In 2025, artist Madeline Devantier met with students of Associate Professor Melissa Morison’s CLA 395 and CLA 495 in the Department of Classics to discuss her artwork. The students wrote responses as well as larger research papers inspired by her individual works and Greek mythology. These are abstracts for the essays that were written in conjunction with the Still Divine: Madeline Devantier exhibition.

Aphrodite

Presenting Prettily: Cosmetics and Body Modifications in Antiquity and How They Were Used

Elyse Karasinski

Inspired by Aphrodite, specifically the lipstick shown, this project showcases ways in which cosmetics were incorporated in daily life in the ancient central Mediterranean. Today, we do not have access to the literal and physical forms of cosmetics used in ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece; however, we do have evidence for use of ingredients like galena and malachite, as well as different cosmetic containers and tools. Along with make-up, this project also touches on other body modifications in antiquity, such as tattoos, piercings and branding. Cosmetics and other forms of body modification are important in modern times as well as in the past, and various contemporary media are tailored to sell new beauty products or anti-aging remedies and to glamorize other forms of body modification. This project enhances understanding of how, and why, ancient people used cosmetics and in which ways other cultures used them differently/ similarly.

Ares

Echoes of the Dead: The Treatment of the Dead in Hoplite Warfare

Kailey Washburn

Ares inspired me to think deeply about the consequences of hoplite warfare in ancient Greece. Hoplite warfare—with its face-to-face, close-quarter combat—leaves very little room for the dead and wounded on the battlefield, especially in the progress of the bloody and gruesome battles. The nature and scale of these types of battles often leads to a difficult and complicated retrieval and burial of the dead. The intention of this project was to identify the ways the dead were treated after and during battles, including retrieving the bodies, burials and cremation, the looting of the bodies, and the honoring of the fallen. Focusing on the Classical and Hellenistic periods, textual and material evidence referencing multiple battlegrounds and battles throughout Greece illuminates understanding of this understudied aspect of armed conflict.

Athena

Threading History: Women’s Agency in Antiquity

Caroline Collier

In classical antiquity, the production of textiles was a defining aspect of women's domestic labor, yet its cultural significance extended well beyond the confines of the household. In both ancient Greece and Rome, weaving served not only as a marker of feminine virtue and industriousness but also as a complex symbol through which gender roles, moral expectations, and social hierarchies were constructed and maintained. This project examined the multifaceted role of weaving in shaping women’s identities and agency within these societies, drawing on literary, artistic, and archaeological sources to analyze how textile production functioned as both an instrument of ideological reinforcement and, in certain contexts, a subtle form of resistance. By investigating the intersection of gender, labor, and agency, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the domestic sphere as a site of cultural meaning and socio-political expression in the ancient world.

Apollo

Chariton to Charlotte Brontë: The Role of the Ancient Greek and Roman Romances in the Evolution of the Novel

Mckinley Hixon

Inspired by the quill and stack of books in Devantier’s Apollo and Athena, I wanted to direct my research toward learning more about a genre of Ancient Greek and Roman literature that is not often discussed in scholarly circles: the novel. Different from the plays, poetry, and historical accounts most are familiar with, the Greek novel is prose fiction and, in many ways, parallels the conception of the novel that developed in the centuries following. My research tracks these similarities and differences, looking at these ancient texts in relation to the genre conventions found in later ones (primarily from the Renaissance period onwards) to see what influence, intentional or not, exists in these later works. In pursuing this investigation, my goal was to uncover what role these texts have in the broader history of literature and if they are just as relevant and worthy of attention and discussion as their poetic and nonfiction counterparts.

Apollo

The Shadows of Troy: the Trojan War Rewritten and Reviewed Through the Experiences of Trauma in The Silence of the Girls

Lilian Hevron

Inspired by Apollo’s ink pot and quill, I was motivated to study the untold stories of antiquity and analyze contemporary responses to them.  Who decides how history is written? Classical literature, particularly the Iliad, glorifies war and heroism but marginalizes captive women like Briseis– a silence that Pat Barker’s Silence of the Girls disrupts by shifting the focus to the experience of female trauma. This research explored Barker’s novel as a feminist counterpoint to the Iliad, using écriture féminine and trauma theory to reframe ancient warfare. Drawing from the works of trauma theorists, this analysis contrasted the Iliad’s externalized epic form with Silence of the Girls’ fragmented, introspective narration. Barker’s novel challenges classical depictions of women, revealing how male perspectives erase or soften female trauma. By comparing these works, epic storytelling’s problematic limits become clear. Now, retellings can recover these silenced voices. This study contributes to classical reception studies, feminist literary criticism, and trauma literature by reconsidering how war narratives can be told and redefining whose voices are prioritized.

