Ancient Rome Research Articles

The stone artifacts of the National Archaeological Museum of Adria (Rovigo, Italy): a noteworthy example of heterogeneity

This paper reports on the results of the analyses of 56 stone samples from Roman and pre-Roman artifacts from the ancient town of Atria, currently preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Adria. The city is located in the eastern Veneto lowlands, close to the Po River delta, and far from the main rock outcrops of the region. The objective of this research is to determine the provenance of the stones used in ancient Atria and their trade networks. The analytical techniques adopted include polarized-light optical microscopy (PLM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and quantitative phase analysis by X-ray powder diffraction (QPA-XRPD). The results reveal a widespread use of imported stones from the central-western territories of Veneto, primarily comprising trachyte from the Euganean Hills and the soft limestone Vicenza Stone from the Berici Hills/eastern Lessini Mounts. Rosso Ammonitico, Maiolica (Biancone) and Scaglia Rossa limestones are also documented. From neighbouring regions, the imported stone types include Aurisina limestone from the Trieste Karst and Istrian Stone. Sandstone was uniquely recognized in G. Popillius’s milestone. Moreover, advanced geochemical and mineralogical analyses performed on the Euganean trachytes allow tracking accurately the quarry sites, revealing an extensive exploitation of the main historical quarries of M. Oliveto, Monselice and M. Merlo, although some provenances from outcrops less systematically exploited were also detected. Notably, the use of rhyolite for manufacturing a pre-Roman gravestone provides new insights regarding the exploitation of Euganean stone resources before the Roman era.

Xiphilinus and the Causes for the Outbreak of the Bar Kokhba Revolt

The Epitome of Xiphilinus, an abbreviation of books 36-80 of Cassius Dio’s Roman History created in eleventh-century Byzantium, because of the incomplete state of preservation of the latter is an extremely important narrative source for contemporary researchers of ancient Rome during the Principate period. This is also the case with the Bar Kokhba uprising, a conflict relatively poorly documented in narrative sources. The greatest debates revolve around the causes of this conflict for which the Epitome of Xiphilinus constitutes the most extensive surviving narrative source. The fact that Dio’s work has not been preserved in the original makes scholars question the account presented by Xiphilinus, whom they perceive as a Byzantine monk writing from a Christian and even anti-Jewish perspective.

Recepcja Historii rzymskiej Kasjusza Diona w rozdziale Epitome Jana Ksyfi linosa poświęconym Pompejuszowi

Xiphilinos’ Epitome constitutes one of the most understudied Byzantine sources despite its great importance and role as a transmitter of the unpreserved parts of Cassius Dio’s Roman History. Until recently it was mainly perceived as an unoriginal product whose author was only a passive and often incompetent copyist. For scholars of Ancient Rome Epitome was seen only as a substitute for Dio, while Byzantinists deemed Xiphilinos as an uninteresting author. Analysis of Epitome’s first chapter devoted to Pompey shows that in fact, he was an author who actively shaped his work according to his own literary tastes and trends functioning in eleventh-century Byzantine historiography. Epitome, a didactic work dedicated to the emperor Michael VII Doukas, was an intellectual product of an era where the ancient roots of Byzantium started to play an increasingly important role in contemporary political discourse. It was also the first work of Byzantine historiography which devoted as much space to Roman history before the establishment of imperial monarchy.

Agrippina Minore e l’ager Clusinus: una nuova attestazione epigrafica

Abstract Agrippina Minor and the ager Clusinus: a new inscription A funerary inscription, mentioning a slave of Agrippina Augusta, from the north-western part of the ancient ager Clusinus, could be evidence of an imperial property in this area of ancient Roman Etruria. This paper, with an accurate review of the probable archaeological context of the find, aims to provide new perspectives for the study of imperial properties and estates in the Julio-Claudian age in this portion of the regio VII and, more generally, of the history of the territory before 714 AD, the date in which the site (loc. Romitorio - San Quirico d’Orcia) is first documented.

