Roman History Research Articles

Romania: Historiography on Holocaust and Postwar Justice Studies

AbstractResearch on the Holocaust in Romania does, as an area of research, fare so much better than other case studies in terms of interest and researchers dedicating their time to study it. In this context, a brief overview of historiography on the Holocaust in Romania must take into account a few key factors: access to archives on Holocaust-related files, evolution of the subject within larger historical narratives of Romanian history of the 20th century, trends in Holocaust research in the last few years both in Romania and abroad, as well as the dynamic between historical research and public memory in Romania. Nevertheless, and in relation to this historiographical forum, despite its relative development, one aspect related to the Holocaust in Romania has drawn significantly less scholarly attention:war crimes trials and the efforts at postwar justice.Because of this under-research, although the documentation is especially relevant in terms of archives, the following contribution focuses on the importance of the study of the postwar trials for the field after outlining the main features of the historiography on the Holocaust in Romania.

Dimitrie Onciul (1856-1923)

Dimitrie Onciul was born in 1856 in Straja, in the present day county of Suceava. He attended the Orthodox primary school, the high school and the university (specializing in history and geography) in Chernivtsi. In Vienna he attended the Faculty of Philosophy, specializing in Latin epigraphy, diplomatic, palaeography and sigillography. In 1884, he obtained his PhD in history at the University of Chernivtsi. Since 1885, he has been a secondary professor of history and geography in Chernivtsi. In 1895, Onciu decided to leave Bukovina and go to Romania, the decision being made following the conflict with the school inspector Carl Tumlirz. In Bucharest he knew the full consecration of his activity: He became the holder of the Chair of Old History of Romanians until the End of the 17th Century of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of the University of Bucharest (1896–1923) and then dean of this faculty (1919–1923). Since 1900 he has been the director general of the archives, being involved in the organization on a modern basis of this institution, following the model of those from other European centres. As president of the Commission of Historical Monuments (1919) he inaugurated medieval archaeological research, and in 1922 he founded the Heraldic Consultative Commission, of which he was the first president. Dimitrie Onciu’s scientific activity was rewarded by his election, first as a corresponding member (1889) and then as a titular member of the Romanian Academy (1905). He was vice-president (1913–1916) and president (1920–1923) of the Academy, and president of the historical department of the Romanian Academy (1911–1914, 1919–1922). Dimitrie Onciul focused his research mainly on two major themes: ethnogenesis and Romanian continuity in the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic space and and the way of formation of the Romanian principalities as independent states. Based on the thorough study of historical sources, Dimitrie Onciu’s studies have been pioneering future research. Dimitrie Onciul did not draw up an edition of his writings, most of them, except for a few studies that were printed in the form of extracts, being published in the press of the time. Over time, several editions of the writings of the Bukovinian historian appeared. He was a member or president of cultural societies (“Arboroasa”, “Junimea”, “România Jună”, the Society for Romanian Culture and Literature in Bukovina, “The Romanian School”, the National Orthodox Society of Romanian Women, the League for Cultural Unity of All Romanians), He contributed, through public conferences and university lectures, to the spiritual training of the Great Union generation, being confident in the triumph of the national cause. On March 20, 1923, suffering of a disease he had since childhood, Dimitrie Onciu passed away. He was buried in the Horecea Central Cemetery, in Chernivtsi. He remained in the memory of posterity as a tireless researcher of the history, being considered the one who introduced the concept of „critique” in the Romanian historiography. Along with other great personalities, such as Ioan Bogdan, A. D. Xenopol, Nicolae Iorga or Vasile Pârvan, he made valuable contributions to the progress of Romanian historical science.

Illness, Pain, and Health Care in Early Christianity

Illness, Pain, and Health Care in Early Christianity

Writing on Gallus by the 4th Century's Roman Historian Ammianus - Problems with the Writings Concerning the Rule of Gallus and his Relationship with Constantius in 353-354 AD -

Writing on Gallus by the 4th Century's Roman Historian Ammianus - Problems with the Writings Concerning the Rule of Gallus and his Relationship with Constantius in 353-354 AD -

