Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2020
Degree Name
Master of Arts (AM/MA)
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
Using the studies and methodologies spearheaded by the burgeoning field of geomythology, this project aims to reevaluate one of the most famous works of ancient literature, the Georgics of Vergil, within the context of karst geology. In other words, I plan to critically investigate the famous myth of Aristaeus using a geomythological lens that focuses on how Vergil treats caves and cave systems as related to (his) myth. The didactic poem as a whole, and much less so the myth of Aristaeus, has been assessed relatively little by archaeologists, and by geomythologists not at all. Yet, book four contains an overwhelming number of caves, and accurately described cave-spaces, that form the backdrop for virtually all of the characters and virtually all of the narrative events.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Dr. Nicola Aravecchia
Committee Members
Dr. Kathryn Wilson, Dr. Jennifer Smith
Recommended Citation
Schoephoerster, Kirby, "Protean Caves and Cyrenean Grottos: The Subterranean World of Vergil's Fourth Georgic" (2020). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2047.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/2047
Included in
Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Geology Commons, Hydrology Commons, Speleology Commons