VII Century Research Articles

Venetic Personal Anthroponyms

Our investigation has been conducted on a set of 854 Venetic personal anthroponyms from the area corresponding to the today’s Veneto/Friuli and areas around, derived from the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum a continuously updated Latin inscription catalogue covering the Roman Empire period and its provinces. The Venetic anthroponyms appear deeply Latinised and the root of each Venetic personal anthroponym was identified by comparing it with corresponding lexemes in the present surviving Slavic languages. It results that the Venetic personal anthroponyms having sure Slavic roots in the set is 23.89% of the derived Venetic personal anthroponyms, which permits to estimate that during the Roman Empire period, i.e. about five cen., roughly about 24% of the Venetic population had Slavic ascendancies. This highlights that Slavs were already present in the today’s Veneto/Friuli and in said areas around well before the Roman Empire period and the VII century A.D. of the generally accepted theory of the Slavs late arrival in Europe. The logical consequence is that this theory is wrong and should be rejected.

About ancient political, administrative titles: shanyuy, tarkhan,buyuruk

The nomadic peoples and tribes of Central Asia created a political organization, the imperial confederation, which centralized their military power and kept the tribes united. At the grassroots level, the principles of tribal organization were used by the authority of local tribal leaders. The imperial over-tribal structure was supported by an exceptional monopoly on the management of foreign and military affairs. This structure had three main levels of organization. The imperial leadership belonged to the ruling tribe that founded the state. At the second level were governors (governors), appointed to control the local tribal leadership and command the regional armies. Associated with a kinship with the ruler, these imperial appointees served as key links between the central administration and the local tribal leaders. Local tribal leaders constituted the third level of organization. At the same time, the state of the nomads arose only there and only when they were forced to interact with more highly organized sedentary societies. However, herders did not “borrow” the state from their more civilized neighbors, but created their own original political system, designed to effectively adapt to larger and more socio-economically more developed neighbors. With the emergence of the Turkic Kaganate, the state of the Kyrgyz, the Uigurs in the historical arena, ancient Turkic titles and other terms began to be mentioned in significant numbers primarily in Chinese chronicles, sources in Greek, Armenian, Sogdian and Bactrian languages (last Chet. VI – 40s. VII century), And then the ancient Turkic steles and inscriptions, texts on Pahlavi, Tibetan documents and other sources (beginning of the VIII-IX centuries.). Types of social terminology (titles, ranks, positions) of the Turkic society of antiquity and the Middle Ages were strictly differentiated and performed various functions, denoting the place of a member of society in the political structure, administrative structure, his military rank, spiritual or civil dignity. Key words: Shanyuy, Tarkhan, Buyuruk, China, titles, Hunn (Huns), Syanbi, Turks

Хрустальная многогранная бусина с поселения Картамышево-3 и контакты Среднего Поднепровья с Северным Причерноморьем в VI–VII вв.

The article deals with the discovery of a great multifaceted crystal bead in the settlement of the Kolochin culture of Kartamyshovo-3 in Upper Psel (Oboyansk district, Kursk region). Findings of such beads are given in the Northern Black Sea region, in the Caucasus, in Central and Western Europe. Thanks to these parallels, the chronology of crystal faceted beads is established within the framework of the end of the III / IV — the second half of the VII century. These beads, of Mediterranean or Sassanian origin, most likely fall into the Middle Dnieper as a result of contacts with the South-Western Crimea in the last third of the VI — first half of the VII century.

Тюркские оградки урочища Нижняя Соору: неопубликованная часть комплекса (по материалам раскопок А. С. Васютина)

The article presents the publication of materials of a series Turkic enclosures in the Nizhnyaya Sooru complex (Central Altai), located in the Ongudai district of the Altai Republic. These objects were investigated by the Altai detachment of the South Siberian archaeological expedition of Kemerovo State University under the leadership of A. S. Vasyutin in 1981. To date, only part of the structures is briefly published, which does not allow the full use of the materials obtained. Based on the information presented in the reporting documentation on the results of excavations, a detailed description of the studied early medieval enclosures is carried out. An analysis of the recorded indicators allowed us to conclude that the objects under consideration are characterized by the absence of both early (small stone boxes, horse burials, atypical orientation of balbals, etc.), and later (realistic stone sculptures) characteristic signs of Turkic "funeral" complexes. It has been established that at least part of the excavated enclosures of the Nizhnyaya Sooru complex can be attributed to the Kudyrge stage of the culture of early medieval Turks and dated within the second half of the VI — first half of the VII centuries AD.