The Semantics of Prussian Weapon Décor

The proposed article reveals the principles of the semantics of the decor that adorned the weapons of the Prussians mainly in the Viking Age.The conclusions are:
 1. In Roman times, the Aestii, the ancestors of the Prussians, provided the blades of their combat knives with carvings, apparently designed to enhance the real power of this weapon in a mystical way. Triangular figures filled with vertical hollows are also presented on Prussian daggers, but their semantic meaning is not clear.
 2. At the end of the era of the Great Migration of Peoples, the Prussians, under the influence of German and Avar swords, create their single-edged blades («long sax» type), the scabbard of which is decorated with silver plates with a basmen pattern. The details of this pattern − stripes of figures of the Kegelkönig type – may
 have a protective value and are associated with the cult of Perkūnas.
 3. In the Viking Age, individual swords found in Prussian military graves have a semantically significant decor associated with the function of mystical amplification of the power of these weapons. True, they were produced outside the land of the Prussians. Swords of the Kazakevičius Desiukiškių type with images of sacrificial goats can be considered the only local in origin.
 4. In the XI century Prussian craftsmen furnish spear and javelin bushings with flame-like decor, possibly related to «military magic». By the end of the XI century jewelers simplify their creations and decorate spear sleeves with silver foil forged with
 horizontal strips of copper/bronze wire. This ornament is purely decorative.
 5. In pre-Orden times, individual specimens of lop-butted axes are decorated with figurines of sacrificial goats. This is a sign that these axes, being actually not military weapons, belong to sacrificial ceremonies held in Prussian communities by
 priests or leaders.

Salt in Late Iron Age Italy. A multidisciplinary approach to the exploration of Italy’s coastal exploitation sites: Piscina Torta (Ostia, Rome) case study

During the Copper Age and onwards, unique archaeological sites emerged throughout Europe. These sites exhibit distinct features such as the absence of typical household pottery, the presence of kilns, and extensive layers composed solely of fragments of reddish-brown jars. Scholars generally interpret these sites as specialized locations for salt production through the technique of boiling saltwater, known as briquetage. In Italy, many of these sites are found along the Tyrrhenian coast and span from the Middle Bronze Age to the Roman era, with a particular concentration during the early Iron Age. However, the archaeological evidence in Italy differs from that of other European sites, suggesting that these Italian sites were not solely dedicated to salt production but also involved other economic activities. To delve deeper into the understanding of these sites and their socio-economic context, the University of Groningen initiated the Salt & Power: Early States, Rome and Resource Control project in 2021. The project aims to comprehensively analyze these sites and shed light on the production of salt within their broader societal and economic framework.In this contribution, we present preliminary findings derived from intensive surveys, coring campaigns, and geophysical investigations conducted at one such site, Piscina Torta. This site is believed to be connected to the city of Rome and dates back to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. Furthermore, we propose a multidisciplinary workflow for studying specialized sites, incorporating various research methodologies and disciplines.

A multiapproach for solving geoarchaeological problems: inferences from Roman gold mining in the Eria Valley (León)

The Eria River valley exhibits one of the largest gold mining complexes in NW Iberia from Roman age. In this study, a geoarchaeological work is presented, combining a multiapproach based on airborne LiDAR remote sensing, descriptive geology and radiocarbon dating. The studied area is characterized by the presence of a mining infrastructure comprised of hydraulic canals driving the water at different levels to the mines. Mining works were associated with Plio Quaternary raña deposits and Quaternary materials consisting of hillside and periglacial deposits, and fluvial terraces. The washing of the gold deposits used the hydraulic force to break up and drag out the sediment, giving rise to three different types of exploitation depending on the characteristics of the different materials. The results shed light on the geological materials exploited and other geographical aspects that conditioned the exploitation techniques. The work contributes to improving the knowledge about Roman gold mining and its geological context in northwest Iberia.

