Hellenistic Times Research Articles

Some anthropological characteristics of ancient (according to fine art sources) and modern Greeks

Introduction. Greek sculpture and vase painting, despite the comprehensive study of specialists in many fields of science, can represent a source of information for historical and biological anthropology. The vase painting and sculpture of the ancient Greeks has been studied in the context of ethnic and biological continuity with the modern Greek population. Materials and methods. A total of 1020 vases (2379 people) and 174 reliefs (300 people) were studied. Two characteristics were studied – the development of tertiary hair growth (beard growth) and the nature of the head hair of ancient and modern Greeks. The material was collected from online sources and relevant literature, and processed according to anthropological methods. The composite portrait according to F. Galton method in digital format has been used to visualize morphological variability. Results and discussion. Modern Greeks (the middle total type of the population) are characterized by straight or lightly wavy head hair (middle score 1.41) and most often above middle or heavy beard growth (middle score 3.38). The proportion of straight and wavy hair in all vase painting samples is approximately the same, with wavy hair significantly predominant. The middle scores for hair nature and beard growth based on relief funeral images of ancient Greeks in our samples turned out to be significantly higher than for modern Greeks and amounted to: for nature of the hair – 2,62 points for classical time and 2,81 points for late classical and hellenistic times, for beard growth – 4,38 points and 4,30 points, respectively. Conclusion. Despite the change in artistic forms of conveying morphological features during the transition from archaic to classical times, in Greek vase painting and sculpture the representation of the heavy beard growth and the wavy nature of head hair was preserved, which, according to the authors, may be a real reflection of the typical morphological characteristics of the group.

Die Herakles-Kentauren-Gruppe

The bronze candelabrum found in 1896 during the Austrian excavations in the ›Marble Hall‹ of the Harbour Gymnasium in Ephesus, which shows a group with two persons—Herakles fighting with a Centaur—in front of a tree, has been part of the collection of antiquities of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna since the end of the 19th century. In the course of recent research, questions concerning the history of the find and the object, technical aspects and modern restoration measures, as well as the dating and the original context of the installation were addressed. Scientific analyses were carried out, which helped to identify one of three other fragments present, a horse’s front hoof, as belonging to the group. A second human foot and a horse hind leg indicate that there was a second group of the same size. This one, however, was not quite identical as assumed in previous research, but probably showed a similar motif—maybe the hero kneeling on the centaur. Stylistic and technical aspects point to a dating in late Hellenistic times, in the middle of the 1st century BC, and eventually to a workshop in Alexandria. It is therefore possible that this is the oldest preserved bronze candelabrum of this form.

Reconstructing palaeogeography and landscapes around the ancient Greek colony of Abdera (Thrace, NE gr.): an integrated remote sensing approach

ABSTRACT We developed a multi-source, integrated remote sensing approach to characterize the geomorphological features of the alluvial and coastal lowlands around the ancient Abdera (coastal Thrace, Gr.). By combining multi-temporal composites of satellite imagery, DEM-derived products, orthophotography, and different cartographic resources, more than 1000 linear km of ancient landforms have been identified and mapped. When crossed with archaeological and historical data, our results allowed to propose a reconstruction of the palaeogeographic evolution and geomorphological dynamics in the eastern lobe of the Nestos Delta, the Kosynthos plain, Lake Vistonida and the Porto Lagos coast since the Antiquity. Our results suggest that the delta developed mainly between Hellenistic times and the Late Antiquity, when it had reached a shape similar to the current. Most of the large palaeochannels visible in the delta seem to be Nestos’ short-lived avulsions occurring in late Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Eastwards progradation of the Kosynthos plain, especially during Byzantine and Ottoman periods and accelerating in the 20th c. due to river channelization, was the main cause of the silting and a significant size reduction of Lake Vistonida since the Antiquity. Lake Lafra was also partially silted in late Byzantine and Ottoman times, likely due to the sedimentary discharge of the Kosynthos after a change in its course. By contrast, other lagoons and wetlands in the coast of Porto Lagos seem relatively stable in the last millennia with only minor silting and coastline progradation. Further geomorphological and geoarchaeological research in the area will allow to draw more precisely long-term interaction of past societies with environmental dynamics and resulting landscape change.