О ПЕРИОДИЗАЦИИ И ХРОНОЛОГИИ ИСТОРИИ ХЕРСОНЕСА ТАВРИЧЕСКОГО В ДОРИМСКУЮ ЭПОХУ И ПОЗДНЕАНТИЧНЫЙ ПЕРИОД

Hundreds of scientific works are devoted to the study of the Tauric Chersonesus, but the problem of chronology and periodization of its ancient history is not sufficiently developed in historiography. Analysis of scientific literature and a number of sources concerning this subject allows to define the chronological framework and to reveal 10 stages of the history of ancient Chersonesos (as a preliminary definition). The early stage, the Foundation and formation of the Polis, is defined from the middle/last third of the VI century (or the first half of the V century BC) to the end of the V century BC. The end of the late-Antique − early-Byzantine (transitional) time in Chersonesos can be attributed to the second half of the VI – first third of the VII centuries ad).

On the Traces of the Disappeared City: The Study of the Marks as a Strategies for the Urban Design

The story of the covering of the Rio Darro, the river along whose shores arose the city of Granada in the VII century b. C., has provided the opportunity to make a research in order to recognise and studying the marks left in the existing urban fabric by some very important pre-existing historical elements. The river, indeed, was the subject of a long work of cover throughout the centuries, which was started back in the XVI century with the arrival of the Catholics Kings in Granada, and concluded only in the 30’s, and from which the study is started. The research was then extended to the analysis of the urban evolution of the city, which develops along the riverbed and turns as direct results of its covering, leaving in the two streets built on top of it the trace and the wound of this serious loss of its cultural and natural heritage. Alongside this mark, the research investigates other two systems whose traces are still visible in the urban fabric of the today city: the one of the ancient walls, mostly disappeared, at the point where they crossed the river, and the one of the bridges, now lost due of the cover of the river itself, in the correspondence of which we can now find streets that brings their names. The research wants to show how the study of this systems allows a clear interpretation of the current urban fabric, and at the same time provides the elements for a recovery project of the historic memory of the city, working with due regard to the contemporary public spaces. The philological study of traces and signs of historic derivation, and the strategic reuse of them, allow the coherent reconnection of the ancient public spaces arrived to the present day, while creating new ones, claiming how the recovery of the cultural heritage might be not just the purpose but the tool through which it is possible to project the modern city.

ЕПОХА СЛОВ’ЯН НА БАЛТИЦІ: ЕКОНОМІЧНЕ ПІДНЕСЕННЯ СЛОВ’ЯНСЬКОГО ПОМОР’Я У РАННЬОМУ СЕРЕДНЬОВІЧЧІ

Abstract Background. The article attempts to explore the reasons of the economic rise in the Slav-inhabited Baltic Sea region, including the role of geographical factors; the impact of international trade on the economic development of the Slavic region; the role of the coastal Slavs in developing the Baltic trade routes as well as the network of river and land communications in Central and Eastern Europe. The paper mainly focuses on the participation of the Slavs in the formation of transcontinental trade routes and the development of trade between Europe and the Arab East. Purpose. To explore medieval written sources, archaeological sources and historical literature on the economic development of the Baltic Slavs; identify the main factors of their economic rise, including the establishment of cities and the development of trade. Results. The following conclusions are made in the article: the first early medieval cities in the southern Baltic were founded by the Slavs; as early as in the VII century in the Oder river basin alone there were about a hundred settlements in the lands of lutych tribes. The cities founded by the Slavs on the southwest coast of the Baltic were large trade centers such as Veligrad (ger. Mecklenburg), Volyn (ger. Yumna), Staryhrad (ger. Oldenburg), Kolobreg, Shchetin, Arkona and others. According to the German chronicler Adam Bremensky the Slavic city of Volyn located on the island at the mouth of the Oder river, was one of the largest early medieval cities in Europe and a major international trading center. The emergence of early cities was stimulated by economic development in the Baltic Slavic region, including agriculture and crafts. However, trade was the main factor in the economic rise of the Slav-inhabited Baltic sea region. The favorable geographical location contributed to the formation in its territory of a network of waterways and landways, which were branches of international trade highways. Contrary to established views of the Slavs as exclusively agricultural people, sources indicate that the main occupation of the coastal Slavs was trade. They also engaged in the maritime piracy, the centers of which were the islands of Fembra (ger. Femarn) and Ruyan (ger. Rügen). The coastal Slavic tribes were pioneers in paving the first trade routes and in developing international trade in the Baltic region. Trade activities of the coastal Slavs to a large extent ensured the establishment of trade links between different regions of Europe and the development of transcontinental trade between Europe and the Arab East. The transcontinental water and land routes passed through the lands inhabited by the Slavs (Slavonia). An important role in its development in the early Middle Ages also belongs to the Danube Slavs (the state of Samo, Great Moravia) and Rus. Key words: early Medieval Age, Baltic Slavs, obodrytes, lutyches, ruyans, international trade routes, trade with the Arab East.

