures on the Campus Martius -his Ara Pacis, the 'Horologium Augusti,' and his Mausoleum. Hadrian's Mausoleum and potentially part of his Villa at Tivoli are drawn into this argument as correlatives. Ultimately, it is proposed that sun and time were linked architecturally into cosmological signposts for those Romans who could read such things.
In Euripides' Erechtheus, Athena proclaims that the souls of Erechtheus' daughters 'have not gone... more In Euripides' Erechtheus, Athena proclaims that the souls of Erechtheus' daughters 'have not gone to Hades'. Instead, she has 'caused their spirit to dwell in the upper reaches of the sky and [she] shall make a famous name throughout Hellas for men to call them the Hyakinthian goddesses' (Eur. Erechtheus (Kannicht), fr. 370: 71-74; Hard 2004: 370). A scholiast to Aratos identifies these with the star cluster of the Hyades (Schol. Arat., Phaen. 172). 1 This proclamation of the emplacement of the girls in the night-sky as the constellation of the Hyades is followed by another proclamation from Athena that the girls are from now on to be considered goddesses.
The paper deals with the cult of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who li... more The paper deals with the cult of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who lived on the Acropolis. This myth establishes the deceased daughters as goddesses who are owed cult by the Athenians. It further equates them with the Hyades, a prominent star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, which they form after their deaths. We examine here the possibility that this myth not only narrates the placement of the girls after their death in the sky in the form of the Hyades, but also may have bound the constellation to certain festivals held on the Acropolis, which through their aetiological myths were connected to the daughters of Erechtheus and in which the participation of young girls (Arrhēphoroi) was important. To explicate this cult, we explore its context on the Acropolis as fully as possible, through the visual arts, the literary myth, the festival calendar, and the natural landscape and night-sky, so as to determine whether the movement of the constellation of the Hyades was indeed visible from the Acropolis during the time when the young maiden cult rites were performed on the hill.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears... more Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Three zodiacal signs-the Bull, the Capricorn and the Scorpion-are carved on the globe at the base... more Three zodiacal signs-the Bull, the Capricorn and the Scorpion-are carved on the globe at the base of the Conservatori portrait of Commodus in which the Emperor is represented in the guise of Hercules. The signs have resisted satisfactory interpretation for over a century. I propose a calendric, rather than purely astrological, interpretation for the signs, on the basis of ancient astronomical calendars and of the actual arrangement of the constellations (or their equivalent astrological signs) at certain times of the year. In this way, the signs are interpreted as an indication of the month of October. October figured prominently at various stages of Commodus' life, and indeed was renamed after Hercules by the Emperor. This calendric interpretation can therefore be seen to emphasize the Herculean aspect of the portrait.
This paper sets out to establish the possible origin of the Renaissance portolan charts of the Me... more This paper sets out to establish the possible origin of the Renaissance portolan charts of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. A hypothesis is produced in which the perimeter circle, of an ancient henge or similar, represented the outer disc of the earth, and was used to start what became the process of mapping and charting. Methods of determining latitude and longitude without the need for complex instruments or mathematics are outlined, and a hypothetical method of determining a wayfaring star for travel between remote circles/henges is illustrated. A further hypothesis is then developed concerning the need for cartographers to have a very large circle inscribed in a wooden table or floor to simulate the earth disc perimeter so that survey control points can be processed in a simple analogue graphical manner similar to the postulated henge theory. This evolutionary step is seen as necessary to facilitate control for the detailed and accurate coastlines shown on the portolans and to also overcome the difficulties of multiple chart production using materials such as vellum. An attempt to define the basic projection used in the portolans is made through an initial analysis of a NASA image of the earth as seen in simulation from outer space. This is then followed by a detailed analysis of the Albini de Canepa portolan now held in the James Ford Bell Library of the University of Minnesota.
The factors that contribute to success and failure in introductory programming courses continue t... more The factors that contribute to success and failure in introductory programming courses continue to be a topic of lively debate, with recent conference panels and papers devoted to the subject (e.g. . Most work in this area has concentrated on the ability of single factors (e.g. gender, math background, etc.) to predict success, with the exception of Wilson et al. , which used a general linear model to gauge the effect of combined factors. In Rountree et al. we presented the results of a survey of our introductory programming class that considered factors (such as student expectations of success, among other things) in isolation. In this paper, we reassess the data from that survey by using a decision tree classifier to identify combinations of factors that interact to predict success or failure more strongly than single, isolated factors.
This paper proposes a framework for thinking about the presentation of virtual objects. This fram... more This paper proposes a framework for thinking about the presentation of virtual objects. This framework provides a continuum for considering the effects of design strategies on media used in teaching Classical art. With the premise that learning is supported through the judicious presentation of appropriate materials, we explore what type of presentation is effective and why. A study on the use of photo-realistic virtual reality for teaching Classical sculpture demonstrates the application of ideas set out in this framework. Results from this study suggest that virtual artefacts can be employed as effective tools for teaching Classical art.
