Sapiens ubique civis

Domestic Spaces and Mythical Time

Iuliana Lebedeva — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This paper considers the arrangement of domestic space as depicted in the Odyssey. Emphasis is laid on its symbolic aspect: as a place where a range of objects with cosmological significance were concentrated. These objects were integral elements in the arrangement of human dwellings, but they were simultaneously present in mythical space, where they acted as mechanisms supporting the cosmic order. Besides, these artefacts were also connected to the moment in mythical time when the cosmic order was established, and thus they implemented a harmonising and ordering function. With the presence of these architectural elements in domestic space, human dwellings could have been perceived as a kind of “cosmic house”, connected both to mythical space and mythical time.

Achaemenid Audience Imagery

Lorcan Duffy — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Among the extant symbolic monumental reliefs adorning the royal complex of Persepolis – ceremonial capital of Achaemenid Persia – the royal audience scenes are especially fascinating, compositionally and ideologically. This article explores the powerful ideology behind Achaemenid audience imagery in its original setting in Persepolis, its notable dissemination, and adaptations in various artistic media within and beyond the empire (550–330 BC). Here, we seek to ascertain how and why such adaptations differed from the original contextually, visually, and ideologically; to identify what motivations patrons and artists had for reconfiguring the audience scene, regarding what messages they sought to communicate, chiefly aspirational and subversive, and what attitudes towards Achaemenid rule they reveal. We ultimately demonstrate the diverse flexibility and adaptability of artistic responses to Achaemenid audience imagery, forming an apt template for transmitting particularly polarising socio-political and ideological messages; aspirational ones within the empire strive for assimilation and self-aggrandisement, subversive, beyond, for constructing the “Other”.

The The Use of Lists in Curse Practice. Focusing on Greek Defixiones on Terracotta

Teresa Sissy De Blasio — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the use of lists in Greek defixiones, a term used in epigraphy to indicate curses of a private nature, usually inscribed on lead tablets, that consist in invoking deities to cause harm to one or more enemies. Many of these documents include lists of personal names to be cursed whether in the nominative or accusative, often without any further information. This practice proves to be long-lasting, from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC, which is attested to by numerous documents found throughout the Greek world. This paper aims to discuss the variegated framework of these documents by means of an updated collection. Attention is also paid to the material used for these texts, which were not only inscribed on lead but also on terracotta.

Liberation or Accommodation?

Orestis Belogiannis — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Mainly based on the testimony of literary sources, but also on preconceived ideas about the merits of Western civilization and the ills of Oriental despotism, the often peaceful submission of the Persian Great King’s subjects to Alexander III of Macedon has been viewed as an undeniable proof of the Achaemenid Empire’s fragility and oppressive system of governance. The present paper aims at challenging this view by studying the cases of Phoenicia, Egypt and Babylonia. From the critical study of classical authors, but also of textual sources coming from the empire itself, such as Babylonian cuneiform tablets, emerges a more nuanced picture in regard to the politically complicated relations between the Macedonian conqueror, the Persian authorities and the indigenous elites.

Two Modes of Dying in Attic Tragedy

Maria Simantiri — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This paper deals with the surviving plays of Greek tragedy, in which suicide and self-sacrifice take place during the plot: Ajax, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Trachiniae, Phoenissae, Hippolytus, The Suppliants Eur., Hecuba, Heracleidae. It primarily focuses on the motivations of the heroes and heroines and the way they choose to end their lives. It also examines the way that suicide is presented to the audience (visually or aurally), the vocabulary used in each case and its meaning and the portrayal of the dead bodies on stage. Through the analysis of the heroes’ and heroines’ inner conflicts, societal pressures, and the cultural backdrop against which these actions occur, this paper aims to elucidate the complex interplay of heroism and cowardice within the framework of ancient Greek tragedy.

Treasures for the God

Emma de Koning — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This paper aims to draw attention to the significant contribution of the display of dedications of past worshippers in a sanctuary to the creation of a space where direct contact with the divine was possible. Focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on the cult of Asklepios, it draws together strands of thought from new materialism and the study of visuality in religion to outline an understanding of viewing votives as an active, reciprocal activity. In doing so, it highlights three major functions of the votive display in Asklepieia: the votives anchor the power of Asklepios; create a sense of the (diachronic) presence of worshippers; and prompt reflection on the nature of the interaction between human and god. Together, these examples demonstrate that the votive display, approached with ritual-centred visuality and recognised as an active agent, was a key factor in making Asklepios accessible to his supplicants.