Металлургическое производство VI–VII вв. н.э. на Тетюшском II городище в Татарстане

Металлургическое производство VI–VII вв. н.э. на Тетюшском II городище в Татарстане

GEORGIAN-ARABIC PALIMPSEST FROM DAGESTAN
 (BRIEF REPORT)

Abstract. Georgian-Dagestan relations in the early Middle Ages were distinguished by their diversity. At the same time, they included both close political ties and cultural contacts, which became even closer up until the XIV century. This aspect was mainly reflected in the influence of medieval Georgia on the spread of Christianity, Georgian literature and language in Highland Dagestan (Avaria). One aspect of this cultural influence can be considered the spread of book culture and, in particular, Georgian manuscripts. Until recently, the message from Georgian sources was not confirmed in the form of identifying specific Georgian manuscripts, except for the detection of individual sheets. During the study in the Foundation of Oriental Manuscripts of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography, we discovered a manuscript - the Georgian-Arab Palimpsest. This article provides a brief report - an analysis of this manuscript. The study of the Arabic text showed that we are dealing with a Sufi composition at the turn of the X-XI centuries, written in eastern Iran and rewritten no later than the XVII century in the mountainous Dagestan. Unfortunately, the colophon and the title page of the manuscript have not been preserved and we do not have specific information about the place and date of correspondence of the Arabic text. When writing the Georgian text, Asomtavruli font was used, which already speaks of the antiquity of the manuscript. Analysis of the content suggests that the Georgian text consists of non-canonical texts of the Gospels of Mark and Luke. The grammatical features of the text, namely the use of the so-called Khanmet verbs suggests that the text reflects the language situation before the disappearance of the Khanmet forms. That is, the text could be written exclusively from the second half of the VII century until the VIII century, i.e. before erasing the Khanmet forms of verbs.

<em>Quod vi agat feminam</em>. Autoridad marital y violencia doméstica en el discurso normativo y patrístico en la Hispania tardoantigua

Desde el marco metodológico de los estudios especializados sobre la violencia doméstica y el maltrato de la casada en la Antigüedad tardía, el trabajo analiza los textos legislativos seculares y canónicos y el discurso patrístico cristiano producido en Hispania en este período (ss. V-VII d. C.) para explorar la relación entre los conceptos de matrimonio y de autoridad marital, tal y como se reflejan en estas fuentes, y la posibilidad de un ejercicio legitimado de violencia de los maridos sobre las mujeres casadas en la sociedad hispana tardoantigua. Se contribuye también a situar a dicha sociedad en el contexto de las construcciones socioculturales comunes del Occidente tardoantiguo vinculadas al problema histórico de la violencia doméstica y marital.

Specificity and functions of a dance as a component of syncretic “mousikē” art of the Ancient world

Specificity and functions of a dance as a component of syncretic “mousikē” art of the Ancient world

Męczeństwo za wiarę garnizonu z Gazy w okresie wczesnych podbojów muzułmańskich w świetle Opisu męczeństwa sześćdziesięciu męczenników z Gazy

Acts of sixty martyrs of Gaza is a Latin translation of the original text, describing conquest of Gaza and martyrology of Christian soldiers who died in name of Christian faith. There is little information describing capture of the garrison in VIIth century, thus the passion of Gaza martyrs is one of the few sources describing that event, allowing us to recreate the dramatic turn of events back then. It also describes Muslims attitude toward Christians in the middle east. The Author tries to identify the anonymous soldiers of Gaza Garrison who later gave their lives at the hands of Muslim conquerors because of they refuse to abandon Christianity.