This article presents a case study that investigates the effectiveness of virtual artifacts in th... more This article presents a case study that investigates the effectiveness of virtual artifacts in the teaching of classical art to first-year university students. It was expected that a virtual artifact would not be as successful a tool as a real artifact for this purpose. However, digital images provide the advantage of a mediated focus and prove to be useful, effective tools in supporting visual literacy.
In this chapter we aim to explain various forms of time-telling instruments devised in antiquity,... more In this chapter we aim to explain various forms of time-telling instruments devised in antiquity, especially sundials and water clocks. There is no doubting the high degree of sophistication of some of the instruments which happen to survive, from the monumental Tower of the Winds in Athens, through complex stone sundials from even the furthest reaches of the Hellenistic Greek world in what is now Afghanistan, to the tour-de-force of engineering that the Antikythera Mechanism represents. But against these extraordinary instruments we can set much simpler, more human-oriented means of telling the time, such as the use of one's own shadow. These will be set against the contemporary social context, as much as we can glean that from surviving literature, biased though that tends to be towards the educated élite. We shall see also how people reacted to these increasingly common, and even dominating, instruments, whose growing complexity demonstrates the emerging technological sophistication of the Classical world. There is much that still can be learned about these instruments, whether through better mathematical or more powerful technological analyses.
This paper deals with the cult and myths of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechth... more This paper deals with the cult and myths of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who lived on the Acropolis. The myth, preserved in Euripides’ tragedy Erechtheus, establishes the deceased daughters as goddesses who are owed cult by the Athenians. It further equates them with the Hyades, a prominent star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, which they form after their deaths. We examine here the possibility that this myth not only narrates the placement of the girls after their death in the sky in the form of the Hyades, but also may have bound the constellation to certain festivals held on the Acropolis, which through their aetiological myths were connected to the daughters of Erechtheus and in which the participation of young girls (arrhēphoroi) was important. To explicate this cult, we explore its context on the Acropolis as fully as possible, through the visual arts, the literary myth, the festival calendar, and the natural landscape and night sky, so as to determine whether the movement of the Hyades was indeed visible from the Acropolis during the time when the young maiden cult rites were performed on the hill. This study investigates for the first time the role of the night sky and astronomical observations in the performance of the nocturnal festival of the Arrhēphoria.
Despite being one of the most recognisable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly un... more Despite being one of the most recognisable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly understood. While its architecture has been well studied, its function remains uncertain. This paper argues that both the design and the meaning of the Pantheon are in fact dependent upon an understanding of the role of the sun in the building, and of the apotheosised emperor in Roman thought.
The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true ma... more The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor's project, analysing the archaeoastronomy of the best preserved part of the Domus, the Esquiline Wing. In particular, we study the so-called Octagonal Room, the huge vaulted room which is in many respects a predecessor of the Pantheon. The project of the room turns out to be connected with astronomy, as will be that of the Hadrian's Pantheon 60 years later. Indeed, the divinization and "solarisation" of the emperor placed at the equinoxes as a point of balance in the heavens are shown to be explicitly referred to in the rigorous orientation of the plan and in the peculiar geometry of the design of the dome.
Despite being one of the most recognizable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly un... more Despite being one of the most recognizable buildings from ancient Rome, the Pantheon is poorly understood. While its architecture has been well studied, its function remains uncertain. This paper argues that both the design and the meaning of the Pantheon are in fact dependent upon an understanding of the role of the sun in the building, and of the apotheosized emperor in Roman thought. Supporting evidence is drawn not only from the instruments of time in the form of the roofed spherical sundial, but also from other Imperial monuments, notably Nero's Domus Aurea and Augustus's complex of structures on the Campus Martius -his Ara Pacis, the 'Horologium Augusti,' and his Mausoleum. Hadrian's Mausoleum and potentially part of his Villa at Tivoli are drawn into this argument as correlatives. Ultimately, it is proposed that sun and time were linked architecturally into cosmological signposts for those Romans who could read such things.
In Euripides' Erechtheus, Athena proclaims that the souls of Erechtheus' daughters 'have not gone... more In Euripides' Erechtheus, Athena proclaims that the souls of Erechtheus' daughters 'have not gone to Hades'. Instead, she has 'caused their spirit to dwell in the upper reaches of the sky and [she] shall make a famous name throughout Hellas for men to call them the Hyakinthian goddesses' (Eur. Erechtheus (Kannicht), fr. 370: 71-74; Hard 2004: 370). A scholiast to Aratos identifies these with the star cluster of the Hyades (Schol. Arat., Phaen. 172). 1 This proclamation of the emplacement of the girls in the night-sky as the constellation of the Hyades is followed by another proclamation from Athena that the girls are from now on to be considered goddesses.
