Hellenistic Research Articles

Conscription Lists, Military Forces, and Demography in Hellenistic Boiotia

ABSTRACT: This article presents a new attempt to estimate the size of the army and the population of Boiotia in the Hellenistic period. The calculation is based on an important type of epigraphic evidence in the region: conscription lists from the various cities of the Boiotian Confederacy, following a method initiated by Beloch. Confidence intervals are provided to estimate the age class of 20 in each city as well as whole districts where reliable data are available, and the population model is subsequently drawn from the work of contemporary statisticians. We reach a military potential of 11,000–14,500 men aged 20–49. This equates to a citizen population (including women and children) of 59,000–78,000 and to a total population of 75,000–115,000.

The Beginnings and Ends of Sacrifice: A Shared Reimagining of the Cultic Past in the Genesis Apocryphon and the Aramaic Levi Document

Abstract: The Genesis Apocryphon and the Aramaic Levi Document are two works of Jewish literature from the Hellenistic period that recount events from the lives of Israel’s ancestral heroes. These two compositions are rarely analyzed in relation to each other, despite their many striking similarities. In this article, we offer a sustained comparison of some of their shared features and themes, with a special emphasis on their retrojection of Israel’s sacrificial regulations into the pre-Sinaitic past. These points of contact in vocabulary, phraseology, and topical foci are so compelling as to suggest that these two compositions have a direct literary relationship and were almost certainly authored within a common social setting. In our view, the Genesis Apocryphon and the Aramaic Levi Document are part and parcel of a much broader Hellenistic-era Jewish Aramaic scribal tradition, representing the literary output of highly educated priests associated with the Jerusalem temple.

Review of

This is a review of the edited volume People on the Move Across the Greek World, edited by Chiara Maria Mauro, Diego Chapinal-Heras and Miriam Valdés Guía and published in 2022 by the Editorial Universidad de Sevilla (Seville University Press).

B2C E-Commerce Adoption among Elders in Greece

The use of e-commerce has a lot of potential to make the lives of older people better. It could give them power, the ability to manage and control their finances, lower care costs, and make them less reliant on others, so they could live on their own. Using a questionnaire survey, this study looks at whether individual characteristics of older Greek people could affect their adoption of e-commerce. Eight variables that could be linked to adoption: gender, age, marital status, residential status, level of education, experience with information technology, employment status, and income were examined. The results show that age, gender, residential status, education level, employment status, and income all play a big role in how older people shop online. The results of this study help service providers and the government understand how older people's individual characteristics affect online shopping. As a result, this knowledge would help them find and use the right strategies to improve online shopping.

A Critical Review of Water Reuse: Lessons from Prehistoric Greece for Present and Future Challenges

Wastewater treatment and reuse has passed through different development stages with time. This study reviews the most essential changes in water reclamation and reuses over millennia, focusing on initial approaches in the Hellenic world and discussing the current situation. Based on archeological evidence and time records, the awareness of the Greeks regarding land disposal, irrigation, and water reuse is highlighted. The latter has evolved into a plethora of applications, with Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) representing one of the last modern frontiers. Currently, advances in wastewater treatment and the spreading of wastewater treatment plants producing large amounts of treated effluents increase the potential for water reuse. This is regarded as a critical option for the continuing protection of water resources and human health, while concurrently satisfying water demand, particularly in areas subject to increased water scarcity. The main constraints in the expansion of water reuse practices are discussed, focusing on wastewater treatment efficiency and quality effluent standards issues, as well as on the lack of motivations related to the acceptability of this practice by final users. Against these challenges, the need for a transition from an “issue-by-issue” approach to a broader integrated water management framework is highlighted.

