The inaugural talk of the TRAC 2026-27 Webinar season will take place on 6 October at 5 PM (UK time).
Daniel Connelly, University of Edinburgh: ‘The Sound of Slave Labour: utilising ‘auditory peopling’ to analyse Marcus Aurelius’ depiction of ideal mastery at Villa Magna ‘
This presentation employs the method of ‘auditory peopling’ to examine in a novel fashion the depiction of the slave-owning persona of the emperor-to-be Marcus Aurelius at Villa Magna. Based on Marcus’ own descriptions, it establishes the spatial proximity between the estate’s slave labourers and Marcus via a theoretically-based sound profiling. Marcus’s seemingly casual description emerges from this as a shrewd effort at sketching himself as the perfectly watchful enslaver. The analysis extends across several cognate disciplines. First, through philological analysis, it defines the nature of the sound heard by Marcus. Second, through a study of the archaeology at Villa Magna, Marcus is located within the built environment. Third, through methodological innovation – ‘auditory peopling’ – the distance between Marcus and the enslaved workers is quantitatively evaluated.
The talk will be online (via ZOOM). To register and read the full abstract please click here to receive the zoom login.
Note: this is not a Classical Association event – please contact the organisers directly with any enquiries.
