Ancient Authors Research Articles

2000 лет со дня рождения Плиния Старшего

The article is timed to the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Pliny the Elder (23–79 A.D.), the author of «Natural History», in which two last volumes are devoted to rocks and minerals. Attention is drawn to the fact that he was the first to fix polyhedron attributes (faces, edges, vertices) on perfect natural crystals. It was not until 16 centuries later that their measurements led to the empirical laws of N. Steno (1638–1686) and R. J. Haüy (1743–1822). Translations from «Natural History» are given according to V. M. Severgin, descriptions of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 are taken from the XVI letter to Tacitus by Pliny Jr. The purpose of the article is to accurately set the stage for the history of mineralogy and crystallography. It is aimed at historians of science, as well as teachers, graduate students and students of geological faculties of universities. The citation of old and ancient authors in the article is important to prove the main thesis — the priority of Pliny the Elder, and also aims to attract young researchers to read primary sources.

The city of Orik in the Writings of Ancient Authors and Archaeological Records

The ancient Illyrian port city of Orik, located in what is now Albania, was an important maritime and Cultural Centre in the Adriatic region. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of all available ancient textual evidence of Orik, tracing its evolution from the 5th century BCE to late antiquity. The examination of these written sources is crucial for reconstructing the history and topography of Orik, which cannot be fully identified only by archaeological data. The main purpose of the study is to systematically identify, collect, and analyse every mention of Orik in ancient studies, including the studies of Herodotus, Pseudo-Skilax, Strabo, Titus Livius. To obtain precise and objective conclusions, a rigorous methodology was applied, which includes source criticism, comparative analysis, and correlation with archaeological data. The study provides valuable information about the evolution of Orik’s functions and status over time, its fortifications, economic activities, religious objects, and more. It allows for tracing how the knowledge of ancient geographers about this border town developed and how Greco-Roman authors portrayed it in their narratives. The most innovative contribution of the study is the first comprehensive investigation of the entire body of textual evidence about Orik. This holistic synthesis enables a deeper reconstruction of this influential Adriatic settlement. The results enhance understanding of ancient Illyria and the complex dynamics of its Hellenization. They are beneficial for related research and education. Overall, by systematically collecting and critically analysing all available ancient sources, this study offers a multi-layered portrait of Orik as a strategic Greek colony, Illyrian stronghold, maritime trade hub, and crossroads of cultural fusion in the Adriatic.

Metody eksterminacji gryzoni w przekazach antycznych agronomów (Rodent Extermination Methods in the Accounts of Ancient Agronomists)

In ancient times, rodents were a major problem causing economic losses and an epidemiological threat due to the bacteria and parasites they carried. Ancient authors primarily mentioned field mice and house mice, which ate the grain, contaminated the land and food intended for humans and animals, and caused damage within the house and farm buildings. Most of the advice preserved from those times was on how to exterminate rodents, with only few texts providing recommendations on how to protect farm buildings and grain from mice. Ancient poison formulas primarily relied on poisonous plants and were usually served in cake form or added to food. There are some differences within the recommended poisons. More toxic substances were used in the farmyard and outbuildings than in the houses, which probably has to do with the risk that these poisons, due to their composition, posed to people and especially children.

