Roman Culture Research Articles

De Friese Landsordonnantie van 1602

On November 30 and the first of December 1602 a new body of law was officially promulgated by the Court of Friesland. It was an unique event and also the promulmulgated law, officialy named Statuten, Ordonnantien, ende Costumen van Frieslandt (Statutes, Ordinances and Customs of Friesland), was special. Nowhere else in the Low Countries a similar body of law was ever made. In more than 671 articles, dispersed over 89 titles and spread over four books, it stated which rules of law, promulgated in de 16th century, were still in force. When necessary these rules were brought up to date and new rules were introduced. Important was that this body law defined which rules of Roman (Civil) Law were valid in Friesland and which were not. The so called Ordinance of the country (Landsordonnantie) or Frisian Ordinance, as the promulgated law soon was named, stayed in force until she was replaced by her revision in 1723. This article gives a reconstruction of the way the Frisian Ordinance of 1602 came into being.

March, October, the Yoke and the Arch: A Study of Boundaries in Ancient Roman Belief

This study attempts an alternate look at what is sometimes a quick study of an ingrained “Roman aggression” placed in the opening chapter of a typical Roman history, re-evaluating the “us-them” element in Roman thinking during their primeval “homesteading” era, and some of the motived often imputed to tribal Roman culture that have been used to explain their expansion in Italy (and after). From the pomoerium, or spiritual/physical boundary of the farm or the community, the frequently cleansed and inspected line between the settled and peaceful homesteaded or urbanized place and the dangerous, unsettled outlands beyond, where potential raiders or enemies – hostes – and the spirit that animated them dwelt. Romans punctuated this boundary with shrines, openings (carefully guarded by archaic spiritual means) and, at key moments during the year, by religious activity intended to keep them safe. These activities and checkpoints are clues to the way Romans saw the boundaries, and may even correct some false impressions we have of important features in their urban landscape. The checkpoints of passage through this boundary between human community and outworld were gate-like temples (guarded by Janus) or a similar structure called a “iugum,” and both underlie the structure we today call a “triumphal arch.” Understanding how Romans (or archaic Italians) felt about community boundaries may help correct the image we have of this arch, and what it meant, and in fact our image of them. Early Roman boundary-passage customs use these artifacts for related forms of expiation, cleansing and pacification, a character shared by the treatment of defeated armies and in fected persons, even meaning in the triumphal procession, which had much more to do with cleansing the contagious guilt (or infected violence) of a returning army than it did with celebrating a victory. More than a century ago the Roman historian-anthropologist William Warde Fowler attempted clear modern perspectives on early Romans, aggression-defense, and their ideas of boundaries. This article is also a tribute to some of his key, forgotten insights. Keywords: ancient urban studies, Archaic Italy, Roman rituals, Roman anthropology, Roman aggression

The image of the Russian Enlightened Monarch in the Romanian culture at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century

This paper aims to reconstruct the way in which the Romanian written culture from the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth gradually built the image of the Russian Enlightened monarchy with three of its most famous representatives: Peter II, Catherine II and Alexander I. By means of translating from Italian and German historiography, these texts served a double goal: on the one hand they satisfied the reader’s need for knowledge and understanding of the contemporary events, and on the other they contributed to a political discourse that viewed Russia and the Russian Orthodox monarchy as potential saviours of the Romanian principalities from the oppression of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. By means of translation analysis, we have attempted to illustrate how the Western image of an Eastern monarch, guided by a blend of Western philosophy and Eastern Orthodox tradition, was transferred in the Romanian culture as a scientific base for political and cultural decisions.

„Bucegiștii”. Vacanțele în munți ale familiei Urechia: construcția unei filiații literare

Focusing on a family of writers that of V.A. Urechiă and his sons, Nestor and Alceu, the article aims at a comparative analysis of the family's sociability that they develop in the summers spent at their villas in Câmpina and Sinaia, with expeditions in the Bucegi Mountains, and the literature that feeds on these expeditions. Beyond the opportunity offered by the writings of the Urechiă family, we wish to observe the production and efficiency of genealogical forms (Georges Didi-Huberman); the stake of such an approach comes from its historical situation. The moment of founding the Urechia family coincides with the founding of the Romanian culture and nation, making the investigation of their mountain expeditions, genealogical issues, and literary forms gain a political weight with an accent on the nation rather than on the family itself.

