Dr Ryan Strickler

Lecturer - Ancient History (Education Focused)

School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci

Email:ryan.strickler@newcastle.edu.au

Career Summary

Biography

I am Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle.

My research examines the intersection of religion, identity, and crisis response in the Roman and Byzantine Empires. My most recent work has considered these themes as they are found in apocalyptic themes associated sixth- and seventh-century Byzantine literature, particularly in response to millenarian concerns, the Sassanid Persian invasions, and nascent Islamic invasions.

Beginning in July 2024 I will participate as a Chief Investigator in the ARC Discovery Project DP240100112 Images of Power in the Roman Empire: Mass Media and the Cult of Emperors with a team from Macquarie University, The University of Queensland, and Australian National University. Our project will map the ways in which Roman Emperors from the Flavian Dynasty (69-96 CE) to the Theodosian Dynasty (397-457 CE) asserted power and legitimacy through the use of ancient forms of mass media and religion, with a special focus on continuity and change following the advent of Christianity as the majority religion in the empire.

As disciplinary lead for Ancient History I have continued the revision of the curriculum which provides foundational instruction across Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Byzantine societies at the 1000 level, and designing 2000 and 3000 level courses which explore larger themes across the premodern world, from the archaic period to the Middle Ages, to establish a "big picture" approach to ancient history. My courses emphasise concrete skills that prepare students for careers in the modern world while exploring age old questions which have fascinated humans for centuries.

I am available for supervision of HDR students on most topics in Ancient and Medieval history, with a special interest in Roman Imperial History, Early Medieval and Byzantine History, and ancient religion and identity.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University

Keywords

Ancient History
Ancient Religion
Byzantine Studies
Classical Studies
Greek and Latin Literature
Late Antiquity
Roman Imperial History

Languages

Latin (Fluent)
Greek (Fluent)

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
430305	Classical Greek and Roman history	50
470513	Latin and classical Greek literature	20
430314	History of religion	30

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title	Organisation / Department
Lecturer - Ancient History (Education Focused)	University of Newcastle School of Humanities, Creative Ind and Social Sci Australia

Academic appointment

Dates	Title	Organisation / Department
10/2/2020 - 6/2/2022	Lecturer in Classics From February 2020 until February 2022 I served as Lecturer in Classics at the Australian National University. Here I served as convener of Honours and Masters Programs in Classics, and taught a range of courses, including Greek and Latin Language, Ancient Mythology, Greek History, and several honours seminars in Classics and Ancient History.	Australian National University Centre for Classical Studies Australia
5/3/2018 - 7/2/2020	Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History From 2018- February 2020 I taught Greek and Roman history, and Greek and Latin language courses at the University of Queensland.	The University of Queensland Department of Classics and Ancient History Australia

Teaching

Code	Course	Role	Duration
AHIS1080	The Byzantine Empire: From Constantine to Iconoclasm (306-726) The University of Newcastle - School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences Students will study the primary literary and material sources of the Eastern Roman empire, better known as the Byzantine empire. Byzantium was the cultural and historical successor to the Greeks and Romans and adopted and transformed this inheritance in unique ways. We will explore the religious, political and military history of this important but neglected global empire from the rise of the Emperor Constantine to the Iconoclast controversy. We will consider the interactions between church and state, the continuities and changes with the earlier Roman Empire and role of Roman identity in the Christian east, especially in light of the rise of Islam. We will also discuss responses to invasion and plague, gender roles, and education. Students will learn how to analyse primary sources and how to use new technologies in research communication.	Course Convener	13/2/2024 - 31/5/2024
AHIS3510	Greek Society The University of Newcastle - School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences This course explores the structure of social life, gender roles, and life styles in fifth and fourth century Greece. A major focus is on how conditions in Classical Greece affected the life course. Issues of high child mortality, attitudes to gender, and the structure of Greek funerals are explored. The impact of slavery and other statuses on education, living conditions and occupations is investigated.	Course Convener	13/2/2024 - 7/6/2024
AHIS1000	Ancient Greece The University of Newcastle - School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences AHIS1000 traces the history of Greece from the Bronze Age to the aftermath of the Peloponnesian Wars in the 4th Century BCE. The course content is examined through written and archaeological evidence. This introductory course prepares students for the courses at 2000 and 3000 levels as well as providing an introduction to other courses in Ancient History, including other courses at 1000 level.	Course Convener	22/7/2024 - 1/11/2024
AHIS2700	Pandemics and Pandemonium: Crisis Management in the Premodern World The University of Newcastle - School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences Students will study the literature and archaeological evidence of major periods of crisis, including pandemics, invasions, and collapses, from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity. The course considers examples of societal transformation, decline and resurgence, and leadership responses to cataclysmic events. Major examples include the Bronze Age collapse, the Plague of Thucydides, the Antonine Plague, the Crisis of the Third Century, the Plague of Justinian and the Persian and Islamic invasions of the seventh century CE. Students will analyse literary and documentary evidence in conversation with archaeological evidence to determine how best to interpret pre-modern responses to crises, and what lessons these responses have for our own times.	Course Convener	22/7/2024 - 1/11/2026

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Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Book (2 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2022

Dissidence and Persecution in Byzantium, BRILL, Leiden (2022)

DOI	10.1163/9789004472952

2022

Dissidence and Persecution in Byzantium, BRILL, Leiden (2022)

