Abstract
The paper seeks to show that, although "The Iliad" is clearly the product of a patriarchal, misogynistic society, Homer is far too aware of humanity to be as sexist as Hesiod, for example. It explains that Homer's portrayal of Helen shows his understanding and empathy, while his carefully constructed relationship of Patroclus and Achilles reveals certain feminine characteristics in the great male heroes.

From the Paper
"Homer's acute awareness of human nature has often been praised by critics, and is one of the reasons the Iliad has survived and is still read today. It enables him to create fascinating characters, and allows him to deal with both male and female personalities equally. Arthur compliments the Homeric poems for having a "less rigid" dichotomy between men and women , especially in comparison with the more overtly misogynistic work of Hesiod, for example. It is this that makes for the fascinating characterisation of Helen in the poem, which is the product of centuries of mythology and development of her story. So important is her character that she even has the final speech. The female gods are also notable examples of women in the Iliad, for even though they are divine, as females, they still reflect the Homeric gender roles."

Tags:achilles, agamemnon, andromache, briseis, feminism, helen, misogyny, patroclus, sexism, zeus

Abstract
The paper starts with an examination of Aeneas's leadership skills in Book II of Virgil's "Aeneid, which are still at a very early stage. It looks at how, by the time he finds a group gathered for him to lead at the end of the Book III, his pietas and duty begin to force him into this responsible role. It also explores how, by the end of Book V, he is less desperate and panicky and it picks up on his examples of fairness and decisiveness.

From the Paper
"One of the most outstanding features of the Aeneid is the subtle but convincing development of Aeneas' character throughout the twelve books. A factor in this development is his position as leader of the surviving Trojans and his mission to lead them to the site of Rome. In Books I-VI, Virgil thus charts the process by which Aeneas becomes a true leader of men, ready for the war in the second half of the epic. The hero must become an established leader in the story before Virgil can begin his maius opus (VII.45), and Books II, III and V contain the main stages and turning points in the development of the leader. It should also be noted here that in these Books Virgil concentrates, as is his habit, on the political aspects of leading a group of people, rather than leadership in a military sense."

Tags:anchises, ascanius, dido, iulus, trojans

Abstract
By examining the "Annals of Tacitus", the paper establishes where Tacitus' sympathies lay and how these feelings colour the text irreversibly with regard to the reign of the notorious Emperor Nero. It explains why these opinions were formed and how far he is likely to have worked with the methods of a modern historian. It discusses the "literary" feel of the writing and the effects this has, but also evaluates Tacitus by the standards of a modern historian.

From the Paper
"The reign of the notorious Emperor Nero comes last in the Annals of Tacitus, with the final part of his reign missing. In this final section of the Annals, Tacitus charts the downfall of the young emperor, from his beginnings as a young man ("still almost a boy") surrounded by manipulative advisers and relatives to his eventual, violent demise as an extravagant, tyrannical madman. The story of Nero's reign is skilfully written in Tacitus' trademark "silver Latin", and quite entertaining. However, it is important to note that Tacitus can scarcely be considered an historian by today's stringent standards, since he does not evaluate source material to give a fair and balanced view of the period of Nero's reign."

Tags:bias, dio, suetonius, tigellinus

Abstract
This paper highlights the device and effects of the divine sphere of activity in the poem as well as the mortal. It first deals with the issue of "Fate" and its relationship to the power and will of Jupiter. It then explains the notion and rhetorical effect of the "Optimistic Prophecy" in the poem and the different characteristics of the various gods as characters in a text, especially Juno. Finally, it considers a more psychoanalytical view of the gods as elements of Aeneas' psyche.

From the Paper
"The prophecy of Jupiter in lines 254-296 is very significant for the poem, and shows much about how Jupiter himself, and gods in general, are treated by Virgil. At the start of the passage, before he has started speaking, Virgil continues the mood of the calm after the storm, portraying Jupiter as a benevolent father figure to Venus' worried daughter: "vultu, quo caelum tempestatesque serenat /oscula libavit natae" (I.255-6). This, crucially, sets the tone for the coming prophecy, in which Jupiter is trying to assuage her fears by telling of the glory of Rome and thus Aeneas' enterprise."

Tags:aeneas, fate, jupiter

Abstract
This paper examines how in his play "Agamemnon", the Greek playwright Aeschylus offers a character study of a complex woman, Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, the Greek ruler who conquered Troy. It looks at how when considering the characterization of Clytemnestra provided in the "Agamemnon", many have made a comparison to the much weaker and insignificant character presented by Homer and how unlike Homer, Aeschylus creates a strong version of this character, a woman who manipulates the will of men in order to get what she wants. It discusses her duplicity and the complexities of her character, her strong character portrayal and the fact that she was a powerful women of her time.

