BGSU History Students, Alum at the 2024 Ohio Academy of History!

BGSU history faculty, students, and alumni attended the Ohio Academy of History Meeting last Friday and Saturday. 

Dr. Mancuso and Dr. Martin attended to support grad students giving papers (Dr. Mancuso also gave an interesting paper on the history of hazing at BGSU). Chase Fleece, Chloe Kozal, McKade Schultz, and Andrea Freimuth (ACS) all gave excellent papers, as did Sara Butler-Tongate (University Archives). It was also good to see department alums attending and presenting papers. Don Eberle (PhD) and Jacob Mach (ABD, Purdue) gave well-received papers, and we also ran into Chris Blubaugh (MA). 

Let’s look forward to next year’s OAH at Kent State!

BGSU Alum and Historian Hired at Hayes Museums

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Historian with Diverse Background, Specialty in Victorian History, Hired at Hayes Presidential

Republished from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums News

When Josh Dubbert was a fourth-grader at Danbury Elementary School in Marblehead, his class toured the Hayes Home on a field trip.

That was the beginning of a life-long interest in presidential history and President Rutherford B. Hayes’ time period.

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Dr. Doug Forsyth Delivers Talk about Researching Family History

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Click here to listen to Doug Forsyth’s interview about the project with London Mitchell of “Staying in Contact” podcast

When you receive an envelope containing a Confederate bullet in a box of family documents, you’re going to be inspired to do a little digging.

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 10- The Castel Sant’Angelo

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By: Dylan Smith, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

Figure 1: Since its addition, the bronze statue of the Archangel Michael has become one of the, if not the most, iconic parts of the Castel Sant’Angelo.   

One of Rome’s many great sites in Rome is the Mausoleum of Hadrian, now known as the Castel Sant’Angelo.  Over the years, the Mausoleum has served a variety of purposes and housed the remains of many notable Roman Emperors and their families.  Because the structure saw considerable use even after the fall of the Roman Empire and into the Medieval and Renaissance periods, the Castel Sant’Angelo remains in incredible condition when compared to many other notable ancient Roman sites such as the Roman Forum, Colosseum and more.  The Castel Sant’Angelo has however changed immensely since its initial construction, with the changes reflecting its uses as a mausoleum, fortress stronghold, and even prison.  During our study abroad trip, we had the chance to visit Castel Sant’Angelo and see its history up close.

The mausoleum’s mastermind, the Roman Emperor Hadrian, ruled from 117 CE until his death in 138.  Hadrian is considered part of the Roman Empire’s “Five Good Emperors,” who ruled Rome in its Golden Age.  Hadrian is best known for his large public works projects with this most famous being Hadrian’s Wall in Britain. 

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 9- St. Peter’s Basilica

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By: Peter Strzempka, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

Figure 1: Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. Photo courtesy of Peter Strzempka, 2023

When one first enters Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica is undoubtedly the first thing everyone notices. However, one does not get a great view of the Basilica until they enter through the entrance on the north side of the oval Piazza San Pietro, where the massive structure is finally visible up close and personal. The façade, decorated beautifully with marble columns and statues of the most important Church fathers, overwhelms the viewer with seemingly endless detail. What most people do not realize about St. Peter’s is its long and illustrious history, both the Old and modern St. Peter’s. Much of the old structure and pre-Christian sites underneath have been overshadowed by perhaps the most important church in Roman Catholicism, but their stories are crucial to the foundation of the basilica we see today. This blog will start from the beginning, with St. Peter’s execution and the construction of Old St. Peter’s, and proceed through the Counter-Reformation, the period in which the St. Peter’s we know today was finished. Through this brief overview, the goal is to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for all who visit the basilica, whether for pilgrimage or tourism. 

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 8- Social Cohesion in Pompeii 

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By: Maggie Fuller, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

In history, one of the most relevant topics is colonization. I spent three weeks abroad in Italy studying Ancient Roman history in the summer of 2023. In my time in Italy, I occasionally noticed a lot of historical emphasis on the so-called Roman account of events. The perspective of history from groups who have been colonized by Rome is lacking. When looking at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city massacred by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius, historians note that the city was thriving at the time of its destruction. But who determines if Pompeii was thriving: The Romans, or the descendants of natives who inhabited Rome pre-colonization? The interpretation of the definition of thriving also changes the understanding of events. There are 158 years between the colonization of Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius. This gives a lot of time for traditions and cultures to be lost, especially with the shorter lifespans people had in ancient times. But with evidence through archaeology and recovered findings, a lot of the culture wasn’t lost. This proposes several questions about the lifestyle of the citizens of Pompeii. Were Pompeiians rejecting Roman cultural changes? Did they want Pompeii to become a symbol of wealth for Roman elites? Rome established an importance on social cohesion, but how could a society be unified if the colonizers are living in wealth and extravagance and the colonized are in poverty? This article will argue that the Romanization of Pompeii established that social cohesion was frugal and only existed in pre-established social classes. The wealth divides in Pompeii were correlated to the divide between indigenous descendant citizens and Roman citizens.  