Sex and Dice: Approaching Girls with Games in Ancient Greece and Rome

Marco Tibaldini — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This paper describes how dice, knucklebones and board games could have romantic or sexual implications among ancient Greeks and Romans. It analyzes a series of literary sources taken from Greek and Latin literatures, and a few archaeological findings. Some of those pieces of literature are fictional and tell invented stories, but grounded on realistic facts, while others report real historical events related to famous figures, or to anonymous people. Based on these historical sources, this paper explains how ancients used games to approach new people and create the kind of atmosphere that preludes to romance, or sexual intercourse. It presents the different shades of this topic and, when possible, sheds light on its evolutionary process throughout Greek and Roman history.

How to Feel Again: Tibullus 1.5 and the Emotionalisation of Recipients

Clemens Wurzinger — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

As early as 1979, Cairns described one of the most important characteristics of elegies of Tibullus: they play with the recipients’ expectations, as they only pass on information to the recipients in a gradual manner. This essay attempts to apply this concept not only to Tibullus’ elegy 1.5, but above all to the transition from Elegy 1.4 to 1.5. The focus will be on the ‘confusing’ and religious structures of the text, as these are clearly used to influence the emotional state of the recipients. A brief insight into the field of Emotion Studies together with Cairns’ concept of “delayed information” will help to focus on the first 36 verses of the elegy and their attempts to create a ‘confusing relationship’ with the recipients.

The Economic Strategy of the Roman Empire in the Provinces – with Particular Regard to the Administrative Conditions

Izing-Gombos Brigitta — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In my research, I examine the financial economy of the Roman Empire, with particular regard to the economic strategies used in the case of occupied provinces and the construction of the necessary administrative system. I am looking for an answer to the question of how the empire built its own economic scheme in the occupied territories, and how the local economic and political leadership adapted. For this, I analyze the construction of the administrative system of the two important provinces of the Roman Empire, Judea, and Egypt, and then compare them based on the criteria I have set up. In the case of some provinces, the motivation of the Romans was the economic exploitation of the territory, with maximum efficiency and minimum investment of power. Thus, after minor modifications, the existing legal order was accepted, respecting the governance structures that had existed before in the occupied territory, as long as the legal order was effective and its members were willing to cooperate with the Roman Empire. In general, there was little similarity between the administrations of the provinces, since Rome mostly respected the local political– economic structure established decades or centuries before the arrival of the Romans. At the same time, a methodological pattern can be observed, which emerges both in the case of Judea and Egypt; on the one hand, before the adoption of the new laws, the natural resources and wealth of the area were assessed, the applicable legal system was indicated, and taxes were determined, and on the other hand, negotiations were conducted with the local elite. In my research, I intend to present the different effects of the Roman mechanism on the local economies.

Two Family Plots and the Reader of Livy (Liv. 1–2; 23–26)

Enno Friedrich — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Two family plots are present at narrative junctions in Livy’s ab urbe condita: the story of Tarquinius Collatinus’ revenge in the section on the Tarquinii in Rome (Liv. 1–2) and the story of Appius Claudius Pulcher’s care for his family in the section on the defection and reconquest of Capua (Liv. 23–26). Both family plots can only be recognized by a reader who is particularly awake to family constellations in texts, both tell stories that run alongside the main plots of the narrative and provide contrast and accentuation. In the paper I am arguing that the two family plots are an expression of Livy’s polyphonous narrative technique and may have been part of a strategy to adapt to the preferences of readers of Republican gentilician historiography and shape their ideas of historiography towards the ideals of early principate historiography.

