Antisemitism in Byzantium, 4th–7th Centuries

The study of the late antique architecture of Cordoba (4th–7th century) is not an easy task. Written records and archaeological remains have been combined, the latter usually in a subordinate way, to compose the history of the capital of Hispania Baetica throughout this long period in an effort to identify its Christian urban topography and determine its material transformation from the Islamic period onwards. The review of old evidence and the discovery of new have recently increased our knowledge by enhancing the catalogue of available sculptural and architectural material and have opened up new debates and avenues of research. Among the main issues that need to be addressed in future research, and which are briefly introduced here, are the precise location of the late antique episcopal see, the confirmation of the chronology of the abundant sculptural evidence that lacks an archaeological context (and even topographic origin), and the proper identification of ecclesiastical architectural structures.

This paper analyses the military use of holy relics, images, and other Christian apotropaic devices in the Roman-Persian wars. I examine a wide range of literary evidence from the 4th to the 7th century exploring where, why, and how different Christian objects were used in military contexts. Moreover, I consider different factors, as the local religious practices or the rivalry between the Christian Roman Empire and Zoroastrian Persia. I argue that the earliest military uses of relics and holy images happened in the context of the Roman-Persian conflict and frontier region, and that, during the 4th-7th centuries, these uses were much more common there than anywhere else. Also, that some local practices of this region could have been adopted by military officers and the Imperial elite. I propose that three factors could explain this: First, the intensity of the cult of relics and images in Syria and the Near East. Second, the growing identification of the Roman Empire as a Christian power between the 4th and 7th centuries. Finally, the Roman-Persian conflict and the climate of religious confrontation that grew over the course of the Byzantine-Sassanian wars.

Studies of ancient glass production in northern Jordan are rare. During the 2011 season of excavation at ancient Gadara (Umm Qais), a large number of fragmentary glass objects were found, along with a group of chunks and molten glass fragments. These finds may indicate the existence of a glass secondary workshop at the site during the Byzantine period (4th–7th centuries AD. This paper focuses on the glass objects and the chunks and molten glass fragments discovered at the site. An initial descriptive and comparative study of the objects is followed by a discussion of the glass production and workshops that are already known in the region. A sample of twenty-five diagnostic fragments dated between the 4th and the 7th centuries AD was selected for study, of which nine were analysed chemically using the Atomic Absorption method. The results suggest that glass objects were locally produced at Gadara.

This study offers a comprehensive reassessment of archaeological materials from the north-western baths of the Villa del Casale, recovered during the 1950s excavations and partly published by G.V. Gentili. By integrating published data with an examination of stored artefacts, the research aims to reconstruct the occupational history of the sector and clarify the problematic contexts of many finds. Particular focus is given to the African Red Slip Ware, predominantly retrieved from the frigidarium—especially the natatio, the trilobed pool, and the eastern vestibule—and dated between the mid-1st and early 7th centuries. The earliest specimens are attributable to the villa rustica phase. Most material, however, pertains to the Late Antique reconstruction, featuring numerous forms datable between 4th–7th centuries, supporting hypotheses regarding the phasing of the Villa. Late Roman and Byzantine occupation is further confirmed by coinage from Constantine I to Heraclius.The medieval phase (10th–13th centuries) is characterised by the reuse and fragmentation of the bathing complex, which was transformed into spaces with functions different from the original ones. This is evidenced by plain and glazed pottery, metal tools, glass weights, and a significant Norman and Arab numismatic assemblage. The rooms were at times subdivided by internal walls and their floors raised, outlining a functional reorganisation consistent with the Arab-Norman occupation also attested in other sectors of the villa. During the subsequent late medieval Casale phase (14th–15th centuries), the complex shows signs of gradual abandonment. Despite gaps caused by early excavation methods, evidence demonstrates prolonged use of the area from the 1st century to the Arab-Norman period, but further study of stored materials is essential to refine the occupational sequence.

