5th Century BCE Research Articles

Contempt, Withdrawal and Equanimity in the Zhuangzi

The Zhuangzi, a 4th century BCE Daoist text, is sceptical about the political culture of its time. Those who debated conceptions of a good life were hostile to the views of others. They were intolerant and at times contemptuous of others who did not embody their values. In contrast to such negativity, the Zhuangzi promotes equanimity. The equanimity of the sagely person is grounded in a balance she maintains between engagement and withdrawal. Engaging critically, she problematises the lack of diversity in their options for a good life. By withdrawing, she refuses to be party to the squabbles that perpetuate intolerance. The paper aims to show how equanimity is possible, thereby articulating a new angle on emotions in the Zhuangzi.

Trade, use, offer. The hoard of Bánov – “Skalky” (CZ)

Hoards disappeared from the regions of the “heart” of Hallstatt Europe. As for the peripheral areas, which include Moravia, the situation was different. The elite Hallstatt hoard from Bánov – “Skalky”, Uherské Hradiště District (CZ), dating to 575–550 BCE, proves that some regions did not abandon their “old Bronze-Age habits”. The hoard is among the most exclusive set of discoveries dating to the Hallstatt Period found in the Czech Republic. Its 1.500–2.000 pieces of amber beads represent the largest individual prehistoric set of amber in the Czech Republic. In the 6th century BCE, the eastern part of what is now the Czech Republic (Moravia) was the primary transit region of the Baltic amber to the Mediterranean. Extensive barter trade took place along the route of the Amber Road. Included in the Bánov hoard were exclusive women’s jewellery items which were evidently exchanged for amber. It is a set of dragon fibulae from contemporary Slovenia. This article describes the circumstances of the discovery, offers a detailed catalogue of the findings, introduces a chronological-typological analysis of the inventory and proposes the origin of the artefacts. An analysis of the composition and origin of glass by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) and of amber by IR spectrometry was carried out in this study. Chemical analysis of glass determined the colouring agents and the composition, which points to the possible origin of the analysed items. While amber corresponds to the Baltic spectrum, analysis of the glass revealed surprising findings. Most of the beads do not correspond to the expected natron glass type but to an older mixed alkali type. Furthermore, an overview of the deposition of hoards in Moravia and the methodology of studying the deposition is presented. A model of long-distance trade on the Amber Road and its chronological background are also outlined. The authors discuss the social structure, elites, long-distance trade on trade routes north of the East Hallstatt culture region, and the assumed ceremony surrounding the creation of hoards.

Trade with the West. Glass bowls of Eastern Mediterranean origin found in the courtyard of the Casas del Turuñuelo site (Guareña, Badajoz, Spain): Archaeological context, analysis and conservation

The aim of this work is presenting a group of glasses excavated from the archaeological site Casas del Turuñuelo (Guareña, Badajoz, Spain), whose destruction dates back to the 5th Century BCE. Different types of glasses were found, among them two thick-walled translucent bowls and a very fine blue-coloured bowl. The study and conservation of these pieces has made it possible to characterize the composition of the different types of glass and their specific degradation, and to identify the possible origin where they were manufactured, in the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, it has managed to recover the original surface and shape of these pieces and has given them the necessary consistency to be well preserved and studied.

HPTLC and GC–MS finger-printing of two potential multifunctional siddha tailams: Mathan and maha megarajanga tailam

The Siddha system of medicine is an ancient medical lineage that is practiced primarily in the southern part of India. Siddha system of medicine has been in practice for thousands of years with documented evidence dating back to the 6th century BCE. According to siddha system of medicine’s basic fundamental principle, the human body is made up of 96thathuvam(primary components), which encompass physical, physiological, psychological, and intellectual aspects. Medicine (marunthu) is classified as a wide range of internal and external medicines. The major components of its medical formulations include plant parts, minerals and animal products. Various methods were carried out for the purification process to eliminate the toxins.Choornam, Guligai, Tailam, Parpam, Chendooram, Kattu, Pasai and Poochuare the most common medicines used in Siddha system of medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The pathophysiological classification of diseases is elaborated in detail in the classical Siddha literature. Siddha system of medicine plays an important role in protecting people from diseases such as COVID-19 by providing immune-protecting and immune-boosting medicines in today's world.Mathan tailam and maha megarajanga tailam are the two unique preparations used widely for various skin diseases including chronic wounds and burns. Scientific validation of both medicines will help in understanding their effectiveness against a typical wound condition. In the present study physio-chemical and phytochemical, HPTLC, and GC–MS analyses were carried out and discussed in detail on the multifunctional properties exhibited in the patient communities.