Տիգրան Մեծը հռոմեացի պատմիչների տեսանկյունից

The 90-70s of the first century are special in the history of the Armenian people. At that time, Armenia took the path of foreign conquests, creating a world power in Near East. And that happened during the reign of Tigran the Great (95-55 BC). We have tried to present the information provided by two authors with the help of historical-analytical method. Cicero, as mentioned, was a member of the Roman Senate during the reign of Tigran the Great, and his opinions were particularly formed on the basis of the reports received by the Senate. And Plutarch is a historian of the Tigranian period, and he probably repeated the information before him, adding more richness to it. In order to demonstrate the power of the Roman generals, these historians tried to belittle the real power of Tigran the Great in front of their own people and history. The most vivid example is the description of the scene of the seeming bowing of the Armenian king Tigran the Great to Pompey in Plutarch's book, which was later repeated regularly by different authors, each time presented with more epic splendor. This episode, we believe, is not true. Meanwhile, the Triumvirate of Rome was busy looking for new leaders of the country, and Pompey was in a hurry to reach Rome and easily agreed to conclude a peace act on the terms proposed by Tigran the Great, in return for which Tigran the Great gave him 6000 talents of gold and silver from the treasury of Tsopk. Roman historians favored the fictionalization of this episode by portraying the father instead of the son. We are sure that the Roman general would have taken Tigran the Great as a show of triumph if the Armenian king had been imprudent and mistakenly actually ended up in Pompey's garrison. But since Tigran the Great did not personally go to the Roman's military base, the latter took his son, Tigran the Younger, as a pilgrim to Rome, when before that he had signed an alliance of brotherhood with Tigran the Great.

Silenus of Kale Akte and the propaganda process of building Hannibal’s image

The article examines the role of Greek historian Silenus in building a strategic narrative about the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE) and Hannibal’s image for the needs of political propaganda. Historical annals composed by Lucius Coelius Antipater, a Roman jurist and historian, provide an interesting framework for drawing conclusions about Silenus’ work. An analysis of formal and substantive principles in Coelius’ annals supports the identification of similarities in both authors’ works and the modifications introduced by the Roman historian. Silenus was tasked with building a historical narrative in support of Carthage, and he resorted to various literary devices to paint a positive image of the Carthaginian general. These propaganda measures incorporated religious elements, as evidenced by two events described in Cicero’s De divinatione: Hannibal’s dream at the beginning of the invasion in the Apennine Mountains, and the general’s stay in Capo Colonna towards the end of the Italian campaign. These episodes were clearly derived from Silenus’ works, which suggests that Hannibal resorted to various tools to build his political image. In addition to formal references to Hellenic literature, Hannibal’s propagandist relied also on the language of communication derived from a “hieratic” approach to glorifying own achievements and Middle Eastern traditions. The aim of these literary manipulations was to convince the readers that the worlds of gods and humans are entangled, and that political and military leaders are endowed with miraculous powers that enable them to rise to victory. Coelius introduced some modifications to Silenus’ original work, possibly with the intent of concealing his attempts at portraying Hannibal as a Carthaginian leader with divine status.

“They Must be Brought to the Right Path”: Monastic Incarceration of Old Calendarist Believers in Interwar Romania*

Abstract This study concerns the issue of monastic incarceration of members of the Old Calendarist Orthodox Church in interwar Romania. The practice of incarcerating individuals in Orthodox monasteries was common across Orthodox Eastern Europe, especially in Imperial Russia. Even though this constitutes a neglected aspect of Romanian history, monastic incarceration seems to have been a practice that affected the Old Calendarist communities during the interwar period. When the Old Calendarists were seen as a threat to the Romanian state and the Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod decided, in October 1936, that the fate of the Old Calendarist nuns and monks was to be arrested and sent to detention at isolated sketes. There they were put to work and forced to accept the new style calendar. The archives of the secret police, as well as the National Archives of Romania, preserve various documents in the form of letters, postcards, declarations, and Gendarmerie reports which prove that monastic incarceration of Old Calendarist believers was a phenomenon that extended during a longer period of time and involved at least four Orthodox Monasteries in the country.

ТАЦИТ И РОССИЯ О ВОЗМОЖНОСТЯХ ИСТОРИОГРАФИЧЕСКОЙ РЕФЛЕКСИИ

In the article, the author gives a description and assessment of the generalizing monograph by A.P. Belikov aimed to the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus in Russian historiography. The book is a comprehensive overview of Tacitus's translations, the main achievements in the study of his work and the most influential ideas about the views of the Roman historian on Emperor Tiberius, about imperial power in general, as well as about his narrative style. But the main theme of the article is a methodological questions, because writing such generalizing works raise problems of the relevance of old methods of the history of scholarship, which now should be discussed with particular care: about the use of “political” periodization in historiographical works, about an evaluative approach and about question how much a general historical context is needed for historiography.