Intertemporal Memories of a Shifting Unity

In ancient Greece, a metropolis and its apoikiai constituted a form of kinship unity. In Thucydides’ view, at least in his era, particular bonds of kinship connected the Corinthian apoikiai on, or in the vicinity of, the Ambracian Gulf with Corinth itself, and literary tradition endowed Ambracia, Leucas and Anactorion with a special cultural unity. Modern research ranging over political institutions, foreign policy, ideology, economic factors, cults, myths, calendar and burial customs has shown that these poleis regarded themselves as members of a Corinthian colonial family. Initially highly dependent on Corinthian policy during the archaic period, by the end of this period the western apoikiai had admittedly begun to diverge from a Corinthian-centred economy and to move away from Corinthian traditions. Internal social diversification also caused these poleis to move away from Corinthian institutions and habits. Nevertheless, despite various political fluctuations, western Corinthian apoikiai remained within the Corinthian sphere of influence and after Timoleon’s campaign they revived old Corinthian traditions and institutions. Indeed, other Greeks of late classical times regarded the citizens of these poleis as if they were indeed Corinthians. The area remained under Corinthian economic influence throughout Hellenistic times and memories of affinities with and ties to Corinth survived in her apoikiai. Lastly, Hellenistic monarchs and even Augustus himself took advantage of the peculiar Corinthian identity of these apoikiai for their own ends.

Plato or Moses? The Use of the Antiquity Argument in Hellenistic Jewish Writings

ABSTRACT In antiquity, apologetic defences often included appeals to an ancient past. Fundamental to the ancient mind was a notion that favoured primitive wisdom over contemporary culture, antiquity over novel discoveries. In the ongoing clashes between cultures and ethnicities which signified the Hellenistic era, this notion was often combined with a competitive search for communal recognition and validity. This article offers a survey of Jewish authors in Hellenistic times, who engaged in this battle for old age. The article shows how various Jewish writers employed the antiquity argument through comparative historiography, in which they traced the roots of civilization to ancient heroes of Israel. The article ends with a discussion on the logic, structure, and purpose of the antiquity argument.

Villaggi, fortezze, ‘città’: vivere in Armenia e dintorni nell’Età del Bronzo e del Ferro

This article aims to provide a general overview of settlement patterns in Armenia and neighbouring areas from the Early Bronze Age to Early Hellenistic times. The southern Caucasus presents unique features. For those approaching the subject for the first time, this paper aims to summarise the primary evidence for the development and transformation of the human landscape. Starting from the 4th millennium BC, it is possible to trace the outlines of a general process of sedentarisation of communities on the highlands, which took different forms and characteristics. Mobile villages dominated the Bronze Age settlement structure. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the highlands were characterised by a general development of fortified settlements, generally referred to as ‘cyclopean fortresses’, which will also be one of the main features of the later Kingdom of Urartu. Following the two centuries of Achaemenid rule, with its elusive settlement pattern, the last centuries of the 1st millennium saw the spread of Greek culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great and his successors. With the creation of large urban sites based on Hellenistic models, the concept and structure of the Mediterranean city spread across Armenia and adjacent areas.