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 7- Exploring Pompeii: The 79 CE Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Afterwards

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By: Sabrina Sprague, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

“Grey clouds roll over the hills Bringing darkness from above but if you close your eyes Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?” (Bastille 2013). For many people, there is more to Pompeii and the Bay of Naples than the eruption that led to the disappearance of Pompeii. That eruption preserved Pompeii and has allowed research in several disciplines to interact including those of archeology, history, classical studies, and geology to learn about the past. Thus, Pompeii has become a major site for interdisciplinary research and results.  

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 6: The Pantheon- Uncovering its Prosperous History and Cultural Heritage

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By: Joseph DeSario, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

This is a presentation written as part of HIST 3445, Ancient Rome BGSU, Summer 2023 Roma Aeterna Education Abroad Program in Rome, Italy.

The Pantheon is regarded as one of Rome’s great tourist attractions due to its ancient history and architectural design. Many of those tourists do not know its origins of who built the Pantheon, why they built it, and why it still stands where it was built. The Pantheon was not always in the orientation as it is today and was built three times under three different emperors. To know why the Pantheon is regarded as one of the greatest structures that withstood the test of time people need to understand the origins and the purpose of the building, the architectural genius, the conversion of the Pantheon into a Church, its preservation, and its cultural importance and tourist appeal. The Pantheon began as a pagan temple that was rebuilt multiple times and was transformed into a Christian church, which shows cultural and religious evolution, which makes the Pantheon a major source of understanding the ancient world and a long-lasting mark of historical and architectural importance.

Figure 1: A modern day picture of Hadrian’s Pantheon with an Obelisk from the Temple of Isis in front.
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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 5- The Theater of Marcellus and the Temple of Apollo Sosianus

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By: Alex Eckhart, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

The Theater of Marcellus. Photograph courtesy of fellow Roma Aeterna student Ian Small, May 2023.

Within the Campus Martius in the northern area of Rome in the former Circus Flaminius lies the Theater of Marcellus. Construction on the theater was begun by Gaius Julius Caesar as a rival to the Theater of Pompey in the southern section of the Campus Martius, but it was not completed until 13 BCE by his successor and adopted son, Augustus. Augustus dedicated the massive structure to his nephew and son-in-law Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who had been his heir until his unfortunate death at the age of 19 in 23 BCE. On the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Deeds of the Divine Augustus), the official autobiography carved into columns that Augustus had built that proclaims all of his victories and projects for the people of Rome, it says, “I built the theater adjacent to the temple of Apollo on ground in large bought from private owners, and provided that it should be called after Marcus Marcellus, my son-in-law” (Augustus and Bushnell 1998, 21). In order to build such a massive amphitheater, the Temple of Apollo Sosianus was moved several meters away from its original location. The theater is estimated to be able to hold anywhere from 11,000 to 40,000 people, and was in a prime location between the Circus Flaminius and the temple, making it one of the most important amphitheaters in Rome (Claridge et al 2010, 243). It would hold games and festivals for the people, including the Secular Games, which was one of the ludi (Roman celebrations) that involved games and sacrifices. These games were annual, and were held in the amphitheater several years before it had been officially inaugurated. Another of the ludi, the Ludi Apollinares, was held at the nearby Temple of Apollo Sosianus.  

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Wherever You May Rome: Blog Post 4- Largo Argentina: Once Buried Gem Now Open to the Public

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By: Abbey Staats, BGSU Roma Aeterna 2023 Student

The Largo di Torre Argentina, or Largo Argentina, holds immense significance as a testament to Rome’s ancient past. The temples within the complex provide valuable insights into the religious practices and beliefs of the Roman Republic. Largo Argentina consists of four Republican-era temples dedicated to various religious figures that were important during this time. However, the space is most notable for being the location where Julius Caesar was assassinated. Now, one of the critical features of the space is the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary which feeds and cares for stray cats around Rome. From above, the space seems almost ordinary in a city like Rome where there are ruins on almost every block but when considering and studying the history of this space, it is quite amazing.  

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