H19 The bronze diabetic

Abstract Many works of art throughout the centuries have not only garnered intrigue, but also debate among physicians relating to a possible medical diagnosis depicted by the artist. Representation of both anatomy and disease with the use of votive offerings and forms of grotesque art is well recognized. Such work was particularly prevalent in pieces produced during the Hellenistic Age and includes statuettes, anatomical replicas, coins and other art work. Diseases such as acromegaly, Gorlin syndrome, lymphoedema, neurofibromatosis and ophthalmic disorders, among others, have been represented in such pieces. It had been thought by the suppliants that in presenting these offerings to the Gods, particularly Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and son of Apollo, they could be cured from their ailments. An example of an artistic piece representing an individual with disease is that of a small bronze statuette described as a ‘Statue of an Emaciated Man’ and housed at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington DC. It is a small bronze statue measuring at just 11.5 × 5 × 8.3 cm, and is thought to date from around the first century Bc to the first century Ad. It depicts a gaunt young man sitting atop a bench with his left hand held limply and an apparently swollen right foot. It has been suggested that this individual could have suffered from lead poisoning. However, lead neuropathy is typically symmetrical and emaciation is uncommon. A more common source of lead poisoning in ancient times was wine drinking, as lead was used both as a sweetener and preservative. In addition, occupational exposure was common as lead was used widely in pottery, painting, lead smelting and glass ceramics. A disease that could explain the three features of emaciation, wrist drop and a swollen foot is diabetes mellitus. Diabetes had been recognized in Egyptian manuscripts dating back to 1500 Bc commenting on ‘honey urine’. Diabetes has been well documented during the Hellenistic Age with Apollonius of Memphis in 250 Bc being credited for coining the term ‘diabetes’. Insulin insufficiency can cause emaciation mainly through ketosis. The neuropathy of diabetes mellitus can affect single nerves, and a radial nerve palsy resulting in a wrist drop has been recognized. The appearance of an apparent swollen foot could be due to a Charcot joint, which is a result of repetitive microtrauma-induced complications of polyneuropathy. In conclusion, we believe this statuette represents features consistent with diabetes mellitus and is a ‘bronze diabetic’.

HERMOGENES IN ASIA MINOR: GIVING SPATIAL PRESENCE TO TEMPLES OF DIONYSUS AND ARTEMIS LEUKOPHRYENE IN VIRTUAL SPACE

Abstract. Hermogenes and his works in Asia Minor is one of the central subjects of research in both classical architecture and archaeology. In this study, the questions of what role Hermogenes played in Hellenistic architecture, what he intended and built, and why Vitruvius gave him the highest praise are once again brought up. The Temple of Dionysus in Teos and the Temple of Artemis Leukophryene in Magnesia are masterpieces of the great architect Hermogenes, who left his mark on temple architecture in Asia Minor during the Hellenistic period. Both of these temples are now in ruins. The pedestals of several columns, the lower shafts of the columns and a few fallen Ionic capitals convey the buildings' former beauty, but few vestiges remain of these important sanctuaries. Yet these marble monuments still captivate the imagination, twenty-two centuries after they were built. As a result of a systematic and comprehensive application of digital 3D reconstruction methodology, 3D visualizations of these works of this famous architect of the Hellenistic period are created and presented.

LONG-RANGE METAL WEAPONS FROM KURUL FORTRESS IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT FINDINGS

Kurul Fortress is one of the fortified Northern Anatolian settlements
 noticeable for its finds representing the Late Hellenistic Period. The general character of
 the settlement reflects a fortified settlement with adjacent regular rooms surrounded by a
 main defensive wall supported by towers. According to the archaeological evidence
 obtained, it is understood that the settlement was fortified during the Pontic king
 Mithradates VI Eupator. The reign of Mithradates VI has an important role in military history
 due to the wars against the Roman Republic. In ancient sources, there are statements
 about how the third war (74-63 BC) brought destruction to the settlements in Pontos
 geography. Excavations carried out at Kurul Fortress present finds parallel to those
 described in ancient sources, with traces of fire reflecting a great destruction and
 numerous weapon finds. During excavations from 2010 to 2022, a total of 1,289 weapons
 were found, 967 of which are metal. Among the metal weapons in which iron and lead are
 used as raw materials, long-range weapons constitute the largest percentage. With this
 study, it is aimed to reconsider the long-range metal weapons found at Kurul Fortress with
 regard to the current data.