An Early Byzantine Living Cross Relief from Caunus

Caunus is known as a city in Caria which is located coast of Dalyan (Calbis) bay near Koycegiz in Mugla. According to ancient sources and several ecclesiastical documents Caunus was christianized at an early date and when the Roman Empire officially adopted the Christian faith, its name changed into Hagia-Caunus. Today, there are five churches in different places of the city which come to light thanks to the excavations. It is argued that a domed church on Palaestra Terrace which has been constructed between the first half of VIth century and the mid. VIIth centuries. Undoubtedly findings of around the church shed light on the Byzantine period of the city. There are a lot of remarkable architec-tural sculptures at the around and inside of domed church on Palaestra Terrace. One of these examples is found at the 1998 excavation season. The front face of the marble block is carved relief technique which is a cross motive with stylized leaves and the alpha (Α) and omega (ω) that de-pends from arms of the cross. As it is known in Byzantine Art, cross is used to symbolize the Christ’s sufferings, his sacrifice and the hope of salvation. Besides the alpha (Α) and omega (ω) means beginning and end in Christian belief refer to the eternal nature of God. Cross varieties are commonly used in Byzantine depiction art. It seems that the carved marble block must have been used as an architectural stone in the church. Thus in this paper I have tried to examine meaning of the composition and to give careful consideration to a series of questions linked to the context of use of the cross carved block in the church as well as discuss its significance within regional (Caunus ve Caria) and broader cultural contexts of Early Byzantine art.

KURGAN OF EARLY SСYTHIAN AGE IN KHARKIV REGION

The publication presents the results of excavations of the mound 4 of the Dushnovo group of large-scale graveyard of the Scythian time near the city Lyubotin, Kharkiv region (the Seversky Donets basin). It is important to emphasize that no one kurgan in this group was previously investigated by archaeologists.
 Part of the embankment was seriously damaged by the local people’s economic activity, and before excavation it was a height of up to 0.90 m with a diameter of about 30 m.
 In the course of works the remains of a square (4 Ч 4 m) original ground-based facility, with an in-depth foundation, which once had fence walls, were found under the embankment. The massive column-pillars, which originally frame the front of the building, were leaving the entrance to it free. The area around this object was lined with bark, and in the immediate vicinity there was a fairly large wooden platform.
 Several items were preserved in the robbery track, in particular, fragments of stucco dishes of the early Scythian period (a pot, a bowl, a scoop), fragments of the light-loamy Miletus amphora.
 The constructive feature of the structure and the preserved things make it possible to interpret this object as a sanctuary and date approximately not later than the end of VII century BC.

La societá ecclesiastica nell’Italia del VI secolo: <em>clericalis ordo e scrinia apostolica</em> attraverso l’Epistolario di papa Gregorio Magno

La sociedad eclesiástica en la Italia del siglo VI: clericalis ordo e scrinia apostolica a través del Epistolario del Papa Gregorio Magno. Análisis de la sociedad eclesiástica italiana de finales del siglo VI y principios del VII por medio del Epistolario del Papa Gregorio Magno, en el que se pone el acento en la labor reformadora del pontífice sobre el aparato burocrático administrativo y la centralización de la gestión de los bienes eclesiásticos y la organización de la ecclesia en ordines.

El Atrium en las Vitas Sanctorum Patrum Emeretensium. ¿Una fórmula de la llamada arquitectura del poder?

En este trabajo pretendemos delimitar el significado del termino atrium en las Vitas Sanctorum Patrum Emeretensium. Creemos que «atrium» es utilizado por el opúsculo emeritense con un sentido muy preciso que no se corresponde con la vaguedad de lo que habitualmente el lenguaje arquitectónico expresa con este término. Recabando en esta fuente intentamos demostrar que la forma y función de este edificio se corresponden con una fórmula arquitectónica de poder, en la Mérida de mediados del siglo VII. La comparación con las Etimologías de San Isidoro demuestra que el discurso no es exclusivo de Mérida, sino que atrium es considerado en la Hispania visigoda como una fórmula arquitectónica aúlica, adoptada por el poder religioso.