Martial's hawk and Iberian falconry. An exception in the ancient world

It has been generally acknowledged that falconry was unknown in Antiquity until it was imported in the 5th century AD by Germanic tribes into the lands of the Roman Empire. However, this theory contrasts with a 1st century AD epigram by Martial that depicts a hawk kept in captivity that regrets hunting for a fowler, a concept that can be perfectly understood as falconry. Due to a lack of knowledge of Iberian iconography and the absence of other early sources that attest to the existence of hawking in Antiquity, historians of hunting have interpreted Martial's epigram in diverse ways to avoid accepting that the poet was familiar with falconry. However, a careful look at Iberian figurative arts between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC reveals that Iberians depicted scenes perfectly coherent with falconry. Furthermore, some of these images were created in the region around Bilbilis where Martial was born, grew up and retired. Thus, we can conclude that it is highly likely that Martial was describing falconry in his epigram due to his knowledge of the sport in his native Hispania. Iberians seem to have practiced falconry since at least the 3rd century BC. This constituted an exception in the ancient world, since there is no evidence to prove that falconry was known in Middle Eastern, Greek or Roman civilizations.

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS – CONSTANCIES IN DIFFERENT IDEOLOGICAL CONFIGURATIONS

As a crossing point of the ideological options, of ethnic issues and confessional confrontations, the Romanian culture seems to obey the alternating rhythm of the historical loss of memory and, at the same time, of the anamnesis. On this background, the present times always appear as being doubtful, always menaced. Such tearing proved to be advantageous to the proliferation of many ideologies which found the ideal scene for materialization. Thus, the literary ideologies appear as natural reflexes to this kind of tectonics. In fact, there is not any specifically Romanian in all these phenomena. Ruptures have always been instrumented and used in ideological battles everywhere on the earth.

Late Roman Law and the Quranic Punishments for Adultery

Late Roman Law and the Quranic Punishments for Adultery

4. Project “Easter Triptych”

Abstract The “Easter Triptych” project was conducted in six annual editions (except for 2020 and 2021 – the years of the Coronavirus Pandemic). It was conceived and achieved in the name and in the spirit of the three important moments in the history of our humanity: Birth, Passion and Joy of the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. This great religious cultural project was attended by important personalities of Iaşi and not only, such as lyrical artists from the Romanian National Opera Iaşi, church persons from the Metropolitan Church of Moldavia and Bukovina, university professors, ethnographers, craftsmen and students. We were joined by Radio Romania Cultural Bucharest, Radio Iasi, TV Iasi, Radio “Trinitas” and “Moldova” National Museum Complex Iasi. With this important project, I also went to Austria, Vienna, to the Romanian Cultural Center and to the Republic of Moldova, to “Alecu Russo” State University Balti. Each edition presented under its generous scope, equally traditions, customs and beliefs firmly established in our soul and conscience as Romanians. The events included moments of musical art: classical musical works (lyrical, instrumental, choral), Christmas carols, Easter songs, religious poems, book launches, exhibitions of decorated eggs from the Bukovina area, exhibitions of icons, crosses, carpets woven in monasteries, ceramic objects from Horezu, wooden sculpture objects and traditional folk costumes. In addition to these, there was a CD: “Easter Triptych”.