Villaggi, fortezze, ‘città’: vivere in Armenia e dintorni nell’Età del Bronzo e del Ferro

This article aims to provide a general overview of settlement patterns in Armenia and neighbouring areas from the Early Bronze Age to Early Hellenistic times. The southern Caucasus presents unique features. For those approaching the subject for the first time, this paper aims to summarise the primary evidence for the development and transformation of the human landscape. Starting from the 4th millennium BC, it is possible to trace the outlines of a general process of sedentarisation of communities on the highlands, which took different forms and characteristics. Mobile villages dominated the Bronze Age settlement structure. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the highlands were characterised by a general development of fortified settlements, generally referred to as ‘cyclopean fortresses’, which will also be one of the main features of the later Kingdom of Urartu. Following the two centuries of Achaemenid rule, with its elusive settlement pattern, the last centuries of the 1st millennium saw the spread of Greek culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great and his successors. With the creation of large urban sites based on Hellenistic models, the concept and structure of the Mediterranean city spread across Armenia and adjacent areas.

ΚΑΤΕΣΚΑΨΑΝ ΙΕΡΑΠΥΤΝΙΟΙ: THE DESTRUCTION OF POLITICAL COMMUNITIES IN THE SECOND CENTURY BC AND THE RESILIENCE OF THE CRETAN POLIS

Recently there has been a revival of interest in both the historical and archaeological dimensions of the destruction of cities. The destruction of the principal settlement of a polis is one thing, the effective eradication of the political community quite another. What did it take to destroy a political community? The historical record is full of references to destructions of one polis by another in late Classical to Hellenistic times in Crete. And though not all of these destructions led to the end of the political community in question, some did, and between the Classical period (where we know of 49 poleis) and the Roman conquest of Metellus (where we know of only 24) the numbers of Cretan poleis were drastically reduced. The destruction of Praisos by Hierapytna between 145 and 140 BC (Strabo 10.4.12) was one such case. This seems to form part of a horizon of destructions (of Dreros, Apollonia and Phaistos) that took place between 200 and 140 BC. Florence Gaignerot-Driessen has demonstrated that there is a clear ritual dimension to this in the case of Dreros, a dimension indicated elsewhere by the use of the verb κατέσκαψαν. Excavations at Praisos have shed light on this question. This paper argues that, while there is no evidence for a widespread destruction by fire, there is clear evidence for the ending of Praisian sanctuaries and the forced abandonment of houses and (most intriguingly) the abandonment of large storage vessels. A particular archaeological ‘signature’ of these abandonments, evident at Dreros, Phaistos and Praisos, is the abandonment of the ‘household pithos’, which in many cases seem to be older than the houses in which they have been found. The paper also argues that these archaeological signatures of what had to be destroyed in order to eradicate a political community in turn shed light on what made this particular form of ‘citizen state’ so resilient.

Colonia und Ekklesia

Abstract While few today argue that Jerusalem and Pauline Christ groups chose ekklesia to distance themselves from Jewish synagogues, scholars still debate the background and meaning of this self-designation. After a concise review of the scholarly debate the article asks what one can learn from Paul’s correspondence with the Christ group in Philippi. While Paul does not address the Philippians as an ekklesia in Phil 1:1–2, he nonetheless calls them ekklesia in Phil 4:15. Yet, the city’s ekklesia of Hellenistic times was a Latin colonia after the battle at Philippi in 42 BCE. In Paul’s time, the city was ruled by a tiny Latin-speaking elite of Italian families. It is argued that by manifold allusions to political practice and language Paul recurs to the democratic traditions of the expropriated and disfranchised Greeks that were moved to the outskirts and vincula of the area.

