Jake Butera, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies

Contact Information

jbutera@unca.edu
251-6295
123 Whitesides Hall

Office Hours

Tuesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Note:

Dr. Butera came to UNC Asheville in 2012, having received his Ph.D. in 2010 from Duke University and having taught at Brigham Young University during the 2011-2012 academic year. He studied for two years at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and has worked at the archaeological sites of Corinth and Samothrace. He has studied and traveled extensively through Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt, and continues to work on topographical and archaeological projects in Greece. Dr. Butera works on topics in Greek and Roman military history in addition to archaeological and material culture topics.

Education

Ph.D., Classical Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC
B.A., Classical Studies; Ancient Greek, Miami University, Oxford, OH

Courses Taught

ARTH 311/CLAS 315, Greek Art
ARTH/CLAS 373, The Art and Architecture of Classical Athens
CLAS 101, Latin I
CLAS 102, Latin II
CLAS 103, Greek I
CLAS 104, Greek II
CLAS 178, Visualizing the Ancient City
CLAS 179, War and Warfare in Ancient Greece and Rome
CLAS 344/HIST 373, The Roman Republic
CLAS 345/HIST 373, History of the Roman Empire
CLAS 373, Advanced Greek, Longus, Daphnis and Chloe
CLAS 374, Ancient War and Modern Memory (honors seminar)
CLAS 374/HIST 374, Imagining Greece and Rome: Ancient Mediterranean Studies in Film
CLAS 400, Advanced Greek, Herodotus, Selections
CLAS 412, Advanced Latin, Livy, Selections
CLAS 425/HIST 374, War and Warfare in Ancient Greece and Rome
CLAS 474, Greek Historians: Xenophon, Anabasis
CLAS 498, Greek, Roman, and “Other” (senior capstone)
HIST 373/CLAS 343, Greek History
HUM 124, The Ancient World (Humanities)

This faculty member teaches in UNC Asheville's Humanities Program.

Teaching and Research Interests

Teaching interests: Greek and Roman military history; Greek and Roman history; Greek and Roman art, architecture, and archaeology; papyrology and palaeography.
Research interests: The representation and commemoration of the ancient military; the battles and battlefields of the ancient world; the role and position of the sea in Greek thought; papyrology, palaeography, and textual criticism; the archaeological site at Samothrace.

Selected Publications and Work in Progress

In Progress, book on the ancient battles and battlefields of Greece.
Forthcoming: "P.Duk.inv. 727r: New Evidence for the Meaning and Provenance of the Word Προσήλυτος," co-author, JBL (Journal of Biblical Studies)
2011: "P.Duk.inv. 727: A Dispute with 'Proselytes' in Egypt," co-author, ZPE (Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik) 177: 201-6.

Recent Talks

2019 “Reconstructing Ancient Battles: History, Topography, and Technology,” University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Invited Lecture)
2017 “‘A Work to be Admired:’ Monument, Landscape, and Naval Identity in 4th Century Athens,” Celtic Conference in Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Montreal, Canada
2017 “The Battle of Pydna, 168 BCE: New Methods, New Evidence,” Joint Meetings of the AIA/APA, Toronto, Canada (co-presented with Matthew A. Sears)
2016 “The Camps of Brutus and Cassius: Reconstructing the Battle of Philippi,” Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Co-organized with Matthew A. Sears: From Landscape to Soldier: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Ancient Greek and Roman Battle. Presenters: C. Jacob Butera (UNCA), Maria A. Liston (University of Waterloo, Ontario), Dave Blome (Stanford University), Kathryne Milne (Wofford College). Respondent: Peter Krentz (Davidson College).
2015 “The Camps of Brutus and Cassius: Reconstructing the Battle of Philippi,” The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa (Invited Lecture, sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America)
2015 “‘The Many Things Fit to be Seen:’ Architecture and Naval Representation in Classical Athens,” Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (Invited Lecture, panel entitled The Art of War)
2015 “The Camps of Brutus and Cassius: Reconstructing the Battle of Philippi,” Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts (Invited Lecture)
2015 “Thucydides, Topography, and the Battle of Amphipolis,” Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina (Invited Lecture)
2015 “The Site of the Battle of Philippi (42 BCE),” Poster Session, Joint Meetings of the AIA/APA, New Orleans, LA (co-presented with Matthew A. Sears)
2014 “Battlefield Topography, History, and Reconstruction; The Battle of Chaeronea,” Summer School Invited Lecture, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, Greece (co-presented with Matthew A. Sears)
2013 “Thucydides, Topography, and the Battle of Amphipolis,” Poster Session, Joint Meetings of the AIA/APA, Seattle, WA
2012 “Thucydides, Topography, and the Battle of Amphipolis,” New Faculty Lecture, University of North Carolina, Asheville, Asheville, NC
2011 “‘The Many Things Fit to be Seen:’ The Ship-Sheds, The Long Walls, and the Public Image of the 5th Century Athenian Navy,” Classical Association of Utah (Invited Lecture)
2009 “‘The Land of the Fine Triremes:’ Naval Identity and Polis ‘Imaginary’ in 5th Century Athens,” Graduate Student Symposium, “Martial Arts: Art, the Military, and State Power,” Graduate Program in Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
2008 “‘The Land of the Fine Triremes:’ Naval Identity and Polis ‘Imaginary’ in 5th Century Athens,” Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Miami: A Bicentennial Forum, Miami University, Oxford, OH
2008 “Representing the Fleet: Naval Imagery and Urban Identity in 5th Century Athens,” Duke University, Durham, NC
2008 “Representing the Fleet: Naval Imagery and Urban Identity in 5th Century Athens,” American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Athens, Greece