3rd Century AD Research Articles

THE CREMNA ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH-PROJECT IN CENTRAL PISIDIA: LAST SEASON FIELD STUDIES

The study area is located in a mountainous part of the central Pisidia Region of the ancient city of Cremna. It is a city that is difficult to be captured due to its geographical location. For this reason, it is the least affected by the political events in the 3rd century AD according to the surrounding cities. Cremna Researches have been conducted since 2013 in two groups as city-centered and rural area researches. The main reason for the research on this subject is to determine the cultural relations of Cremna by examining the settlements in rural areas as well as the socio-cultural, economic and political relations with the cities around it. The subject of this article is the archeological investigations of Cremna Researches between 2018 and 2019. In general, Cremna surveys are carried out within the borders of Hisarköy-Asartepe from the north, Evciyeri from the east, the Kapılı Cybele Monument from the west and the ancient city of Sia from the south. In the Cremna Researches in the last season, very important data have been added to the archeology literature. Prehistoric Cave settlements and the determination of the use of some caves as sanctuaries are very important discoveries. It was understood that both tower structures and rural settlements were built in sheltered topographic places for safe protection of rural areas from the Classical Period to the Roman Period. The data on the Byzantine and Ottoman periods show that the Cremna territorium has hosted many communities from the earliest times to the present day.

The tracing of trade

The aim of this study is to explore the trade dynamics involved in the large-scale distribution of olive oil produced in Baetica province (currently Andalusia). Baetica became an important production and distribution centre during the Roman Empire and its goods have been found in thousands of sites, but it is still unclear how exactly this large-scale production was organised. We explore here connections between production and consumption sites during the period of most intense activity (1st to 3rd centuries AD). Specifically, we use amphoric stamps as proxies to identify the workshops where amphorae located in consumer sites were produced. To achieve this goal, we analyse a dataset of stamps found in two types of sites: (1) workshops from Baetica province and (2) consumption centres located in two provinces: Germania (Inferior and Superior) and Britannia. This dataset is used to detect links between specific sites that may share a large percentage of common stamps. The analysis is performed using quantitative methods borrowed from Ecology that allows us to group sites based on the number of stamps shared between them. Finally, results highlight the structure of economic processes of the Roman Empire using the archaeological evidence of olive oil large-scale distribution.

Non duco, ducor: a condição da alma no Corpus hermético

O Corpus hermético (CH) é um conjunto de breves tratados esotéricos, de cunho filosófico e religioso, redigidos provavelmente entre os séculos I-III d.C no Egito helenizado. Alguns textos versam não apenas sobre matérias cosmológicas, mas também soteriológicas: o estado deficitário do ser humano e um modo de vida distinto que ele pode experimentar. Assim, pretendo apresentar de que modo o CH entende a estrutura do sujeito (noûs, alma, corpo), que estaria afinada à estrutura macroscópica do universo; a origem e a condição da alma; e o itinerário de conversão sugerido na obra como correção do indivíduo.

Counterfeiting at Le Clos-Paul in Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes, France). Reconstruction trial of a complex chaîne opératoire

The excavation of the copper cementation workshop “Le Clos-Paul” in Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes, France), executed by the Cellule d’archéologie du Conseil départemental des Ardennes, led to the finding of fragments of coinage moulds. Dating from the middle of the 3rd century AD, they are the only evidence of an opportunistic production of counterfeits without any direct link to the metallurgical activity of the site. The study of the moulds led to a series of experimentations aimed at understanding the counterfeiting activity in its entirety, from the preparation of the loam intended for moulds to the casting of coins.

Antik Kastabala Kenti Kuzey Kilise Üzerine Gözlemler: Uzam, Mekan ve Anlamsal Üretim Döngüsü

Castabala in Ancient Cilicia is a city became prominent during Late Hellenstic period during the reign of Tarkondimotos, vassal king of Rome. The golden age of the city was its time under the Roman Imperial Period. During this period, in 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, a colonnaded street and other monumental buildings were built. In Late Antiquity, idiosyncratic sacred structures/buildings of the singularity of worship were also built in the city. In this context, the buildings named “North Church” and “South Church” were built by re-using of the architectural elements of the monumental buildings of Roman Empire period of the city. North Church is the main subject to be focused in this paper. In the context of Kuzey Kilise, the construction in question takes on a paradoxical meaning. The main reason of it is that the blocks and architectural elements not to be situated in the places which normally they had to be. The monumental mass as called North Church within the scope of the article is analyzed within the frame of the spolia, deconstruction, Genius Loci concept and Artemis Perasia cult, the God-Emperors of Rome, the construction of Christianity via Paul and the interpretation of this construction in the context of poststructuralist critique. Besides, North Church edifice is commentated within the frame of certain contexts and clusteral relationships in terms of church architecture and typology in the context of Cilicia and Anatolia.