The article is devoted to semantic transformation of the concept of 'justice' in leading intellectual traditions of early Byzantine period: late Neoplatonism, early Christianity, represented by the Cappadocians Fathers, and Christian Neoplatonism. The analysis of the texts of Proclus and his successors, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor showed that the preservation of the former and the emergence of new meanings and connotations of the concept of 'justice' was due to the specificity of intellectual situation: the adaptation of Christianity to imperial pagan intellectual culture, the shift of the power pole from paganism to Christianity, the expansion and a qualitative change in the members of church communities. The ancient concept of justice as an equivalent exchange, manifested in a society primarily in "distribution by dignity", in pagan neo-Platonism was transferred from the ethical sphere to the ontological sphere, and in the Christian intellectual tradition it was filled with theological reflections of incomprehensible divine justice, and new understanding of justice as righteousness, i.e. an unconditional fulfillment of the duties entrusted by God.

This paper looks at the evidence for housing in Carthage in the period from Diocletian to the Arab conquest (4th–7th centuries A.D.). A wide range of evidence is examined including excavation reports, representations of houses in art, and a variety of relevant literary texts. The paper offers a new synthesis of this evidence, with the aim of bringing discussion of Roman and late antique housing in Carthage up to date. It incorporates much new information from recent house excavations in and around the ancient city. Although the emphasis is mainly on 諩te housing, the smaller quantity of evidence for non-諩te housing in Carthage is also discussed. In addition, the paper looks at some of the evidence for late antique housing outside the city and considers the nature of rural settlement in the Carthaginian hinterland. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of the traditional Roman ‘villa’ in the countryside around Carthage, raising questions about the future directions of housing studies in North Africa

The reviewed project “Latin Church Tradition of the 4th-7th Centuries in the Modern Scientific and Theological Context” is aimed at updating the church heritage of the Latin West of the late antique and early medieval period in the context of modern Orthodox theology. The authors study features of ecclesiological thought and the development of the system of church organization in the Latin West in the 4th–7th centuries, the specifics of the early Latin ascetic, mystical and eschatological tradition and the reception of the Latin church heritage in Russian theology in the 19th–20th centuries. Research on a theological project carried out by ten scholars from Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University of the Humanities (Archpriest P. Khondzinsky (leader), priest A. Posternak, G.E. Zakharov, M.V. Gratsiansky, A.G. Nebolsin, A.V. Anashkin, M.Yu. Birkin, N.A. Kulkova, E.V. Materova, I.S. Redkova) has highlighted the importance of the ancient Christian heritage of the Latin West for the development of pan-European heritage and culture, and in particular, Russian theological thought.

As one of the greatest astronomical spectacles, total solar eclipses have long been a subject of scientific interest and have been recorded by numerous civilizations over the millennia. These records are an essential reference for constraining and reconstructing Earth’s variable rotation (ΔT) prior to the 17th century. However, ΔT reconstructions for the 4th–7th centuries have significant uncertainties, mainly owing to a data scarcity. Here, we analyze Byzantine historical sources with reports of total solar eclipses along the Eastern Mediterranean coasts and add probable ΔT constraints on their basis. We examined five cases of total solar eclipses in 346, 418, 484, 601, and 693 CE, identified times and locations of the observations, and compared them with the existing ΔT spline curve to derive new ΔT constraints. Our results probably tighten ΔT variability in 346 CE, show a larger ΔT range in 418 CE, and give smaller ΔT ranges in 484, 601, and 693 CE. Our study tightens the existing ΔT variations and occasionally support some ΔT constraints that slightly depart from the ΔT spline curve in the latest reconstructions. Our results are consistent with contemporary ΔT constraints from other studies and offer an improved understanding of Earth’s variable rotation.