Urban development and long-term flood risk and resilience: Experiences over time and across cultures. Cases from Asia, North America, Europe and Australia

Rivers are the lifeblood of many cities, but flood risk is projected to increase due to urbanisation and climate change. Better floodplain management in and near urban areas is required to produce the New Urban Agenda’s ‘just, safe, healthy, accessible, affordable, resilient and sustainable cities’. Many jurisdictions are looking to move or keep people out of human-constructed residential ‘niches’ on hazardous floodplains, but this has proved difficult to achieve. Our historical case studies of colonial societies in ancient Rome, as well as on the Yangtze, Mississippi and Brisbane rivers, show the deep roots of many contemporary flood risk issues, such as failures of risk perception related to recent settlement, the moral hazard of spending on flood defence infrastructure, the creeping nature of floodplain encroachment into ‘niches’ of perceived protection created by structural interventions, the need for a central, ‘whole of river’ approach, and the difficulties of implementing this approach locally. These case studies also suggest solutions, including the adoption of Indigenous perspectives, benefits to incentivise local actors and a historical education strategy to increase appetite for more sustainable flood risk mitigation.

THE IMAGE OF MUSA BAIZHANULY AND THEME OF ART IN THE NOVEL OF Z.AKYSHEV “ZHAYAU MUSA”

Abstract. The criterion for the spiritual worldview of any nation is not its material wealth, economic achievement, but its literature and art, which is passed on from generation to generation. Many historical examples and data can be cited to this. The legacy of the ancient Greek and Roman states, which became the cradle of human civilization, are the themes of art in the scientists’ and writers’ works. In the history of the nation, the sounds of kuyi perfomed on kobyz by Korkyt Baba and his covenants were not interrupted even at a time when the works of “sources from the world of art and literature”, enlightened writers J. Balasagun “Kutty Bilik”, A. Iugineki “Reward for Truth”, M. Khorezmi “Love” were written. There were many talented people though they were illiterate, they could present people wonderful songs and marvelous kui (genre of Kazakh national music). When famous performer of kui Ykylas played the kobyz (Kazakh musical instrument), the swans flew to the sound of the music, the dombyra (Kazakh musical instrument) player Bogda forced the production of milk from a camel whose baby camel had died. This is a testament to their great talent. Singers Aset, Estai, Zhayau Musa, Birzhan Sal, Akan Seri, performers of kui Kurmangazy, Dina, Turkesh, Tattimbet were all the best talents who came out of the common people. In this regard, the literary and cultural heritage, relics, artistic power, traditions, legends and truths, history and knowledge about the art of kui and kuishi (performer of kui), created by the Kazakh people over the centuries, have been raised to a high level in terms of the artistic genre. For the history of the nation, the life and work of Musa Baizhanuly is very important. He was a unique representative of Kazakh art, a singer, composer, who left his mark on the Kazakh steppe with his unique art, became a legend, mourned the grief of the common people and was sent into exile because of this. This article evaluates the significance of works of art that describe the life and natural talent of artists in the history of our people and their place in the spirituality of the nation. Key words: art, poet, artist, national values, poetry, continuity of tradition, internal monologue, dialogue, author's narration, content and idea.

Growth of the sandy isthmus of tyre and ensuing relocation of its harbors

The renowned Phoenician city of Tyre was settled on a small coastal island from which it resisted invasions and sieges for centuries. In 332 BCE, the city was taken when Alexander-the-Great built a 750 m-long causeway to seize the island. The causeway interrupted longshore sediment transport, forcing sand to accumulate along the causeway, creating a isthmus that today still connects the island to the mainland. This isthmus is no less than 530 m wide and 13 m high. We studied the impact of isthmus growth on city development during Antiquity, by combining archeological data, core stratigraphy, and multibeam bathymetry to track the paleogeographic evolution of the land-facing coast of Tyre, from the Holocene marine transgression up to today. In Phoenician time (900-300 BCE), sea-level markers indicate that relative sea level lied more than 2.5 m below current sea level, defining a 1500 × 600 m rocky island, 450 m longer in the south than the modern rocky headland. Between the island and the mainland, diffracted/refracted waves built a submerged sand bank that rests on eroded transgressive lagoonal clays. Along the mainland-facing coast of Tyre Island, Phoenician walls were built on the emerged end of the sand bank. Middle infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) shows that the sand of the bank and its successor isthmus is made of carbonate clasts (90–100%). 36Sr/37Sr ratios further indicate that these are modern bioclastic sands. Coeval, heterogeneous clay-rich sediments were deposited between the rocky island, and the sand bank. We interpret these as harbor sediments, deposited behind buried and/or submerged Phoenician breakwaters. The sand bank inflated dramatically after the building of Alexander's causeway, rising 5 m during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It rose another 4 m–8 m in successive stages during Byzantine and Medieval times, up to the 19th century. The rapid growth of the sandy isthmus after 332 BCE led to the demise and burial of the harbors that had been developed along the mainland-facing coast. The Phoenician southern harbor of Tyre appears to have been buried in Roman times during the repurposing of the SE corner of the island for monumental baths. We interpret this repurposing as a response to the growth of the sandy isthmus, and suggest that the northern Phoenician harbor was then relocated to its present position. Subsequent relative sea level rise led to the erosion of the landfill overlying the southern harbor, exposing the formerly buried port on the seafloor.