PERCEPTION OF THE VALUES OF THE PREVIOUS ERA IN THE PARADIGMS OF « PROMINENT PHILOSOPHERS AND WRITERS

Disputes about the “uniqueness” of one’s era in comparison with the achievements of previous ones have always been a “cornerstone” in the perception of past concepts regarding the values of the achievements of predecessors. However, at one time, Confucius said his world-famous phrase that if you don’t look back, there is no way forward. But many people are not interested in their past. That is why the “Querelle des Anciens et des Modernes” in the form of a literary debate, centered on a comparison of the value of the contributions of ancient authors and French authors of the 17th century, and which was widespread at the time, is still relevant today. The purpose and objectives of the article. The purpose of the article is to highlight the perception of the values of previous eras in the paradigms of “non-contemporary” prominent philosophers and writers. The tasks of the article are to reveal the reasons for the primordial disputes about “ancient and new”, a natural return to ancient literature and ancient philosophy. Research methodology. The leading research methods were: content-comparative - to analyze the reliability of judgments of French writers of the 17th century; retrospective, which helps to investigate the phenomenon of the value of “the ancient in the new” in the century-old controversy, the method of personalization, which ensures the study and understanding of the works of S. Perrault and his contemporaries. The results. It’s no secret that the tasks of art in the Antiquity, Middle Ages and Modern times differed greatly. For Antiquity, every craftsman was an artist, while the activity of a painter and sculptor was a more complex craft. It is typical for that time that there was almost no idea about creativity and the creative act, but despite this, the ancient Greeks were able to create immortal examples of art. The art of the Middle Ages was supposed to embody a moralistic character and remind of the eternal, the art of romanticism saw godlike creativity as its goal. The art of the 20th century presented its ideal in the denial of everything that the previous era saw as its goal, periodically declaring the death of art. Based on the fact that today there are many different ideas about the goals and tasks of modern art, we cannot say with full confidence what is the common goal of the art of our days, and it is even more difficult for us to imagine how art will live, for example, through a hundred years. Conclusions. So, we can come to the conclusion that in the era of the early Enlightenment, the attitude to the ancient heritage, in particular in France and England, was not unambiguous even among the educated aristocracy or university professors who knew Greco-Roman works well enough. This is clearly evidenced by the century-old dispute “about ancient and new”, which caused a lot of auxiliary discussions. Undoubtedly, even today arguing and debating about the art of previous eras and our own has a place in philosophy and literature, and they continue to do this with success for more than one hundred years. But to prove the rightness of one of the sides of these disputes is a sufficiently dubious matter for science.

Военные походы варваров в Закавказье и на Боспор в 395 г. в свете современных исследований по истории европейских гуннов

In 395, according to the evidence of late antique authors, the Huns raided the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire in Transcaucasia. In the domestic historiography there is an opinion that during this raid a part of the nomads separated from the main "horde" and invaded the territories of the Bosporan kingdom, as a result of which the Bosporus (Late Antique Panticapaeum) suffered. In this article, based on the analysis of written sources and archaeological material discovered during field research in the Northern Black Sea region and the Upper Don region, the author determines the tribal affiliation of the nomads of Hunnish time, who made this rapid raid. According to his interpretation, the campaign to Transcaucasia should be associated with the Akatsirs, who were not inferior in military power to the "royal" Huns. Regarding the devastation of Panticapaeum, the author notes that the city could have suffered in the course of the established trade and economic contacts of the Bosporan kingdom with the nomads, as periodic raids and the policy of distant exploitation by the steppes were more profitable for ordinary nomads than trade. However, as the author notes, this reconstruction of the course of events can be finally confirmed only by further archaeological research in the Azov steppe, careful analysis of material sources found in the territories under the control of the Akatsirs and research in the western ethnocontact zone of the Bosporan kingdom, where organized border fairs could be located in the late 4th - early 5th centuries.

The perfumer’s garden: scent and well-being in some Greek and Roman sources

This paper explores the connection between scent and well-being (eudaimonia) in some ancient Greek and Roman sources. Focusing on the metaphor of the ‘perfumer’s garden’ — the blend of scents in ancient perfumes used to evoke faraway lands like Arabia Felix or Egypt — the paper discusses how these aromatic creations communicate more than the fragrance of the gardens they come from. Believed to possess medicinal properties mirroring their plant sources, perfumes offer a unique window into health and social life. While all classes sought well-being through scent, specific perfumes varied based on factors like social status and gender. This work focuses on these variations, examining medical and philosophical texts about the relation of scent and health alongside literary case studies: Herodian’s account of remedies used during the Antonine Plague, where class dictated perfume choice, and the use of Egyptian-inspired scents during the Hellenistic period, which expresses differences between men and women. In exploring these aromatic landscapes, we uncover a complexity where the essence of gardens and their fragrances reveal more than attempts at using scent to secure health; they show themselves to be rich sources of symbolic meaning reflecting the values and aspirations of ancient authors.