From the Paper
"She stands firm in the continued celebration of a war finally won and stands in opposition to the warnings of the chorus about celebrating too soon. This is a form of action on the part of Clytemnestra. This action speaks volumes as it gives the audience great insight into her strength. The Chorus did not believe what Clytemnestra had told them; rather they had a typical male view of her and seemed to think she was just being a weak hearted person who is blinded by her longing for her husband. The image that the Chorus has of Clytemnestra was very different from the type of woman she proved herself to be at the end of the play. She emerges a stronger person because in comparison to Agamemnon she tends to dominate, thus showing the reversal of roles between herself and her husband."

Tags:troy, homer, aegisthus, argos

Abstract
This paper examines the archaeological search for the historical Atlantis, the theories that have been suggested over the years and the techniques which have been used to investigate them. It looks at how the myth has been captured by many authors over the years such as Ignatius Donnelly. It also considers whether K.T. Frost's hypothesis attempting to prove that the lost city of Atlantis was in fact in the Aegean is the solution to the problem of its location.

From the Paper
"However, if we are equating the destruction of Minoan Crete to that of Atlantis, we run into problems. The most obvious of these is that Atlantis was supposed to have sunk under the sea after experiencing "earthquakes and floods of extraordinary violence" . While Crete probably did experience earthquakes as a result of Santorini, it is quite plainly still there, not sunk under the waves at all. Supporters of the Crete/Thera theory have two arguments to this. The first is that the eruption of Santorini could have caused a tsunami that would have hit Crete. This would certainly be a watery end for the Minoans, but even stretching the imagination one cannot say that it 'sank' the island."

Tags:bull, crete, critias, donnelly, egyptian, frost, ignatius, knossos, minoan, mycenean, plato, santorini, timeus

Abstract
This paper examines to what extent is it necessary to qualify the description of Herodotus as a historian. It looks at how Herodotus's perception of history is far removed from the critical eye of a modern historian, and this paper considers where the discrepancies lie and appreciates Herodotus's "Histories".

From the Paper
"Herodotus' attempts to draw moral lessons from the study of great events formed the basis of Greek and Roman historical tradition upheld by later historians such as Livy. He intended to arouse political awareness and responsibility by recalling examples from the events of the past. The Persian Wars, between Eastern and Western powers, brings to mind the Peloponnesian war; in the same way that Croesus did not have to attack Persia, nor did Athens have to attack Sicily. Like Aristophanes in his comedies, Herodotus is unable to entirely divorce his own political sympathies from his work. At 3.80-2 three figures give conflicting speeches on the virtues of democracy, oligarchy and monarchy."

Tags:croesus, agamemnon, persia

Abstract
In this essay the character of women and their role in Athenian society at the time of Aristophanes is examined. In the ancient world the idea of women running the city was totally ludicrous and people would laugh at the idea. The paper shows that Aristophanes wrote this play to make people laugh and so not much, if any, of the information in the play can be relied upon to give an accurate picture of how women were treated in Athenian society. Aristophanes gave them a very important position but in reality they were treated as second class citizens.

From the Paper
"The general idea of the women of Athens running the city was totally preposterous and would not even be considered as a viable option to solve the city's problems. This was because women held such a low position in Greek society. They had no legal status at all and could not even represent themselves in court if they wanted to."

Tags:ancient, athens, playwrights

Abstract
This paper reviews Aeschylus' "Oresteia" in which Aeschylus uses the Agamemnon myth to convey his messages. It examines how Aeschylus' main purpose in the "Oresteia" is not to explore the psychology of his characters but to narrate the story of the House of Atreus, its theological aspects and its relevance to the contemporary political situation. It focuses on Aeschylus' use of the story of the House of Atreus in order to make relevant points about the society he lived in and whether he was successful in doing so. Also discussed is the use of charter myth and gender.

From the Paper
"First of all, the story of the House of Atreus is not only of one generation, but in fact includes the terrible happenings between Atreus and his brother Thyestes, and then the abduction of Helen from Menelaus; these things are implied by Aeschylus in a very circumspect manner but not actually mentioned although they are an integral part of the Atreus curse, they are not necessary to the plot and therefore not included. Aeschylus gets away with this because his play is not original material as such, it is based on a myth widely known throughout his culture, he can safely assume that everyone watching the play will already know the tale and will therefore "fill in the gaps" themselves. This is, of course, a major point; would Aeschylus tell a story for its own merits if he knew that his projected audience was already aware of the outcome of the tale?"

Tags:aeigisthus, agamemnon, areopagus, athens, clytemnestra, delian, electra, eumenides, gods, menelaus, thyestes, troy

Abstract
This essay compares the works of Herodotus and Thucydides, and the way in which Herodotus influenced Thucydides' own views on the writing of history. It examines differences in their language, the importance attributed to the supernatural, their views on historical causation and their use of sources.

From the Paper
"Herodotus' Histories earned him the title of "The Father of History", the first person ever to investigate historical causation without paying too much homage to divine influence. Roughly twenty-five years later, Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War continued Herodotus' history, taking up from the moment Histories ends."

Tags:athens, greece, greek, histories, peloponnesian