Ancient Rome in Renaissance France: Around the Paris Edition of Biondo Flavio’s Roma Triumphans ([1532]–1533)

Flavio Biondo’s Roma triumphans , his treatise on Roman civilization (completed 1459, first printed c. 1473) is a key text of Italian humanism and the basis of the long-lasting discipline of antiquarianism. It is an enormous, systematic survey of the public and private mores and institutions of ancient Rome, its cultural history, we would say. Its value was recognized by succeeding scholars (who tended to treat it as a quarry or a challenge for more focused research) and it went through a number of printings before 1559. This article takes the starting point of the Paris edition of 1533 to explore what can be known of the presence and use of the work in France from about 1500 to the 1550s. After considering the printer and the context of the publication, it touches on Roma triumphans in the work of Guillaume Budé, Jean Lemaire de Belges and Guillaume Du Choul.

The key to ancient Roman mortars hydraulicity: ceramic fragments or volcanic materials? A lesson from the Phlegrean archaeological area (southern Italy)

This research deals with mineralogical, petrographic, chemical, and microstructural characterization of raw materials from the Roman Dragonara cave (Phlegraean Fields, Campania region, Italy) through Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (FESEM/EDS), Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA) and Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). The aim of this study was to asses mortars hydraulic properties along with provenance of raw materials and mortars recipe. A focus on the reactions between the surface of the ceramic aggregates and volcanic materials with binding matrix proved to be crucial to define their role in the mix design of mortars. Representative results showed that hydraulicity of the analyzed mortars is mainly due to volcanic materials rather than ceramic fragments. In fact, reaction active elements such as Reaction Rims (RR), Interfacial Transition Zones (ITZ) and particularly Ca-rich rims were usually found at the matrix-volcanic fragments interface. Moreover, porosity tests evidence that bedding mortars, which contain mainly volcanic material and only sporadically ceramic fragments have a higher closed porosity of binder matrix due to the good pozzolanic reactivity.

A Gourmet in Ancient Rome: Following Apicius with Translation, Comments and Applications

Apicius… Son yıllarda gastronomiyle ilgilenen akademisyenlerin ve antik dönemlerin geleneksel mutfak uygulamalarına ilgi duyan meraklıların diline pelesenk olan bu sözcük, günümüzde yeme içme kavramının haz odaklı yönlerine atıfta bulunan bir metafor haline dönüşmüştür. Buna rağmen ’nın gizemlerle dolu olduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Söz konusu gizemlerden en karmaşık olanı De re Coquinaria’nın yazarının tam olarak kim ya da ne olduğu ile ilgilidir. Eserin diğer bir gizemi ise şekil ve içerik özellikleri bakımından (dilsel özellikler, yemeklerde kullanılan bazı malzemeler ve tariflerin standart bir yapıya sahip olmayışı) araştırmacıların ihtilafa düşmesi, bazı konulara tam manasıyla açıklık getirilememesidir. Eserin günümüzde çeşitli edisyonları ve bazı edisyonların farklı dillere çevrilen onlarca versiyonu bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Ali Güveloğlu ve Müjde Tönbekici tarafından yayına hazırlanan Antik Roma’da Bir Gurme: Çeviri, Yorum ve Uygulamalarla Apicius’un İzinde adlı kitap, eleştirel bir bakış açısı ile değerlendirilmiştir. Christian Theophil Schuch edisyonu (1867) baz alınarak hazırlanan kitabın seçiminde içeriğin çeviriden ibaret olmaması, ölçü birimleri, açıklamalı maddeler, sözlükçe, dizin gibi okurları yönlendiren bölümleri bünyesinde barındırması ve yirmi altı yemeğe ilişkin uygulama - yorum kısımlarının bulunması etkili olmuştur. Antik Roma’da Bir Gurme: Çeviri, Yorum ve Uygulamalarla Apicius’un İzinde adlı eserin eski çağ yemek tarihine olan ilgiyi arttıracağı ve De re Coquinaria’nın gizemli tariflerini tatmak ve kokusunu almak isteyen meraklılara yol gösterici olacağı düşünülmektedir.