Giardia duodenalis and dysentery in Iron Age Jerusalem (7th-6th century BCE).

The aim of this study was to determine if the protozoa that cause dysentery might have been present in Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, during the Iron Age. Sediments from 2 latrines pertaining to this time period were obtained, 1 dating from the 7th century BCE and another from the 7th to early 6th century BCE. Microscopic investigations have previously shown that the users were infected by whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), Taenia sp. tapeworm and pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis). However, the protozoa that cause dysentery are fragile and do not survive well in ancient samples in a form recognizable using light microscopy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits designed to detect the antigens of Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia duodenalis were used. Results for Entamoeba and Cryptosporidium were negative, while Giardia was positive for both latrine sediments when the analysis was repeated three times. This provides our first microbiological evidence for infective diarrhoeal illnesses that would have affected the populations of the ancient near east. When we integrate descriptions from 2nd and 1st millennium BCE Mesopotamian medical texts, it seems likely that outbreaks of dysentery due to giardiasis may have caused ill health throughout early towns across the region.

Exploring prenatal and neonatal life history through dental histology in infants from the Phoenician necropolis of Motya (7th–6th century BCE)

The biological life history of infants from archaeological contexts can provide a unique insight into past human populations. Dental mineralized tissues contain a permanent record of their growth that can provide access to the prenatal and early infant life, and mortality, of human skeletons. This study focuses on the histomorphometric analysis of deciduous teeth from the ‘Archaic Necropolis’ of Motya (7th–6th century BCE, Sicily–Italy). The histomorphometric analysis is conducted on prenatal and postnatal enamel of eight anterior deciduous teeth from seven individuals from this Phoenician population to estimate their chronological age-at-death, health, and enamel growth parameters. Proteomic analysis has been used to determine the sex of the infants.The presence of the Neonatal Line in all specimens indicates that the seven individuals survived birth. The occurrence of at least one Accentuated Line in prenatal enamel in four out of seven individuals suggests the foetuses and/or their mothers experienced a stress-related event during pregnancy. As expected, there was limited variation in Daily Secretion Rates near the Enamel Dentine Junction. These rates increase toward the outer enamel surface and decrease toward the cervix.Our findings illustrate the importance of dental histology for reconstructing perinatal and early infancy mortality and morbidity patterns at Motya, which sheds light on the socio-cultural perception of new-borns and infants in an ancient Phoenician community.

The Solomonic Districts and the Nimshide Dynasty Administrative System in the Southern Levant

Scholars once eagerly claimed that 1 Kgs 4:7–19 contains historical information and represents a reliable source of information on David and Solomon’s administrative system. However, with the idea of a great United Monarchy becoming controversial since the 1990s, some pivotal studies have proposed new dates for this list’s composition, ranging from the 10th, mid-ninth, early eighth, and mid-seventh centuries BCE to even the post-exilic period. This article begins with the premise that 1 Kgs 4:7–19 represents the political reality of a specific time period, which could leave traceable factual evidence. Synthesizing topographical-textual, archaeological, and historical observations of 1 Kgs 4:7–19 to elucidate its likely historical background results in an inference suggesting early eighth century BCE composition during the reigns of Joash and Jeroboam II.

