Early Roman Research Articles

Early Roman Pottery Groups from the Central Sector of the Late Roman City at Histria

Articolul prezintă patru contexte ceramice de epocă romană timpurie provenind din sondajele efectuate în sectorul central al cetăţii romane târzii pentru identificarea Bazilicii C, anterioare bazilicii episcopale din sec. VI. Acestea surprind cel puţin două momente cronologice : contextul 1 datează de la sfârşitul sec. I a. Chr. şi prima jumătate a sec. I p. Chr. ; acest prim context oferă un bun terminus post quem pentru contextele 2– 4, care aparţin unor structuri de locuire databile în a doua jumătate a sec. I şi în prima jumătate a sec. II p. Chr. Loturile ceramice analizate pot contribui pe viitor la nuanţarea cronologiei primelor secole ale epocii romane de la Histria (fazele I A şi I B).

Rhetorical Humanism vs. Object-Oriented Ontology: The Ethics of Archimedean Points and Levers

Archimedes of Syracuse has long provided a touchstone for considering how we make and acquire knowledge. Since the early Roman chroniclers of Archimedes’ life, and especially intensively since Descartes, scholars have described, sought, or derided the Archimedean point, defining and redefining its epistemic role. “Knowledge,” at least within modernity, is rhetorically tied to the figure of the Archimedean point, a place somewhere outside a regular and constrained world of experience. If this figure still leads to useful ways of thinking about knowing, we are left with the question of how different modes of making knowledge approach their “Archimedean” points. The question is especially important today as a renewed ontological enthusiasm sweeps through humanities disciplines that have grown wary, perhaps rightly, of epistemological skepticism. I distinguish here between epistemic approaches that focus on the firm ground of the Archimedean point, offering certitude a la Descartes, and approaches more oriented, like Archimedes himself, toward assemblages where “knower,” point, and lever are mutually implied. These approaches, elaborated in more detail below, comprise two opposing epistemic styles: a lever-oriented approach tends to foster an uncertainty with positive ethico-political implications and a point-oriented approach tends to foreclose it. Starting from the (contingent) assumption that our figuring is rhetorical all the way down, I describe these contrasting approaches as epistemic styles in order to highlight that who we are is at stake in how we think we know—even when we claim to sidestep epistemology altogether—and that in the entanglement of who we are and how we know, we owe much to all our others. Toward a New Rhetorical Humanism It is, at any rate, not the case that all styles of knowledge-making involve searches for an outside view of things or for firmness and cer tainty, to take two common ways of thinking about Archimedean points. Since antiquity, rhetorical theorists have regarded knowledge-making as the collection and examination of contingent points and effective levers,

Evolución urbana de un sector de la ciudad de Tortosa durante la Antigüedad: intervenciones arqueológicas en la calle de Sant Domènech

The study of the ancient past of the city of Tortosa suffers from a delay of several decades in comparison with other cities with a similar heritage. In order to mitigate that lack, the Seminari de Protohistoria i Arqueologia (GRESEPIA) de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, of Tarragona, has been leading a research project that has provided very interesting results, particulary from the archaeological excavations carried out in Sant Domenech street in Tortosa. In this area of the old part of the city, two graves belonging to an extensive late Roman necropolis have been discovered, as well as several early Roman walls and, what is more significant, the remains of an iberian fortification. The discovery of this fortification confirms the long-speculated presence of an important pre-roman oppidum at the top of the Zuda hill, in the middle of the old part of the city.

The Riba Conundrum: The Ethical Appeal of Islamic Banking

The rule of Islam is simple: if you advance a loan, you are entitled to receive your capital only and nothing more. If you wish to secure profit you should enter into a partnership and become a shareholder. Prohibitions against interest are not peculiar to Islam. If we were to trace back through history, a number of examples of such prohibitions can be found in the early Greek, Roman and Rabinnical thought. As a consequence of the decline of the influence of the Catholic Church and the Jewish aphorism that the taking of interest from gentiles is a commendable practice, laws were subsequently drafted for legalizing interest transactions. As a result, industrial, financial and commercial power become concentrated in the hands of giant Western corporations and a worldwide dominance of capitalist imperialism followed. This practice has created widespread acceptance of the practice of charging interest (usury) and has dominated Western law and ethics for over a millennium. But, the Western or capitalist economic system has proven a failure in its quest for economic justice, which serves to benefit all in society, both the rich and the poor. In particular, capitalism is currently causing a terrifying scenario of making the rich richer and the poor poorer due to interest charges. The fundamental motivation for the paper is to examine whether an alternative banking or economic system could contribute in alleviating the global financial crisis we face. This alternative banking model is to rest on social justice. It is necessary to reassert that this banking system is based on the avoidance of all forms of financial exploitation and on having as its principal object the combined purpose of the creation of wealth and the alleviation of poverty.