Mussolini’s Cesare

Abstract This article discusses the collaboration between Benito Mussolini and Giovacchino Forzano in the writing of three historical dramas, focusing on the third text of their collaboration, Cesare, which dates to 1939. Placing this partnership within the context of Fascism’s broader theatrical programming, the essay discusses the play as a model of Fascist theater, for its imparting of Fascist ideological tenets, propagandistic messages, and pedagogical aims. It focuses in particular on the ways in which the play uses the analogy between ancient Rome and Fascist Italy, and between Julius Caesar and Mussolini, embodying fascism’s poetics of history, contributing to the anthropological revolution, and overall demonstrating the ‘new fascist man’ through the character of Caesar/Mussolini.

INFAMIA IN THE SIGHT OF ROMAN LAW

The research identifies “Infamia” as a pervasive legal construct, intricately linked with notions of reputation, honor, and societal standing. The concept significantly influenced various aspects of Roman jurisprudence, spanning from contractual relations (such as fiducia, societas, depositum, tutela, and mandatum) to inheritance laws, and even marital unions. This study underscores the intricate interplay between legal regulations and moral considerations, illustrating how Roman society intertwined religious beliefs, trust, and conscientiousness in shaping legal conduct.Examining the inheritance laws, the research delineates the pivotal role of “Infamia” in determining the transfer of rights and responsibilities following an individual’s demise. The inheritance process becomes a crucial juncture where societal values are intertwined with legal mandates, influencing the distribution of familial assets. Notably, the Roman institution of “pater familias” vested nearly absolute authority over familial members, restricting their ownership rights. Furthermore, the study traces the evolution of inheritance practices through distinct historical periods, including the legislative reforms introduced by Justinian. These amendments aimed to rectify perceived injustices, providing mechanisms for disinherited heirs to contest their exclusion through the querella inofficiosi testamenti. The research also scrutinizes “Infamia” within the realm of marital law, discerning its presence in the dissolution of marriages through practices like “divoritum” and “repudium.” These terminations, whether consensual or unilateral, bore financial and reputational consequences, with the latter potentially resulting in societal disgrace. In conclusion, this comprehensive review illuminates the intricate and dynamic role of “Infamia” in Roman legal and societal frameworks. It underscores how this concept permeated various facets of Roman life, serving as a potent tool for regulating conduct, shaping social relations, and upholding moral values. By synthesizing a diverse range of scholarly works, this study offers a holistic understanding of “Infamia” and its far-reaching implications in ancient Rome.

Spectacular Latin

Abstract This article explores the role of the Latin language in the context of political performance and spectacle under Italian Fascism. We investigate the different ways in which Latin words, phrases, and texts are used as visual and symbolic elements of Fascist performances and how they are staged in contemporary media coverage. Specifically, this article focuses on three case studies: first, human mosaics of the word DVX; second, the use of a tapestry bearing a Latin motto in the context the fourteenth anniversary of Fascism; and finally, the role of a Latin foundation deposit in an inauguration ceremony for building works at the Esposizione Universale di Roma. Two main arguments connect the three case studies. First, we argue that the Latin language does not simply gesture towards Roman antiquity, but that it is used to evoke several different pasts at the same time. Second, we show that the Latin language has a range of affordances for diverse audiences, which are tied closely to the visuality, materiality, and symbolism of Latin during the ventennio fascista.