‘Ye must have faith’ how anthropology can contribute to religious heritage: The osteobiography of Italian martyr Saint Nazarius

AbstractThe skeletal remains of the alleged Italian Saint Nazarius (1st or 3rd century AD) were examined by a team of anthropologists of the University of Milan upon request from ecclesiastical authorities who sought scientific verification of their authenticity and to add tangible information on the life of the saint. Anthropological analyses were performed for the construction of the biological profile as well as pathological and traumatic analysis and were later compared with historical and hagiographic documentation. In addition, biological sampling of one bone sample was performed for radiocarbon dating. As a result, the osteobiography of the skeletal remains showed a concordance with the available historical data, thus supporting their authenticity and permitted the implementation of further information on the lives of the alleged saint. Furthermore, interesting anatomical ‘mistakes’ in the postmortem assemblage of the facial bones by the fossores, a guild of gravediggers, morticians and keepers of the Christian catacombs, were noted. This paper discusses the relation between science and religious heritage by demonstrating through a concrete case study the contribution of anthropology in a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Погребения тагарской и тесинской культур в кургане 1 курганного могильника Скальная-4

The preliminary results of rescue excavations of the kurgan 1 at the Skalnaya-4 kurgan burial ground in the Khakass-Minusinsk basin (Askizskiy district, Republic of Khakassia) is published. The kurgan is located on the western slope of the Uytag Mountain and is a part of a larger kurgan field of the Tagar culture. The kurgan and the surrounding area as expressed in relief are described in our archaeological excavation report. Data on the design of the burial construction as well as on the number and composition of the graves are presented. The kurgan belongs to the Podgornovo stage of the Tagar culture. Inside the “four-stone” fence, two graves were built, one in the center and more recent one to the north. Each grave with one disturbed skeleton inside had a stone cover. The graves also contained ceramic vessels and funeral food. During the Tesinskaya stage two intrusive burials were made in the kurgan area. One of them, with two graves, both in stone vaults with a sandstone slab ceilings, were constructed near the south-eastern corner stele. The burial goods include ceramic vessels, an iron knife, stone and paste beads and a sharpening stone in a case with a bronze pommel. The second grave (about 1 m deep narrow pit) was dug near the eastern wall of the fence. Scattered bones of an incomplete human skeleton were interred in it and a skull without a lower jaw was placed in a separate niche. In addition to the burial structures, several pits and stones dating back to the period of the kurgan construction were discovered in the surrounding territory. The obtained materials noticeably compliment already abundant sources to study the agenda of the South Minusinsk Basin history in the 7th Century BC - 3rd Century AD.

The Boundaries of Caucasian Albania (4th Century BC – 3rd Century AD)

The issue of the borders of Caucasian Albania in the ancient period has long been discussed in the literature, and the inability of researchers from different countries to come to an agreed solution is explained not so much by the state of the sources as by the high degree of politicization of the problem. The only thing that unites the most disagreeing authors with each other is their resolute confidence in the invariability of the borders of Caucasian Albania throughout antiquity. However, we have no reason to speak of an “eternal and unchanging” border along the Kura, Aras or Alazani. Albania's borders were constantly changing in the wake of changes in the balance of power between it and its neighbors: Media Atropatena, Armenia and Iberia. In the future, the political situation in Transcaucasia and the configuration of borders were increasingly influenced by the struggle of the two superpowers of the Ancient World – the Rome and Iran – for domination in the Middle East. Thus, the establishment of the border between Armenia and Albania along the Kura is associated with the signing of the Nisibis peace between Diocletian and Narses. The only “eternal” was the eastern border along the Caspian Sea, but it also in the 4th–2nd centuries BC underwent major changes. Further clarification of the borders of Albania is possible only on the basis of an in-depth and honest analysis of the ancient narrative tradition and an ever-growing array of archaeological data, free from following the political conjuncture.

