Ancient Rome Research Articles

Texts, Bodies, Images, Movement

Abstract The international symposium Imprints of Ancient Greek and Roman Dance: Texts, Bodies, Images, Movement took place in Madrid in September 2022. As the final component of a research project funded by the Spanish Society of Classical Studies and the BBVA Foundation, this event aimed to scrutinize a series of concepts that have proven significant to the transhistorical and transcultural study of dance. The eight scholars tasked with examining these concepts presented interesting case studies of ancient Greek and Roman dancing between the Archaic period and late Antiquity, drawing upon a variety of media and sources.

라이프니츠(GottfriedWilhelmLeibniz)의 법사상

Leibniz was the last all-round man of the 17th century who made great achievements in various fields, including philosophy, mathematics, and logic. Just as Monadology argued that everything in the world was planned in harmony, it is relatively less known that he was a jurist who pursued universal law by organizing the most basic concepts of law, from ancient Roman law to the then-commonly used Empire's Landrecht. However, he pursued practical law that could integrate the real world, not just as a intellectual discipline, and this interest is well incorporated into his theory of justice and natural law.
 For Leibniz, justice is the benevolence of the sage. In other words, justice is based on mutual goodwill that allows all humans to do good to each other. In other words, justice is the prudentia of whether to help or harm others. For Leibniz, mutual love between humans is the best law at the same time. This is a completely different approach from Hobbes. For Leibniz, the purpose of natural law is to maintain and promote a 'natural society'. In other words, natural law is for the good of those who comply with it. The content of natural law is not just for oneself, but for the good of others.
 The three stages of natural law he classified are, first, a strict law based on the principle of law called 'nemene laedere', second, 'subject cuique tribuere' is an equity law based on the principle of law, and third, 'honeste viere' is a pietas that aims for the principle of law.
 The view of justice and the theory of natural law presented by him can be evaluated as having the possibility of a variety of ideas that are newly illuminated and reinterpreted in modern times.

PURIFICATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL LEAD

The study of the complex method of deep purification of archaeological lead, developed at the NSC KIPT, is described. The obtained results on the refining and application of purified ancient lead are presented. Pilot batches of ancient Greek and Roman lead of purity >99.9996...99.998 wt.% were produced for growing perfect crystals of archPbWO4 and archPbMoO4, that are used as scintillation detectors for recording rare events in modern lowbackground experiments. The most interesting experiment is RES-NOVA aimed at detecting neutrinos from astrophysical sources such as supernova (SN) collapse using cryogenic detectors made on the basis of archeological lead (archPbWO4). A method of oxidizing refinement of metals is proposed, which can be used for additional removal of chemical and radioactive impurities U, Th, 40K from lead.

Pre-Modernite, Devlet ve Kamu Yönetimi Teşkilatlanması: Antik Roma’da Augustus Octavianus Dönemi Bürokrasisi Örneği (M.Ö. 27-M.S. 14)

The concept of pre-modernity refers to the process in the political, social and economic fields in Western Europe before the 17th century. As a matter of fact, during this period, states and public administrations were organized within the framework of this system. Because the expression of pre-modernity, which is associated with concepts such as tradition, theocracy and patrimonial bureaucracy, dates back to a very long period in human history. As tribes began to evolve into states throughout history, early states also emerged. Communities reaching state structures led to division of labor, specialization and classes. The Roman state can also be seen as one of the important examples of the early state in history. Because Ancient Rome, with its political, administrative, economic and cultural structure, overlapped with the characteristic features of the early states in certain areas. As a matter of fact, the bureaucratic Roman state of the Augustus Octavianus period, which is the main subject of this study, also shows the characteristics of the early states and carries the advanced developments and features of the institutionalized structure. The aim of this study is to analyze how political developments and especially bureaucracy during the Augustus Octavianus period can serve as an example in tracing the historical course of the early state. For this, Claessen and Skalnik's (1993) work titled "Early State" will be greatly benefited from. The method of the study is literature review. Key Words: Pre-Modernity, Early State, Bureaucracy, Rome, Augustus Octavianus Jel Codes: D73, B15

Taste shaped the use of botanical drugs.