Acquisitive Prescription in Early Modern International Law

Abstract This article examines the role of Roman acquisitive prescription in early modern international law debates. The ubiquity of prescription demonstrates the importance of Roman private law in the development of international law. Yet, although it was a widely-used juristic concept, there was no consensus about its legitimacy in international relations from 1500 to 1800. Debates raged over whether it was a product of the natural law, the law of nations, or the Roman civil law. There was a crucial tension between prescription’s utility in confirming the political status quo and its tendency to justify ownership based on prior injustice or violence. In assessing the place of prescription in international law, this article examines its use by Grotius, Vázquez, Freitas, Boecler, Conring, Bellarmine, Solórzano, and others in debates over freedom of the seas, imperial possessions in the Americas, Dutch independence, papal temporal power, and the aftermath of the Thirty Years War.

The Winter Solstice as a Roman Cultural Fingerprint from the Mythical Origins of Rome to Augustus

ABSTRACT The winter solstice shaped Rome and its landscape from the ancestral cult of Saturnus as primordial god of the Roman territory before the city’s founding to its use by Augustus as one of the signs of his multiple celestial and solar connections. The important feasts around this date are well known and, in this paper, we propose to demonstrate how some significant public monuments, possibly from the origins of Rome and certainly from during Augustus’s reign, are oriented towards the winter solstice sunrise or sunset. To demonstrate the importance and truly cultural sense of these observations we show how the solstitial orientation is dominant in the cities founded or significantly rebuilt under Augustus. The winter solstice appears then as a powerful and stable cultural marker that traverses the history of the city of Rome, links Augustus with the origins of the city as a kind of new founder – as was already known through other evidence – and connects any provincial cities with Rome to show the depth of their commitment to her as a part of a common world view.

Roman Cultures during Prehistoric Eras between Creation and Evolution

The Italian peninsula served as a dividing line between the Mediterranean's western and eastern basins, and its unique location allowed it to serve as a point of contact and meeting for the various cultural currents that converged in the Mediterranean basin, including European and African cultures from the north and south. This Mediterranean region, in which the Italian peninsula played a significant role, served as the womb in which (Rome) was conceived, followed by a sequence of beneficial changes that shaped and created the cultured Roman existence.

REFLECTIONS OF POMEGRANATE MYTHOLOGY ON FASHION DESIGN

Fruits are not only useful and delicious food sources, but also an indispensable part of socio-cultural life (Çağlıtütüncügil, 2013: 78). Since the fruits on the tree are closest to the sky (that is, to God), they are under the privilege of lords, princes and nobles. Foods grown underground, such as potatoes, which are at the bottom of the hierarchy, are considered foods suitable for the substrate. In mythology, belief traditions, holy books, and mysticism, fruits represent saying something (Naksali, 2006, XII). Thus, various beliefs about fruits were born, fruits became symbols, and the language of fruits was formed. The development of humanity has, in many respects, been tied to fruition. The pomegranate fruit has come to the fore with its iconographic meanings rather than fruit. The pomegranate has enriched its location not only with its beauty of form, but also with its symbolic values, which have historical depth and intensity of meaning, reaching legends. Historical values and motifs play an important role in carrying culture forward. The pomegranate motif has positive meanings such as fertility, abundance, love, continuity of marriage, beauty and children in all civilizations. Expressing the value of such an important motif, expanding its usage area, keeping it alive and spreading it are among the aims. The fact that the motif has not been dealt with in terms of fashion design before has been effective in the selection of the subject. In this study, the literature on the subject was searched and the meanings attributed to the pomegranate fruit in Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Vietnamese and Japanese civilizations were examined. Inspired by the image, history and mythological meanings of the pomegranate, it has also been tried to be reflected in the fashion industry. In this context, a storyboard and six clothing designs were made. The drawings were created with the procreate program. In this study, which was carried out with the logic of collection, pomegranate motifs were stylized, clothing design suggestions were presented and the clothes were made ready for production. It is thought that this study will contribute to the employees related to the subject, especially fashion designers.

