Stephen DeCasien Published in Journal of Ancient History
Stephen DeCasien, a 3rd year NAP Ph.D. student, was published in volume 9, number 1 of the Journal of Ancient History! His article “Ancient Roman Naval Rams as Objects of Phallic Power” explores the political and gendered meanings of the naval ram within Roman society. In part, the abstract reads:
Polyvalent meanings behind naval ram displays were prevalent and ingrained in the Roman world, especially at Octavian’s Campsite Memorial for the Actian War. Naval rams and their display alluded to gender and power discourses within Roman society. These discourses included Roman notions of sex, penetration, domination, phallus size, and ideas of achieved hierarchies of masculinity. Analyzing ram displays through Roman perceptions of gender and sexuality, specifically concerning ancient masculinity, reveals that rams functioned not only as weapons of war but also as metaphorical phalloi that embodied and projected immense power.