School of Humanities

School of Humanities

Alison GriffithDr Alison Griffith

(on leave July 2012 - June 2013)

Position

Senior Lecturer

Administration

(Previously Department Co-ordinator 2009 - 2012)

Qualifications

  • B.A. (Hons) (Wesleyan University)
  • M.A., Ph.D. (University of Michigan)

Room

Room 614a

Contact Details

Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext 8578
alison.griffith@canterbury.ac.nz

Postal address:
Classics
School of Humanities
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand

Background

Alison was trained in classics and in classical archaeology as an undergraduate and also in the Interdepartmental Programme in Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Michigan. She has excavated at Roman sites of several periods in Wales, France, Israel, Tunisia and Italy. Her teaching and research interests are wide-ranging and take a holistic approach to ancient evidence. She is also engaged in the application of methods and approaches in the cognitive science of religion to ancient religions.

Research Interests

Roman art and archaeology, Roman cults and religion, topography of ancient Rome, cognitive science of religion.

Undergraduate Courses

Postgraduate Courses

  • CLAS403: Unprepared Translation from Latin
  • CLAS414: Roman Architecture (2012)
  • CLAS460: Approaches to Classical Studies (2012)

Thesis Supervision

PhD Theses

Sonia-Ingrid Marshall, "Romanization, Christianization and Patronage in the Paleochristian Art of North Africa," University of Canterbury, in progress (principal supervisor)

Roslynne S. Bell, “Pietas and Power: Imperial Patronage of the Cult of the Magna Mater,” University of Canterbury 2007 (placed on Dean's List)  (sole supervisor)

MA Theses

Danielle Steyn, “Passing the Message Along: Using Coinage to Document the Spread of Solar Worship in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD”, MA thesis, University of Canterbury, in progress (principal supervisor)

Hannah Frude, “Use and Perceptions of the Night in Suetonius’ De Vita Caesarum”, MA thesis, University of Canterbury, in progress (associate supervisor)

Ruth Neilson, "Bronze Age Connections: An investigation regarding the archaeological and textual evidence for contact between the Mycenaean Greeks and the Hittites," University of Canterbury, 2009 (associate supervisor)

Hamish Cameron, "The Beginnings of Roman Imperialism in Cilicia: Control, Policy and Response in the 2nd and 1st Centuries BC," University of Canterbury, 2006 (associate supervisor)

BA Honours Theses

Constanzia Palmer, “Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness? Baths, Healing and Religious Devotion in the Ancient World,” 2011

Amy White, "The Roman Attitude towards 'the other': Representations within Literature and Architecture Relief in the First Century AD," 2010 (co-supervisor)

Danielle Steyn, “The Hands of a God: Exploring the Iconography of Jupiter Sabazius,” 2009

Rose Whitau, “Captured Gods, Stolen Statues: Roman Reinstallation of Plundered Religious Art,” 2009

John Arnold, “Narrative Miracles in Roman History,” 2007

A. Lynette Thomson, “The History of the Classical Studies Prescription in New Zealand Secondary Schools and Prescription Review for Roman Art Topics,” 2007

Yijie Wang, “Roman Triumphs on the Alban Mount,” 2007

Hamish Cameron, “Incrementum Ingens Virium: An Examination of the Suppression of the Bacchists in Light of Modern Research on Religious Movements,” 2003

BA (Hons) Theses in conjunction with the Canterbury Museum Collection

Liz Bond, “ Empresses on Roman Coins of the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE,” (2010)

Margaret Campbell, “Ancient Lamps in the Canterbury Museum,” (2010)

Zinnia O’Brien, “Roman Engraved Gems in the Canterbury Museum: Origins, Manufacture, Social Function and Problems,” 2007

Isabel Hedges, “The George Mackay Macdonald Pottery Collection: Roman Terra Sigillata,” 2002

Lucy Wadeson, “A Palmyrene Portrait: Prince or Priest,” 2002

Jane Batchelor, “The Protection and Aversion of Ills: A Study of the Significance of Egyptian Amulets,” 2001

Tria Noel, “Individualism or Idealism? The Use of Realism in Ancient Egyptian Art,” 2001

Anna Walkington, “Ancient Egyptian Beliefs Concerning Death and Afterlife,” 2001

University (and other) Administration

  • School of Humanities School and Budget Advisory Committee (2009 - 2011)
  • Chair of the Equity and Diversity Committee (College of Arts) (2005 - 2009)
  • Curator of University of Canterbury Staff Club Art Collection
  • Philologie (Friends of the James Logie Memorial Collection)

Recent Publications

Refereed Publications:

