Browsing by Author "Perera, C.T.S.S."

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Does archaeology reveal homer?
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Perera, C.T.S.S.
Homer is celebrated as a renowned epic composer who belonged to the 8th century B.C.E. of Archaic Greece. One of his surviving epics is “The Iliad” where he refers to a historical incident, believed to have happened in the Mycenaean era of Greece, which is placed around the 12th and the 13th centuries of Greece, in a romantic narrative manner of writing. In “The Iliad”, he narrates the last year of the Trojan War where the Mycenaeans invaded Troy. This epic is the premiere written record of a historical happening which was orally transmitted for a considerable period of time. The archaeologists who have done researches at the palace grounds and sites, where the epic heroes of Homer lived, have revealed many sites and artifact which Homer composes in his epics. The aim of this research is to observe how Homer’s composition on the Mycenaean era corresponds to the archaeological findings of the modern day. This study focuses on how the modern archaeological findings at the sites, where Homer’s epics are based on, support the ‘history’ in Homer and his epics. The study provides the reader reliable archaeological findings while taking exact phrases where Homer discusses the same fact in his epics. The discussion is conducted based on selected sections from Homer’s “The Iliad” and relevant readings from history. The arguments would be substantiated by pictures on archaeological findings, which includes the sites, buildings, and many other findings.
Portrayal of Cleopatra in Roman literature: A seductress or a political strategist?
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Perera, C.T.S.S.
Cleopatra VII of Egypt is identified as one of the most popular queens and women from antiquity. Nevertheless, it is questionable how history has portrayed this dignified woman from 1st century BCE. Only surviving literary evidence on Cleopatra is from the Roman Literature. When reading Roman descriptions on Cleopatra, it is notable that the authors have depicted her character based on their personal perspectives. This has directly affected interpretation on Cleopatra in later society. Several scholars have discussed the political role of Cleopatra but not necessarily evaluated the political necessities of her partners in order to defend her from the accusation as ‗a seductress‘. The research reads surviving Roman literary evidence on Cleopatra and her contacts with the Roman leaders; Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, and Augustus Caesar. The relationships of Cleopatra will be evaluated to examine the necessities of each party. Further, other surviving archaeological evidence found both in Rome and Egypt will be incorporated. As evident in history, during her reign, Cleopatra was in a critical situation. Thus, as any authority, Cleopatra tried to retain her position and the stability of Egypt with aid of Julius Caesar and Anthony. In consequence, the Roman authors who were mostly biased, portrayed Cleopatra in a negative perspective. This caused for the assumption that she is 'a seductress' than a political strategist of the time. The aim of the research is to re-evaluate the political character of Cleopatra in a fresh dimension while examining the effect created by Roman literature on the character portrayal. The intention is to break down the traditional idea on Cleopatra and bring into light the notion that Cleopatra was not a mere seductress but a political strategist who used her female charms to achieve her target. The study will provide the reader a reliable understanding on how ancient Roman authors have depicted Cleopatra. The discussion would be conducted based on selected sections from Roman literature and relevant readings from history and it would be substantiated by archaeological evidence of the era