The Living Archive

Abstract This article discusses the practices of documentation and archiving related to classical performance in the Italian Fascist regime, and their implications for the study of fascist art and culture more widely. The first part discusses a number of institutions as the sites of Italian Fascism’s archiving of classical performance. The second part, drawing on the work of Eric Ketelaar and Amalia G. Sabiescu, considers how Italian Fascism made use of the historically connoted ‘cultural tools’ of ancient Greek theatre as ‘living archives’. It discusses the aesthetic means that came to characterize all classical performances as living archives and considers the use of ancient Greek and Roman sites all over the peninsula and in colonized Libya as the archival sites of the classical performances. In the conclusion, it argues that the combination of performance and archives empowered these cultural tools to become the means for the reconstruction and transmission of Fascism’s newly crafted social memory and identity of the Italian nation.

Acca soror: Queer kinship, female homosociality, and the Amazon-huntress band in Latin literature

Despite the modern association of ancient Amazons and Diana’s huntresses with lesbianism, scholarly accounts of these groups as they appear in ancient Greek and Roman literature have rarely adverted to any hints of homoeroticism. This article re-examines several narratives concerning Amazons and huntresses in Latin literature (including Camilla in Vergil’s Aeneid and Phaedra in Seneca’s eponymous tragedy) from the perspective of queer kinship and female homosociality, demonstrating the ways in which these characters subvert traditional norms of kinship and femininity, replacing patriarchal control with female sodality, often imaged as a “sister” relationship. It suggests that, even if we do not interpret these intense homosocial bonds as erotic, we can nonetheless perceive a more radical rejection of social norms that transcends genital sexuality and merits the label of “queerness”, insofar as queerness can be defined as a resistance to normativity.

Historiografias e Histórias em Maquiavel: diversas Formas de Reinscrever a Virtù para a Defesa do Vivere Libero

As concepções de História na Renascença expressam grande valor à antiguidade, mas também demonstram suas eminentes necessidades sociais em diversos níveis de discursos. Assim, as inter-relações entre justiça, liberdade e vontade, juntamente às novas tendências historiográficas a revigorar tradições do mundo antigo, demandam comprometimento pessoal e público na exaltação das potencialidades e dos limites humanos. Os modos de entender a História em Maquiavel mostram as constantes ascensões e quedas das ordens civis, ao mesmo tempo que destaca a permanência dos tipos e dos exemplos humanos para o cultivo da Virtù em face às ações da Fortuna. Dialogando com uma concepção cíclica da História, evidencia uma disparidade entre a digna Virtù dos antigos e a decadência de seus contemporâneos. As concepções e ações dos antigos romanos, portanto, devem ser entendidas e imitadas.

The recent evolution of the salt marsh ‘Pantano Grande’ (NE Sicily, Italy): interplay between natural and human activity over the last 3700 years

AbstractCombined natural processes and human activities shaped the late Holocene landscape history in many Mediterranean regions. This is especially true with areas subjected to specific human interest, such as coastal areas morphologically suitable to the establishment of harbours. Here, we test the hypothesis on the location of the Roman harbour Portus Trajectus in Peloro Cape (NE Sicily, Italy) and describe the evolution of the area over the last 3700 years through lithostratigraphic, geochemical, meiofauna and microfossil analyses performed on a new sediment core recovered from the coastal salt marsh Pantano Grande (aka Lago di Ganzirri). The age–depth model was developed on radiocarbon dates and geochemical fingerprinting of two tephra layers. Results indicate that the area underwent dramatic changes ca. 650 bce. The anthropogenic impact of Greek colonies may have contributed to modifying the coastal environment of Peloro Cape due to their widespread impact on natural resources. This happened at many localities in the Mediterranean, indicating the magnitude of impact of the Greek colonies over the landscape. According to our results, it is unlikely that the current Pantano Grande basin was used as a harbour in Roman times, although the presence of a harbour in the nearby Pantano Piccolo marsh cannot be excluded. Pantano Grande had been isolated from the sea for more than 2000 years. Human intervention in the 19th century halted that isolation and provided the background for the ecological, economic and social functions the salt marsh performs today.