Traces of Greek Mythology in the Folk Music and Oral Literature of Bushehr

This article examines parts of the oral literature and music of Bushehr, a port city in southern Iran. There is a song in Bushehr's music that uses words like helleh (heːlle̞) and heliosa (heːlijosa), that have no meaning for the people of Bushehr. This paper suggests that the origin of these words goes back to Greek mythology and that they are the remains of hymns or spells recited in praise of Helios and other ancient gods. To this end, in addition to qualitative and field research, extensive historical studies were carried out, focusing on the Hellenistic period after the conquest of Iran by Alexander the Great. I suggest that although the evolution of music in Bushehr was influenced by the military domination of Greece through acculturation, the cultural background of Bushehr was not ineffective in accepting this. As a result, assimilation occurred, and some mythical elements of Greece were localised in Bushehr.

A History of Research on the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls

The Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls have attracted increasing scholarly attention since their official publication was completed in 2009. These manuscripts, representing about thirty distinct compositions, attest to the existence of a previously unknown Jewish Aramaic scribal culture that flourished in the early Hellenistic period (ca. late fourth to mid-second centuries BCE). The Aramaic Scrolls thus have the potential to illuminate an otherwise poorly understood period of Jewish history. In this article, I discuss the various scholarly approaches to their language, literary content, and social location, with a special emphasis on trends in the secondary literature since the late 2000s. This article will also provide interested students and scholars with an overview of the major themes and concerns found throughout the Aramaic Scrolls.

Measuring attitudes, motivations and barriers to presymptomatic dementia testing

AbstractBackgroundThe increasing biomarkers testing and new methods of presymptomatic screening for dementia have risen questions like: Should people get tested? Would they want to know whether they will get this fatal, untreatable disease? This has picked the demand for a well‐structured counseling program for dementia screening. In this direction, it is important to meet the needs of the target group; however, not much is known about people with a family history of dementia attitudes about testing, the motivations and barriers, and the expectations relevant to future counseling programs about testing for dementiaMethodThis study was comprised of a validation study of a new psychometric tool and a cross‐sectional survey to assess the attitudes, buries and motivations to dementia testing. The content of the questionnaire was based on (1) a literature review, (2) the Perceptions Regarding Investigational Screening for Memory in Primary Care (PRISM‐PC) Questionnaire (M. Boustani et al., 2008), (3) a board of Clinical expert opinions. Two hundred eight (208) people enrolled in this cross sectional study. Participants came from Greece, ages ranged from 18‐70 (M = 35.5, SD = 5.7). and the majority of the sample was female (93.3%). Psychometric properties were assessed through construct validity (principal component analysis) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha).ResultExploratory factor analyses revealed the presence of four factors. The first factor labelled as “Perceived harms of testing”, the second “Acceptance of testing”, the third “Perceived benefits of testing”) and the fourth factor “Need of knowledge”. The reliability of each factor separately was satisfactory to very satisfactory (.70‐.87). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all the final 25 items of the initial questionnaire was good (Cronbach’s α = 0.82), suggesting very satisfactory internal consistency.ConclusionThis is the first study that created a questionnaire for measuring the attitudes of Greek people towards dementia and genetic screening. Capturing data via this questionnaire might help clinicians, policymakers, and health services researchers in dementia understand better peoples’ perspectives related to the pros and cons of dementia screening and develop effective counseling programs and prevention strategies.

A pilot study on glass finds discovered in the Geto-Dacian settlements from Cârlomăneşti and Pietroasa Mică, Buzău County, Romania

Thirty six glass items excavated at Cârlomăneşti and Pietroasa Mică, Buzău County, Romania (3rd c. BC – 1st c. AD) were analysed for their chemical composition using external PIXE-PIGE at AGLAE accelerator, Paris and external PIXE at the 3 MV Tandetron™ accelerator, Măgurele, to reveal the raw materials and manufacturing procedures, trying to reconstruct the links between the Geto-Dacian populations and the Hellenistic, Celtic and Roman ones during that historical time.The archaeological hypothesis was that these vitreous artefacts were luxury goods imported as such, made of fresh glass. The analyses showed that the objects were shaped from natron glass, with recipes typical for the Hellenistic period. Occasionally, glass recycling indicators were evidenced. Hints about the decolorizers (antimony, manganese) or chromophores (manganese, iron, cobalt, copper) were obtained.This archaeometric study is a pioneering one, considering the absence from the literature of compositional data on glass finds discovered in Geto-Dacian settlements.