PIDHIRTSI GROUP OF SITES OF THE KYIV DNIPRO REGION OF SCYTHIAN AGE

The paper reveals the issue of population switch in the Kyiv Dnipro region which occurred gradually from the end of the 7th to the 5th centuries BCE. It is related to the origin of the Pidhirtsi group of sites. In historiography since 1950—1960s two hypotheses on this topic have been developed: the integration version based on the diffusion of forest-steppe and Mylograd cultural elements and autochthonous one. Nowadays, after the discovery of new archaeological sites and revision of the chronology, the more progressive research direction is processual migration archeology. The design of the approach is multidisciplinary. The population switch phenomenon is connected to the climate caused migrations of the forest population of Mylograd culture to the Upper and Middle Dnipro regions. In such circumstances with a range of cross-cultural contacts, the Pidhirtsi group of sites was formed.
 The settlement structure reconstructed on the basis of the material culture changes in correlation with geo informational analysis of the sites for two chronological periods. The impulses of the Mylograd population were caused by the economic crisis and paleoclimatic situation, in fact cooling and increasing humidity. The first diffusion occurred at the end of 7th century BCE and traced after burial complexes. The peak of population switch took place in the end of 6th — beginning 5th centuries BCE. As an example of material culture change were revised the materials of Bortnychi settlement explored in the 1950s. In the area of the Mylograd culture was observed decreasing of the anthropogenic activity. The forest steppe population inhabited the Left Bank Dnipro — Don region.
 Reconstruction of the cultural and historical context on the forest and forest-steppe frontier is a necessary approach for understanding the regional settlement system. Long-range interdisciplinary paleoclimatic studies of the Kyiv Dnipro region are a prospective direction for future research.

Midrash and sophism in the context of transformation scientific and educational traditions in the 21st century

The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st cen-tury is characterized by multiple crises in most aspects of human existence, among which the education crisis is one of the most noticeable. The usual logic of problematizing and seeking ways to overcome the education crisis is linked to changes in the nor-mative-legal and economic conditions of educational activities, and much less attention is paid to the ontological problems of education. In this regard, the first task of this study was to con-ceptually formulate a request regarding the resources and tools for overcoming the ontological crisis in education. In the context of studying the main stages and results of three decades of re-forms in the field of Russian education, three interconnected re-quests have been identified: 1) Individualization and differentia-tion of the content of education while maintaining basic value-semantic unity; 2) Ensuring the social and economic relevance of the content of education, ensuring its demand and feasibility; 3) Rooting the content of education in social and humanitarian tra-ditions that are capable of influencing and transforming modern social and humanitarian practices. The categories of “midrash” and “sophism” emerged at roughly the same time (around the 5th century BCE) and represent complex phenomena of oral cultures that developed in the Eastern Mediterranean: midrash in the con-text of the Jewish religious tradition, and sophism (as well as the syllogism that gave rise to it) in the ancient city-state tradition. Moreover, each of these phenomena fully corresponds to the re-quirements listed above. 1) Reconceptualization of the educa-tional attitude as a means of ensuring intergenerational connec-tion and continuity; 2) Inherent duality of cultural and education-al traditions in their relationship with “text” and “language” (to which modern culture adds “visible image”); 3) The need to modernize the system of educational standards based on dia-chronic traditions and synchronic cultural-anthropological mod-els; 4) Actualization of issues and tools for ensuring dialogue and "openness" of traditions, identifying their contextual meanings and requests addressed by current socio-humanitarian practices; 5) Integration of projects, socio-educational initiatives and prac-tices around identified scientific and educational traditions and cultural-educational models underlying them.

“The First Documented Experience of Qi and an Account of Healing Failure: 4th Century BCE”

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Veneds Tribes of the Late Zarubyntsi Culture of Upper Dnieper in the 2nd–5th Centuries CE

Nests of settlements were the basis of the research on family and tribal structure of the Slavs (Nevrs, Scythians-ploughmen, Scythians-farmers, and Veneds of the Zarubyntsi culture) of the 7th century BCE – 2nd century CE, which was published in the "Ukrainoznavstvo" journal (2022, №. 2–4). Mapping the nests of settlements on modern maps makes it possible to compare the changes in the location of the named Slavic tribes over time, which in fact offers a new method of sociocultural anthropology – the method of family-tribe geography of the Slavs–Ukrainians ethnogenesis. This method permits to detect the characteristic features of the social, cultural, and economic life of the clans and tribes of the Slavs in the chain of epochs with the help of various branches of science: archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, anthropology, as well as folklore, beliefs, law, crafts, and technologies. And the main thing is that this method allows you to move away from ethnically undefined "carriers of archaeological cultures", which are a relic of Soviet archaeology and do not allow studying the ancient history of families and peoples that inhabited the territory of Eastern Europe since the Palaeolithic. During the modern war, Ukrainians-farmers, for the Russians "Little Russians", are very energetically freeing themselves from the arms of nomads, herdsmen, "Great Russians". The artificially created unity of russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian has already faded into the past. At the same time, interest in the ancient history of the Ukrainian people, which is hidden in archaeological sites and their interpretations, is constantly growing in the world.Our attention is drawn to Jordan's message about the various ethnonyms of the Veneds (the name by which the early Slavs were called), according to which the Veneds are divided into separate tribes that have names according to their families or places of residence. This message is confirmed in this article.Based on the research of archaeologists (largely based on L. Pobol's collection of monuments, which includes 517 late Zarubyntsi settlements), we have localised 50 nests settlements of Slavs-Veneds of the 2nd–5th centuries CE on the map of Belarus. (Fig. 1). It has been established that the tribes of the historical Slavs-Veneds of the late stage of the Zarubyntsi culture occupied the same territory of the Upper Dnipro where 36 tribes of the Zarubyntsi culture of the early stage of the 3rd century BCE lived – the 2nd century CE ("Ukrainian Studies," 2022, № 4, Fig. 14). So, there are reasons to express the opinion that the north-western part of the Veneds of the late Zarubyntsi culture – the ancestors of the current Belarusians – lived with the ancestors of the Ukrainians on the same territory for thousands of years, that is, they have a common history. And the Pripyat River did not divide our nations but united them for many centuries.