Possibilities of Utilizing Historical Heritage for Tourism in Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár and Its Surroundings Nowadays

Our present study focuses on Alba/Fehér County located in the southwestern part of historical Transylvania. In recent decades, many cultural values ​​have been renewed in the area of Alba/Fehér County in ​​the Mureş/Maros Valley. The studied area has favorable natural and socio-geographic features and a varied history. Its historical and cultural center is Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár and the Castle of Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár.
 The secular and ecclesiastical buildings and monuments of the castle are the cultural achievements of the Roman era, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Principality of Transylvania, the Habsburg Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and Romania after World War I. Before 1990, it was mostly possible to visit memorial sites and monuments related to Romanian history. The university founded in 1991 to commemorate the historic event in Alba Iulia/Gyulafehérvár on December 1st 1918 uses some parts of the buildings on the castle grounds. The cultural values ​​restored between 2013-2015 with the support of the European Union were integrated into the tourist offer. The Habsburg period of the city's history is described illustratively. The cathedral of the Roman Catholic Bishopric of Transylvania, founded in 1009, preserves the ecclesiastical, historical and architectural values ​​of several centuries.
 Nowadays, it is not possible to visit the building of the Reformed Academy located in the castle, the priceless Batthyaneum library, as well as the remains of the 10th-century church. Making them accessible to visitors would significantly increase the tourist facilities and possibilities of the city and the region.

"Soft Power" in the Roman Empire? A Reassessment of Cicero's "Vis Benevolentiae" Through Contemporary Political Science

The aim of this paper is to show that the concepts of soft power in contemporary political science are very similar to those expressed by the Roman politician and orator Cicero in the late 1st century BCE. I will then show how these concepts can be used to analyse ancient international relations and contemporary politics. This paper will be divided into two sections: the first will show the modern definition of soft power; the second will explain Cicero's concepts and analyse a case study in ancient Greece in the 2nd century BCE concerning Roman foreign relations. It is my essential contention in this paper that no history of Roman imperialism — a momentous period in Mediterranean history spanning over a millennium, which changed fundamentally the course of European, North African and Near-Eastern history — can be complete without discussion of ‘soft power’, an important concept too often (wrongly) ignored in the study of Roman history in general.

From the historical Roman road network to modern infrastructure in Italy

AbstractThe road system built during the Roman Empire continues to have a significant impact on modern infrastructure in Italy. This paper examines the historical influence of Roman roads on the development of Italy's motorways and railways. The empirical analysis demonstrates how modern Italian transport infrastructure largely follows the path of the consular trajectories established by the network of Roman roads. These ancient roads, being paved and connecting the extremes of the Italian peninsula, have endured over time, serving as the foundational physical capital for the development of the current transport network. Overall, this research highlights the enduring legacy of the Roman road system and the robustness of Roman roads as an instrument in determining the causal effect of modern infrastructure.

On the occasion of the centennial of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1923: Nicolae C. Paulescu-between scientific creativity and political fanatism.

On the occasion of the centennial of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1923: Nicolae C. Paulescu-between scientific creativity and political fanatism.

Saxo Grammaticus's Account of the Viking Age Site on the Danish Island of Hjarnø in Gesta Danorum

Saxo Grammaticus's Account of the Viking Age Site on the Danish Island of Hjarnø in <i>Gesta Danorum</i>

The sicarii. The course of the attack of ancient terrorists from a contemporary analytical perspective

The authors claim that contemporary international terrorism differs a little from the acts of violence that took place in ancient history. Such an example of the use of political terrorism was Sicarii, a Jewish sect operating in Palestineand Egypt in the years 66-73 CE. Almost all information about this group comes from Flavius Josephus, a Roman historian of Jewish origin. The term sicarii itself has a Latin etymology and means murderers or assassins. It appeared in legal Latin in 81 BCE together with the Act Lex Cornelia de sicariis et veneficis, which was one of the first legal regulations in the field of serious organized crime. The Sicarii, however, fought in their own country with the intention of liberating it from the rule of a foreign power, Rome. Using the available source materials, the authors analyzed a typical attack made by Sicarii and confronted it with the achievements of modern forensics and experience in the field of secret services. This made it possible to establish the conditions that had to be met for such an attack. To take place to effectively use terrorism for political struggle by the Sicarii.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF EKPHRASIS IN ROMAN HISTORIOGRAPHY. DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME (TACITUS, ANN. XV, 38)

Ekphrasis, a stylistic figure characteristic of epic poetry, has also found its application in Roman historiography. Namely, the Roman historian Tacitus and his work Annals are known for its highly stylised poetic language. Tacitus' language – color poeticus, is full of rhetorical and stylistic figures with which this historian portrays events from the past. The author's narrative in visual images – faithful descriptions of people, events, battles, objects and phenomena – leaves a strong impression on readers. This pictorial expression in ancient times was called ekphrasis. Our goal is to explain the basic concept and role of ekphrasis, and then determine its application in a selected example from Tacitus' Annals. There are many examples of ekphrasis, and for the purposes of this work we have chosen the description of The Great Fire of Rome, which occurred during the reign of Emperor Nero. Based on the analysed example, we will see how Tacitus used ekphrasis in his ʻTacitus styleʼ to portray this terrible event.