Sources at the end of the cuneiform era

The aim of this article is to discuss several groups of sources which are of special interest regarding the question of Mesopotamian identities after 539 bce, towards the end of the use of cuneiform writing. In this late period, several languages and scripts were in use in Mesopotamia; therefore, groups of Akkadian, Aramaic, Greek, and Sumerian texts are discussed. The scripts used are Aramaic letters, cuneiform, and the Greek alphabet. A scholar who is interested in late Mesopotamian identities needs to take all these documents into account. This article aims at giving a brief overview on available textual material and where to find it. The topics of these texts vary from administrative documents to highly literary texts. The authors discuss Aramaic inscriptions, legal and administrative cuneiform texts, the astronomical diaries, the Seleucid Uruk scholarly texts, the late Babylonian priestly literature, Emesal cult-songs from the Hellenistic period, the Graeco-Babyloniaca (clay tablets containing cuneiform and Greek), and finally Greek inscriptions from Mesopotamia.

Smintheion’dan Yeni Yazıtlar

This article presents six inscriptions from the sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus. Of these, inscription no. 2 was discovered during a survey in 2006 and the other five were found during the excavations at the site from 2009 onwards. In addition to the contribution of these inscriptions to the onomastic repertoire of Alexandreia Troas in general, inscription no. 1, which attests for the first time to the existence of the office of hieronomos at the sanctuary, and inscription no. 6, which records a religious association called ἱερὰ συμβίωσις are of particular interest. Inscription no. 1 is carved on an architectural block from a building of the Hellenistic period. It is not possible to determine with certainty to which building this block belongs, but the building or restoration costs were covered by the revenues of the god, and this construction activity is dated by the office of hieronomos. Also dating to the Hellenistic period, inscription no. 2 on an altar commemorates Kallistos, son of Agemachos, after his death. The depiction of a temple key on this altar suggests that Kallistos may have served Apollo Smintheus as a key-bearer. In inscription no. 3, a benefactor named Titus Aelius Metrodoros, bearing the title philopatris, is honoured by his dearest fatherland (γλυκυτάτη πατρίς), Alexandreia Troas. Inscription no. 4 on a marble plinth is a dedication of a column to Apollo Smintheus by Publius Quintilius Axios, probably a freedman of the Publii branch of the Quintilii, a senatorial family of Alexandreia Troas, and his wife Daphne. Inscription no. 5 is a dedication to Apollo Smintheus by Turianius Gamos, which is a variant of the rare nomen Turrianius. The final inscription no. 6 is an ex-voto offered to a sacred association (ἱερὰ συμβίωσις) by a person, for whom only the father's name and the nickname, Publius, have survived.

Some Observations on Koina and Monetary Economy in Hellenistic Asia Minor

The koina of pre-Roman Asia Minor, comprising several major organisations along its western and southern coasts like the koina of Athena Ilias, the Lesbians, the Ionians, the Chrysaorians, and the Lykians, present a collection of federal states less well understood than better documented koina in mainland Greece. This paper highlights the regional characteristics of these Anatolian koina by examining their monetary and political economies. It first suggests that federalising behaviour in Hellenistic western Asia Minor tended to be centred on regional sanctuaries and festivals, and less involved in the formation of cohesive political institutions through federal law-making or military mobilisation. This also had the effect that they present the impression of being monetarily ‘light’, as is explained in the second section, because they were not by and large fiscally cohesive, or had close oversight of monetary supply, with the notable exception of the Lykian league – taxation was not hugely intrusive or extensive, and little federal coinage was produced. The last two sections consider this ‘lightness’ as a function of the regional specificities of political and economic power in the region, suggesting that koina functioned parasitically as organisations ensconced between imperial states and civic communities, both reflecting and shaping the dominant role in the region of these two types of polity in the Hellenistic period.