And Finally: Matters of Life and Death

And Finally: Matters of Life and Death

The Problem with Political Forms in Herodotus’ Histories: A Comparative Look

Herodotus, the father of history, is the first writer to describe the Asia-Europe division, based on which he delineates and analyzes the cross-continental relationship between East and West with a focus on the Greco-Persian Wars that took place in the 5th century BCE and lasts for roughly five decades. His attitude towards the Greco-Persian Wars in the Histories has long intrigued the attention of scholars. This paper attempts to show how Herodotus initiates the geographical distinction that lays the groundwork for the discussion of political forms— one of Herodotus’ central concerns in the work that he deems crucial to the progression and result of the Wars. The paper first analyzes Herodotus’ narrative of the Persian constitutional debate and the Hellenic discourse on democratic freedom. In conclusion, it is ultimately the inveterate ideological disparities between Persia and the Greek states and their different regimes approve of that determined the final results of the Greco-Persian Wars.

An Anthropological Outline of the Sutta Nipāta: The Contemplative Experience in Early Buddhist Poetry

By examining the Sutta Nipāta, considered one of the collections containing the oldest texts of the Pāli canon, this study aims to reconstruct social, historical, and anthropological aspects of archaic Buddhist doctrine at the time of its definition in dialectic with the forces of orthodoxy and constituted power in 6th century BCE India. This study also provides important insights into the development and definition of contemplative practices devoted to the search for the ‘absolute’ (paramattha and brahmavihāra), which has often received little attention in meditation studies.

Pensare l’agone: Foucault, Cassin e la storia dell’esclusione della sofistica

Both Michel Foucault and Barbara Cassin address Aristotle’s thought and the 5th century BCE sources attributed to the rhetorician Gorgias in order to reconstruct the history of the strategic exclusion of the Sophistics from the Western philosophical tradition. They retrace the scene of the rhetoric agon that Aristotle engaged with Gorgias. Both theorists’ arguments illuminate that the sophist has formulated an original account of political theatricality by talking about the scenes of the logos.

Iron production in the ancient Xianyang city of the Qin state: A perspective on iron smelting slags

The ancient Xianyang city was the capital city of the Qin state and Qin empire during the 4th century BCE to the 3rd century BCE. In the past decades, several archaeological excavations and surveys have carried out in the city site and two ironworks have been discovered. The present paper reports the iron production technology applied in one of the ironworks in the ancient Xianyang city site through metallographic and elemental analyses of collected slags. The analytical results provide evidence that both cast iron smelting and fining process were applied in the ancient Xianyang city.

Locating Jerusalem’s Royal Palace in the Second Millennium BCE in Light of the Glyptic and Cuneiform Material Unearthed in the Ophel

This article argues, on the basis of indirect evidence drawn from the results of the excavations of the Ophel, that during the second millennium BCE, the governing centre of Jerusalem was located on the Temple Mount. The conclusion rests mainly upon a numerical comparison between the glyptic material uncovered in the Ophel vis-à-vis that unearthed in the Southeastern Hill (the City of David) and upon the discovery of two fragmented cuneiform tablets in this area. It is postulated that the findings uncovered in the Ophel might serve as a litmus test for the early urban life in the Temple Mount above it. The city at the time included two distinct quarters: the Temple Mount, the seat of the king and his court, and the Southeastern Hill, consisting of the summit of the hill and the Gihon Spring. This two-part division of the city persisted from its foundation in the MB II down to the early first millennium BCE and continued until the 8th century BCE.