Renaming the Augustalitas

Alberto Barrón Ruiz de la Cuesta — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The goal of this study is the analysis of the new terms created within the seviratus Augustalis during the 1st century AD, in an attempt to link the Augustalitas to the name of the following emperors and dynasties after the decease of Augustus. In accordance with that tendency, there are preserved examples of seviri Iuliales, seviri Tiberiales, seviri Claudiales, seviri Neronienses, seviri Flaviales, seviri Titiales and seviri Nerviales. They are essentially located in the Italian Peninsula, but their number is scarce in comparison with the better known titles sevir Augustalis, Augustalis, magister Augustalis and sevir. We will observe the epigraphic evidence of these terms, their territorial presence and duration and the main characteristics of their members. Through this inquiry it will be shown how the institution evolved in time and how it was partially transformed before its normalisation in the 2nd century.

Alexander’s Philosophical παιδεία and θυμός

Anna-Maria Miliara — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Plutarch wrote two works that refer to Alexander: The Life of Alexander and the two treatises On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander I–II. Specifically, the treatises describe Alexander positively: through the antithesis between ἔργον and λόγος, Alexander is idealized prima facie and presented as a philosopher in arms (328a), and via the distinction between ἀρετή and τύχη, he is introduced as a virtuous general. On the contrary, Life depicts Alexander as an ἀνὴρ θυμοειδὴς, both in good (φιλότιμος) and bad sense (rageful). At first, he is praised for his kindness and generosity (12, 1; 15, 5; 24, 6; 27, 7). However, after the account of Persepolis (38), Alexander succumbs to his anger (62, 3). The question that arises, and we aspire to answer is to what extent the presentation of Alexander is disparate between these two works. Are there two different portraits of Alexander?

Votive Inscriptions in Mitrovica and Its Surroundings

Elza Shipoli — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The study of votive epigraphic monuments is significant in archaeology, providing valuable insights into a particular period or region’s social structure. During the Roman era, monuments like ceramics and coins were crucial communication markers between cultures. The votive inscriptions found in Kosovo’s territory offer evidence on the worship of local, Roman, Greek, and Eastern deities. Mitrovica, a region with a rich history of cultural exchange, flourished as a center of civilization even during the Roman period. The abundance of votive epigraphic monuments in Mitrovica sheds light on the revered deities. It offers valuable glimpses into the region’s Roman-era history, including insights into the specific deities venerated during that time.

The Social Category of Courtesans in Lucian’s Dialogues of the Courtesans

Anne Lanckriet — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This article examines the relationship between the individual experiences of literary courtesans and their social category as courtesans in Lucian’s Dialogues of the Courtesans. The relatively limited research that has been done on this dialogue collection has been based on the presupposition that the characters are first and foremost courtesans; the impact of individuality and agency on the experience of the limitations and expectations associated with the social category of courtesans remains unacknowledged. By employing the interpretative model of social dynamics, which offers a way of studying the relationships between individuals and groups, this article demonstrates how Lucian’s Dialogues of the Courtesans depicts these figures as more complex than what has been assumed thus far, by acknowledging the impact of their social category on their daily lives whilst also highlighting how these courtesans negotiate, experience, reinterpret, confirm, undermine, and reinvent these limitations, expectations, and advantages in their social interactions.

The Baetylus – from Greek Mythology to Early Islam

Asem Zear — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The concept of sacred stones and their worship is found in various cultures and religions around the world. Different stones may hold religious or spiritual significance for many reasons, often related to their shape, colour, rarity, or perceived connection to a deity or natural force and it is a captivating embodiment of the intricate interplay between nature, spirituality, and human creativity. Depending on a multitude of global sacred stone traditions, this study navigates through the origins, significance, and contemporary relevance of this age-old ritual. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we unveil the deep-rooted connections between geology, anthropology, and theology, offering a comprehensive perspective on the origin of Sacred Stones. As we explore the mystical elements of this practice, this abstract invites reader to immerse themselves in the captivating world of sacred stones and the harmonious fusion of ancient and modern beliefs.

Bezoar Stones: the Antidote to All Poisons

Bránya Krisztina — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Bezoars, which have played an important role in medicine since their discovery until the development of modern treatments, have been the subject of many questions and mysteries. According to some reports, bezoars were thought to be found in the head, stomach, or even the liver of some animals, as well as in their faeces. Other sources claimed that bezoars originated from deer eyes. Regardless of their origin, it is undeniable that for centuries, medicine has relied on these animal stones to treat poisoning symptoms and cure rabies. In my paper, I will lay out the origin and history of these mysterious materials with poison-absorbing properties. I will present the terms used to refer to items later known as bezoars in Sextus Placitus’s work De medicamentis ex animalibus libri. In addition, I will describe some intriguing characteristics of the many types of bezoars.