The paper deals with the cult of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who li... more The paper deals with the cult of the daughters of the mythical king of Athens, Erechtheus, who lived on the Acropolis. This myth establishes the deceased daughters as goddesses who are owed cult by the Athenians. It further equates them with the Hyades, a prominent star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, which they form after their deaths. We examine here the possibility that this myth not only narrates the placement of the girls after their death in the sky in the form of the Hyades, but also may have bound the constellation to certain festivals held on the Acropolis, which through their aetiological myths were connected to the daughters of Erechtheus and in which the participation of young girls (Arrhēphoroi) was important. To explicate this cult, we explore its context on the Acropolis as fully as possible, through the visual arts, the literary myth, the festival calendar, and the natural landscape and night-sky, so as to determine whether the movement of the constellation of the Hyades was indeed visible from the Acropolis during the time when the young maiden cult rites were performed on the hill.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears... more Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Three zodiacal signs-the Bull, the Capricorn and the Scorpion-are carved on the globe at the base... more Three zodiacal signs-the Bull, the Capricorn and the Scorpion-are carved on the globe at the base of the Conservatori portrait of Commodus in which the Emperor is represented in the guise of Hercules. The signs have resisted satisfactory interpretation for over a century. I propose a calendric, rather than purely astrological, interpretation for the signs, on the basis of ancient astronomical calendars and of the actual arrangement of the constellations (or their equivalent astrological signs) at certain times of the year. In this way, the signs are interpreted as an indication of the month of October. October figured prominently at various stages of Commodus' life, and indeed was renamed after Hercules by the Emperor. This calendric interpretation can therefore be seen to emphasize the Herculean aspect of the portrait.
This paper sets out to establish the possible origin of the Renaissance portolan charts of the Me... more This paper sets out to establish the possible origin of the Renaissance portolan charts of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. A hypothesis is produced in which the perimeter circle, of an ancient henge or similar, represented the outer disc of the earth, and was used to start what became the process of mapping and charting. Methods of determining latitude and longitude without the need for complex instruments or mathematics are outlined, and a hypothetical method of determining a wayfaring star for travel between remote circles/henges is illustrated. A further hypothesis is then developed concerning the need for cartographers to have a very large circle inscribed in a wooden table or floor to simulate the earth disc perimeter so that survey control points can be processed in a simple analogue graphical manner similar to the postulated henge theory. This evolutionary step is seen as necessary to facilitate control for the detailed and accurate coastlines shown on the portolans and to also overcome the difficulties of multiple chart production using materials such as vellum. An attempt to define the basic projection used in the portolans is made through an initial analysis of a NASA image of the earth as seen in simulation from outer space. This is then followed by a detailed analysis of the Albini de Canepa portolan now held in the James Ford Bell Library of the University of Minnesota.
The factors that contribute to success and failure in introductory programming courses continue t... more The factors that contribute to success and failure in introductory programming courses continue to be a topic of lively debate, with recent conference panels and papers devoted to the subject (e.g. . Most work in this area has concentrated on the ability of single factors (e.g. gender, math background, etc.) to predict success, with the exception of Wilson et al. , which used a general linear model to gauge the effect of combined factors. In Rountree et al. we presented the results of a survey of our introductory programming class that considered factors (such as student expectations of success, among other things) in isolation. In this paper, we reassess the data from that survey by using a decision tree classifier to identify combinations of factors that interact to predict success or failure more strongly than single, isolated factors.
This paper proposes a framework for thinking about the presentation of virtual objects. This fram... more This paper proposes a framework for thinking about the presentation of virtual objects. This framework provides a continuum for considering the effects of design strategies on media used in teaching Classical art. With the premise that learning is supported through the judicious presentation of appropriate materials, we explore what type of presentation is effective and why. A study on the use of photo-realistic virtual reality for teaching Classical sculpture demonstrates the application of ideas set out in this framework. Results from this study suggest that virtual artefacts can be employed as effective tools for teaching Classical art.
This article presents a case study that investigates the effectiveness of virtual artifacts in th... more This article presents a case study that investigates the effectiveness of virtual artifacts in the teaching of classical art to first-year university students. It was expected that a virtual artifact would not be as successful a tool as a real artifact for this purpose. However, digital images provide the advantage of a mediated focus and prove to be useful, effective tools in supporting visual literacy.
In this chapter we aim to explain various forms of time-telling instruments devised in antiquity,... more In this chapter we aim to explain various forms of time-telling instruments devised in antiquity, especially sundials and water clocks. There is no doubting the high degree of sophistication of some of the instruments which happen to survive, from the monumental Tower of the Winds in Athens, through complex stone sundials from even the furthest reaches of the Hellenistic Greek world in what is now Afghanistan, to the tour-de-force of engineering that the Antikythera Mechanism represents. But against these extraordinary instruments we can set much simpler, more human-oriented means of telling the time, such as the use of one's own shadow. These will be set against the contemporary social context, as much as we can glean that from surviving literature, biased though that tends to be towards the educated élite. We shall see also how people reacted to these increasingly common, and even dominating, instruments, whose growing complexity demonstrates the emerging technological sophistication of the Classical world. There is much that still can be learned about these instruments, whether through better mathematical or more powerful technological analyses.
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