Egyptian cults in the Northern Black Sea Coast and the Ukrainian Steppe according to epigraphic and archeological monuments (6th century BCE – 4th century CE)

Egyptian cults in the Northern Black Sea Coast and the Ukrainian Steppe according to epigraphic and archeological monuments (6th century BCE – 4th century CE)

TAXATION AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: EXPERIENCE OF ANCIENT GREECE

The article analyzes the experience of tax policy formation in ancient Athens in connection with the development of public administration in the ancient era. The importance of studying this scientific problem in the context of Ukraineʼs strategic course towards the European Union is emphasized. The article aims to identify problems related to the experience of tax policy in Ancient Greece in connection with the strategy of public administration in ancient Athens. It is noted that the economic relations and tax policy of the ancient Greeks were closely linked to the specificities of citizenʼs social life in ancient Hellas. The concepts of freedom, slavery, and the polis decisively influenced the concept of the tax system implemented in Athens in the 5th – 4th centuries BCE. It is emphasized that various models of tax systems were applied in different historical periods within ancient Attica. During the tyranny of Peisistratos and his successors, a direct 10% tax, unpopular among citizens, was practiced. Later, in the era of democracy, a complex tax system emerged, combining a direct tax on foreigners (metoikion) and an extraordinary war tax (eisphora). At the same time, social duty (liturgia) played a significant role, serving as an alternative to direct taxation of wealthy Athenians and involving voluntary financing of socially significant projects. The effectiveness of eisphora and liturgia was explained primarily by the high level of civic consciousness among the ancient Athenians, who demonstrated readiness to serve the interests of their polis. The article mentions that in addition to direct and targeted taxes, there existed a system of indirect levies in ancient Athens, which were derived from commercial activities, logistic services, property use, etc. An important invention of the Athenians was a tax model that did not involve maintaining a bureaucratic apparatus. This was achieved by contracting tax collection to private contractors through auctions. It is concluded that a successful tax model could be realized thanks to the excellent self-organization of Athenian citizens, high civic consciousness, and the principles of public administration in tax policy.

Палеогеография, археология и античная топонимика и терминология Крымского Приазовья

The article was prepared within the framework of the project "Black Sea and Central Asian periphery of the ancient world and nomadic communities of Eurasia: at the crossroads of cultures and civilizations" № НИОКТР 122011200269-4. The article discusses ancient toponyms, terminology and relevant archeological realities of the Sea of Azov, but mostly their relevancy with paleogeology and paleogeography of the region in antiquity. The attention is mostly paid to the level changes of the Sea of Azov and the Chokrak Lake. The author uses the results of the latest archeological excavations and of some natural-scientific investigations. He analyzes both differences and similarities of the three groups of the sources. In the first “case” the author uses the results of the long-term excavations of the academic expedition led by him. The expedition investigates on the significant area and extent not only multi-temporal and multi-cultural sites of the Sea of Azov, but also relevant natural landscapes. Particularly, several periods of water level decline and rises of local bodies of water have been determined and chronologically confirmed, first and foremost those of the Sea of Azov and neighboring lakes and rivers, as well as of subsoil waters. There processes’ having had impact on the origin, location and state of conservation of settlement structures, demography and features of economic activities of the local population in the 6th century BCE to the 6th century ACE have been analyzed. These results serve to determine two or three periods which show either desolation or (vice-versa) prosperity of the lands in question. But it is important that the results have confirmed that a lot of our written sources are well informed and even objective. Sometimes they permit to better understand the sources or even to correct the former translations and, moreover, relevant comments. Thus, they emphasize again great degree of information in the works by Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Scylax, Polybius, Strabo, Pomponius Mela, Plinius Major, Claudius Ptolemaeus and in the less degree of other authors of various historical and geographical works, first and foremost, peripli, on the size and depth of the Sea of Azov, the quantity of settlements on its coasts, the direction of trade routes (proceeding from the main streams), local climate and its changes through centuries, historical events etc. In a number of cases archeology served to significantly clarify the chronology and scope of some changes, and (last but not least) to emphasize the importance of the complex approach for general and specific research of the ancient geographical legacy.