The perception of taste and flavour (a combination of taste, smell, and chemesthesis), here also referred to as chemosensation, enables animals to find high-value foods and avoid toxins. Humans have learned to use unpalatable and toxic substances as medicines, yet the importance of chemosensation in this process is poorly understood. Here, we generate tasting-panel data for botanical drugs and apply phylogenetic generalised linear mixed models to test whether intensity and complexity of chemosensory qualities as well as particular tastes and flavours can predict ancient Graeco-Roman drug use. We found chemosensation to be strongly predictive of therapeutic use: botanical drugs with high therapeutic versatility have simple yet intense tastes and flavours, and 21 of 22 chemosensory qualities predicted at least one therapeutic use. In addition to the common notion of bitter tasting medicines, we also found starchy, musky, sweet, and soapy drugs associated with versatility. In ancient Greece and Rome, illness was thought to arise from imbalance in bodily fluids or humours, yet our study suggests that uses of drugs were based on observed physiological effects that are often consistent with modern understanding of chemesthesis and taste receptor pharmacology.

Religious Pluralism and Diversity in the Ancient World: Herodotus, the Roman Republic and Late Antiquity

The subject of religious pluralism and diversity is much debated today, but has attracted much less attention in discussions of ancient Greek and Roman religion. In my contribution, I first look at the genealogy of the term ‘religious pluralism’ and differentiate it from diversity as being more normative. Subsequently, I look at Herodotus’ view of Persian religion as an example of religious diversity. I note that this Greek author, himself from a multicultural background, would today be considered a relativist. In his time, though, there was not yet a specific term for religious deviancy, which, as noted, started to emerge in the later fourth century BC (§ 1). I continue by looking at the Roman Republic and the early Principate. From a quantitative analysis, it is clear that the Roman term religio becomes more important in the first century BC and also acquires the meaning of a system of religious observances that can be regulated, which is an important step towards its later meaning ‘religion’. At the same time, we note the rise of the concomitant term superstitio as the wrong religio. Still, the Roman elite tolerated a wide variety of new cults outside civic religion and basically practised diversity (§ 2). After this, I will turn to the demise of religious diversity and pluralism in Late Antiquity, where we start to see religious persecutions for the very first time (§ 3). I conclude with some final considerations on the necessity of dialogue in negotiating religious differences.

Making wine in earthenware vessels: a comparative approach to Roman vinification

Wine was deeply embedded in all aspects of Roman life and its role in society, culture and the economy has been much studied. Ancient Roman texts and archaeological research provide valuable insights into viticulture and the manufacture, trade and consumption of wine but little is known of the sensory nature of this prized commodity. Here, the authors offer a novel oenological approach to the study of Roman dolia through their comparison with modern Georgian qvevri and associated wine-production techniques. Far from being mundane storage vessels, dolia were precisely engineered containers whose composition, size and shape all contributed to the successful production of diverse wines with specific organoleptic characteristics.

Sejarah Dan Perkembangan Public Speaking Dalam Komunikasi Dakwah

Public speaking or the art of speaking in public has a very important role in Islamic da'wah. These skills are not only needed in everyday life, but also in the world of work. History shows that public speaking has been an integral part of preaching communication since ancient Greece and Rome. In the Islamic context, public speaking is the key to conveying religious messages effectively and influencing the attitudes and actions of communicants. This research is a type of library research with a qualitative approach. Data was collected through reviewing scientific literature, such as books, journals, theses and other sources relevant to the research topic. The research results show that public speaking in Islamic da'wah has a crucial role in spreading religious teachings. History and technological developments show that public speaking is not only an ancient tradition but also continues to adapt to the times. Da'is can utilize modern technology and media to reach a wider audience and strengthen the spread of Islamic values ​​in society. Public speaking has a positive influence in conveying da'wah messages, increasing understanding, motivating and shaping public opinion. The development of technology and modern media has brought a transformation in communication.