Skjoldbuler – offer og symbol Ritualer, kosmologi og magt i skandinavisk jernalder

Shield bosses – offerings and symbols – Rituals, cosmology and power in Iron Age ScandinaviaThe South Scandinavian war booty offerings, which date from the Roman and Germanic Iron Ages, contain thousands of weapons and other military objects. Many of these have been intentionally damaged using remarkable force and in strange ways. The focus of this article is on the destruction of weapons and the aim is to reach an understanding of this phenomenon in the light of the social structure in the Iron Age.Of the 32 bronze shield bosses recovered from Illerup Ådal, eight have been broken using the butt of an axe head (figs. 2-4). The axes from Illerup are also quite damaged and it appears as if they have been used to destroy many hundreds of objects. Some of the imprints seen on the bronze shield bosses even match the dimensions of the axe butts (figs. 1 and 5). There appears to be some consistency in the manner in which the shield bosses were damaged even though they belong to two different stages of the offering site. This could result from a fixed ritual method of destroying shield bosses. It is also possible that only a few individuals participated in the destruction of these objects, because the ways in which the shield bosses have been broken are very similar.It is remarkable that the implements used to destroy shield bosses and weapons in the war booty offerings were other weapons. This could be due to a belief in personification of weapons/objects, such that they represented the warriors to whom they had belonged.There is also a peculiar absence of items in the finds from the Illerup site. Many of the axes that must have been used to destroy the shield bosses have not been recovered. In only six instances out of 12 has it been possible to find an axe that matches the dimensions of the distinct square impressions seen on the shield bosses. Other items and fragments are also missing. It is concluded here that the missing objects could have been taken to other locations or given as gifts to princes or warlords, possibly in connection with the creation of alliances.The Early Roman Iron Age was a period of great unrest as new and old elites fought for power. This is why the alliances were so important. As a consequence of this new social and economic organisation, warriors were now employed full time by the elite. It is therefore only natural that war, warrior identity and weapons were also dominant concepts in religious life. This can be seen in the finds recovered from war booty offerings, graves, central places etc. Central places appear to take over the role of religious centres after the war booty offerings ended. Votive activity appears to have become more institutionalised during the period when the war booty sacrifices flourished. Subsequently, this became particularly pronounced and participation may have been reserved for the select few. This reflects the fact that the elite had now established their right to the power and had no longer a need to compete openly.Anni Pind NielsenHedensted

The Grain Distribution and the Political Communication in the Later Roman Republic and the Early Roman Empire

The Grain Distribution and the Political Communication in the Later Roman Republic and the Early Roman Empire

From Hispania Tarraconensis (NE Spain) to Gallia Narbonensis (S France). New data on Pascual 1 amphora trade in the Augustan period

The importance of wine trade between Roman provinces in the North-Western Mediterranean during the Augustan period is evidenced by several shipwrecks found along the coasts of Catalunya and Southern France. Among them are the Cap del Vol (Port de la Selva) and Els Ullastres (Palafrugell) shipwrecks, located near the northern coast of Catalunya, which are supposed to trade wine in Pascual 1 amphorae from Hispania Tarraconensis to Gallia Narbonensis. Type Pascual 1 was the most widely produced and the one that lasted longer among the amphorae used to transport Tarraconensis wine.In the framework of our recent research on inter-provincial maritime trade in the Early Roman Empire, we will present the results of the archaeometric study of 40 Pascual 1 amphorae from the two shipwrecks, aimed at identifying the workshops of origin within the Tarraconensis province. Provenance investigation was based on chemical analysis by XRF and thin section analysis. Besides, XRD and SEM–EDS analyses were also carried out in order to identify secondary mineral phases and alteration processes taking place during deposition in the maritime environment, which must be considered to establish valid chemical reference groups. The results have been compared with the large analytical database on amphora productions from many workshops of the Tarraconensis province available at the ERAAUB.The archaeometric study revealed that Pascual 1 amphorae from both shipwrecks were produced in specific workshops placed on the Central Catalan coast, near the main Roman cities of Baetulo (Badalona) and Iluro (Mataró). This result points to the important role of these two cities in the economic expansion of Tarraconensis during the Augustan period.