PECULIARITIES OF THE USE OF ANCIENT QUOTATIONS IN THE PORTRAITURE OF THE RENAISSANCE ERA

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the use of quotations from ancient authors’ works in the form of inscriptions on secular portraits of the Renaissance period. It outlines the cultural and historical prerequisites that determined the peculiarities of portrait painting development in this period as well as the use of Latin inscriptions therein. The key underlying role in cultural development of this period played the change of religious and philosophical paradigm, the general cultural humanistic orientation of the era, as well as the revival of classical ancient ideas. These factors ultimately determined the selection and application of Latin inscriptions in the Renaissance portraiture. This paper analyses the grammatical features (change in the grammatical design of individual quotation elements) and structural transformations (abbreviation or, conversely, supplementation) of the ancient quotations on portraits depending on their respective functional load, which the painters availed themselves of, in order to explicitly convey their artistic intention. The article scrutinizes various semantic transformations undergone by ancient quotations in terms of their use in a completely different (as regards to the original text) cultural context. It also offers general description of the functional semantics of ancient quotations on secular portraits of the Renaissance period.

Иудейская тема в позднеантичной галльской литературной традиции

The article examines the question of how and why the topic of Jews was raised in the Gallic Christian literature of the VI–VII centuries, what image of Jews in the minds of readers was formed by stories whose heroes were Jews, what forms of relations between Christians and Jewish people were consolidated on the basis of literary examples. The main sources are the works of Gregory of Tours, Venantius Fortunatus, as well as anonymous hagiographic works of the VII century. The article is written within the framework of intellectual and new cultural history, in order to obtain adequate conclusions, the authors analyze the language and textual features of narratives. The article shows that the Jewish theme was not independent in either the historical or hagiographic literature of late Antique Gaul, while addressing it allowed late Antique authors to give the reader an understanding of what place Jews occupy in Christian society, and what are the boundaries of relations with them. In particular, it is shown that the Jews were perceived within the framework of the history of Salvation as "sheep of another fold", a source of tension. The sense of danger emanating from them was reinforced in the minds of readers thanks to the anti-Jewish rhetoric. Jews in the eyes of the reader of late Antiquity should have been associated with unbelief, deception, disobedience; they should have caused physical rejection and disgust, they are associated with darkness, blood, and a stench emanates from them. At the same time, since these "others" within the framework of the history of Salvation should become part of the Lord's fold, late Antique literature actively uses the image of a worthy shepherd who devotes himself to preaching the Gospel to Jews and who, by the power of words or miracles, brings them into the bosom of the Church.

Киммерийская фортификация

Early examples of northern Iranian fortification date back to the Cimmerian era. Thus, the fortifications on the modern Kerch and Taman peninsulas, made up of a system of ramparts and ditches that fenced off the Bosporus from the steppe barbarians, were called “Cimmerian” by ancient authors. The Cimmerians are the most ancient people of southeastern Europe known to us. Their country Cimmeria covered the modern Crimean and Taman peninsulas, the Northern Black Sea region, the Azov region and the Northern Caucasus. During the Central Asian campaigns, the Cimmerians had to confront the advanced armies of that time - Assyrian and Urartian, with their perfect fortresses (in particular, the so-called “Cyclopean”, in the shape of a circle or square), which required the development of siege and assault techniques (polyorcetics), which were successfully used during hostilities. The Cimmerian Wall crosses the middle of the Kerch Peninsula (between the Kerch Peninsula and the rest of Crimea) at its narrowest point and has a length of 40-42 km. The shaft or its individual fragments are also called Asandrov, Uzunlarsky, Turkish, Akkozsky, etc. The rampart (circa 400 BC), reinforced with stonework running along its crest, reached a width of 20 m at the base, a height of up to 7-8 m, and its ditch, 5 m deep, had a width of 10-15 m. Along the entire length of the rampart, the same type of square tower-forts measuring approximately 10x12 m were erected, at a distance of about 2.5 km from each other. Roads run along the rampart, and in the rampart itself there are about a dozen passages, fortified with stone and flanking towers. The Cimmerian Wall on the Taman Peninsula began at the northeastern protrusion of the Taman Gulf and stretched for about 7 km to the shore of the Sea of Azov. According to other materials, it had a length of about 40 km and ran along the bottom from the center of the Taman Bay about 20 km to the northeast, and continued the same amount along the land part, ending before reaching the shore of the Temryuk Bay. The remains of this fortification were noted on topographic maps of the second half of the 20th century as the Cimmerian Val. The аrticle, based on dаta from аrchaeologicаl and written sources, аnаlyzes Cimmerian fortificаtion and polyorcetics. The most significant defensive structures of the Cimmeriаns are exаmined; the most charаcteristic аrchitectural forms аnd construction techniques are noted.