ОБРАЗ ВАРВАРА У "ЖИТТЄПИСАХ ФІЛОСОФІВ" ДІОГЕНА ЛАЕРЦІЯ

The paper considers two worlds – “ours” and “theirs” in the work of Diogenes Laërtius (3rd century AD). He was a biographer of Greek philosophers. The main objective of article is an analysis of the image “the Other” in “Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers”. Much attention is given to the historiography of problems of formation of the image of the Barbarian in the ancient literature. There were several semantic traditions of usage of the term “barbarian” in ancient culture. The Greeks used the term for those who did not speak Greek and who is perceived as primitive. The results show that Diogenes Laërtius used these two semantic traditions to determine “the barbarian”. The researcher analyzed the biographies of philosophers in “Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers”. Eight of them had barbaric roots, namely Thales of Miletus, Anacharsis, Pittacus, Clitomachus, Herillus, Menippus, Arcesilaus and Antisthenes. It has been found that knowledge of the ancient Greek language was a symbol of civilization for Diogenes Laërtius. All these philosophers were a part of the antique culture and civilization. They were not an example of the idealization of barbarians. Diogenes Laërtius used the image of “the Other” as an example of wildness because he considered that the Greek people and culture were superior to all others. However, this author expressed the idea of equality of different peoples This paper has clearly shown that studying the image of the barbarian has perspectives. We will analyze the work of contemporaries of Diogenes Laërtius in further articles.

БИОАРХЕОЛОГИЯ КОЧЕВНИКОВ ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ III — IV В. Н. Э. (на примере анализа нижневолжских и нижнедонских погребений)

The paper presents a comparative analysis of anthropological materials originating from the nomadic burials of the Lower Volga and Lower Don regions of the late 3rd and 4th century AD. The standard assessment program of paleopathological conditions developed by A. P. Buzhilova was applied in the course of examination of the anthropological material. The authors conducted the analysis using the methods of multivariate statistics in order to assess the degree of variability. The results obtained were correlated with the data of archaeology and paleoecology. The studied sample from the burial grounds of the Lower Volga region included 22 individuals; the archaeological complex of the Lower Don is presented by bone remains of 9 individuals. The study has shown that both series for the most part are close to each other as regards to pathological conditions, stress markers as well as gender and age indicators. Statistically significant differences were revealed only for 4 characteristics: caries, enamel chips, pathological tooth wear and the “orange peel” type vascular reaction. On the one hand, variability may be a consequence of the objective small number of the series, on the other, might reflect differences in lifestyle, diets and origin of the compared groups. For instance, the dominance of agricultural foods in the Alans-Tanaites’ diet brings them closer to the sedentary population of the Kuban and Lower Don. The specific deviations revealed in the study of dentoalveolar system in the Lower Don group may be the result of close interaction with agricultural centers, or may stem from the North Caucasus regional migrations.

Изображения распятия в античном искусстве в римский период

The article is devoted to the analysis of the representation of the crucifixion in ancient art. Although ancient historians, philosophers, and writers tell a lot about this execution, only a few images correspond to our rich literary tradition. These are 1) a fresco from the Arieti Tomb, or, as it is sometimes called, the Tomb of Magistrates, in Rome (3rd–1st centuries BC); 2) a graffito from Puteoli (early 2nd century AD); 3) and the Alexamenos graffito (the end of the 2nd — the beginning of the 3rd century AD), found during excavations on the Palatine Hill in Rome. The author also examines some artifacts, the authenticity of which in our time is considered questionable. These are a seal-cylinder with Orpheus hanging on a cross and a bone amulet with the image of a crucified ass-headed figure. The rarity of these representations is possibly due to the fact that the Romans from the very beginning considered this ritual barbaric and applicable only to slaves and non-citizens. This topic could not be used to promote imperial ideology or maintain Roman identity. This explains the nature of the majority of the surviving monuments: either graffiti with offensive overtones, or magic gems. The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 21-011-44180 “The Political Dimension of Early Christian Hagiographic Literature”.