Doctrine of locus standi: occurrence and evolution in administrative law

This article is dedicated to the issues of the history of the emergence and evolution of the locus standi doctrine (locus standi in judicio). The occurrence of the term “locus standi,” as well as its manifestations in Roman law, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the 20th century, allows for a better understanding of the locus standi doctrine and possible avenues for its development. In administrative law of the United States, Canada, France, Italy, South Africa, and other countries, the locus standi doctrine holds a prominent place. Ukranian legal system operates with the right to access to the court, the right to appeal to an administrative court, the right to judicial protection, and the right to seek redress, which can have different meanings depending on their understanding in substantive or procedural aspects, taking into account their possible understanding in sensu stricto or sensu lato. In the aspect of determining the right to appeal to an administrative court, the presence of administrative procedural legal subjectivity in a person is crucial in national legal system. Any person with administrative procedural legal subjectivity can be a plaintiff in an administrative case, but not every plaintiff is a proper plaintiff in an administrative case. The right to protection belongs to the proper plaintiff, who has claims in a particular administrative legal dispute. The presence of the right to protection, and in the laws of the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and other countries – the presence of locus standi (locus standi in judicio) in a person, precedes the determination of the possibility of granting the claims of such a person. The evolution of the locus standi doctrine in this article is examined from the right of an individual to appear before popular assemblies in ancient Rome to the right of an individual to appear before the court and act as a plaintiff in a case in modern times. This article attempts to explore the historical aspect of the formation of the locus standi doctrine, as well as its potential application as a basis for further clarification of the substantive legal nature of a proper plaintiff.

Acoustic Ambience and Simulation of the Bullring of Ronda (Spain)

The bullring of Ronda, one of the oldest in Spain, declared in 1993 as an Asset of Cultural Interest, occupies a paramount place among the buildings of its type thanks to its outstanding beauty. Its configuration as an open-air enclosure with a circular floor plan, as an evocation of the ancient Roman amphitheaters, and its interior with galleries on two levels that house the audience play a fundamental role in the acoustic energy decay and diffusion of the space. The link between architecture and acoustics of the Ronda bullring has been carried out by using on-site measurements and simulation techniques. To this end, an acoustic model is created, which is adjusted by taking the set of 3D impulse responses recorded on-site. The presence of the public and the various sound sources that exist during the bullfight itself are analyzed in the simulations, whereby the conditions of occupation and vacancy are compared, as are the variations due to the location of the sources. Finally, speech intelligibility conditions are simulated with a human directivity source. The precision of the virtual acoustic model enables the sound architecture of this singular space to be ascertained and preserved, thereby incorporating sound as an associated intangible heritage.

Subcontract under the legislation of Ukraine and the legislation of the EU

The object of this article is social relations that arise in the process of researching civil-law relations in the field of providing services under a contract and a subcontract. And the subject of the study is the comparative characteristics of the contract under the legislation of Ukraine and the legislation of the EU countries.
 In the 60s of the last century, contracts for the provision of services and contracts for the performance of works began to be distinguished in domestic construction and in the construction of foreign countries. The basis for distinguishing between these contracts is that the obligation to perform work and the obligation to provide services mediates economic relations regarding the provision of services, but the services have a dual nature (material and immaterial), which led to the difference in their legal regulation.
 The contract for the provision of services is one of the oldest institutions of private law, the origins of which can be found in Roman law. In classical Roman law, there are detailed contractual structures that mediate the process of providing services. At the same time, it should be noted that there was no detailed definition of their concept in Roman law.
 In Roman law, a contract for the provision of services is understood as a group of contracts under which one party undertakes to provide certain services for the benefit of another party (the lessor), and the lessor – to pay a set fee for these services.
 Probably, initially, the contract for the provision of services was not a special type of contract, and therefore did not have an established contractual structure. Only with the development of trade and civilized thinking, the contract for the provision of services is brought under one of the established structures.
 Consideration of the peculiarities of the legal regulation of subcontracting and subcontracting under the civil legislation of Ukraine and foreign countries is not only interesting, but also relevant. The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that one of the main trends in the development of the modern economy is the rapid growth of the service sector, which covers a wide range of activities aimed at meeting the personal needs of the population and the needs of production, as well as the needs of society as a whole: from trade, transport and financing to insurance, mediation and consulting. The methodological basis consists of the general scientific method of learning legal reality, as well as the following methods: comparative-legal, structural- functional; methods of document analysis, synthesis.
 A subcontract is a civil law contract under which one party (the contractor) undertakes at its own risk to perform certain work on behalf of the other party (the customer), and the customer undertakes to accept and pay for the work performed.