Condemned to metallum? The origin and role of 4th–6th century A.D. Phaeno mining campresidents using multiple chemical techniques

A systematic archaeoseismological study indicates that at least three earthquakes occurred between 400 B.C. and A.D. 600, causing destruction to numerous ancient monuments in Sicily. Evidence for these earthquakes comes from the collapse style of buildings (toppled walls, column drums in a domino‐style arrangement, directional collapses, etc.), and the exclusion of other likely causes for such effects. Dating of inferred earthquakes is based on coins (accurate to within 5–10 years), pottery (accurate to within 50–200 years), and other artifacts. The oldest documented earthquake occurred between 370 and 300 B.C. and caused the collapse of two Greek temples in Selinunte. This otherwise poorly documented event was probably also the cause of extensive destruction in northeastern Sicily in the first century A.D. Destruction of some sites may be assigned to an earthquake that occurred between 360 and 374 and correlates with the A.D. 365 seismic sequence known from historical sources. This study covers a wider region and provides a more precise dating of earthquakes than previous studies. Although it focuses on a certain period (4th–3rd centuries B.C., 4th–7th centuries A.D.), it indicates that the period before A.D. 1000 is not a period of seismic quiescence in Sicily as was previously believed, but to a period characterized by strong and destructive earthquakes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Cenacle on Mount Sion is the traditional site of the descent of the Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost. This place in Christian thought and piety reflects the pattern of continuity. Cenacle has become the center of the Church of Jerusalem and the Judeo-Christian house of worship. In the 4 th century, the Christian writers consider the Mt. Sion „ cut off” from the community of believers. The sources show that the later references to this building indicate it as the „ Church of the Apostles”. The Church’s theologians spoke about „ Sion, Mother of all the Churches”. Mount Sion was the destination of pilgrimage. The place of the Cenacle on Mt Sion often is presented by the pilgrims and the liturgical texts. Next, to it, there was material evidence and descriptions of the visitors.

The environmental impact of cultural change: Palynological and quantitative land cover reconstructions for the last two millennia in northern Poland

Byzantine Attica, the hinterland of Athens, has been little studied as a whole. Our understanding of it has mostly relied on excavation results from numerous Early Christian basilicas, and on architectural and art-historical studies of Middle Byzantine churches and monasteries, which show a high level of craftsmanship and execution. After many decades of intensive excavation and surface archaeological research, Attica is now emerging as a region whose Byzantine settlement patterns, road networks, administration, economy, and defences can be described thoroughly. The present chapter attempts to define the civic/urban (civitates), non-civic/urban (komai), and non-civic/non-urban (komai, choria) settlements of Early Byzantine and ‘Dark Age’ Attica. Our basis is the organisation of all relevant published archaeological data in geographic areas and units of habitation and activity. Historical sources, mainly the Synekdemos of Hierocles and the third (so-called ‘Iconoclastic‘) episcopal Notitia, as well as epigraphic, sigillographic, and numismatic sources, were also used. Early Byzantine Attica can now be shown to have been a region where numerous urban sites were active at important nodes of land and sea routes, while rural settlements were situated both in fertile regions and at the fringes of mountainous areas. The scant archaeological evidence of the ‘Dark Age’ period is corroborated by the third Notitia, which, despite awaiting historical confirmation, allows interesting hypotheses about administrative and military organisation during this period.

This article investigates the history of the agorai and minor plazas, excavated at Sagalassos in SW Turkey, during late antiquity (A.D. 283 to ca. 650). It presents new field observations made by the author, based on a survey of stone surface markings, epigraphic context, and spoliation history, and offers an interpretive study of these spaces in terms of their function during the 4th–7th centuries A.D. An assessment of the significance of these observations for the nature of urban government in this period is also offered.

This article explores the additional decorative elements incorporated by Christians onto Corinthian capitals found in various museums in the Syrian Arab Republic, dating back to the Byzantine era (4th–7th centuries). It outlines the symbolic significance of these elements, tracing their historical and religious contexts. The study highlights the diverse forms of crosses present on the capitals, ranging from the equal-armed cross encircled by various frames to Latin crosses and crosses formed by the contiguous folioles of acanthus leaves. Garlands, with various interpretations, emerged in Christian art and are depicted as leafy swags on the Corinthian capitals, featuring different designs. Additionally, the rare representation of grapevines, which held significant importance in Christian symbolism, connects them to biblical narratives and theological concepts. Overall, these elements could aid in dating unidentified Corinthian capitals in the area of study when analyzed alongside other components of the capital.