The pilgrimage economy of Early Roman Jerusalem (1st century BCE–70 CE) reconstructed from the δ15N and δ13C values of goat and sheep remains

Religious and historical sources suggest that pilgrimage formed a major source of Jerusalem's economy during the Early Roman period due to the Temple's role as a religious and judicial center for the Jewish diaspora. Until now, this assertion has been supported by little material evidence. In this study, the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of local arcahaeological and, modern wild herbivores from known environments were used to determine the environmental origins of domesticated sheep and goat that were traded and consumed in Early Roman Jerusalem. Pinpointing the environmental origins of these herd animals can determine if they were raised in specialized farms in the vicinity of Jerusalem, brought to the city by local pilgrims, or were part of organized importation of sacrifice animals from desert regions that lie beyond the boundaries of the province of Judea. The results indicate that at minimum 37% of the goat and sheep consumed in Jerusalem during the Early Roman period were brought from desert regions. The inter-provincial importation of animals to Jerusalem to meet high demands for sacrifice by pilgrims is the first material evidence for large scale economic specialization in the city. Furthermore, the results imply that desert animals were further marketed for domestic use in contemporaneous farm sites out of Jerusalem.

The making of infants in Hellenistic and early Roman Italy: a votive perspective

Votive deposits from Hellenistic and early Roman central Italy provide valuable evidence for the genuine concerns, fears and hopes of contemporary communities, including experiences and understandings of pregnancy, childbirth and infancy. This paper examines two types of terracotta votive – models of human uteri and swaddled infants – in order to elucidate the significance of the social and religious beginnings of life in ancient Italy. In particular, the study addresses the manner in which these states of being were perceived and produced by both parents and society at large through the treatment of the unborn/newborn body and its representation in the sanctuary.

Introduction

James Allen Smith Introduction PHILANTHROPIC GIVING, W H IC H IS NOMINALLY AN IND IVIDUAL ’S private decision, is nonetheless intertwined in public policies. This has been the case for millennia. Charitable corporations, trusts, testa­ mentary transfers of property, and regulatory oversight of charities are part of a long legal history. For the Western world, the story begins in antiquity, traversing both early Roman and later Byzantine law. Legal developments accelerated in the late Middle Ages, when last wills and testaments were used to secure property transfers to religious entities and when diverse rights and privileges were bestowed on charitable corporations. Statutes in Elizabethan England, most notably the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses, sought to reform charitable activity, defin­ ing the acceptable roles for charitable trusts and creating mechanisms for overseeing charitable entities. For Americans this legal history is worth recalling. It reminds us of both continuity and change in the definitions of public benefit. It shows how diverse regulatory regimes have sought to protect charita­ ble gifts from misappropriation and abuse. And it hints at the range of motivations that have shaped gift-giving practices. While this legal inheritance is a venerable one, tax policy has been the principal mechanism for regulating charitable activity in the United States. The charitable deduction has been embedded in the federal tax code since shortly after the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment and the Revenue Act of 1913, which established the income tax. In 1917 legisla­ tion was passed allowing charitable deductions from income; in 1919 estates were also permitted to take charitable deductions. Subsequent tax reforms, especially the Tax Reform Act of 1969, have shaped the regu­ latory regime under which the US charitable sector operates. social research Vol. 80 : No. 2 : Summer 2013 513 The three papers in this section explore public policy and charita­ ble motivations. Two are concerned explicitly with the implications of tax policy, while one examines religious motivations and our traditions of religious freedom. All three papers ask in what ways policies have created incentives for givers to meet the needs of others. Jon Bakija’s economic analysis, like Rob Reich’s, concludes that tax incentives do tend to encourage charitable donations, especially among those with high incomes. Both papers are also concerned with the costs to the state of subsidizing private donations. Bakija focuses on ways to determine the optimal tax subsidy, while Reich moves beyond the questions of how much and how effective the subsidy is to a consid­ eration of how the subsidy can be justified in a democratic society. Reich finds that the m echanism for encouraging charitable contributions—the tax deduction—has a “plutocratic bias.” It is more valuable to those in high-income brackets than to those with less income. Moreover, if the test of charitable giving is providing for the needs of others, the charitable deduction fails to meet that test. Most philanthropy is not targeted to help the needy and is, thus, only mini­ mally redistributive. Concluding that American philanthropy is not necessarily aimed at caring for the needs of strangers, Reich argues that it is “about protecting and promoting a flourishing and pluralistic associational sphere or civil society.” Lew Daly’s paper turns its attention away from economic motiva­ tions to much older religious rationales for charity. Pluralistic religious values, which have come to the fore in recent decades in the United States through various “faith-based” social initiatives, have sometimes been difficult to accommodate with broader policy goals. W hen reli­ gious organizations have received federal funding and participated in the provision of social welfare services, secular aims and religious values have come into conflict. Collaboration between church and state has thus raised new issues of religious freedom. While individual freedom of religion and belief is not challenged, the institutional and collective freedom of religious bodies is at issue when those entities choose to participate in the provision of state-funded social services. 514 social research Daly reminds us that this is “a very new story about very old ideas.” He takes us back to the debates in the aftermath of the French Revolution over the role of religious associations, trade guilds, and other corporate bodies and...

