School of Humanities

School of Humanities

Assoc. Prof. Victor Parker

Position

Associate Professor

Administration

Library Liasion officer

Qualifications

  • A.B. (Harvard College 1987)
  • A.M. (Harvard University 1988)
  • D.Phil. (Heidelberg 1992)

Room

Room 512

Contact Details

Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext 8598
victor.parker@canterbury.ac.nz

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

Dr Victor ParkerBackground

Victor Parker was born in 1966 and grew up in one-horse towns in Tennessee (Jasper) and Alabama (Bridgeport). After graduation from High School in 1984 he earned an A.B. degree from Harvard College in History (major: Ancient History; minor: American History) in 1987 and an A.M. degree in History from Harvard University in 1988. He then undertook doctoral work at Heidelberg in Ancient History, with the subsidiary fields Greek Philology and Classical Archaeology. He finished his D.Phil. thesis in 1992. From 1993 to 1995 he held a research grant from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. In 1996 he took up a position of lecturer in the Classics Programme in the University of Canterbury.

Undergraduate Courses

  • CLAS 111: Greek History (a basic introduction)
    CLAS 213: Alexander the Great
  • CLAS 216: Athens (builds on CLAS 111; alternates with CLAS 217)
  • CLAS 217: Sparta (builds on CLAS 111; alternates with CLAS 216)
    CLAS 307: Topics in Ancient History. (In 1996 and 1998 the course covered the Bronze Age in the Levant; in 2002, 2004 and 2009 it focussed on the History of Israel.)
  • CLAS 313: Alexander the Great (allows students to employ the methods learnt in earlier classes on a tightly defined period and series of events)

Dr. Parker also contributes to the Greek language programme at all levels and has also taught in the Latin programme.

Graduate Courses

  • CLAS 450: Historiography (first half, on Greek historiography)
  • CLAS 452: Greek Law
  • (Other courses by arrangement)

Supervisions

Honours Research Essays:

Alice Brigance, "Nominal Inflections and Case Functions in Mycenaean and Homeric Greek"

Ian Cooke, "The Characterisation of the Spartan Army and Spartan Military Power in the 'Histories' of Herodotus and an Examination of how this Relates to the Presentation of Individuals"

John Friend, "Spartan Military Innovation and Evolution: Light Troops & Peltasts" image

Anthony Hunter, "Mycenaean Religion and the Wanax"

Daniel Trotter, "Ramesses II's Syrian Campaigns"

Julien Pettit, "Bipolar Disorder and the Possible Effect it may have had on Alexander the Great"

Richard Lynn, "Argos in the 6th Century B.C."

Dylan James, "Return to Sender: Sallust and the Envoys to Adherbal"

Sam Mowat, "The Number at Triremes Within the Persian and Greek Fleets throughout 480 B.C."

M.A. Theses:

Paul Lander, The Spartans in Thucydides

Gary Morrison, The Women of Herodotus' Histories. A view into Athenian society

John Friend, Development and Use of Light Troops in the Fifth and Fourth Centuries B.C.

Seán Rainey, Greek Colonisation in the Fifth Century B.C.

Hamish Cameron, Roman Imperialism in Cilicia

Ph.D. Theses:

Rose Washbourne, Out of the Mouths of Pots: Towards an interpretation of the symbolic meaning of Cypriot Bronze Age funerary artefacts including examples in the University of Canterbury's Logie Collection. (At first associate-supervisor with Prof. Alan Shapiro as supervisor, then supervisor.)

Gary Morrison, Second Maccabees and Jewish Society. Representations of Jewishness, Hellenism and the Interaction Between the Greeks and the Jews.

Seán Rainey, The Nature of Carthaginian Imperial Activity: Trade, Settlement, Conquest, and Rule.

Research Interests

Dr. Parker's main research and teaching interest is Greek History - in the widest sense, from the Mycenaean (13th century B.C.) through to the Hellenistic period. However, he has maintained a broad interest both in Ancient Near Eastern as well as in Roman (especially Republican) History, interests reflected both in his teaching and in his research.

