Brayden Lentz ’23 — My name is Brayden Lentz, and I am a member of the class of 2023. This summer, I conducted research for Professor Hartnett in the Classics Department as he continued work on his book about the statue of Flavius Agricola currently housed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. As Professor Hartnett wrote, my duties were to act as a sounding board for ideas, read through the manuscript and offer feedback, conduct additional research on topics as needed, and compile all other bits of evidence into a single bibliography. Most of my day-to-day work, however, centered around the research itself. I dove deep into aspects of Roman social history, such as the issue of remarriage, the draw of women to religious cults, and I even spent time homing in on the connotation of individual bits of Latin vocabulary in the original language.
Thanks to Zoom, I was able to work effectively with Professor Hartnett without needing to go into the college every day. The flexible nature of my work allowed me to conduct research unabated and then return all the information that I had found in my rabbit holes of digging to Professor Hartnett over the phone or via video chat. What was most engaging about this internship was not just the research, however, but the discussions we were able to have about the information and how it could best be used within the text. My experiences in the classroom thus far at Wabash College have prepared me not only for the technical aspects of reading, writing, and critical thinking but also to communicate effectively with others to advance thoughts and ideas.
As a classics major who is possibly interested in pursuing the field after graduation, this experience was invaluable. Not only was I able to validate what I had learned in class to this point, both historically and with the Latin language, I also witnessed the inner workings of how academic scholarship is produced. Searching databases for commentaries and then diving deeper and deeper into their sources and who else had cited these was fascinating for me as I could see the true breadth of the academic field. The work was challenging but rewarding, as I searched physical libraries, used my Latin knowledge to analyze primary sources, both literary and epigraphical, and even dove into a book about mixed religious marriages written entirely in Italian to dig out essential information. This experience would never have been possible if it were not for the opportunity provided by Professor Hartnett and the assistance of Wabash College. I am beyond thankful for their continued support as I grow and develop academically and professionally.