Орфическая Аргонавтика

The publication presents a literary translation of the late Antique poem “Orphic Argonautica”, approximately dating from the 4th –5th centuries AD. This is a pseudepigraph, the author of which deliberately hid his name by signing the poem with the name of the mythical singer Orpheus. Along with the “Lithica”, the “Orphic Argonautica” is one of the two epic poems included in the corpus of orphic texts. From other versions of the epic on the plot of the myth about the Argonauts, it differs in length, being shorter, and in the special emphasis on the role of the ‘author’ and narrator, Orpheus; with attention to the sacred rites that he performs and with the description of the path itself. The love story of Jason and Medea, unlike other poems, is consigned to the periphery. In addition to the predictable coincidences with the “Argonautica”by Apollonius of Rhodes, in the “Orphic Argonautica” some intersections can be seen with the Latin epic poems: “Argonautica”: by Valerius Flaccus and “Punica”: by Silius Italicus, although the author can be not familiar with them he uses the same sources. The second part of the poem is of the greatest interest, in which the periplus of Northern Europe is given. The author follows the version of Timaeus from Tauromenium (4th century BC), according to which the Argonauts returned from Colchis through the Tanais, northern rivers and Ocean, and, having rounded Western Europe, entered the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, he uses other geographical sources of Hellenistic time, thanks to which the narrative is basically plausible and testifies to the acquaintance of the Greeks with the northern sea routes. The literary merits of the poem are traditionally underestimated by scholars, but such an assessment is largely biased: the author pursues his own goals and chooses literary means in relation to them.

La dedica di Axios e Kapo ad Artemide Nanaia e il Phosphorion del Pireo

Dedication of Axios and Kapo to Artemis Nanaia and the Phosphorion of Piraeus Nanaia is a Babylonian deity who was associated with Artemis in Hellenistic times. She is identified as a moon goddess as well as a deity of love and war, and as a protector of the sovereign and the country. The reason behind the assimilation between this oriental deity and Artemis lay in the commonality of functions between the two. The presence of a goddess called Artemis Nanaia is attested in Attica by an inscription found at Piraeus which is the only testimony of the presence of this cult in Greece. Like the goddess Nanaia, Artemis was a moon goddess, identified as a protector of political order. This function in Attica is expressed by the adjective Boulaia and by the practice, widespread since the second century B.C., of offering a sacrifice to Artemis Boulaia and Artemis Phosphoros before political assemblies in the Athenian Agora. The aim of this paper is to put into perspective the characteristics of the cults of Artemis Nanaia as attested in two important sanctuaries in the Middle East, including the sanctuary of Nanaia at Susa and the sanctuary of Artemis Nanaia at Dura-Europos, with the testimonies related to the cult of Artemis attested at Piraeus. The testimonies, and the characteristics of the cult attested in these three areas will be analysed together in order to etter understand the reasons behind the dedication of Axios and Kapo and its original location.

Séleukos Ier et le culte de Zeus Nikatôr

Seleucos I and the Cult of Zeus Nikatôr In order to study the cult of Zeus Nikatôr, six Greek inscriptions (one from northern Syria and five from southern Anatolia) are gathered and commented. The origin, the diffusion and the longevity of the cult are evoked, since it was vivid until the IIIrd century A.D. in the eastern Mediterranean, mainly in southern Taurus (Pamphylia, Lycia, Pisidia and Phrygia Paroreios). Accordingly, also in connection with onomastics and numismatics, the Seleucid memory and the remembrance of Seleucos I are discussed, from Hellenistic times to the Roman Imperial period, and beyond.

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

La collection étrusque du musée national de Céramique : un ensemble technique

The Sèvres museum has a remarkable collection of Etruscan terracottas and ceramics assembled between the end of the 18th and the end of the 19th century. This collection of nearly 70 pieces, offers a wide panorama of the techniques developed by the Etruscans, from the Villanovian period to the Hellenistic times. This article proposes a selection of the most evocative pieces, which reflect the history of the formation of the collection, of its presentation in the museum and of its contribution to Etruscan studies.

Oleksandr Mykolaiovych Karasiov ⸺ Prominent Researcher of Olbia Pontica (on the 120th Anniversary)