Constructing Identities: Greek names as a marker of Hellenizing identity

Even as Babylonia came under foreign rule, cuneiform documentation continued to record traditional activities. In the transition to the Hellenistic period, it is assumed that Greek practices became more prevalent, although documentary evidence for them remains limited. Cuneiform legal texts documented a narrower range of transactions. In Uruk, these were primarily real estate transactions and prebend sales, which continued to be framed in traditional Babylonian formulaic language. However, in those texts, some actors display personal attributes and/or form networks suggesting they are promoting Hellenizing identities. The attributes include the adoption of Greek names, the use of polyonymous Akkadian-Greek names, and of Hellenistic motifs in the iconography of their seals. These practices appear in the records of three groups of individuals, including members of the elite Ah’ūtu family; the Dumqi-Anu/Arad-Rēš family, which held a share in the atû (porter) prebend; and of the ēpiš dulli ša ṭīdi (clay workers) class. The evidence suggests active construction of a Hellenizing identity is most apparent among members of the ēpiš dulli ša ṭīdi, who belonged to the lowest stratum of the groups considered, while the social networks of members of the Dumqi-Anu/Arad-Rēš family often attest to individuals who bridge communities grounded in Babylonian culture and to those who adopt features of Hellenizing identities.

Tlos Tiyatro Tapınağı’ndan İki Yeni Yazıt

This article presents the theatre temple of Tlos and two inscriptions carved on the walls of this temple. The temple was built on the central axis of the summa cavea of the Tlos theatre. The façade of the temple faces east. An inscription dated to the 2nd half of the 1st century BC was carved on the west-facing wall of the temple. According to this inscription, Aithon dedicated a golden wreath to Apollo and Demos. Thus, it is understood that the temple belonged to Apollo. The inscription states that Aithon belonged to the astikos demos. For this reason, some interpretations of the inscriptions found in Tlos and containing the names of demoi are included in the paper. All of such inscriptions are dated to the Hellenistic Period. From the Early Imperial Period onwards, demos names are no longer found in the inscriptions. In addition, all of these inscriptions were found in the city centre. Therefore, these demoi indicate a topographical division of citizens in the city settlement plan. The second inscription carved on the southeast wall of the Apollo temple is an astragal inscription. The main function of this inscription is to give a prophecy for those who are going on a journey or travelling. This prophecy inscription consists of 56 stanzas. However, the inscription presented here has not survived as a whole. Only the verses of 25 of these stanzas have survived as fragments. The translation of the 1st inscription is as follows: Aithon, son of Polemon, of the astikos (demos), after becoming gymnasiarkhos and agonothetes, offered this golden wreath as an offering to Apollo and the demos.

Exploring chaîne opératoires of Hellenistic ceramic oil lamps from Nea Paphos, Cyprus

This paper presents the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoires of local Hellenistic lamps found at the Agora in Nea Paphos. The study is based on detailed macroscopic observations combined with the results of laboratory analyses. It aims at shedding light on the operational sequences of lamp manufacture, from clay processing, through forming, finishing and surface treatments, to firing. The results indicate that the lamps produced in the Nea Paphos area underwent dynamic changes in terms of clay procurement and/or processing, forming techniques and firing, throughout the Hellenistic period. Furthermore, this research revealed indirect evidence suggesting that at least wheel-made lamps were produced in the same workshops as tableware vessels. Setting the results of this study in the broader context of lamp production in the Eastern Mediterranean allows for a better understanding of some aspects of the organization behind their production.

Association of PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 Polymorphisms with NAFLD in Greek People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Association of PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 Polymorphisms with NAFLD in Greek People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

:Times of Transition. Judea in the Early Hellenistic Period

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsTimes of Transition. Judea in the Early Hellenistic Period, edited by Sylvie Honigman, Christophe Nihan, and Oded Lipschits, Mosaics: Studies on Ancient Israel 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns; The Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 2021. 416 pp., 35 color illustrations. Hardback and e-book, $129.95.Filip CoppensFilip CoppensCharles University, Prague. [email protected] Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 389May 2023 A journal of ASOR Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/724153 © 2023 American Society of Overseas Research. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.