Last summer, senior Joshua Woodley (History major with a concentration in Classics and the Ancient Mediterranean) conducted research under the mentorship of Roanoke College history professor, Dr. Jason Hawke. His project “History, Myth and Memory in Messenia”, explores the question of identity in the Ancient World, specifically focusing on the Greek polis Messenia in second-century CE historian Pausaias’ work Guide to Greece (Periegesis Hellados). Pausanias was a writer concerned with sites, myth, and geography yet his history of Messenia possessed this unique focus. During his research, Joshua became well acquainted with both the classical source of Pausanias, and modern scholarly arguments. As the Messenian story developed, patterns emerged that set the region apart from others; There was a large section of the work dedicated to their proud heroic, and sometimes Homeric, history. In addition to recent scholarship, these patterns led to the conclusion that the Messenian history was the product of years of enslavement by the Spartans. The stories they told, set them in an already firmly grounded historical narrative, and the information Pausanias relayed includes them in cultural developments they had previously been excluded from. Joshua plans to continue studying Messenia throughout his senior year and continue researching Classical Greece in graduate school, emphasizing marginalized communities and their place in history. He would like to thank his mentor, Dr. Hawke, and all the faculty involved in the Summer Scholars program for their help.
Congratulations on all your hard work and good luck at graduate school!