The Afterlife of the Cesi Garden

One of the most celebrated gardens in early modern Rome was built by Cardinal Federico Cesi (d. 1565) near St. Peter’s Basilica. Earlier studies of the site have concentrated on the famous sixteenth-century antiquities collection displayed in the garden. The Afterlife of the Cesi Garden: Family Identity, Politics, and Memory in Early Modern Rome shifts the scholarly focus to also examine the changing appearance, functions, and the broader social, political, and economic significance of the garden for the Cesi family and for the city of Rome over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Through a close analysis of visual evidence, unpublished archival documents, and a plan of the garden by the architect Giovanni Battista Contini (d. 1723), Katherine M. Bentz demonstrates that the long post-Renaissance afterlife of the Cesi Garden reveals the ways in which politics shaped specific urban environments in Rome, how aristocratic Romans considered and used gardens over generations, and the vital and symbolic role that the garden played for centuries.

The Art of Partimento: History, Theory, Practice by Giorgio Sanguinetti (review)

INSTRUMENTS AND PERFORMANCE The Art of Partimento: History, Theory, Practice. By Giorgio Sanguinetti. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. [xiii, 385 p. ISBN 9780195394207. $49.95]. Music examples, bibliography, index, companion Web site.The subject of partimento practices, which came to prominence in the Neapolitan compositional school during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, has received considerable scholarly attention in the twenty-first century. Beginning in 2004 with Florian Grampp's four-part series of articles under the general title Partimenti-Musik fur Generalbass solo in Concerto: Das Magazin fur Alte Musik (I: Johann Matthesons Grose Generalbass-Schule, 21, no. 193: 23-29; II: Romische Quellen zur Partimento-Praxis, 21, no. 194: 23-27; III: Zur neapolitanischen Partimento-Tradition, 21, no. 196: 26-27; IV: Solistischer Generalbass in Nord-und Mitteldeutschland, 22, no. 199: 32-35), variety of topics pertaining to these practices and their influence on composers and pedagogues in Italy-and, indeed, throughout Europe-have been the subject of earnest investigation. Sanguinetti's effort in this area offers new and valuable insights into the historical background of this tradition; further, the book explores the theoretical implications of these practices, and guides the interested reader in the complex art of realizing partimento line as well.The book is divided into four large sections, with part 1 offering history of the tradition. In chapter 2, Sanguinetti presents basic definition: A partimento is sketch, written on single staff, whose main purpose is to be guide for improvisation of composition at the (p. 14). Partimenti were originally conceived as an alternative form of notation; early references to this term treat it as synonym for continuo. Indeed, Sanguinetti points out the superficial resemblance of partimenti to basso seguente keyboard parts, noting this important distinction: basso seguente part represents a synthesis of an existing composition, while partimento is plan for composition not yet in existence (p. 11). Out of this notational practice arose strong tradition of partimenti as pedagogical tools, method by which the Neapolitan masters could pass along information on variety of musical matters-realization of unfigured basses, continuo playing, rules for improvisation, contrapuntal principles, etc.