High‐performing mortar‐based materials from the late imperial baths of Aquileia: An outstanding example of Roman building tradition in Northern Italy

AbstractThis study provides the first detailed insight into the composition and properties of structural mortars used in a 4th‐century AD bath complex in Aquileia, the emblematic center of Roman culture in Northern Italy. Eighteen mortars, taken from different structures of the site, and three stone samples from the vaulting opus caementicium have been analyzed adopting a multianalytical approach integrating optical microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, X‐ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy. The properties of the compounds are outstanding, as revealed by the formation of hydraulic phases (i.e., Al‐tobermorite and AFm) in most of the samples: the waterproofing capabilities of cocciopesto mortars are remarkable, as revealed by the formation of anthropogenic Al‐tobermorite (5.5 wt%) in pool coating samples; the lightweight of the vaults was guaranteed by the use of porous caementa and pozzolanic volcanic aggregates imported from the Gulf of Naples, as demonstrated by petro‐mineralogical features and chemical analysis of major and trace elements. This is the first proven case of trade in these building materials to the north of the Italian peninsula. These outcomes shed new light on the robust technical expertise of local artisans in Aquileia and indicate that the Cisalpina province was by no means a peripheral reality in the Roman Empire, as far as mortar‐based materials are concerned.

Recitindu-l pe Stahl

In this paper, I highlight mostly ignored aspects of the work of H. H. Stahl: his stance on the issue of “national specificity,” on village culture, and on the modernization of Romanian villages through “culturalization”. Reviewing some of his popularization and scientific texts from the 1930, but also his late contributions from the 1980, show a remarkable continuity and consistency of Stahl’s vision on these subjects. And it is not the kind of vision someone would expect from a socialist or Marxist social scientist. For Stahl, the village culture was the true (and unique) Romanian culture, a peasant culture that he was very fond of. In some respects, and, in fact, not so surprisingly, Stahl, what regards “national specificity” and village culture, is much closer to (the reactionary, traditionalist, autochthonous) Mircea Vulcănescu, his monographist fellow and personal friend, than any other leftist thinker in interwar Romania.

The Symbol of the Phoenix in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome and Its Transformation in Early Christianity

The presented study deals with the oldest Christian depiction of a phoenix found in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome. Since catacomb art is a narrative depiction of biblical stories, it is important to incorporate the motive of phoenix into historical context. The study performs analysis and comparison the links and connections of the phoenix symbol in pagan and Christian thought. As Christian iconography is associated with allegorical symbols, the intention is to anticipate the meaning, origin and etymology of the phoenix symbol. The article therefore summarizes how the symbol and position of the phoenix found in the catacombs evolved from Egyptian myths through Greek and Roman culture to the transformation in Christian literature and Christian thought, especially in the Gospel of John, which connects the symbol of the phoenix with the palm and Lazarus.

The Genetic Origin of Daunians and the Pan-Mediterranean Southern Italian Iron Age Context.

The geographical location and shape of Apulia, a narrow land stretching out in the sea at the South of Italy, made this region a Mediterranean crossroads connecting Western Europe and the Balkans. Such movements culminated at the beginning of the Iron Age with the Iapygian civilization which consisted of three cultures: Peucetians, Messapians, and Daunians. Among them, the Daunians left a peculiar cultural heritage, with one-of-a-kind stelae and pottery, but, despite the extensive archaeological literature, their origin has been lost to time. In order to shed light on this and to provide a genetic picture of Iron Age Southern Italy, we collected and sequenced human remains from three archaeological sites geographically located in Northern Apulia (the area historically inhabited by Daunians) and radiocarbon dated between 1157 and 275 calBCE. We find that Iron Age Apulian samples are still distant from the genetic variability of modern-day Apulians, they show a degree of genetic heterogeneity comparable with the cosmopolitan Republican and Imperial Roman civilization, even though a few kilometers and centuries separate them, and they are well inserted into the Iron Age Pan-Mediterranean genetic landscape. Our study provides for the first time a window on the genetic make-up of pre-Roman Apulia, whose increasing connectivity within the Mediterranean landscape, would have contributed to laying the foundation for modern genetic variability. In this light, the genetic profile of Daunians may be compatible with an at least partial autochthonous origin, with plausible contributions from the Balkan peninsula.