The life of Oleksandr Mykolaiovych Karasiov, a well-known archaeologist, a specialist in antiquity of the Northern Black Sea region, the discoverer of the Olbian agora, stoa, gymnasium and the central temenos of Olbia, was eventful. His biography and the path to archaeology was very thorny and difficult. However, until now the biography of this researcher has not been given enough attention, which is corrected by this article. Oleksandr Karasiov was born in St. Petersburg on August 3, 1902. During his busy life, before becoming an archaeologist, he managed to work as an extra in the health department at the registry office, volunteered in the Baltic Fleet as a journalist, began studying at the Higher School of Pilot-Observers and entered the Institute of Civil Engineers at the Faculty of Architecture. And this is not a complete list. Finally, in January 1925, he entered the Leningrad State University at the Faculty of Linguistics and Material Culture. Since 1926, during his studying at the university, O. Karasiov participated annually in the archaeological excavations at Olbia, which were initially led by B. V. Farmakovskyi, and considered himself as one of his disciples. Since that time, O. Karasiov was a tireless researcher of Olbia for 45 years, includingt 34 field seasons. The greatest archaeological achievements of O. Karasiov were made after the Second World War, when he, together with his wife, O. I. Levi, led the excavations at the «E» site, where for the first time they made the most significant discoveries published in the work Olvia. Temenos and agora and in many other articles. O. M. Karasiov owns the longest list of works on the monumental buildings of the Olbian temenos with a detailed examination of cultural stratifications, a functional definition of various types and purposes of stone structures, among which the most significant are the largest altar in the Northern Black Sea region, the temples of Apollo Delphinius, the spherical foundations of a possible Delphinion and the temple of Zeus of the Hellenistic time, large and small stoas, sacred treasury, etc. A thorough study of the monuments of the Olbian temenos, representing a single architectural ensemble and their publication, rightfully belongs to one of the most important archaeological discoveries made in Olbia and in the Northern Black Sea region in general.

Inception of the ‘cult’ of ball game ‘stars’ in Hellenistic Athenes

Absract. Nowadays ball games are the most popular types of sport in the world including Russia. This fact contrasts sharply with the almost total absence of research in the field of ancient Greek ball games in Russian historical science. The aim of this article is to fill that gap at least on a small scale. The history of Greek ball games in the Hellenistic period is especially interesting because of the rise of their significance at that time. Τhe method of historicism and the comparative method are applied in this article. The most important sources for our article are the fragments of Athenaios’ Deipnosophistai (I, 26, 34) related to playing ball in Hellenistic times. We reconsidered the fragment by Damoxenus, the 3rd century BC writer of comedies, quoted by Athenaeus and usually interpreted as devoted to homosexual feelings. In our view it rather reflects a rapture of Athenian fans over a ball-player’s skill. However, the dramatist hyperbolizes this rapture in order to make it more comical. We correlate this fragment of Damoxenus with Athenaeus’ mention of significant honors (including granting of citizenship) given by Athenes to Aristonicus, Alexander the Great’s coach in ball games. Those honors are also reflected in the extant Athenian decree honoring Aristonicus. The talented ball-players became popular in the Hellenistic period possibly because at that time popularity was won by the idea that playing ball is useful for the military training. However conservators, continuing to regard ball games as mere entertainment (as it had been typical in the Classical period) could probably still exist, and Damoxenus’ mockery at the rapture over talent in ball game may reflect their views.

Коллекция амфор Краснодарского государственного историко-археологического музея-заповедника им. Е.Д. Фелицына: общий обзор

The Krasnodar Museum presents one of the largest amphora collections in the world. Materials from the Maeotian necropolises of the Region near the farms of Prikubanskiy, Lenin, the village of Starokorsunskaya, etc. are stored here. Almost half of the collection consists of vessels from the excavations of the Prikubansky necropolis – 324 amphorae and 101 complexes. Based on the analysis of imports (amphorae and black-glazed pottery) from the burials of this necropolis, we can talk about almost a twofold reduction in the supply of products to the settlement after the middle of the 4th century BC, with a tendency to further decline by the beginning of the 3rd century BC. The materials of the the Prikubanskiynecropolis are characterized by the absence of amphorae of Chios and Peparethos. The containers of these large production centers are represented by a minimum number in the second part of the Krasnodar collection, which includes 349 vessels originating from excavations at least 30 other archaeological sites of the Kuban Region. The existing individual Chios amphorae originate mainly from excavations on the Taman Peninsula. The article discusses several fragmented Chios amphorae with englyphic stamps “A”. At the same time, the Krasnodar collection contains a large number of amphorae of Hellenistic time (in particular Rhodes and the so-called “Prikubanskiy” series), which in other museums are represented by single copies. At the same time, stamped Rhodian vessels from Kuban Region give new, previously unknown combinations of names of eponyms and fabricants.