DOI	10.1163/9789004472952

Chapter (6 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2022

Neil B, Strickler R, 'Letters of Maximus in the Collectanea of Anastasius Bibliothecarius: Opuscula 10, 12, and 20', Studies in Maximus the Confessor's Opuscula Theologica Et Polemica Papers Collected on the Occasion of the Belgrade Colloquium on Saint Maximus, 3-4 February 2020, Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium 65-84 (2022) [B1]

DOI	10.1484/M.IPM-EB.5.131017

2022

Strickler R, 'Dehumanisation, Apocalypticism, and Anti-Judaism: Reflections on Identity Formation in Seventh-Century Byzantium', The Routledge Handbook on Identity in Byzantium, Routledge, Abingdon, Ox 232-247 (2022) [B1]

DOI	10.4324/9780429031373-16

2021

D ino D, Strickler RW, 'Introduction', Dissidence and Persecution in Byzantium, BRILL, Leiden, The Netherlands 1-12 (2021) [B1]

DOI	10.1163/9789004472952_002

2021

Strickler RW, 'Monsters Dressed in Purple: Imperial Critique in Early 7th-Century Byzantine Literature', Dissidence and Persecution in Byzantium, BRILL, Leiden, The Netherlands 52-69 (2021) [B1]

DOI	10.1163/9789004472952_004

2020

Strickler RW, 'Paradise regained? Utopias of deliverance in seventhcentury apocalyptic discourse', Memories of Utopia: The Revision of Histories and Landscapes in Late Antiquity, Routledge, London 171-188 (2020) [B1]

DOI	10.4324/9780429448508-11

2019

Strickler RW, 'Persecution and apostasy: Christian identity during the crises of the seventh century', Heirs of Roman Persecution: Studies on a Christian and para-Christian discourse in Late Antiquity, Routledge, Abingdon, UK 296-314 (2019) [B1]

DOI	10.4324/9781351240697-18

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Journal article (4 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2022

Strickler RW, 'The First Pagan Historian. The Fortunes of a Fraud from Antiquity to the Enlightenment', CLASSICAL REVIEW, 72 714-716 (2022)

DOI	10.1017/S0009840X22000798

2020

Strickler RW, 'Imperial Cult.', CLASSICAL REVIEW, 70 185-187 (2020)

DOI	10.1017/S0009840X19002300

2017

Strickler RW, 'A dispute in dispute: Revisiting the disputatio cum pyrrho attributed to maximus the confessor (CPG 7698)', Sacris Erudiri, 56 243-272 (2017) [C1]

This article revisits the authorship and dating of the Disputatio cum Pyrrho (CPG 7698), a text which depicts a theological disputation between Maximus the Confessor and Pyrrhus, ... [more]

This article revisits the authorship and dating of the Disputatio cum Pyrrho (CPG 7698), a text which depicts a theological disputation between Maximus the Confessor and Pyrrhus, the former patriarch of Constantinople. Most scholars have attributed this document to Maximus himself, or an impartial scribe, accepting the text as a transcript of the historical disputation which took place in 645. Jacques Noret opened the possibility of an author other than Maximus by pushing the date to between 655 and 667, the date of trial of Maximus in Constantinople and the death of his disciple Anastasius. This article builds upon Noret's work through a close examination of the Disputatio cum Pyrrho. By examining the language and arguments used, apparent textual seams, and the historical context of the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680-681, this article argues that the Disputatio may be the product of two hands, including a primary composition following Noret's dating, and a later redaction.

DOI	10.1484/J.SE.5.114774
Citations	Scopus - 2

2016

Strickler RW, 'The "wolves of arabia": A reconsideration of maximus the confessor's epistula 8', Byzantion: Revue Internationale des Etudes Byzantines, 86 419-439 (2016) [C1]

This article argues, based on internal evidence, that Epistula 8 by Maximus the Confessor, traditionally understood as a unified letter, is best understood as a composite of two d... [more]

This article argues, based on internal evidence, that Epistula 8 by Maximus the Confessor, traditionally understood as a unified letter, is best understood as a composite of two documents, a longer letter and a shorter fragment. As a result, questions of dating and historical context, including the relationship between Maximus's reference to the Septuagint phrase "wolves of Arabia" and the nascent Islamic invasions, are reconsidered.

DOI	10.2143/BYZ.86.0.3180832
Citations	Scopus - 4

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Research Supervision

Number of supervisions

Completed0

Current3

Current Supervision

Commenced	Level of Study	Research Title	Program	Supervisor Type
2024	Masters	Fortuna Favours the Bold: Religion and Legitimacy in the Flavian Dynasty (69-96CE)	M Philosophy (Classics), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle	Principal Supervisor
2023	PhD	The Hoplite Charge at the Battle of Marathon: A Historical and Physiological Study	PhD (History), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle	Co-Supervisor
2021	Masters	Stasis in Hellenistic Asia: Civil Violence, Socioeconomic Tensions, and Interstate Relations in the Asian Poleis from Alexander to Mithridates	M Philosophy (Classics), College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle	Principal Supervisor

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Research Projects

ARC Discovery Project DP240100112 Images of Power in the Roman Empire: Mass Media and the Cult of Emperors 2024 -

Contemporary leaders understand the power of an image to influence public opinion, but are they following a path well-trodden by Roman emperors? This project aims to illuminate the role that mass media and images played in securing and sustaining imperial power during the Later Roman empire from the Flavians to the Theodosians (69-450 CE). The comparison of coins, statues and monuments will shed new light on the dynamic ways that popular media were used to mediate between emperors, their officials, provincial elites and the wider populace, and show how leaders used mass media in the Roman world. Social and cultural benefits include a better understanding of
the ways that leaders today handle such media to influence public opinion.

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