Metaphors and allusions to ancient writers and the Bible in Ioannis Apocaukos’ epistles relevant to medical and paramedical issues

Ioannis Apocaukos (1153/60 - 1235) was a famous Metropolitan of Naupactus, today a minor town in Southwestern Greece, but then one of the strongest Seats of the Orthodox Church in the Balkans. He was a prolific writer, and apart from many theological works he wrote extensively on political, social and medical matters. In the fashion of Byzantine epistolographers, he excelled in correspondence with numerous illustrious personalities of his area and era. A frequently recurring topic was his illness, described in a flamboyant language. In his letters, he used direct or indirect metaphors and allusions to passages from prominent religious or secular authors of antiquity. In this paper, we tried to trace the obscure threads joining his references to medical and paramedical issues with poets, historians, orators, philosophers and clergymen of the past. We identified nineteen and commented extensively upon them.

The Subject Vanishes: Jews, Heretics, and Martyrs after the Linguistic Turn

Abstract: The “linguistic turn” in early Christian studies, a signal contribution of the work of Elizabeth A. Clark, has raised scholarly awareness of the degree to which terms previously thought to describe social realia in fact function as discursive categories rhetorically deployed for various ends by ancient authors. With this new awareness, how then do we now move from—or work with—our texts’ rhetorical “Jews,” “heretics,” and “martyrs” to recover these ancient historical actors? How does thinking with ideas such as “religion” and “ethnicity,” or with terms such as “paganism,” “Judaism,” and “Christianity,” hinder or help our efforts? How do invocations of “persecution” throughout the first through fifth centuries serve as a dramatic medium for the internal construction of group identity? This essay explores these questions, while raising others about the lures of anachronism and the requirements of narrative for writing history—our own recreation of the past.

Проблема движения в философии Махмуда Ша­бистари

The article is dedicated to the interpretation of the problem of motion by Mahmud Shabistari – one of the prominent medieval Persian Sufi thinkers. The main source for the study was his philosophical treatise “Haqq al-Yaqin fi Ma’rifat Rabb al-’Alamin”. The article includes the first translation into a European language (Russian) of a chapter from this treatise – “On the Manifestation of Movement and the Renewal of Manifesta­tions”. Ancient authors also dealt with the problem of motion comprehension. The inves­tigation of the way Shabistari solves this problem is particularly interesting because, striving for the affirmation of strict monotheism, he proposed a monistic model of the uni­verse where only the One First Principle exists. He considered the existence of everything else as an illusion. However, such a statement makes any change impossible, and conse­quently movement as well. Meanwhile, Shabistari, on the contrary, states the constant circular motion of the First Principle with itself as the center. It generates its numerous virtual images in non-being, that move constantly around the One. These images include everything – from the Universal Reason to the individual human being. Shabistari con­structs a system of virtual images motion based on a fractal principle: the circle around the point of the One represents the motion trajectory of the first creature – the Universal Reason. Each point of this circle is the Universal Reason’s manifestation at each individ­ual moment in the form of one of the forty existence levels. In its turn, each level of exis­tence becomes also a center of the circular motion of its virtual copies – individual things.