-in concise and orderly manner.Chapter 3 presents thoroughgoing exploration of the history of partimento practices in Italy. Precursors to this tradition are examined, from the early uses of basso continuo, as outlined by Adriano Banchieri in his 1611 treatise L'organo suono, to the early Roman partimenti of Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710) and, perhaps most significantly, Alessandro Scarlatti. While working in Rome, Scarlatti was student of Pasquini. Sanguinetti cites the connection between these two composers as central to the development of the partimento as both an art form and pedagogical device based on improvisation, tradition that Scarlatti would take with him when he returned to Naples in 1715 to resume his duties there, which included teaching.It is in Naples that the partimento achieved its greatest impact as an instructional device for communicating the principles of composition. Sanguinetti offers reappraisal of the idea of Neapolitan school of composition in chapter 4, and suggests that, since the influence of its adherents had such widespread effect, it might be more appropriate to speak of European school (p. 31). His subsequent outline of the history of the Neapolitan conservatories provides an excellent background for his description of the teaching methods found therein. Chapter 5 gives us synopsis of the pedagogical practices of these institutions, which emphasized the learning of basic bass schemata fused with the study of counterpoint. Both disciplines were necessary to the ultimate goal of fugal composition. …

Cynophagia in the Púchov (Celtic) Culture Settlement at Liptovská Mara, Northern Slovakia

AbstractThis paper deals with the remains of butchered dogs from the La Tène and Early Roman sites in northern Slovakia. A large settlement revealed at Liptovská Mara was inhabited by the Celtic tribe of Cotini, representing the so‐called Púchov culture. The long‐term excavation of the site has yielded one of the largest collections from that time in Slovakia. During archaeozoological analysis, the skeletal remains of dogs were identified. Interestingly, a large portion of the specimens represent the cranial skeleton, and the majority of mandibles bear distinctive marks of butchery. On the basis of their placement and similar characteristics, the authors conclude that they resulted from tongue‐removal procedures. Moreover, their frequent occurrence clearly supports the idea of the use of dog flesh at the site. The authors argue that cynophagia occurred mainly for economic reasons; however, it might also have been part of the rituals documented in the sanctuary of Liptovská Mara. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kim Butler Wingfield. Review of "Rethinking the High Renaissance: The Culture of the Visual Arts in Early Sixteenth-Century Rome" by Jill Burke.

Kim Butler Wingfield. Review of "Rethinking the High Renaissance: The Culture of the Visual Arts in Early Sixteenth-Century Rome" by Jill Burke.

Not with Eloquent Wisdom: Democratic Ekklēsia Discourse in 1 Corinthians 1–4

For the most part, scholars have disregarded the influence of the democratic, civic ekklēsia on Paul’s discussion over speech and wisdom in 1 Cor. 1–4. Yet the notion of the civic ekklēsia served as a source of practice, identity and democratic discourse in the early Roman Empire. Moreover, speech proved to be a critical topos of democratic rhetoric, a topos structuring the nature of citizen participation and leadership in the ekklēsia context. Reading 1 Cor. 1–4 in light of ekklēsia discourse provides new insights into Paul’s rhetoric as designed to establish his authority by negotiating with a community that understood itself as a powerful, democratic assembly.

Tracing settlement patterns in late antique Mallorca (Balearic islands): a field survey in the eastern territories

The paper presents the results of a field survey in the eastern part of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) undertaken in order to better understand settlement patterns in the Late Antique period. The results show a shift in the forms and nature of the occupation of the countryside in Late Antiquity between the Roman period and the Muslim conquest of the island at the beginning of the tenth century. An important decrease in the number of rural sites is evident in the 3rd and 4th centuries, perhaps the result of a concentration of the property. The end of the established villa settlement pattern probably occurs in the mid/late 5th century, and in the 6th century. This coincides with an increase in the number of smaller sites, creating a network of settlements, which include the reoccupation of old prehistoric and early Roman sites, the continuity of some large farms or villas and the creation of a small number of sites ex novo.