Biochemical characterization of Euphorbia resinifera floral cyathia

Euphorbia resinifera O. Berg is a plant endemic to the Northern and Central regions of Morocco known since the ancient Roman and Greek times for secreting a poisonous latex containing resiniferatoxin. However, E. resinifera pseudo-inflorescences called cyathia are devoid of laticifers and, therefore, do not secrete latex. Instead, they exudate nectar that local honey bees collect and craft into honey. Honey and cyathium water extracts find a broad range of applications in the traditional medicine of Northern Africa as ointments and water decoctions. Moreover, E. resinifera monofloral honey has received the Protected Geographic Indication certification for its outstanding qualities. Given the relevance of E. resinifera cyathia for bee nutrition, honey production, and the health benefit of cyathium-derived products, this study aimed to screen metabolites synthesized and accumulated in its pseudo-inflorescences. Our analyses revealed that E. resinifera cyathia accumulate primary metabolites in considerable abundance, including hexoses, amino acids and vitamins that honey bees may collect from nectar and craft into honey. Cyathia also synthesize volatile organic compounds of the class of benzenoids and terpenes, which are emitted by flowers pollinated by honey bees and bumblebees. Many specialized metabolites, including carotenoids, flavonoids, and polyamines, were also detected, which, while protecting the reproductive organs against abiotic stresses, also confer antioxidant properties to water decoctions. In conclusion, our analyses revealed that E. resinifera cyathia are a great source of antioxidant molecules and a good food source for the local foraging honeybees, revealing the central role of the flowers from this species in mediating interactions with local pollinators and the conferral of medicinal properties to plant extracts.

The Edicts of the Praetors: Law, Time, and Revolution in Ancient Rome – ERRATUM

The Edicts of the Praetors: Law, Time, and Revolution in Ancient Rome – ERRATUM

The Yoke as a Metaphor in the Ancient World: From Symbolizing Imperial Domination to Signifying Subjugation

This article explores the perception of the yoke as a symbol of domination and subordination in texts from Ancient Mesopotamia and the Middle East, as well as from ancient Greek and Roman writings. The metaphor of the yoke is analyzed from the perspective of both the conquerors and subjugated. In the texts of the Assyrian kings, conquest is perceived as the imposition of a yoke, while the fight for independence is portrayed as liberation from it. The Greeks adopted the concept of the yoke from the East, which explains why it was often used to describe the Greco-Persian conflict in the ancient Greek tradition. In many cases, the yoke was not only a metaphor for subordination but also had a military-political meaning. For example, the Assyrians harnessed captives to the royal chariot, while the Romans drove away captive enemies “under the yoke”, which was a structure consisting of two spears or pillars stuck into the ground with a third spear or pillar as a crossbar.

Gli scavi di Ocriculum nella cultura neoclassica e antiquaria

The remains of the ancient Roman town, crossed by the Flaminia road and lapped by a bend of the Tiber, are located in a natural landscape of significant beauty, perfect synthesis of archaeology and nature that remained unchanged throughout centuries. Excavations were conducted here from a very early period, especially from 1776 to 1784, when a great quantity of material was removed. The archaeological excavations carried out in Otricoli in the second half of the Seventeenth century together with discoveries in Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae and other cities of ancient Italy, contributed during the Neoclassical period to the rediscovery of classical ideals in art and architecture, partly already rediscovered during Humanism and the Renaissance in Italy.