Vernacular classicism and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus: the architectural imaginary of a Danish interwar crematorium

Abstract This article discusses a crematorium inaugurated in 1923 in the municipal Northern Cemetery (Nordre Kirkegård) of Aarhus as a case of vernacular classicism in interwar Denmark. While earlier works by its architect Sophus Frederik Kühnel (1851–1930) followed National Romantic, Renaissance, and Gothic models, the crematorium stands out because of its crowning feature, a stepped pyramid roof that emulates one of the most characteristic architectural elements of the mid-fourth-century BCE Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, described by Pliny the Elder (HN 36.31) and other ancient authors. This reference to one of the most famous funerary monuments from classical antiquity is both functionally and symbolically appropriate in a cemetery setting and also fits into a longer history of ‘Mausoleumania’, both in Denmark and internationally. Furthermore, it reflects a broader architectural movement of vernacular, ‘Nordic’ classicism during the interwar period, when local architects ‘translated’ classical elements into the vernacular, for example, through prominent use of brickwork and eclectic combinations of classical motifs with both medieval and National Romantic forms. Kühnel’s crematorium shows some of the creative ways in which Scandinavian architects freely adapted distinctive elements from the repertoire of classical architecture, in this case in response to the rise of cremation.

The location of Tartessos: a fresh case for the reliability of Avienus’ Ora Maritima

Recent geomorphological, paleoenvironmental, and chronological evidence allows for a reconstruction of the coasts of southwest Iberia during the first millennium BCE that accords with descriptions of the region offered by authors of antiquity, most notably the description by the fourth-century CE Roman writer R. F. Avienus in his poem Ora Maritima. This poem contains information that appears to date from the sixth century BCE regarding, for instance, the pre-Roman polity of Tartessos. The reliability of this work as a historical source has been questioned for decades. Critics argue that the information is pertinent to our understanding of the literary, rather than historiographical, context of the Late Roman Empire. However, philological as well as historical analyses reveal no clear cause to doubt the documentary value of the Ora Maritima. Furthermore, geomorphological research makes it possible to identify most place-names in the poem; for example, the city embraced by the river Tartessos, apparently the political and trade center of the realm, may likely have stood on the present-day spit of La Algaida, which was an isle in the first millennium BCE. While this hypothesis has been advanced elsewhere, this article offers an entirely new set of evidences to support it.1

The first six propositions of Archimedes' on equilibrium of planes 1

ABSTRACT Modern commentators have doubts about the authenticity and cogency of the early propositions of Archimedes’ On Equilibrium of Planes Book 1. Ernst Mach famously said that the proof of Prop. 6, the so-called law of the lever, assumes what is to be proven. Comparing the initial text in Heiberg’s modern edition (1881, 1913) to the first propositions in Eutocius’ commentary on EP 1, J. L. Berggren ([1976]. ‘Spurious Theorems in Archimedes’ Equilibrium of Planes: Book I’, Archive for History of Exact Sciences 16.2 (1976), 87–103.) claimed that the propositions up through Proposition 3 of the standard modern edition are schoolbook additions written by an ancient author inferior to Archimedes. The present paper argues for the logical connectedness of Postulates 1–5 to Props. 1–6, by means of a detailed examination of the course of the argument and a re-examination of Eutocius’ remarks. The paper reinterprets the role of the empirical in the early propositions and offers a reading of the contribution of Archimedes’ mechanics to the method of EP 1.

Tacitus for the instruction of ambassadors: Vera’s Enbaxador (1620)

ABSTRACT Juan de Vera’s El Enbaxador (1620) was one of the main treatises on the role of the ambassador in Early Modern Europe and the first one published in Spanish. At the time, Spain was no exception to the influence of Tacitus as a significant ancient author to inspire the political practice of the age. Juan de Vera, a nobleman and writer, soon an ambassador and entitled count, incorporated his own reading of Tacitus into El Enbaxador. Justus Lipsius, the outstanding editor of Tacitus’ works, was also a main source for this book which was defined by John Elliott as a ‘quintessentially Lipsian handbook for diplomats’. The focus of this article is on Tacitus’ citations in El Enbaxador and their contexts within the book. My aim is to identify the specific themes for which Tacitus served as an exemplary source of guidance according to this particular text. Notably, some of such themes pertain to ambassadorial affairs, while others are common political topics in Early Modern Europe. Vera's reading of Tacitus in El Enbaxador gained wider dissemination beyond Spain as the work was subsequently translated into French and Italian.