Beginnings of Monasticism on Central Dalmatian Islands - Problems and perspectives

Despite early references to hermits and monasteries on the Dalmatian islands, it is not easy to confirm their existence in the area of Central Dalmatia during the Early Christian period and the Early Middle Ages. This article attempts to highlight the issue of monasticism on the islands of Central Dalmatia from several aspects: 1. establishing a connection between monasteries and caves which, after local tradition, late medieval sources and toponyms were inhabited by hermits; 2. defining certain characteristic features of island monasteries; 3. problems of continuity from earlier Roman sites to monasteries, and from Early Christian basilicas to medieval monasteries. This does not give the whole picture of the early phases of island monasticism but gives some insight into the absence of reliable documents for some locations, and of wider archaeological investigations which could chronologically place and define those locations in the context of monasticism.

Urban geoarchaeology and environmental history at the Lost City of the Pyramids, Giza: synthesis and review

Sediment accretion in ancient urban sites and tells records a combination of cultural and geomorphic processes. Urban geoarchaeology is focused on site accumulation, collapse, weathering and erosion, as constrained by architectural plans and structures. These may document settlement growth and decay, as well as environmental history, posing a multidisciplinary challenge of interactive and fluctuating processes.Part of a World Heritage site, the Lost City of the Pyramids (Heit el-Ghurab), at the desert and floodplain margins of Giza, was centered on a Workmen's Town that channeled the roles of seasonal workmen, artisans, and administrators during construction of the Menkaure Pyramid and preparation of the funerary cult for that pharaoh (∼2532–2503 BCE). Built across a normally dry wadi course, the site was badly chosen and vulnerable to a coeval high-amplitude precipitation anomaly of perhaps 120 yr, during which mudbrick meltdown, catastrophic flash floods, and mass-movements destroyed the royal complex of mudbrick galleries, workshops and bread-making kilns once every 4 years or so. In addition, thick alluvial fans advanced 1 km or more across the Nile floodplain, before dissection was initiated by downcutting channels. Despite this dynamic environmental history, the site was repeatedly rebuilt and ruined, with structural and human consequences.This Old Kingdom (Dynasty 4) paleoclimatic anomaly did not however support a significant improvement of Saharan ecology, and summer monsoonal rains never extended this far north (30°N). Such a destructive period of extreme precipitation is novel for the Holocene record of the NE Sahara, and requires a synoptic explanation in the mid-latitude jet stream, rather than the tropical monsoonal circulation, to contradict current theoretical expectations. This anomaly was repeated on a subdued scale during the Early Middle Ages. Nile floods did not impinge upon the site during Old Kingdom times, but were demonstrably higher ∼700 BCE, and again during Early Roman or Coptic times.Residual subdisciplinary problems are identified and explicitly discussed in terms of the strategies and structure of multidisciplinary investigation.

The empire of the self: self-command and political speech in Seneca and Petronius

In Empire of the Self, Christopher Star studies the question of how political reality affects the concepts of body, soul, and self. Star argues that during the early Roman Empire the establishment of autocracy and the development of a universal ideal of individual autonomy were mutually enhancing phenomena. The Stoic ideal of individual empire or complete self-command is a major theme of Seneca's philosophical works. The problematic consequences of this ideal are explored in Seneca's dramatic and satirical works, as well as in the novel of his contemporary, Petronius. Star examines the rhetorical links between these diverse texts. He also demonstrates a significant point of contact between two writers generally thought to be antagonists - the idea that imperial speech structures reveal the self.

Statistics in Ancient History

This paper uses new data to extend the argument that there was an integrated wheat market in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. I explore the meaning of randomness when data are scarce, and I investigate how we recreate the nature of ancient societies by asking new questions that stimulate the discovery of more information. The case for a prosperous Roman society extending the length of the Mediterranean Sea is strong. This paper draws on and extends work reported in my new book: The Roman Market Economy (Princeton, 2013).