Gold pendants from Kranj and Koper (Slovenia)

In this paper I discuss two gold pendants, from the Late Antique or Early Mediaeval Period, which are somewhat unique finds for Slovenian territory. The first pendant is from the Late Antique site of Kranj-Lajh (Carnium); it is leaf-shaped, and the chronologically older pendant of the two. The child grave in which this pendant was found is interpreted as belonging to an individual of the local Late Antique elite. The grave is notable also because some of the grave goods were made in the middle of the 5th century AD, even though the burial presumably dates to the first half of the 6th century AD. On the basis of a single-sided comb with low handle, I assume that the individual did not belong to the Gothic cultural milieu. The second pendant, a tear-shaped specimen, was found in one of the oldest settlement layers of Early Mediaeval Koper (Iustinopolis), at the site of Kapucinski vrt. I argue that it was worn not as a pendant on a necklace or earring, but rather as an integral part of an earring. This interpretation is based on earrings from another time (the second half of the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD) and place (south-western Crimea), with which the pendant from Koper shares many features.

Development of a settlement on the northeastern promontory at 'Marea'

The ancient topography of the settlement on the northeastern promontory at ‘Marea’ (North Hawariya) was the subject of investigations carried out at the site in 2018 within the frame of a broader excavation project. Fieldwork established the date of some structures recognized along an ancient road. The oldest remains turned out to be from the Roman period, when the promontory became a rubbish dump for production waste, mostly sherds of Amphores égyptienne 3 and 4, from the nearby pottery kilns. Two superimposed occupation levels were recognised, the earlier one from the beginning of the 3rd century AD or later, the later one from the 5th–6th century. The buildings followed a regular grid that fits into the overall plan of the town. The research has resulted in a better understanding of the changes occurring in this part of ‘Marea’.

Group of tetradrachmas from the reign of Diocletian discovered at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria

A set of more than 30 tetradrachmas from the second half of the 3rd century AD was discovered in Alexandria in Egypt, at the Kom el-Dikka site excavated by a Polish mission, in a zone of public buildings constructed in the 4th century AD. A row of lime kilns from the construction site of this complex stood on top of the ruins of an early Roman domestic quarter and, after they ceased to be used, were covered with earth and rubble, the latter partly from the destruction layer of these houses. Excavation of the kilns in 2008 and 2009 produced large quantities of 4th and 5th century pottery as well as pieces of marble revetment that had been fed to the kilns, and isolated late Roman coins. The tetradrachmas from two of the kilns (Fc and Fd), which were hoarded apparently in AD 293–295, seems to have preceded the destruction of the early Roman houses and may have been hidden in one of them.

Glass finds from Area FW at the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria (2019)

New glass finds from the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria come from the excavation of Area FW located in the central part of the site. The bulk of the recorded material, made up of conical lamps, beakers and bowls, and poorly fashioned bottles, belongs to the late Roman period (4th–5th century AD). The uniformity in colour, distinctive low quality of the fabric and simple workmanship, all point to a common origin in local workshops covering the needs of the local market. A few pieces, including luxury cast and facet-cut tableware, apparently from a non-local source, represent the late Hellenistic/mid-Roman chronological horizon (2nd century BC–3rd century AD). Meriting note is new evidence of mosaic glass, once again confirming that this type of glass was manufactured in Alexandria in the mid-Roman period. The importance of this assemblage derives from the presence of early Roman luxury tableware which has seldom been observed before at Kom el-Dikka.

“The pottery whisperer”. Scholae within the principia of the Potaissa legionary fortress in the 3rd century AD

Through the laborious archaeological campaigns during 1974, 1978–1989, 1994–1995, 2008–2011, a total of 1543 individual wares have been identified in the rooms of the headquarters within the Potaissa legionary fortress, as well as its courtyard. The presence of large quantities of pottery in certain rooms has excluded their functionality as officia or armamentaria, whereas others have been identified as possible scholae with rectangular planimetry.

Верхняя хронологическая граница саргатской культуры

The article deals with the antiquity of Sargat culture of forest-steppe in the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia. The established concepts of chronological framework cover the interval from the 5th century BC to 4th-5th centuries AD. Recent studies, both in the main territory and outside the Sargat area, provide evidences for clarifying the upper chronological boundary of the culture. The bright Late Sarmatian appearance of some Sargat burial complexes allows to consider Late Sarmatian finds of the Southern Urals as a reference; rich material has been accumulated on them, as well as detailed chronology.Late Sargathian monuments are found only in two regions - Tobol and Ishim rivers basins. The proposed correction is based on archaeological material which is external data (relative chronology) towards radiocarbon analysis (absolute chronology). In the archaeological collections of Sargat burials there are no any artifacts, the beginning of the period of existence of which falls on the 3rd century AD. There is no such evidence in the settlements either. Furthermore, judging by the available materials, the number of such complexes is small and the inventory is quite poor. The article gives a detailed analysis of burials from seven kurgan cemeteries located in Tobol and Ishim rivers basins, which might be attributed to the latest group marking the upper chronological boundary. In the second half of the 3rd century AD, the main features of the Sargat culture are fading and blurred, besides, it is absent in most of the forest-steppe territory to the east of the Urals. In conclusion the author suggests that if the assumptions are correct, the disappearance of the bright expressive complexes that defined the image of the Sargat social and cultural system, looks quite sharp. The Sargat monuments of the 4th century AD and later are not found across vast forest-steppe territory.

