Aldrete published in leading Roman history journal

Historian Gregory S. Aldrete, professor of Humanistic Studies, recently had two articles published, including one in the most prestigious journal in the field of Roman history. That article, “Hammers, Axes, Bulls, and Blood: Some Practical Aspects of Roman Animal Sacrifice,” appeared in The Journal of Roman Studies 104, 2014. In the article, Aldrete notes that sacrifice was a central component of ancient Roman religion, but scholars have tended to focus on the symbolic aspects of these rituals, without addressing the practical challenges involved in killing large, potentially unruly animals. He draws upon ancient sculpture, comparative historical sources, and animal physiology to argue that the standard, semi-sanitized interpretations don’t capture what must have been the real nature of these public rituals. Aldrete’s second article, “The Linothorax Project,” with Scott Bartell and Alicia Aldrete, appeared in the February 2015 edition (Vol. 13, Issue 1) of The Virtual Costumer Magazine, the journal of the International Costumer’s Guild.

Aldrete continues national lecture tour; wraps up next month at Cornell

UW-Green Bay Prof. Gregory S. Aldrete spent spring break on the road as part of the Archaeological Institute of America’s distinguished lecturer series. He spoke at Florida State University in Tallahassee on “Hammers, Axes, Bulls, and Blood: Practical Aspects of Roman Animal Sacrifice”; and at both the University of South Florida in Tampa and the University of Central Florida in Orlando on “Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome.” Aldrete is one of two Joukowsky National Lecturers this year selected and sponsored by the AIA, the professional organization of archaeologist and publishers of Archaeology Magazine. As part of its outreach activities to the public, the AIA picks two scholars to be Joukowsky lecturers and sends them around the country giving public lectures. During the fall semester, Aldrete presented a dozen Joukowsky lectures in Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, California, and Oregon. Next month he will conclude his series with a lecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.