Aktuelle Forschungen

Maintaining a public presence is a fundamental requirement for politicians in many polities. Yet, visibility is a double-edged sword: while it is essential for success, it also renders individuals vulnerable to targeted attacks. This research project examines this seemingly modern phenomenon within the context of Classical Athens (5th and 4th centuries BCE), focusing specifically on strategies of sexual defamation in political oratory.

The study first demonstrates that the Athenian voting population held distinct normative expectations of their politicians, which included clear standards for sexual behavior, romantic relationships, and gender identity. The investigation focuses primarily on the disappointment of these expectations—perceived deviance—and how such deviations were instrumentalized within the political culture. The work explores the extent to which sexual and relationship-based "deviances" were employed in Athenian public speeches to defame politicians, restrict their political agency, or even terminate their careers. Building on this, the project evaluates the relevance of concepts of (in)correct sexuality for Athenian public figures and the rhetorical strategies associated with them. Given that the orators and rhetorical manuals of Classical Athens became foundational classics for both subsequent ancient cultures and modern Western societies, the second part of the study traces the reception of these Athenian phenomena. It investigates whether the study of rhetoric facilitated the transfer of both defamation practices regarding sexual deviance and their underlying normative concepts from Athens to Rome and, eventually, to modern Europe, where they continued to shape the perception of public figures. In toto, this project fosters an understanding of the efficacy and enduring significance of Athenian values and practices for European political cultures. Ultimately, the research aims to elucidate the structures and developments of sexual and gender-based discrimination and exclusion in both ancient and modern political spheres.

This dissertation re-examines the concept of novitas in the context of the Middle Roman Republic. By exploring the strategies of status-exposition of plebeian consuls outside of their ancestral lineage, Noreen Stühmer argues for a more nuanced understanding of social mobility and political culture within the Roman elite.

Vyacheslav Telminov's research focuses on the political culture centered in and around villas of the Roman nobility and their spatial structures. In addition to literary sources, he uses archaeological findings to determine the connection between the change in the political system and the structure of space on private villas.