Dionysus

A Study and Mapping of the Chian Wine Trade in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods through Amphoras

Enzo Arcamone

I was inspired by the juxtaposition in Dionysus of the oinochoe and the modern 750 mL wine bottles, which led me to research aspects of the wine trade in antiquity. Specifically, I chose the trade of wines from the island of Chios, as textual evidence shows that they were widely regarded as wines of utmost quality. An analysis of the wine carried in Chian amphorae shows how far Chian (viti)culture reaches and why Chian wine was so sought after in antiquity. Using this study, I establish the major parallels between the ancient and modern luxury goods trades, as the modern trade of luxury goods echoes the luxury goods trade of centuries past.

Hera

Reconstructing Hera: Gender, Marriage, and Power in Greek Mythology

Aoife McKenzie

I was inspired by the beauty of Hera, and was particularly drawn to the wilted flowers in one of the vases, which stood in stark contrast to the healthier flowers displayed in the companion piece, Zeus. These wilted flowers seemed to symbolize the tension between the idealized notion of marriage—reflecting Hera's role as goddess of marriage—and the harsh realities sometimes present in marital relationships, especially when considered in the context of Hera’s own troubled marriage with Zeus. This project examined the various representations of Hera throughout Greek mythology, and how these depictions have been interpreted over time. Hera’s myths, still relevant today, offer profound insights into modern issues such as gender dynamics, marital struggles, and power imbalances. This project aimed to deepen our understanding of how ancient narratives portrayed not only Hera, but also the broader themes of family, marriage, and marital strife through her stories—topics that continue to inform and resonate with our present-day experiences.

Hermes and Athena

Place Your Bets: Games and Gambling in Ancient Greece

Martin Hall

I was inspired by both the Hermes and the Athena pieces. Seeing the dice, cards, and game pieces raised the question “What games did the Greeks play, and how did those games function as social phenomena? I focused on how adults interacted with one another and how they understood these games. There are multiple types and categories of games, which include skill, competitive, team-building, and games of luck or chance. Each game leaves an individual with decisions and outcomes that impact their next moves. For games that have a clear winner or loser, players and observers can enter a level of stakes in which bets can be made on the possible outcomes of victory. This research helps us to better understand the social aspects of dice games, board games, and athletic competition, both ancient and modern.

Hermes

The Understanding of Geographic Space in Classical Antiquity

Sam Sabatino

Inspired by Hermes’ globe, this project seeks to better understand how the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean understood geographic space, using both textual and material evidence. The available evidence suggests that while the ancient inhabitants of the Mediterranean had some understanding of the idea of the globe, and the theoretical ability to create what in modern times would be considered an accurate map, limits in technology forced them to develop creative ways to represent geographic space. Understanding how the people of the Ancient Mediterranean may have conceptualized space may aid in understanding the reasoning behind their choices in many areas of life, whether that be how to describe the layout of a house, how to move an army somewhere, or just the general way that progression is described rhetorically.

Orpheus and Eurydice

A Woman's Lament: The Gendered History of Classical Greek Funerary Rituals

Mikayla Ide

The portrayal of the coins in Orpheus and Eurydice led me to the question “How were funerary rituals gendered in Classical Greece?” I focused on how an individual's gender informed the funerary rituals they were permitted to perform and participate in.

Integrated analysis of both textual and material evidence indicates clear patterns in assignment of gender-based roles in funerary rituals in classical-period Greece. This research helps us better understand the important roles that women have played and continue to play in death and mourning.

Zeus

Rule or Be Ruled: An Analysis of Zeus as a Passive Spectator

Jacob Morgan

Zeus inspired and shaped a research question: “How does Zeus fall into the passive spectator role in the version of  ancient Greek society revealed by literary evidence such as the Iliad?” Based on the works of Homer, this study analyzes how the “god of gods” plays a passive role using hegemony and language to maintain his position above his fellow gods as a pseudo-active judge. With this research, I present my own analysis of Zeus alongside scholarly research to reveal Zeus’s submission to Fate and the extent of his willingness to allow humans to conduct their own affairs with less divine interference.