Classical literature features numerous prominent female characters. This thesis paper identifies and examines the pattern of masculinization of female characters in classical literature through case studies of two characters and two authors. The character Iphigenia is examined as an example of a heroically masculinized female character and the character Agave is examined as an example of an aggressively masculinized female character. The mythologies of these two women are analyzed through the writings of the authors Euripides and Ovid in order to compare and contrast the perspectives of a Greek and Roman author on masculinization. The texts analyzed for this paper were Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis, Iphigenia Among the Taurians, and The Bacchae, as well as Ovid's Metamorphoses. This paper also analyzes the responses to masculinized female characters within the texts and identifies patterns of re-feminization in Euripides' writing and dehumanization in Ovid's writing. These responses are found to be reflective of cultural values regarding gender and this paper discusses how these literary characterization patterns are indicative of cultural anxieties regarding gender norms. Finally, this paper briefly addresses similar patterns of masculinization in modern film and literature exemplified by the proverbial "strong female character." This paper compares two modern "strong female characters", Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games and the Bride from Kill Bill, to Iphigenia and Agave and draws parallels in their masculinization patterns. The results of this paper's textual analysis conclude that classical authors (as well as some modern authors) often masculinized their female characters but expressed subsequent cultural discomfort with those characters as a reflection of uncertainty regarding established gender norms.

The matter of legitimate ownership over cultural artifacts has always been an area of great dispute as rediscovered treasures are claimed by actors of differing cultural backgrounds rather than the original proprietors, or appropriated over time through both force and miscommunication. Recently, there has been an influx of tension surrounding this topic as more actors begin to demand the repatriation or restitution of cultural artifacts directly linked to their historical identity or tradition. Unlike prior discourses on the matter however, new arguments are being crafted that utilize both moral reasoning and political analysis to support their claims. These arguments, both new and old, are now being joined with innovative responses that are attempting to resolve disputed matters concerning the ownership of cultural heritage objects. This paper details several frameworks that are established in either moral or political reasoning as the dispute over material culture continues. These frameworks examine the benefits of both preserving the objects within the cultures they currently reside or returning them to source cultures. The paper concludes with analysis of two of the most notorious material culture debates: the Parthenon Marbles and plundered Nazi war art. These two instances not only offer unique analysis on the current arguments being employed, but also review the validity of the claim of conservation over original ownership.

De Plantis Aegypti is a medical botany text from 1592, written by Prospero Alpini in Latin. In this text, Alpini details a variety of plants native and grown in Egypt, how they are grown, how they are processed, what they look like, and what if any edible and medical uses are documented. This project focused on transcribing and editing the Latin text, translating the Latin text into English, and comparing the medical claims to the modern scientific literature. This is the first translation of this text into English or any other language. Alpini also wrote two other books, which also have never been translated. The intended goal was to demonstrate that renaissance scholars understood medicine well, if not the mechanisms through which those medicines worked. After analyzing the modern scientific literature on the plants mentioned within the text, it was found that every medical use referenced in the text was either directly supported, indirectly supported, or there was no data from the literature. In other words, none of the medical uses were found to be disproved. On the other hand, quite a few of the plants actually had similar efficacies as modern pharmaceuticals. In addition to the notes on the modern science, there are also quite a few notes based on the grammar and the orthography of the text. This project is but a sampling of the plants mentioned De Plantis Aegypti, there are dozens more, which I plan on translating and doing a similar analysis on at a later date.

This thesis assesses the existence of an advanced textile production industry, which existed in Minoan and Mycenaean societies throughout the Bronze Age. This is proved based on physical remains as well as literary and tablet sources. These pieces of evidence show the movement and use of raw weaving materials as recorded and controlled by central palace structures. Palaces would have acted at the collectors of the raw goods and would have contained the workshops needed to produce the final product. The motives behind this industry are disputed, however the could include needing textiles for warfare, religious rituals, to supply the local population, or to enable the lifestyles of the elite.