Ancient Roman Coins from the Republican Age to the Imperial Age: A Multi-Analytical Approach

We report here the results of a multi-analytical approach to characterize twelve Roman coins dating from the third century B.C. to fifth century A.D. that were found in the surroundings of Rome and for which the year of minting is determined by numismatic analysis. The coins were studied using SEM-EDS, EMPA, XRD, and FTIR techniques, enabling semi-quantitative and quantitative determinations of the chemical and mineralogical composition of the alloys and corrosion products. SEM-EDS analyses highlighted the occurrence of corrosion products on the surfaces and wide chemical variations due to selective enrichment or depletions of the alloying metals. The EMP analyses showed that three of the twelve coins are made of copper (1), one is a copper–tin alloy (2), five are copper–tin–lead alloys with elements in different proportions (3), two are copper–lead alloys (4), and another one is a subaerata coin (5). In addition, the physical parameters of the coins, i.e., density, weight, and diameters, were measured to have an overall characterization.

Blastobotrys nigripullensis, a new yeast species isolated from a fungal outbreak on an ancient Roman shipwreck in the Netherlands.

A new species of the yeast genus Blastobotrys was discovered on ancient ship timbers in the Netherlands. The species had developed on the wood of a river barge dating to the Roman period. The growth occurred after the preservative polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) was washed out of some of the timbers due to an undetected leak in the storage unit. Mycological analysis of various timber samples revealed the presence of Microascus melanosporus (predominant), Microascus paisii, a member of the Acremonium chrysogenum-clade, and a new Blastrobotrys species. The new species produced sporothrix-like conidiophores with clavate blastoconidia (3-7 × 1-3.5μm) and was found to be osmotolerant, capable of growth on low water activity media like malt yeast 50% glucose agar (MY50G). In this article we formally describe and introduce Blastrobotrys nigripullensis (CBS 17879T) based on its morphology, physiology and phylogenetic placement.

A Pack of Hounds and its Master? A Bi-Species Burial from the Necropolis of Deir El-Banat (Fayum)

Dog burials are known from Egypt from the Predynastic period from c. 3500 BC onward and continue into the Roman era. Different burials have been interpreted in a variety of ways: companion/pet/working animals, associated with divinities, and as guardians. This paper presents a unique interment of a single human and a group of dogs found in the cemetery of Deir el-Banat in the Fayum (Egypt), which can be interpreted as either a religio-magical protective deposit for the cemetery, or a religio-medical one, involving the sacrifice of several animals.

Correlation between classical Roman law and English common law: comparative historical analysis

The term ‘correlation’ can be interpretated in a wider meaning than the presence of a frequency of connection between two collignial indicators. This semantic content as "a relation existing between phenomena" is present in the discourse of liberal arts, in contrast to parametric statistics. The purpose of the study is to verify the existence of a correlation between basic conceptual ideas in Ancient Roman law and English common law and to evaluate the scope and manifestations of this issue. The research problem is complicated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of modern historians traditionally contrast the legal systems of continental European countries with Anglo-American law. And there very few famous scientists who consistently reaffirm the opposite position and consider that the common legal tradition in Europe exists. The article shows three groups of key evidence of Ancient Roman Law influences on the English Common Law. The historical arguments explain the fantastic ability of English law to export to other countries. In world history, this property was only one legal culture, namely Old Roman. These abilities to transfer and reception are defined as the most significant parallels between the legal traditions that are investigated.

Įgyjamosios senaties institutas Lietuvoje: keliai ir klystkeliai

This article analyzes the concept of the institute of acquisitive prescription, its purpose, conditions of application and occurance in practice, the legal acts that were in force in Lithuania in the past, the sources of Roman era and the jurisprudence. The work points out that in the era of Roman private law domination, the understanding of the acquisitive prescription is distinctive from what we have today. Nevertheless, the institute of acquisitive prescription is interpreted through the prism of prescription as an actual state. The work also discusses the problematic aspects of the institute: the exclusive inviolability of state property is questioned, the controversial nature of the absence of registration as a condition of legality. Taking into account the stated drawbacks of the institute, its possible changes and the associated possible benefits for both the state and people are also foreseen.