School Administration

  • Postgraduate Studies Supervisor - Classics

Recent Publications

Greek History
(Mycenological):

  1. "Gab es wirklich Dorier auf der mykenischen Peloponnes? Das 'mycénien spécial' und die dorischen Dialekte." Parola del passato 48 (1993) 241-266.
  2. "Zur Geographie des Reiches von Pylos." Studi Micenei ed Egeo-anatolici 32 (1993) 41-75.
  3. "Schriftgeschichtliches zur Silbengrenze im Mykenischen." Glotta 77 (1995) 113-122.
  4. "Die Aktivitäten der Mykenäer in der Ost-Ägäis im Lichte der Linear-B-Tafeln." In: S. Deger-Jalkotzy et al. (Edd.). Floreant Studia Mycenaea: Akten des X. Internationalen Mykenologischen Colloquiums in Salzburg vom 1.-5. Mai 1995 (= Denkschriften der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, phil.-hist. Klasse, CCLXXIV = Veröffentlichungen der Mykenischen Kommission, XVIII). Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1999, 495-502.
  5. "Local Administration in the Kingdom of Pylos as a Source for the Classical Polis." Will be published in the Proceedings of the 11th Colloquium Mycenologicum. Ca. 10 pages
  6. Review of: Mylonas-Shear, I. Kingship in the Mycenaean World and its Reflections in the Oral Tradition, (Philadelphia: INSTAP Academis Press, 2004), Gnomon 79 (2007) 660-662.

(Dark Ages):

  1. "Zur Datierung der Dorischen Wanderung." Museum Helveticum 52 (1995) 130-154.
  2. "From Mycenaean to Classical Times: Continuity or Discontinuity?" Prudentia 39 (2007).

(Archaic Period):

  1. Untersuchungen zum Lelantischen Krieg und verwandten Problemen der frühgriechischen Geschichte = Historia-Einzelschriften, 109 (Stuttgart: Steiner, 1997)
  2. "The Dates of the Messenian Wars." Chiron 21 (1991) 23-45.
  3. "The Dates of the Orthagorids of Sicyon." Tyche 7 (1992) 165-175.
  4. "Zur griechischen und vorderasiatischen Chronologie des sechsten Jahrhunderts v. Chr. unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kypselidenchronologie." Historia 42 (1993) 385-417.
  5. "Some Dates in Early Spartan History." Klio 75 (1993) 45-60.
  6. "Some Aspects of the Foreign and Domestic Policy of Cleisthenes of Sicyon." Hermes 122 (1994) 404-424.
  7. "Zur absoluten Datierung des Leagros Kalos und der 'Leagros-Gruppe.'" Archäologischer Anzeiger (1994) 365-373.
  8. "Vom König zum Tyrannen: Eine Betrachtung zur Entstehung der älteren griechischen Tyrannis." Tyche 11 (1996) 165-186.
  9. "Bemerkungen zum ersten Heiligen Kriege." Rheinisches Museum 140 (1997) 17-37.
  10. Tyrannos. The semantics of a political concept from Archilochus to Aristotle." Hermes 126 (1998) 145-172.
  11. "What Herodotus Withheld. Notes on Cimmerian lore in classical authors other than Herodotus." Vestnik Drevnei Istorii 1999, fasc. 3, 93-102. (In Russian with English summary.)
  12. "Lawgivers and Tyrants," in: Shapiro, H.A. (Ed.) Cambridge Companion to Archaic Greece (Cambridge CUP, 2007), 13-39
  13. "Two Notes on Early Athenian History," Tyche 19 (2004) 131-148
  14. "Die Kriegskultur der archaischen Epoche ," in: Meissner, B. et al. (Edd.) Krieg - Gesellschaft - Institutionen (Acts of a Conference held in Halle in May of 2003) (Berlin:2005) 209-227
  15. Review of: Lewis, J.P. Early Greek Lawgivers London : Bristol Classical Press, 2007 Gymnasium (in press).
  16. "Ptolemy's View of Alexander the Great," Antichthon (in press).

(Classical Period):

  1. "The Chronology of the Pentecontaetia from 465 to 456 B.C." Athenaeum 71 (1993) 129-147.
  2. "Ephorus and Xenophon on Greece in the years 375-372 B.C.," Klio 83 (2001) 353-368.
  3. "Sparta, Amyntas, and the Olynthians in 383 B.C. A comparison of Xenophon and Diodorus," Rheinisches Museum 146 (2003), 113-137.
  4. "The Common Peace of 366 B.C." Classical Quarterly (in press)
  5. "Pausanias the Spartiate as Depicted by Charon of Lampsacus and Herodotus, " Philologus 149 (2005) 3-12.
  6. "Sphodrias' Raid and the Liberation of Thebes: A study of Ephorus and Xenophon," Hermes 135 (2007) 13-33
  7. "The Historian Ephorus: His selection of sources," Antichthon 38 (2004) 29-50.
  8. "Herodotus' Use of Aeschylus' Persae as an Historical Source," Symbolae Osloenses 82 (2007) 2-29.
  9. Review of: Link, S. Das griechische Kreta. Untersuchungen zu seiner staatlichen und gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung vom 6. bis zum 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. Stuttgart: Steiner, 1994. Gnomon 70 (1998) 43-47.
  10. "Zu dem ersten Epigrumm auf die Schlacht bei den Thermopylen als historischer Quelle Herodots," Classica et Mediaevalia (in press).