Death and Rebirth of Dionysos in the New Sinai Hexameters

Niccolò Petronio — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The paper deals with four poetic fragments with Orphic content published in 2021 by Giulia Rossetto. The first two fragments (Ar–Av) depict a hitherto unattested encounter between Aphrodite and Persephone regarding the infant Dionysos; the others (Br–Bv) report the Orphic tale of Dionysos being lured by the Titans but with a variation involving the Giants. Based on the observations of various scholars, the paper draws attention to the similarities between the new fragments and the story of Dionysos Liknites, which frequently involves the death and rebirth of the god. Proposing to reverse the order of the fragments, it is suggested that the Sinai fragments also report this narrative and that the reunion between Dionysos and Aphrodite in Hades represents the god’s rebirth. To conclude, the paper addresses the dating proposed for the fragments (4th century BC), arguing that it might challenge previous beliefs about the earliest known account of Dionysos’ death and rebirth.

The Wrath of Theodosius as a Stormy Sea

Lisa Longoni — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The focus of the paper is an episode of the Laus Serenae (carm. min. 30, 134–139) in which Claudian pictures the wrath of the emperor Theodosius, which is calmed by his niece Serena. The aim is to demonstrate that the way Claudian depicts Theodosius evokes the image of the stormy sea, whereas Serena represents the only rock capable of withstanding him. This produces a strong image, frequently used in literature, which can seriously impact the audience and communicate the propagandistic message hidden in these verses more powerfully. This proposal is based on some characteristic features of Claudian poetry, such as his descriptions rich in evidentia, the allusions he made exploiting words with wide semantic fields, and especially his penchant for aquatic imagery, exploited with different purposes. Indeed, these aquatic images, whatever their primary role, often achieve the result of making the narrative more vivid.

Remarks on the Role of Women in Byzantium through the Epigrams on the Cross by Nicholas Kallikles

Anastasios Kantaras — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Scholarly poetry and epigrams in particular, have been a literary means of expression for the scholars in Byzantium. On the one hand, they helped express ideas and attitudes towards life and on the other hand, conveyed their religious feelings and deep religious beliefs. A plethora of engraved Byzantine epigrams were used on exceptional works of Byzantine micro-art, such as crosses and staurothékes, so as to emphasize the religiosity of the person who ordered the making of such a complicated and grand piece. Among those people were noble women and specifically, the wives of Byzantine emperors held an exceptional position. Some cases include Irene Doukaina and her second daughter Maria Komnene during the 11th-12th century, who assigned the composition of such epigrams to their contemporary scholar of the royal court Nicholas Kallikles. These epigrams are going to be examined in this article emphasizing the most important information they provide, including the motivational factors for these orders.

The Odyssey of the Ravenna Manuscript

Maria Scotti — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The aim of this paper is to define the chronology of the Ravenna manuscript (R 429), which is the oldest and qualitatively best witness of Aristophanes’ plays. The manuscript was held at the Court of the Dukes of Urbino between the end of the 15th and 16th centuries. As it is well known, the Ravenna manuscript was in Florence in 1516, but how and when the Ms. came into the Library of Urbino are questions as obscure as how and when it was carried away. Over the centuries, scholars have tried to investigate such issues, but they still disagree to this day. After summarizing the bibliography concerning such chronology, I focus on the ancient indices of the Library of Urbino. Special attention will be given to the so-called “Old Index” and the “Index of Veterani”. By studying these indices and their marginal annotations and also the prefaces of two printed editions of Aristophanes (the 1515 and 1516 Giunta editions), it is possible to suggest that the Ravenna manuscript arrived in Urbino at Federico da Montefeltro’s time (that is to say before 1482) and that it left the library in 1515–1516.