Geç Roma Cumhuriyeti Dönemi nden Seçkin Bir Devlet Adamı: P. Servilius Vatia Isauricus

P. Servilius Vatia Isauricus, who bore witness to a large part of the Late Republic Era and went on to have a long and successful military and political career during this time, has an important place in republican Roman history. Because he is one of the last major Roman statesmen of the traditional kind. Just like the famous Romans of the past, P. Servilius Vatia Isauricus too had gained his political influence within legal boundaries and had never put himself above the Senatus. However, his life had coincided with a period in Roman politics when mighty personalities with great military and political power had emerged, and he had inevitably been overshadowed in terms of reputation by such people. As a matter of fact, there is no comprehensive study that deals entirely with his life, even in modern historiography, contrary to these mighty personalities, about whom countless studies have been written from antiquity to the present. The aim of this study is to fill this gap in the literature to some extent.

Memoria storica, riforma del teatro e identità nazionale nel ciclo di tragedie romane di Antonio Conti

"This essay aims to analyze the presence of historical memory in Antonio Conti’s poetical and theoretical reflection. Through his cycle of Roman tragedies, he staged some salient moments of Roman history which illustrated the transition from the monarchy to the republic, and from the republic to the empire. In the framework of the theatrical reform inaugurated at the beginning of the 18th century by Scipione Maffei’s Merope, Conti’s dramaturgical and theoretical work constitutes an extremely important contribution , starting from the tragedies’ ponderous paratexts, where the author gradually establishes the need for a national theatre, following the English and French models, while being centered exclusively on the events of Roman history."

The trial of Demetrius: some observations on legal procedure against court misconduct under Philip V of Macedonia

Abstract Despite extensive scholarship on trials regarding misconduct in the court of Philip V of Macedonia, the trial of his son Demetrius on the charge of assault on his brother and heir apparent Perseus, which is the only example of a trial of a Macedonian king’s son, seems to have escaped the attention of modern historians. Given that it is an event whose most detailed description appears in Livy’s history and that the Roman historian offers a very positive picture of the romanophile Demetrius, it is easy to understand why this trial has not been considered worthy of study. Nevertheless, Livy’s account reveals that the king observed specific procedural rules which are known from the other trials he dealt with, and which demonstrates Philip’s somewhat juridical attitude in legal processes against misconduct of the members of his court. The main purpose of this article is to highlight Philip’s juridical attitude by showing the similarity of the procedure applied in the trial of Demetrius as described by Livy to the legal processes followed by Philip in the trials of his courtiers during his early reign.

KING HEROD'S CAESAREA MARITIMA

Caesarea Maritima is an ancient harbour city and is located on the Mediterranean coast of the present-day State of Israel. It was founded on an ancient Hellenistic Phoenician city called Straton Tower. King Herod, the founder of Caesarea Maritima, is a successful Roman ruler. Herod, whose most important architectural and engineering achievement in Caesarea was the Sebastos Harbour, established the city within the framework of the most advanced facilities of the period. He built not only Sebastos Harbour, but also a temple dedicated to Rome and Augustus, the Promontory Palace, a hippodrome, a theater and aqueducts, and established one of the most developed port cities of the period. Behind all these monumental and public buildings, the city of Caesarea Maritima is also a reflection of King Herod's imagination and entrepreneurial personality. In the article, it is aimed to present the port city Caesarea Maritima, founded by King Herod in ancient times: how it was formed, important structures and Herod's reconstruction activities, by blending the narratives of the Roman historian Josephus Flavius with archaeological data.

The Capture of the Capitoline in Roman Historical Thinking

Abstract This article argues that the stories of Tarpeia and of Manlius Capitolinus are variations on a single, historically attested concern about internal enemies on the Capitoline. Moreover, the unusual presentation of these stories in Ovid in particular can be explained by various chemical properties of the mint, most likely located near the temple of Juno Moneta. Concerns about the safety of the mint in the late Republic may have driven authorial interest in these tales.