Древнегреческий театр как школа для города: почему Сократ не был театралом

The article explores the phenomenon of ancient Greek theater, portraying it as a unique space where an entire cityscape unfolded before the eyes of thousands of spectators. Despite its mesmerizing effect, there's ongoing debate about its educational impact. In the first part of the article, sources are analyzed in which ancient authors argue for or against the notion that the theater, for which Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides composed, and which was occasionally attended by Socrates, could serve as a kind of school for adults and adolescents. Plato's dialogues, featuring Socrates as the central figure, dissect the differences between philosopher, playwright, and sophist wisdom, suggesting that the theater may not have been primarily aimed at enlightening the masses, but rather at showcasing persuasive rhetoric. Aristotle and Aristophanes stress the importance of playwrights acting as guides for citizens, albeit acknowledging that not all possess the wisdom to effectively mentor citizens in civic engagement and personal growth. In the second part, the article analyzes select tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, seen as valuable sources for instructing citizens. These playwrights' works are depicted as poignant reflections of the challenges faced by inhabitants of various cities, with heroes striving to offer guidance to themselves or others. Based on Aristotle's classification of tragic forms, it suggests that protagonists in these tragedies undergo transformative experiences, whether through reversal, discovery, calamity and spectacle. This also opened up wide opportunities for spectators to project what was happening on stage onto themselves and their city, taking guidance from the playwrights and becoming a special kind of disciples.

«Πόλις», «civitas» та «res publica»? Problem of interpretation the nature of the Ancient Roman state in scientific works

«Πόλις», «civitas» та «res publica»? Problem of interpretation the nature of the Ancient Roman state in scientific works

The Family of Philip II of Macedon: the culturological approach of ancient authors

Philip II of Macedon had an unprecedented number of interethnic marriages and seven children born in these unions. His matrimonial activity met the requirements of politics. However, the works of ancient authors contain a large amount of contradictory information concerning the family of Philip II. Attempts by ancient historians to retrospectively explain the situation of the royal children and wives often make it difficult to recreate the true picture of what happened. The ancient authors were representatives of a different culture, a different era, different from the time of Philip's reign. Therefore, modern researchers still do not have a single opinion regarding the marital relations of the Macedonian king and his family, which confirms the relevance of this topic. The purpose of this article is to clarify the role of members of the royal family at the court of Philip, and the factors that influenced their participation in political affairs. The theoretical basis of the research is the works of Athenaeus, Plutarch, Pompey Trog and Diodorus Siculus, as well as the works of modern authors. The methods of analysis and synthesis, the method of systematization of materials, as well as the comparative historical method and the method of studying cultural memory were used in the work. For the first time, the article attempts to consider the history of the family of Philip of Macedon, systematizing all available references in the sources. In addition, the authors analyze the material in the context of the ancient perception of the world. As a result of the study, the authors came to the conclusion that all ancient historians were not only influenced by Greek customs and customs and the traditional dichotomy of "Hellenes-barbarians", but also wrote their works under the impression of contemporary political events. These circumstances influenced the desire of historians to rationalize and explain the events that took place in the family of the Macedonian king. The culturological approach allowed the ancient authors to focus only on important events from their point of view, which did not always correspond to reality.

Development of the judicial system as a subject research in post-non-classical science

Social concern with issues of justice, objectivity, independence and effectiveness of justice has accompanied humanity since the time of the need to resolve disputes that arise by turning to a third independent judge. Much has been said about this in the writings of ancient authors during the existence of classical scientific rationality. In non-classical scientific rationality, this discourse acquires its specific characteristics, and the achievements of post-non-classical science objectify the need for further transformations in the judicial sphere, the legitimacy of justice. This is due to the fact that the structure of the judiciary is in a relationship of functional dependence on social systems as one of the substructures of state power, which has a huge impact on the economic, political, rule-making, cultural and moral spheres of social practice. For the judicial system at all times, the attributive properties are not only the continuity of its existence, but also the dynamism of its own structures or individual institutions, which at various stages of real existence are characterized by transformational changes, sometimes cardinal. In order to increase the efficiency of the social functioning of the judicial system, to meet its needs of legal development, it is necessary to generalize scientific ideas about judicial transformations as a real historical and legal phenomenon that accompanied the existence of state power. The article characterizes the essential features of the concepts “judicial system”, “judicial reforms”, “judicial reform”.