Vita divi Pauli Primi Eremitae by Valentin Eck Shortly Introduced and Poetically Translated

Viktor Wintner — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Valentin Eck (1494–1556) also known as Valentinus Ecchius is one of the most prolific humanist authors associated with the territory of current Slovakia. Though born in the Bavarian city of Lindau, he spent the majority of his life in the eastern Slovak city of Bardejov serving, at first, as the principal of the local school until he finally reached the position of the city judge (der Richter). Behind his rise to prominence stood the patronage of Alexius Thurzo, one of the most influential royal dignitaries of Louis II. and Ferdinand I., to whom he dedicated most of his works including the epyllion Vita divi Pauli Primi Eremitae, a poetic adaptation of the legend about the anchorite Paul of Thebes written by Jerome more than a thousand years ago. Our paper contains a short introduction both into the life and works of the poet trying to describe his political and literary activities in the then Kingdom of Hungary in connection with other eminent humanist scholars of those times such as Rudolf Agricola Junior and Leonard Cox. Then it compares the Eck’s versified version of Paul’s life to its prosaic original briefly trying to identify the main changes which the Hieronymian work underwent. Neither the aesthetic appraisal of the poem is neglected. The heart of the paper is, however, represented by the commented translation of the aforementioned Pauline epyllion into English hexameter the purpose of which is to popularize the literary production of this humanist scholar abroad.

Bastian Dahl: Academic Networking Outside Academia

Victoria Marie Mostue — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Since the foundation of Norway’s first university in 1811, classics has been an important part of Norwegian academia. The history of Norwegian classical scholarship, however, has received relatively little attention from researchers, and minimal literature exists on Norway’s first classical scholars. One such scholar was Bastian Anastasius Dahl (1851–1895), a gifted Latinist who was expelled from academia on apparently dubious grounds and died at the age of just 43. Dahl produced several highly regarded works and, as recent archival research has revealed, created a vast international network of classical scholars, in stark contrast to his Norwegian contemporaries. In this article, I use my archival findings to shed light on this overlooked, yet illustrative chapter of Norwegian academic history, employing Dahl as a case study from a less canonical area of classical scholarship.

One Myth, Three Genres

Hysni Kafazi — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Tennessee Williams (1911–1983) often found inspiration in mythology, from his first short story to numerous poems that allude to Greco-Roman myths. Notably, his first professionally produced play, Battle of Angels (1940) is based on the story of Orpheus and Euridice, a myth that consistently resurfaces in Williams’s works. This paper traces the development of this myth across Williams’s oeuvre in three different genres, from the play Battle of Angels to the poem “Orpheus Descending” (1952), the revised theatrical version titled Orpheus Descending (1957), and finally the movie The Fugitive Kind (1960). A comparative analysis of the nuances of the myth of Orpheus in these works reveals that Williams utilizes the universal recognizability of the myth, and gradually employs it with a philosophical perspective, transposing Orpheus’ journey to the Underworld to a modern context to depict the condition of man in modern times.

A Japanese Story: The Domestication of Thermae Romae

Clare Chang — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The 2012 Japanese movie Thermae Romae looks at the story of Lucius, an ancient Roman bath architect who through twists of fate time travelled to modern Japan on multiple occasions. Inspired by the bath technology of the modern Japanese people, Lucius would build many innovative bathhouses in ancient Rome, and his bath-building would eventually rope him into the political intrigue between Ceionius and Antoninus Pius, possible heirs of Hadrian. Thermae Romae is a peculiar case of Classical reception, as it was produced and found success in the Japanese society, where Classics is relatively unfamiliar to the general public. This paper discusses the incorporation of ancient Rome in the movie from the perspective of Domestication, and argues that the success of the movie can be attributed to its Japanisation of ancient Roman elements, which catered to the emotional and social needs of the Japanese society at the time of its release.

The Role of Mythology in the World of Comics

Stocker Mercédesz — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Just as in antiquity, mythology is also an integral part of the everyday life of the modern man. Myths of the past have been reshaped, leading to the creation of new myths and new mythologies. This is demonstrated by the reappearance of some mythological figures. I will examine the way in which the Heracles myths have been adapted through popular culture, with a particular emphasis on the world of comic books. Among the comic book publications, I would like to highlight The Incredible Hercules, in which, in addition to the heroisation of Hercules in the modern age, I will examine the relationship between comics and mythology.