- A.B., Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges, cum laude, 1984
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1991
Cynthia J. Bannon
Professor, Classical Studies
Department Chair, Classical Studies
Adjunct Professor, History
- cbannon@iu.edu
- (812) 855-6868
- Ballantine Hall 654
- Office Hours
Education
Research areas
- Roman law
- Roman history
- Latin prose
About Cynthia Bannon
My research focuses on Roman law and Latin literature. My first book, The Brothers of Romulus (1999) used law as a heuristic device to analyze conventional representations of brothers in literature of the Republic and the early Empire. I have continued to write about Latin literature in articles, some inspired by legal matters. With my second monograph, Gardens and Neighbors: Private Water Rights in Roman Italy (2009), I turned to property law and used Common Pool Resource theory to evaluate how the Romans used water rights to manage a vital but scarce natural resource. My Casebook on Roman Water Law broadens the scope presenting analytical introduction to both public and private laws regulating lakes, rivers, and the sea. Currently I am at work on a synthetic history of water rights that grapples with the evolution of public property in Roman law.
Courses taught
- Latin prose composition
- Cicero
- Seneca
- Roman law
- Roman culture
Selected publications
Books
A Casebook on Roman Water Law. University of Michigan Press, 2020.
Gardens and Neighbors. Private Water Rights in Roman Italy. University of Michigan Press, 2009.
The Brothers of Romulus: Fraternal Pietas in Roman Law, Literature, and Society. Princeton University Press, 1997.
Articles
“Legal Environments in Ulpian's Egypt” Bulletino del istituto di diritto romano 117 (n.s. 13) (2023) 1-24.
“Water Rights for Tombs in Eleven Inscriptions from Rome.” In Water History (2023). Special Issue: Waterways Management in the Roman Empire, edited by M. Ronin and P. Candy.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-022-00315-w
“Seasonal Drought on Roman Rivers: Transport vs. Irrigation” In Climate Change and Ancient Societies in Europe and the Near East, edited by P. Erdkamp, J. Manning, and K. Verboven, 347-71. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2021. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81103-7_12
“Free Like Sheep: Law, Humor, and Roman Political Culture (Cicero, De Oratore 2.284).” Law and Literature 31.3 (2019) 469-486. DOI: 10.1080/1535685X.2019.1590978 https://doi.org/10.1080/1535685X.2019.1590978
“Fresh-Water in Roman Law: Property and Policy.” JRS 107 (2017) 1-30. Cited as one of the most read articles https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/most-read
The College of Arts