Reexamining Syncretism in Late Antique Iconography of a Vault Mosaic

Late Antiquity, third to seventh centuries, is a period recognized for the continuity and change of Roman culture despite a new religion and political instability. This continuity allowed space for syncretism: an amalgamation of different art, religion, and culture in the Empire. In the following pages, I discuss the understanding of a vault mosaic featuring a charioteer or solar figure within the necropolis in Vatican City, Rome, Italy. For this paper, I use material culture from Rome and Constantinople that dates from the first to fourth centuries in order to contextualize the mosaic with other syncretic works of art and to demonstrate multiple readings of artworks. My focus for this paper is the vault mosaic found in Tomb M, built in the second century (Figure 2). I begin with an examination of the decorative programs of the necropolis including the room with the vault mosaic. Next, I briefly investigate iconographies of the ascension to demonstrate a concern with the afterlife by different audiences. Then, I analyze visual evidence of continuity and change in meaning of imperial iconography on material culture during the reign of Constantine I (r. 306–337) to show more examples of syncretic art by a single patron. My methodological approach decenters Christianity—a point to which I will return—seeking a more accurate contextualization of Late Antique material culture.

Reclaiming the Classics for a Diverse and Global World Through OER

In the 2019–20 academic year, I redesigned a course on the classics to make both the texts and the context in which they were taught more accessible for and relevant to the predominantly female students of Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. The course was re-centered on the dialogue between the ever-evolving and diverse cultures within Greece and the Roman empire and surrounding regions such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Persia; issues caused by slavery and economic inequality; conceptions of gender roles and sexuality, race and ethnicity, and migration and citizenship; the troubling appropriation of classical motifs and texts by fascist groups in the twentieth century and some alt-right groups and sexual predators in the twenty-first century; and on recent initiatives meant to demonstrate the diversity of both Greek and Roman cultures through documentary, artistic, and archaeological evidence (particularly in the digital humanities and in museums and libraries). I also wanted to make the course close to zero cost for students and to shift to digital texts which lent themselves to interactivity and social scholarship. Our librarian, Catherine Pellegrino, obtained multi-user e-books for modern reinterpretations of classical works still in copyright. A LibreTexts grant enabled the co-authors of this article—the course instructor (and lead author) and two paid student researchers—and a team of summer-employed student collaborators to edit, footnote, and create critical introductions and student activities for various key texts for the course. Many of these texts are now hosted on the LibreTexts OER platform. Beta versions of enriched OER texts and activities were user tested in a synchronous hybrid virtual/physical classroom of twenty-five students, who were taking the course (HUST 292) in the fall semester of 2020.

Once More about the Silver Orant from Gardun

The silver figurine of orant from Gardun (ancient Tilurium) was acquired for the Archaeological Museum in Split in 1886. From the first publication on it to date, it has been dated and attributed differently in the literature. L. Jelić (1894) assumed that the figurine originates from the early Christian era, Th. Klauser (1959) thought it was a Roman cult pagan figurine, and M. Nikolanci (1989) thought that it displays the priest of Izida, or some other oriental cult. N. Cambi (2007) has designated it as an Italic-Etruscan ritual sculpture, and I labeled it as an early Byzantine Christian product (2007). Here, I argue that none of the previous opinions is acceptable since this figurine is actually a forgery made by blacksmith Petar Pezelj in the surroundings of Trilj in the last decades of the 19th century.

Teaching Latin language and Roman culture as a journey from present to past: an action research project at a secondary classroom

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate whether, by activities designed as a journey from present to past, students will gain an in-depth knowledge of Roman culture and civilisation, proving interest in them, and a better understanding of the contemporaneity and the community they are living in. Latin language and Roman culture are the basis of the European culture, and this subject is often perceived by students as useless, currently, because Latin is a dead language and Roman culture seems to be too far from their reality. I believe that it is necessary for students to have knowledge of the Latin language and Roman culture not only to know what was before them, but also to gain a better understanding of the world in which they live through the studying of this subject.