Склеп с монетами III в. н.э. из могильника Опушки

The cemetery of Opushki is located about 15 km east of Simferopol, in the Crimean foothills. In the process of excavations, carried out since 2003, a variety of funerary constructions belonging to different archaeological cultures have been discovered. The crypt researched in the current article contained four burials, which were especially interesting because of the find of six coins inside of them. The excavation above the burial chamber of this vault discovered a childs burial accompanied with varied grave goods, similarly to those made in the crypt. The burials discussed in the present study were made in the second half of the third century AD. The second half of the 3rd century AD was the period represented in Crimea by the smallest number of complexes in comparison with the previous and the following periods. Varied grave goods from the crypt and the childs grave greatly expand our notion of the material culture of those people who inhabited the Crimean foothills in that half of the century, which is difficult to be discovered by archaeological methods. Furthermore, the crypt No. 133 belongs to a big group of grave constructions which were widely spread in Crimea in the Late Roman period. Their distinctive feature is a short dromos. Initially, the latter crypts appeared in the first half of the 3rd century AD. However, several of them as well belong to the second half of the 3rd century AD. In the fourth century AD, the majority of burials were made in such crypts close to the Crimean foothills. Many researchers interpret specific construction of these crypts as an evidence of the penetration into Crimea of the forefathers of mediaeval North Caucasian Alans. The material culture of the population of the Crimean foothills in the Late Roman period could be interpreted as eclectic, developed under the influence from various factors. Its sources were ancient and the Sarmatian cultures. Besides, the research showed that there were found some local hand-made vessels, analogies of which were never found outside of the peninsula. Some of the artefacts had penetrated to Crimea area from the areas populated by Germanic tribes.

Identities in Roman Macedonia during the Early Imperial Period

This paper focuses on the impact of the Roman presence in Macedonia on the collective identities of the local population from the beginning of Roman rule in the region in 167 BC until the early 3rd century AD. The societal changes taking place during the first three and a half centuries have been outlined using the available epigraphic, numismatic and onomastic evidence to analyse the evolving identities of the Macedonians and the new forms of expression of these identities. The approach taken in this paper is not one of Hellenisation or Romanisation but of acculturation, focussing on the identities of the Macedonian people that adapted and evolved in relation to the new political and cultural environment.

Suriye’nin Kuzeyinde in situ Yeni Osrhoene Mozaikleri

In 2017, a mosaic was discovered in a plain near Tell Shioukh Tehtani, located 60 km northeast of Aleppo in the Euphrates Valley and is known for remains from the Bronze Age found by an Italian-Syrian archaeological mission. The mosaic was found during a clandestine excavation carried out before 2017. The Directorate of Antiquity in Damascus which was informed by the local society sent a team of restorers who excavated and documented all the floor mosaic before removing it to the service of antiquity at Al-Hassake province. The work of the restorers has shown that this mosaic is the remains of the pavements of a private villa. The drawing plan done by the restorers shows a part of this building composed of several rooms and a corridor. All these parts are paved with mosaics, some of them was in situ, others were looted. The apse main room is paved with a mosaic around a basin in the center; there remains only one carpet figured by the Achilles scene in Skyros; the figures are identified by inscriptions in Syriac. In another room, there is a mosaic around a basin in the center representing a foliage of vine coming out of the vases with four Eros. The mosaic of the corridor is decorated with geometric patterns. The stylistic study shows that these mosaics are very close to those found at Edessa (Urfa) and dated to the 3rd century AD. This mosaic has an exceptional importance because, on the one hand, it attests the diffusion of the Edessa mosaics workshops outside the city and its region, and on the other hand, it gives an idea on the decoration of the mosaics in the public buildings in this region in Roman times.Keywords: Syria,