УЯВЛЕННЯ КЛАСИЧНИХ МАЙЯ ПРО ПОТОЙБІЧНЕ БУТТЯ ЗА НАПИСАМИ ІЗ "ХРАМУ НАПИСІВ" У ПОСЕЛЕННЯХ ПАЛЕНКЕ, ЧІАПАС, МЕХІКО (МЕКСИКАНСЬКІ СПОЛУЧЕНІ ШТАТИ)

The article deals with the interpretation problems of the figures and the translation of the epigraphs from the Classic Maya language, that had been found in the Temple of the Inscriptions – the funerary monument for K'inich Janaab' Pakal, the ruler of Palenque in VII century. The author made a translation of the inscriptions from Maya language into Ukrainian. The indicated images and inscriptions convey the idea of the eternal posthumous life of the ruler with the gods and ancestors. This interpretation is in contradiction with typical representations of the classical Maya on the degeneration of the dead, since the inscriptions in the Temple of the Inscriptions are unique and similar are not found on other monuments. The author supposed, that during the reign of K'inich Janaab' Pakal there had been a religious reform, which was reflected in the change of representations of the afterlife being by the Maya people in Classic period.

Acque sacre e acque profane nei luoghi del non-ritorno: le immagini dell'archeologia

Preferential sites of social and anthropological analysis for the archaeologist, the cemeteries become an important source of cultural contact with the ancient world. In the ritual of burial between the IV and the VII century, we note a symbolic genesis of graves objects as effect of cultural fusion during the migrations and affirmation of Christian practices. Water certainly preserved a primary role: by way of natural mother, it was birth and eternal rebirth in the circle of the life and the death. In the late antiquity the water's theme, in its meaning of life, purification and death, had a distinctive sign in the continuous presence of flagon and small closed forms in the graves. Through the analysis of the pottery, the images of the archaeology, the ritual value is considered with different suggestions.

In-situ non-destructive analysis of Etruscan gold jewels with the micro-XRF transportable spectrometer from CNA

The study of valuable Cultural Heritage objects frequently requires non-destructive analysis with good sensitivity. Moreover, it is often necessary that the measures are carried out in-situ, in particular when transport of the items from the institutions to the laboratory is not allowed.In this work, the technical specifications of the micro-XRF spectrometer developed at the CNA in Seville is presented and its analytical capabilities are tested by means of the analysis of a set of Etruscan gold jewels of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence. Since these jewels are characterized by elaborate decorations, with details of typical dimensions down to tens of microns, a high lateral resolution is required to study the features of these objects. The challenge consists in the characterization of the welding/soldering zones and the details of the jewels that present a very complex geometry. This paper shows the micro-XRF in-situ analysis of 15 Etruscan gold jewels (from the VII century BCE) in order to characterize the alloy composition of sheets, threads, filigrees, granules, as well as the joining zones. Based on these results, the manufacture technique and the production process employed by the Etruscan goldsmiths could be described.

Аланский след в португальской геральдике

The present research is carried out in the mainstream of the self-evident interest of the modern Ossetians to the history of their historical and linguistic ancestors - the medieval Alans, who advanced to the forefront of European history in the late Antiquity. The article discusses the content of the famous Portuguese legend about the creation of the Coimbra Coat of Arms, the former first capital of the country. According to the record in the first world history “Monarchia Lusytana”, created in Portugal in the XVI-XVII centuries, the Alanic king of the 5th Century Atashes, responsible for the destruction of the old city and the construction of Coimbra itself, commissioned creating the coat of arms, and it depicts his bride, the daughter of the defeated king of the Sueves. On both sides of the princess there are heraldic symbols generally considered to belong to Alans and Sueves. There are certain ground to presume, that this fairly historical legend mistakenly attributes the dragon to the Sueves, in which case we may reconsider the distribution of symbolic animals, as it is known, what important place in the attributes of Iranian-speaking Sarmatians and Alans was occupied by a dragon, whose image in this coat of arms is attributed to the Sueves. In addition, the analysis of the names of the protagonists shows that the name of the main female character, Sindizunda / Chindizunda, may be regarded as unhistorical and, possibly, emerged as a result of contamination with the name of the Visigothic King of Hispania of the VIIth century Chindaswind. The non-preservation of the name of the princess in the annals of history or her misrepresentation in the folklore memory accords with a fairly common gender asymmetric practice in relation to female anthroponyms.