  1. "Miracles, Memory and Meaning" A Cognitive Approach to Roman Myth," in D. Wiebe and P. Pachis (eds), Chasing Down Religion: In the Sights of History and the Cognitive Sciences: Essays in Honours of Luther H. Martin (Thessaloniki: Vanias) (2010) 135-150
  2. "Amicitia in a Religious Context: the Setting and Social Functions of the Mithraic Cult Meal," in M. Tamminen (et al.), Passages from Antiquity to the Middle Ages III: De Amicitia: Social Networks and Relationships (Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae) (2010) 64-77
  3. "The Pons Sublicius in Context: Revisiting Rome's First Public Work," Phoenix 63 (2009) 296-322
  4. "The 'Modes Theory' and Roman Religion: National Catastrophe and Religious Response in the Second Punic War" in L. Martin and P. Pachis (eds.), Imagistic Traditions in the Graeco-Roman World (Thessaloniki: Vanias) (2009) 153-78.
  5. "In the Museum: Unpublished objects in the James Logie Memorial Collection," Scholia 15 (2006) 168-73
  6. "Completing the Picture: Women and the Female Principle in the Mithraic Cult," Numen 53 (2006) 48-77
  7. "Slander thy Neighbour(s): Mithraism's Escape from Invcetive ad corpora," in C. Deroux (ed.) Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History XII (Collection Latomus v.287, 2005) 423-432
  8. "Cult and the Ancient Urban Landscape: A Case Study of Mithraism and Roman Topography," in L. H. Martin - P. Pachis (eds.), Theoretical Frameworks for the Study of the Graeco-Roman Religions. Adjunct Proceedings of the IAHR XVII Congress in Durban, South Africa, August 2000 (Thessaloniki: University Studio Press, 2003) 67-82
  9. "Mithras, Death and Redemption in Statius, Thebaid I.719-720," Latomus 60 (2001) 108-123
  10. "Mithraism in the private and public lives of 4th-c. senators in Rome," Electronic Journal of Mithraic Studies 1 (2000)
  11. "A New Mithraeum in Hawarti, Syria," Electronic Journal of Roman Mithraism 1 (2000)

Contributions to Books (refereed):

  1. “Reconstructing Religious Ritual in Italy,” in J. DeRose Evans (ed.), A Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Republican Period (Oxford: Blackwell) (forthcoming)
  2. “Dead Religion, Live Minds: Memory and Recall of the Mithraic Bull-slaying Scene,” in L. Martin and Panayotis Pachis (eds), Data from Dead Minds? Challenges on the Interface of History of Religions (in Greco-Roman Antiquity) and the Cognitive Science of Religion (London: Equinox) (forthcoming)
  3. Griffith, A. B., "Attic Black-figured Amphora With (A) Chorus of Stiltwalkers, attributed to the Swing Painter, 550 - 525 B.C. (91/57) in M Hart (ed) Art of the Ancient Greek Theatre (Malibu: J Paul Getty Museum 2010) 23.
  4. Griffith, A.B., “Mithras” in M. Gagarin (ed) The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).
  5. Griffith, A.B., "239: Sandstone Relief (RMcDGL 2000/1 [Logie inv.75/14])"; "241: Wooden panel with Gesso and Paint (RMcDGL 2000/2 [Logie inv.73/230])"; and “242: Glass Amulet (Logie inv. 154/73)" in J. Richard Green, A Catalogue of the James Logie Memorial Collection of Classical Antiquities at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch (Christchurch: University of Canterbury Press, 2009) 387 - 92.
  6. Green, J. Richard and A. B. Griffith, "236: Egyptian limestone relief fragment (Logie inv.115/71) and "238: Fragment of a Limestone Wall Relief (Logie inv. 169/83)" in J. Richard Green, A Catalogue of the James Logie Memorial Collection of Classical Antiquities at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch (Christchurch: University of Canterbury Press, 2009) 384 - 86.

Review Articles:

  1. Deuling, J and A.B. Griffith, "A Day in Pompei : New Books on the Art and Architecture of the Roman Empire", NZACT Bulletin 37.1 (2010) 29 - 36.
  2. “Survey of New Developments in Roman Religion: A Resource for Teachers of Classical Studies,” NZACT Bulletin 35.2 (2008) 52-59.
  3. "Reappraising the Roman House," review of S.P. Ellis Roman Housing (London: Duckworth, 2002) in Scholia 13 (2004) 142-49

Book Reviews:

  1. Lulof, Patricia and Carlo Rescigno, Deliciae Fictiles: Architectural Terracottas in Ancient Italy: Images of Gods, Monsters and Heroes (Oxford: Oxbow Books 2011), in Classical Review 63.1 (forthcoming 2013)
  2. Beck, Roger, The Religion of the Mithras Cult in the Roman Empire (Oxford 2006), University of Toronto Quarterly, "Letters in Canada" 78.1 (2008) 222-24.
  3. Rives, James B., Religion in the Roman Empire (Oxford 2007), Scholia Reviews 17 (2008) n.16 (1531 words)
  4. Green, C.M.C., Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007) in American Journal of Archaeology 112 (2008) 367 - 368.
  5. De Grummond, N.T. and E. Simon (eds), The Religion of the Etruscans (Austin, TX 2006), Classical Review 57.2 (2007) 464-66.
  6. Davis, T.M. The Tomb of Hatshopsitu (London 2004), The Classical Outlook 84 (2007) 86.
  7. Wiseman, T.P., The Myths of Rome, (Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2004) in Scholia Reveiws 15 (2006) 133-39
  8. Ando, Clifford, Roman Religion (Edinburgh 2003) in Bryn Mawr Classical Review (2004.02.50)
  9. Baker, R.F. and C.F. Baker III, Ancient Egyptians: People of the Pyramids (Oxford 2001) in Classical Outlook 80.4 (2003) 164
  10. Bejor, G., Vie Colonnate: Paesaggi Urbani del Mondo Antico. (Rome 2000) in AJA 106 (2002) 39

Work in Progress

  • Book: Mithraism in Context in Imperial Rome