(Alexander and Hellenistic period):

  1. "Bosworth's Alexander: A review discussion," New Zealand Association of Classical Teachers Bulletin 25.3 (1998) 21-29.
  2. "The Letters in II Maccabees: Reflexions on the book's composition," Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 119 (2007) 386 - 402.
  3. "Judas Maccabaeus' Campaigns against Timothy," Biblica 87 (2006) 457-476.
  4. "The Campaigns of Lysias In Judea: A test of the historical worth of 2 Maccabees," Grazer Beiträge 25 (2006) 153 - 179.
  5. "Source - critical Reflexions on the Nature and Date of Cleitarchus' Work", in: Wheatley, P. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 3rd International Alexander Symposium, (in press)
  6. "Historische Studien zu den Hohenpriestern der frühen Makkabaerzeit," Zeitschrift des Deutchen Palästina - Vereins 124 (2008) 143 - 170.

Near Eastern History:

  1. "Bemerkungen zu den Zügen der Kimmerier und der Skythen." Klio 77 (1995) 7-34.
  2. "Bemerkungen zur mittelhethitischen Geschichte: Madduwattas und seine Zeit." Klio 78 (1996) 7-27.
  3. "Reflexions on the Career of Hattusilis III until the Time of his Coup-d'État." Altorientalische Forschungen 26 (1999) 269-290.
  4. "Bemerkungen zum Text des Tawagalawas-Briefs. Ahhiyawa-Frage und Textkritik." Orientalia 68 (1999) 61-83.
  5. "Zur Chronologie des Suppiluliumas I.," Altorientalische Forschungen 28 (2001) 193-224.
  6. "Die Ahhijawa-Frage." Will be published in Handbuch der Altertumswissenschaft (ca. 5 pages).
  7. Review of: Karavites, P. Promise-Giving and Treaty-making. Homer and the Near East = Mnemosyne Supplement, 109. Leiden: Brill, 1992. Gnomon 67 (1995) 389-393.

Roman History:

  1. "Sallust and the Victor of the Jugurthine War", Tyche 16 (2001) 111-125.
  2. "'Romae omnia uenalia esse': Sallust's Development of an Historical Thesis," Historia, 53 (2004) 408-423.
  3. With Hamish Cameron: "A Mobile People? Sallust's Presentation of the Numidians and their Manner of Fighting," Parola del Passato 60. (2005) 33-57
  4. With Tony Dijkstra "Through Many Glasses Darkly: Sulla and the end of the Jugurthine War," Wiener Studien, 120 (2007) 137-160
  5. "The Annalists and Marius' Early Career," Würzburger Jahrbücher 31 (2007) 131-145.
  6. "Between Thucydides and Tacitus: The position of Sallust in the history of ancient historiography," Antike und Abendland 54 (2008) 77 - 104.
  7. "Die militärische Führungsschicht im späten 2. und frühen 1. Jahrhundert vor Chr." in W. Blösel and K.-J. Hölkeskamp (Edd.) Von der militia equestris zur militia urbana (in press).
  8. Review of J.T. Ramsey, Sallust's Bellum Catilinae (Oxford: OUP, 2007) and D. Flach, De Catilinae conjuratione, (Stuttgart: Steiner, 2007) in Classical Review N.S. 59 (2009) 122 - 124.

Other:

  1. The Citadel of Athens, " History Now 8.4 (2002) 6-10
  2. Review of: Drews, R. Early Riders. The Beginnings of Mounted Warfare in Asia and Europe. New York: Routledge. 2004 Classical Review N.S. 55 (2005) 191-192.
  3. Review of: Marincola, J. A Comparison to Greek and Roman Historiography Malden: Blackwell, 2007. Classical Review (in press).
  4. Review of: Canali de Rossi, F. I Greci in Medio Oriente ed Asia Centrale. Herder: Roma, 2007 Classical Review (in press).