Water at ancient Greek sanctuaries: medium of divine presence or commodity for mortal visitors?

This article presents the newly started project “Water at ancient Greek sanctuaries: medium of divine presence or commodity for mortal visitors?”, the aim of which is to explore water usage at Greek sanctuaries in Archaic to Hellenistic times. In order to do so the project is divided into three separate studies. The first is how water was used in sanctuaries: where was water accessible through natural and man-made infrastructure, for what activities was it utilized, and which of these can be considered ritual and/or utilitarian? The second focuses on the means by which water was utilized, i.e. how was water management infrastructure adapted to ritual and utilitarian needs, and how did the need and access to water shape ritual and utilitarian activity at the sanctuary? The third part is an overarching analysis, combining the first two parts, which will expand our knowledge of perceptions of human activities in the god’s dwelling: how did ritual and utilitarian uses of water differ at a perceptual level?

In Search of a New Paradigm: Judean Literature as a Crucible of Appropriations from Multiple Imperial and Native Temple Cultures in Hellenistic Times

Abstract In Judaism and Hellenism, Hengel described Judean society and literature as torn between absorption and rejection of Hellenism. Following the publication of that work the idea of a clear-cut dichotomy between several social circles and their assorted literary productions remained hugely popular, although the identification of the sides in conflict varied between scholars, with “hellenization” being located either within or without (and against) the temple. This article offers an historiographic survey before proposing a new paradigm inspired by the New Empire Studies. At its core, it identifies the Jerusalem temple as a lively site of learning, whose literati selectively appropriated ideas, literary forms, and technologies not only from the Greek, imperial culture(s) but also from neighboring temple cultures (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Phoenician), in a bid to keep their ancestral traditions relevant as they made sense of the ever-changing world that they lived in. Everything was adapted, or subverted and hybridized.

Origin of Symmetrical Composition in Decorative Art of the Viking Age

For the first time, a symmetrical composition with figures of a deity standing on the godsof carnivorous animals appeared in the Middle Eastern art of the III–II millennium B.C. In the Mycenaean era, this composition became known to adherents of Hellenic art, who realized it both in painting and sculpture. This composition realizes the idea of their authors striving to convey to recipients the concept of the power of the depicted deity and his power over the animal world. A symmetrical composition with standing predatory animals, which is a clear
 oriental innovation in the art of ancient Europe, was not represented on our continent in ancient and Hellenistic times. As a result of the gradual increase in the eastern influence on the art of late Rome, symmetry again became known to Europeans in
 the products of provincial-Roman masters of the 5th century A.D. In late antiquity, goldsmiths in the Roman provinces used this composition on the parts of military belt sets. These images became models for the ancient German masters who represented
 the God Wotan / Odin surrounded by mythical animals and birds dedicated to him.
 The decorative art of the Viking Age, alien to symmetry, retains it only in the plot of the pagan canon «Odin and the Crows». Variants of this «pagan icon», realized in the decorative art of the Viking Age, came to an end in the Germanic world of a
 composition with symmetrically located predators, which began in the Ancient East
 in Akkadian time. In this case, we have a unique example of the multi-thousand-year existence of the pictorial motive, used by jewelers and stonecutters to make impressive images of mystical creatures. The predators surrounding them were intended to
 symbolize the unearthly power of the deities.In Byzantium, a symmetrical composition remained relevant until the XIV
 century. Modern and contemporary historypreserves paired images of predators in heraldic and architectural compositions. However, their genetic relationship with Ancient Eastern images requires additional study.